Food Ideas for 1 Year Old Babies

The average age for teething in children is between six to twelve months. With teeth, comes the ability to crunch and chomp down new, solid foods. But what exactly can you feed your baby?

Foods for your Twelve Month Old Baby

There is no need to stress about preparing special food for your one year old. Whatever the rest of your family eats can be eaten by them too. You only need to take care to avoid as much salt in the food as possible. Of course, this does rule out most take-away and restaurant food, as they usually contain a lot of salt.

1. Cereal

All time classic! Cereals like flaked corn soften with milk and are easy to digest. Try to get whole grain cereal, as much as possible.

2. Cucumber

Cut up cucumbers are a rejuvenating snack anytime of the day. For your baby’s ease, the best way to cut them is lengthwise, making “cucumber-sticks” shaped like French fries. If it’s a hot summer day, a few cucumbers can easily prevent dehydration.

3. Lentil

Lentil is packed with protein, which helps in muscle development. Lentil can be eaten with rice or as a soup and it doesn’t have a strong flavour.

4. Vegetable Soup

This is easy to feed your one year old and it contains the goodness of all the vegetables you add in it. For instance, carrot soup would be good for the eyes, and potatoes contain fibre.

5. Soya

Soya granules are quickly becoming a standard substitute source of protein for pure vegetarians. The soft texture it becomes after cooking makes it an ideal food choice for babies.

6. Whole Wheat Break

A regular food for the family that can easily be eaten by the baby, too. A sandwich of vegetables or cheese makes it a balanced meal.

7. Chicken

Be careful to buy organic chicken, or chicken that is certified to be free of hormonal treatments. Over cooking the chicken to make it softer is a good idea for your toddler. Also, avoid strongly spicy flavourings, and tear the cooked meat into tiny bits, removing the bones before your feed it to your child.

8. Fish

When preparing fish, always remember that frying it makes it lose a lot of its nutritional value, as opposed to using it in a sauce. Like chicken, and indeed, more so, be very careful to tear off the meat and make sure no bones remain, before you feed your child with it. Even the fine bones found in sea fish can get stuck in a toddler’s throat.

1 Year Old Baby Food Chart/Feeding Schedule

When planning your 12 month baby food schedule you do not have to go out of the way from your usual foods. If your weekly eating pattern has turned monotonous, this may be a good time to add a bit of colour to it, as your baby and you, both, need a well-rounded, balanced diet. Here is a sample baby food chart:

	Starter	Breakfast	Second Breakfast	Luncheon	Afternoon	Dinner	Late night
Sunday	Breast Milk / Formula	Banana pancakes	Watermelon Scoops	Chicken with vegetable stew	Cheese pieces	Barley Porridge	Breast Milk / Formula
Monday	Breast Milk / Formula	French Toast	Banana slices	Pasta Bolognese	Bread rolls	Cottage cheese on toast	Breast Milk / Formula
Tuesday	Breast Milk / Formula	Egg Sandwich	Fried Apple rings	Creamy chicken with avocado	Apple slices	Lentil Soup with croutons	Breast Milk / Formula
Wednesday	Breast Milk / Formula	Apple and Cinnamon Waffles	Cucumber sticks	Vegetable Noodles	Banana Shake	Cereal with milk	Breast Milk / Formula
Thursday	Breast Milk / Formula	Grilled Cheese and tomato sandwich	Mix of Berries	Steamed cod with Brown rice	Chicken curry rice	Cheese and bell pepper omelette	Breast Milk / Formula
Friday	Breast Milk / Formula	Fruit salad with yoghurt	Halved grapes	Homemade Chicken nuggets	Apple shake	Broccoli and cheese soup	Breast Milk / Formula
Saturday	Breast Milk / Formula	Oatmeal Porridge	Cereal with milk	Rice with fish	French Toast	Chicken soup	Breast Milk / Formula

Best Baby Food Recipes for 1 Year Old

Make sure you get the chance to prepare the following dishes for your young one :

1. Fried Apple Rings

A quick, sweet snack!

