1 year / 12 month old feeding schedule: Food chart, formula, breastmilk

As your 1 year old enters toddlerhood on their first birthday, you may be wondering how that will affect their eating habits. There will be changes for sure as they will now depend on solid food to provide the nutrition they need. Keep reading for all you need to know about this transition.

1 year old baby sample feeding schedule

Many babies at this age are slowly transitioning from bottles and nursing to additional solid foods (i.e., meat or other proteins, fruits, vegetables, grains, yogurts and cheeses, etc.) Additionally, many families choose to incorporate into their child’s diet. 

Sometimes this can make a feeding schedule feel somewhat tricky, but the following example should help. Remember, this is just one way you could go about feeding and it’s always important to do what’s best for your family. 

How much to feed a 1 year: Food chart

At 12 months of age, your toddler will start depending on solid foods to get the nutrition they need to grow. You will move away from bottles and toward including roughly and two snacks per day.

12 month sample feeding chart

6 tips for feeding your 1 year old baby

Tip #1: Transition from liquid feeds to solid foods.

• Your baby has relied on formula or breast milk for the majority of their nutrition up to this point. However, at 1 year old, solid foods should start making up most of their diet. This often means switching out bottles and nursing sessions for solid food snacks.

• Breastfeeding does still offer benefits for as long as you and your child wish to continue nursing. However, we’d expect nursing sessions to slowly decrease as well as the goal still remains to get the most nutrition from solid foods. Transition slowly for the best results!

Tip #2: Know your alternatives to milk. 

• Many families choose to transition to cow’s milk around this time as it is an easy and affordable source of important nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D, and protein. However, you do not need to serve cow’s milk if you do not want to. You can obtain the same nutrients from other foods or non-dairy milk alternatives. 

• When choosing a non-dairy milk alternative check the nutrition label and if possible, choose one that is fortified with calcium and vitamin D and does not contain added sugars.

• It’s also important to note many non-dairy milks are lower in protein and fat than cow’s milk so these nutrients will need to be obtained elsewhere. For all types of milk, intake should be less than 16 - 24 oz a day.

Tip #3: Start to wean from the bottle.

• The American Academy of Pediatrics [] recommends beginning to wean your baby off of using a bottle around 12 months for best dental health. If you haven’t already, start introducing an open cup or a straw cup. 

Tip #4: Respect hunger and fullness cues.

• You may start to notice your child is eating less now — and that’s completely normal! Their rate of growth is much slower now than in the first year of life. The best thing you can do is to respect their hunger and fullness cues.

• Your child will likely now express their hunger and fullness with sounds and gestures like pointing to food when hungry or throwing food off of their tray when they are full. 

Tip #5: Continue to offer a variety of foods.

• While you may be pretty settled into a feeding routine now, and your little one may be starting to have foods they prefer, continue to offer a variety of foods (more on here). This helps ensure they are meeting their nutritional needs as well as helps to prevent some picky eating tendencies. 

Tip #6: Encourage utensil use.

• Around 12 months of age is a great time to start incorporating utensils into your little one’s mealtimes. While they may still prefer to use their hands for a while, it is great to practice with utensils. 

Night feedings at 1 year old

Night feedings are typically not needed for 1 year olds. Help your child sleep well through the night by offering sufficient calories during the day and offering plenty of opportunities for them to be physically active with .

Takeaway

• It's a time of transition: Feeding a 12 month old is exciting and full of changes for your newly minted one year old.

• Solid foods become primary nutrition source: Children at this age are adjusting to less liquid feeding and continue to experiment with new foods, flavors, and textures.

• It's collaborative: You're learning to respect your child’s appetite and doing your best to offer balanced meals featuring a variety of foods. It's not always easy, but it's helping your little one learn healthy eating habits.

If you’re curious about what lies ahead when it comes to feeding, check out a . Take a look back at how far you’ve come by revisiting a .