Feeding from 12 months on
Which milk?
After a year, your baby can have full-fat, whole pasteurised milk as a drink. Stick to
this until the age of two and a half. At this stage he can switch to semi-skimmed milk if
he is having a good range and quantity of other foods. You may prefer to keep him on full
fat milk until he is five if his eating pattern is not very good. At five semi-skimmed
milk can usually be introduced.
What he should eat
As your baby becomes a toddler he will gradually join in more and more with family
meals. There will still be days when you are eating foods he cannot cope with or
doesn’t like and you need to make him his own meal, but gradually he will be able to
eat the same foods as you.
Encourage him to try new tastes by offering small amounts of different foods. He will
very quickly let you know if he likes something. Many toddlers go through a faddy phase
and will only eat certain foods. There’s no need to worry about this or to put
pressure on him to eat other foods. Carry on offering a variety of foods and he will
eventually try new things as well as his favourites.
Toddlers have high energy needs compared to adults and they cannot manage for long
periods without food. They are growing rapidly and using up lots of energy on moving
around and exploring the world. They need snacks in between meals to keep their energy
levels up. Opt for healthy snacks such as a sandwich, high energy fruit like a small
banana, or a drink of full fat milk.
Adults need a high fibre, low fat diet but toddlers cannot cope with too much fibre in
their diet; it stops them absorbing the nutrients in their food. They will get enough
fibre from fruit and vegetables so don’t give them wholegrain foods. Keep to ordinary
pasta and white rice, rather than the wholegrain versions.
A healthy diet for toddlers includes plenty of energy foods like bread, pasta, rice and
cereals, as much fruit and vegetables as they like, and small amounts of meat, poultry,
fish, cheese, eggs or pulses like lentils.
What to avoid
There are a few things your baby still shouldn’t eat after his first year:
- Whole nuts - babies can easily choke on them. If there is a history of peanut allergy in
your close family it is recommended that peanuts and peanut products are avoided until
your child is three years old. Consult your doctor if this is the case
- Highly-salted foods - developing a taste for salty foods may lead to health problems
later on in life
- Sugary and sweet foods - may damage developing teeth
- Tea - can prevent a child from absorbing enough iron from foods
- Ready made meals and sauces aimed at adults - may contain large amounts of colourings
and flavourings unsuitable for babies and toddlers
- Fizzy drinks or adult drinks
On the whole you can be guided by your toddler’s preferences. Some babies enjoy
highly-flavoured foods; some dislike them intensely. Try and remember to reintroduce foods
your baby has rejected - he may have changed his mind a week later!
Where to next?