Ingredients:

• 1 Apple
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 1/2 beaten egg
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• A pinch of salt

How to Prepare:

• Mix flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and set aside.
• Mix egg and buttermilk in a separate bowl.
• Slice the apple into 1/4 inch thick slices discarding the core.
• Mix the 2 bowls and dip the apple rings in them and deep fry them.
• You can also coat the fried pieces with powdered sugar for older kids!

2. Hummus and Pitta Bread

The high protein content in chickpeas and the carbohydrates in pitta bread make this a balanced way to start the day!

Ingredients:

• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed.
• 1 clove garlic.
• A quarter of cup olive oil, plus more for serving.
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.
• 2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste; optional)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin.
• A pinch of salt.
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika.

How to Prepare:

• In a food processor, puree the chickpeas and garlic with the olive oil, lemon juice, tahini (if using), cumin, and ¾ teaspoon salt until smooth and creamy.
• Add 1 to 2 tablespoons water as necessary to achieve the desired consistency.
• Transfer to a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the paprika before serving.

3. Cheese and Butter Pasta

A great source of calcium and carbs and one that is hard to refuse if you have a picky eater!

Ingredients:

• Water
• Fettuccine Pasta
• Salt and pepper
• Butter
• Parmesan cheese

How to Prepare:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in fettuccine, bring back to a boil, and cook pasta over medium heat until tender yet firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Drain and return pasta to pot.
• Mix butter, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper into pasta until evenly combined.

4. Yogurt, granola, and berries

This simple treat is easy enough that toddlers can make it all on their own!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Yoghurt
• 2-3 strawberries
• 4-5 blueberries
• 1 tbsp. granola

How to Prepare:

• Chop the strawberries.
• Scoop yogurt into a parfait glass, then top with granola and fruit. It’s that simple!

5. French Toast

A quickly readied snack suited for mornings and afternoons. Did you know that in most European languages other than English, the name for French toast, translates, literally, to “Poor Knights”?

Ingredients:

• 2 slices brown bread
• 1 egg
• 1 small pureed banana
• ½ cup milk
• Oil

How to Prepare:

• Mix together milk, pureed banana and egg.
• Beat the mixture well to a runny consistency.
• Heat the oil in a pan.
• Dip bread piece into mixture and fry.

6. Barley Porridge With Banana

This semi-solid recipe is filling and yummy, and your little one is sure to enjoy this and, ask for seconds.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup barley
• 1 banana
• 3 cups water

How to Prepare:

• Add the water and barley in a vessel and pressure cook for 5 whistles.
• Release the pressure and check the softness of the barley. If it isn’t soft enough, let it simmer, until perfect.
• Let this cool down completely and blend until smooth.
• Chop the banana into bite sized pieces, add to the porridge, and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Serve warm.

Feeding Tips

• When using homemade baby food recipes for one year olds, do not be afraid to go for variety! Some doctors believe that staying with the same food for long can lead to them to become fussy eaters.
• The “drawback” of going for a large variety of foods, is the increase in the possibility of your child ingesting some food that they may be allergic to. In most developed countries, allergy tests are a part of due medical process for babies. We would suggest you look into the options for the same!
• Do not jump from liquid to solid food. Take it slow. Move from softer textures to semi-solid foods before going on to solid foods.
• The best time of day to feed your baby solid foods is when they have just woken up in the morning or from a nap and are high on energy!
• Do not disregard the advantage of having a high chair to feed a baby. Not only is your baby safe and secure, but it is ergonomically easier on your back too – much needed after 9 months of pregnancy and a year of picking up after your infant!
• It’s never too late to create a taste for healthy food for your one year old baby. It can take up to 15 tries before a child tries a new food. So, if they didn’t eat their carrots on Monday, don’t hold back from trying on Wednesday, and even next week!
• Don’t force feed anything to your child. It’s possible that they may not be hungry or just not enjoy a particular food. If they continue to refuse any particular food over a period of time, it’s okay. Just like you like and dislike certain foods, kids do as well.

Eating healthy isn’t a chore; it’s a habit. And there’s no better time to start eating healthy, than when you literally start eating.