Feeding My 1 Year Old

Might not be the healthiest, but my kids always loved the little can of Vienna sausages. They are really soft and easy to digest. alos a good finger food.

Here is a great site that has lots of info on infant nutrition:

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/index.htm

Your daughter is just a bit older than what most of the articles talk about but it will give you lots of ideas for healthy foods for her.

You definitely want to avoid things like fries, fish sticks and nuggets unless these are things that you make yourself. Packaged and processed foods, while easier, contain so many fats, sugar and salt that little ones (and you too) just don't need and really isn't good for their overall path to a healthy lifestyle. Same goes for canned soups. It is so easy to make your own chicken noodle soup there is no reason to buy the stuff with so much salt and preservatives.

Stick to soft cooked veggies, fruits, lean proteins like chicken or turkey, some fish in moderation, whole wheat bread, low-sodium cheese and fruit is a great snack, whole wheat pasta and sauce, brown rice.

If you aren't used to things like brown rice or whole wheat pasta you will be surprised how good they taste! And they are so much better for you as a bonus.

Just make sure everything she gets is in small bites and cooked soft.

She can eat what you eat. If you eat roasted chicken, rice and spinach, give her a very small plate of it too, with the pieces all cut up. If she eats all of something, offer her a little more. Same with every meal,

Spaghetti with meat sauce or pieces of meatball, some steamed squash, a few pieces of lettuce, a tomato, grated carrots cucumber..

Turkey tacos, give her some small pieces of a tortilla, some meat, some cheese, some pinto beans, some lettuce.

Breakfast scrambled eggs, wheat toast, fruit. oatmeal, cottage cheese.
Give her a small spoon and fork and let her try to feed with them and also her hands. You may need to help feed her also.

For snacks give her fruit or veggies cut up, apple sauce, yogurt, raisin toast, cheese.

Compliment her good eating, if she does not like something, do not make a big deal out of. Some kids will eat a ton for a while and then not eat very much for a while.. they will not starve and they will not over eat. Just provide good and health foods as much as possible..

You can make your own chicken soup too. add carrots, potatoes, cabbage, green beans and noodles..

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At 15 months old she can eat anything you are eating. Just make sure you cut it into small enough pieces (about the size of your pinky nail). Any meat is fair game at this point but I agree with the previous poster that you should try to make the food instead of offering her the processed alternatives. You can make your own chicken nuggets and fish sticks so it will be much healthier. Just keep offering her a wide variety of foods (including fruits and vegetables). Encourage her to try a bite of everything but don't push her. You want her to enjoy eating and making it a power struggle will not help.

Generally you start with cereal (rice cereal if you wish) and then progress to single ingredient vegetables, then fruit, then meat/fish/eggs. They should be cooked until soft (except for things that are soft and can be mashed or chopped like bananas and avocados) and then chopped into small pieces she can handle or mashed/pureed (she is probably old enough for a fairly coarse texture/mash rather than fine puree). She can eat fish and chicken but both fish sticks and chicken nuggets are nutritionally horrible forms of these foods. Highly processed and loaded with unnecessary fats (yes I know babies need fats for myelin/brain development but they certainly don't need fast food precursors). Chicken noodle soup is fine (chicken, pasta and lots of veggies) - it's better to make your own since the canned ones are LOADED with salt . She is old enough to eat whatever you are eating as long as you adjust the texture for her.

My 14 month old grandson loves chicken nuggets, meatloaf, smoked sausage actually he loves everything. He does go through spurts where he spits everything out. He will still eat the Gerber graduates meal. It is a trail and error thing for us but it is a lot of fun watching his face to see what he likes and doesn't. Don't make it harder than it has to be and stop stressing. You will do fine. It you do hot dogs or the sausage just remember to remove the other casing.

Try to give her a healthy variety of finger or spoonable foods. Sweet potatoes, avocado, squash, kiwi, bananas, pears, baked potatoes, diced chicken and turkey, lean ground beef, whole grain pasta, cheese sticks or chunks, cooked carrots, whole grain cheerios, oatmeal, unsweetened applesauce, mac and cheese, soups - anything she can eat that's healthy.

My daughter was failing to gain weight so since 8mo/5teeth she has been eating only table food with the family--no baby foods. We just make sure they are small pieces and we watch her to ensure she is not choking. She loves grilled marinated chicked, roasted or baked potatoes, whole organic bananas, ground venison, kidney beans, peas, green beans, oatmeal toast, oranges and apples (diced), grilled cheese and tomato soup, macaroni and cheese, rice, scalloped potatoes, spaghetti . . . pretty much anything we eat. The key for us was to add protein to get more calories and nutrition.

my 13 month old eats whatever we eat. last night was chicken satay and rice. we cut the chicken into small pieces. she eats salmon, quesidillas, all veggies and fruits. loves olives, waffles. we never take special food for her anywhere and never have. Was the same for my three year old. I would not recommend making them "kid food" like chicken nuggets and fish sticks, way too processed and too many fillers

At this point your daughter has passed most of the allergy stuff, except nuts (some people advise you wait until 2 years old, but if you don't have a history of allergies in the family, you can try them if they are small enough not to choke, like peanut butter).

My daughter only has 2 teeth on the bottom (16 months old), but eats everything we do, with the exception of raw carrots and lettuce. She even tries to eat the hard crusts on bread, and will gnaw on it until its soggy enough to chew with her gums. Gums are bone, just like teeth, so they can crunch on quite a bit with them.

I'd advise you to start with vegetables and fruits in small pieces. Chunks of bread or small shaped pastas work well too. Beans are great, and small pieces of tender meat. She probably wants to be independent, mine surely does - she'd eat with a spoon if I'd let her, lol, so make as much finger food as you can. My daughter also loves soups and stews, a great way to introduce some new vegetables, all hot cereals, cold cereals, pancakes/waffles, hashbrowns eggs, tofu, etc... Mashed potatoes. Start soft and work up to tougher foods, as she is eager to eat what you eat.

Best wishes!

I know it's hard to find enough stuff for them at that age. My daughter is the same age and basically you can feed her whatever, but here are a few items: yogurt, applesauce, peaches & madarine oranges from Dole container, hot dog cut into fours, cheese, scrambled egg, pancakes, bacon, peas, green beans, lunch meat, pop tart, cereal, oatmeal, taco meat and lunch meat, shredded chicken, chili, ravioli, spaghettios, pizza, fries, fish sticks...could be processed foods (hard not to these days, and for me w 4 kids working full time, and extra curricular activities ) but can make a lot yourself. Also, she just cut her 5th tooth. Best of luck!