Children (12 months to 24 months) need:
- 3 ounces of grains (one slice of bread or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta),
- ½–1 cup of fruits (¾ cups juice, ½ cup canned fruit, ¼ cup dried fruit, 1 piece of fruit or melon wedge),
- ½ cup of vegetables (½ cup chopped raw or cooked vegetables, 1 cup raw leafy greens),
- 1–1 ½ cup cups of milk or other dairy products,
- 2 ounces of high-protein foods (meat, poultry, eggs, and legumes)—1 ounce meat, 1 egg, ¼ cup legumes such as beans, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter,
- 3–4 teaspoons of healthy oils such as canola oil, olive oil, or tub margarine,
- Fats and sweets are empty calories and should be avoided.
Calories
Your child needs about 1,000 calories a day to meet her growth, energy, and nutrition needs.
She has a small stomach and will need to eat every two and half to three hours. A typical eating schedule for a toddler is three meals and two snacks a day. The food groups that make up a balanced diet are proteins, carbohydrates, fruits, and dairy.
Allow your child to pick from a variety of healthful foods and vary the foods she eats because her tastes and preferences change frequently. Based on the activity level of a given day or an increase in her growth rate, her appetite may change as well.
Babies and toddlers should be getting at least half of their calories from fat. When they turn two and their rate of growth slows, gradually lower the percentage of calories from fat, eventually changing it to one-third of her daily calories when she reaches four or five years old.
Avoid adding too many flavors or spices to your toddler’s food because she is still developing her taste buds and is more sensitive to flavorings than adults. Making foods that are too salty, spicy, sour, or sweet will prevent your child from experiencing the natural tastes of foods.
Cutting your child’s food into bite-size pieces can also encourage her to start feeding herself. She can easily pick up her food and put it into her mouth.
Switching to Cow’s Milk
At 12 months, your child is finally ready to switch to cow’s milk.
It is important to wait until 12 months for your child to switch to cow’s milk because of a variety of internal developments still happening in her body. At 12 months, your child now needs the calcium and vitamin D that whole milk supplies.
You should be giving your child whole milk until the age of two unless your physician tells you otherwise. Only give your child between 16 and 20 ounces of milk a day; too much milk can affect her diet and make her too full to eat other meals and foods.
Trouble adjusting to whole milk?
- Mix cow’s milk with your child’s formula or breast milk so she can adjust to the taste.
- Try adding cow’s milk to foods such as hot or cold cereal in the morning.
- If your child is really putting up a fight, try adding other calcium-rich foods to her diet, such as yogurts and cheeses.
Allergies
With the introduction of more varieties of food starting now and continuing throughout her life, your child can develop allergies.
Indications of allergies include sneezing, itching, swelling in the face, and skin rashes (small bumps). Food allergies: Are usually quite rare and follow your child’s genetic background.
If you have a food allergy that runs in your family, be careful when giving your child that food. Food allergies in young children typically go away with age.
Hay fever:
Can happen with environmental or seasonal allergies when your child is allergic to pollen, grass, dust, or animal dander. Symptoms include watery eyes, sneezing, and a runny nose. Because children this age cannot yet blow their noses to clear their nasal passages, mucus drips down their throats, causing them to cough.
Safety
Have your child sit at the table with you to eat so you can monitor her feeding herself to ensure that she does not put too much food in her mouth at one time. Keep adding to her plate as she finishes to encourage your child to take her time.
Because your toddler is teething, she may be very attracted to crunchy or hard foods at one point and then not like them later. Keep trying a variety of kid-friendly and safe foods; something she didn’t like today can be her new favorite tomorrow.
Let her choose what she wants to eat from the healthful choices you provide (e.g. a piece of fruit, carrot sticks, or wheat crackers with hummus) so that you are ultimately in charge of the choices.
Highchairs
What to look for in a highchair:
Safety:
- Does the highchair have buckles to secure your toddler?
- Does it have the JPMA (Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association) stamp of approval?
- Is it easy to get your child in and out of the highchair?
Comfort:
- Is the chair big enough for your your toddler?
- Is it comfortable for your toddler to sit through a whole meal?
- Is there a footrest to help with posture?
- What type of material is it made of ? Is it easy to clean?
Sippy Cups
Most children at 12 months are ready to give up the bottle. Sippy cups have spouts that help your child switch from sucking to sipping, and they are mess free.
Things to look for in a sippy cup:
- no handles—this makes it easier to transition to a cup later;
- removable top—for easy cleaning;
- weighted bottom—some sippy cups come with a weighted bottom, which is a great way to control messy leaks;
- types of plastic—stay away from any plastic cups or utensils that contain BPA or say Recycle 7 or have the letters PC on the product. These are not safe for your young one.
Tummy Troubles
Constipation
Constipation is not always a sign of illness but can make your child uncomfortable. Constipation is usually accompanied by hard or painful stools. What to do:
- Increase fluids: Give your child more water to drink.
- Diet: Make sure you are giving your child correct portion sizes when it comes to food and also change the variety of foods you offer. Introduce more fruits and vegetables.
- Try prunes, dried fruits (raisins and apricots), oatmeal, or green vegetables.
- Stay away from cow’s milk, yogurt, cheese, cooked carrots, and bananas.
Diarrhea
Diarrhea is the opposite of constipation and involves very loose or too many bowel movements. Diarrhea can cause your child pain as well as make him become dehydrated and lethargic. Diarrhea can be caused by a virus or contaminated food or can be a side effect of medication.
If diarrhea starts quickly but ends by the next meal your child eats and isn’t accompanied by fever, you probably should not be concerned.
Avoid:
- Drinks with sugar like soda or ginger ale; sugar may upset the stomach.
Vomiting
Vomiting is a virus caused by bacteria or a parasite. It can sometimes be followed by diarrhea.
Signs your child may be dehydrated include:
- not urinating,
- dry lips and mouth,
- looks pale.
What to do:
If your child is having trouble holding down liquids or food, try to rehydrate her with an oral rehydration solution.
Examples of oral rehydration solutions include: water, Pedialyte®, watered-down juice, chicken broth.
When administering oral rehydration solutions:
1. Give your child only a teaspoon of fluid every five minutes to help her keep it down.
2. If your child is able to keep the liquid down, keep increasing the amount of fluid you give her.
3. Keep giving your child fluids until your child stops vomiting.
4. If your child is ready to eat again, try to stick to these foods: dry toast, small amount of pasta (no sauce), hard-boiled egg, rice, bananas.
