What do you feed a 1 year old?

Question

My daughter is one year old, 95th percentile in height, 90th percentile in weight. I want to make sure that I am not overfeeding her. Currently she has about 800-900 calories a day distributed as follows: 24 oz milk, four 100 calorie meals: veggies/lentil/yoghurt/fruit. I experimented with pediasure for two weeks, only once a day, knowing it has 240 calories, so i took that into account. But the doctor prefers forumla milk for above 12 months, like similac two. I would like to give her next 1 bottle formula, 1 bottle regular milk because the doctor said 16 oz milk is enough, keeping all her veggies/fruit/protein in check as well.

My tiny problem is sometimes I need her to eat one meal in liquid form, because I have a daily long commute, she is with me, and it's hard to feed her solid foods on the metro. I thought I might try a yoghurt drink (100 calories) instead of the pediasure. Advice is appreciated.

Answer 1

I gotta go with Maria on this one!!  She does not need any liquid meals.  You have a child and that means making sacrifices!!  Get your booty out of bed ten minutes earlier and feed her right!!  And you are NOT over feeding her.  She sounds like she is the perfect weight for her height!!  I wish my son ate as well as your daughter!  He is 98th in height and 50th in weight.  That means he is 25 for weight for hight.  He is such a skinny butt!!  Now if she was 50th percentile in height and 90th percentile in weight, that is when to worry!  If you have questions like this you really should ask your child's doctor.  That is what they are there for!

Answer 2

you can not really over feed your child as long as your providing all heath foods fruit etc and not so much junk too much sugary foods etc..... kids need a lot of calories for their energy remeber the 5 food groups and provide all of thoose i used to feed my 1 year old lots too but spread out at good times of the day, and nothing before a big lunch or dinner it also takes children to dislike something after they have had it for 5 times they will know that they dont like it hope ive made sense tired mummy of 2 LOL

Answer 3

I only have one comment and that is relax.  She will let you know when she is hungry.  She can eat anything you do depending on the teeth situation.  And if she is still on a bottle, get her off.  It is just lazy for any child to be on a bottle after one.  good luck.

Answer 4

For your commute you should try the "Gerber Graduates" snacks that you can find in the baby food aisle. They have lots of convenient, portable snacks for little ones. My 15 month old really likes the yogurt melts and cereal bars. The ceral bars might be too messy for your commute but I would highly recommend the yogurt melts. You could also hand her a baggy of Gerber's cheerio type cereal that melts in their mouth or a bag of soft fruit cut up in tiny pieces.

Answer 5

As much as it inconveniences you, you'll just need to get up earlier to make your daughter a proper breakfast.  You are not overfeeding her.  Children at this age generally know when they've had enough.  These "liquid meals" are for babies and dieting adults.  Pediasure should be given as a snack, not a meal, especially at breakfast.

P.S.- Try to add some whole grain bread or crackers to her diet as well.

Answer 6

At age one, unless they are underweight (Like a preemie or something) they do NOT need formula. Whole milk is just fine. They also need to be eating the same food as you, just cut small. Take along a lunch bag with small, healthy snacks that can be eaten on the go. Quit being lazy. A child cannot continue to "Drink" their meals because it is more convenient for you. If you are on the bus you can give apple sauce from a spoon since you are not having to drive.A infant/toddler will not overeat unless they are forced to eat when they are not hungry.

Answer 7

Everything in moderation. As long as your child does not eat junk constantly and do nothing (which is hard for a toddler to do) I say feed your child anything, but like I said, in moderation. I didn't feed my son many sweets, but made up for it in fruit, nuts and anything he really felt like eating. Sandwiches are good for a commute ride. He was drinking bottles of cows milk, I didn't have him on formula anymore at that age. Don't worry about calorie counting - They are kids! Let them be kids! They burn off more calories anyway because they are constantly moving. If you are overly conscious about how many calories they take then they will grow up paranoid about their weight.

Answer 8

You can't overfeed a toddler, unless it's junk food.  It's just impossible!  They only eat when they're hungry.  Unless it's unhealthy food like chips and pop and candy and muffins all the time, which they seem to be able to eat alot of...but even my son will stop eating cake if he's just plain full!

My second son is 9 months now and I feed him yogurt, cheerios, crackers, bread squares, watermelon squares, cooked apples squares, banana, potato squares...  You get the idea :)

When my first son was 1, I remember feeding him broiled chicken, cooked veggies like peas, carrots, broccoli & sweet potato - things they can pick up and feed themselves, little pieces of pasta they can pick up...  When they feed themselves too, they eat less because it takes longer and their stomach registers that it's full.  I only fed him homo milk & water, and in the morning, diluted fruit juce sometime (1/3 juice, 2/3 water).

They are both on top of the charts as well.  Don't worry so much about her calories - they're going to be active kids.  Just try to give her a balanced meal, and let her choose what she wants.  It's your job to provide regular mealtimes with a variety of choices, it's her job to eat it... That's the best advice I've been given.

Answer 9

To put it bluntly, I think you're being a little uptight about her diet. :)  You do not need to count calories for her. Offer healthy foods in the right distribution and let her eat as much as she wants. Maybe you forgot to mention it, but I didn't see any grains at all in your description of her diet. Whole grains should make up the greatest portion of a person's diet (according to the USDA food pyramid) and kids are no different--their serving sizes are just smaller.

To the actual problem about the commute...At one, she should be close to being weened from the bottle. So I don't think now is the time to get into the habit of giving her a bottle every day.

Could she sit in her high chair and eat breakfast while you get ready for the day? I give my son fresh cut-up fruit for breakfast every day. That would be a good, healthy food that she could feed herself. Depending on when her next meal will be, fruit alone might not be enough for breakfast. (I don't know why I assumed the meal in question is breakfast...you really didn't say.)

If the choice is between Similac 2, PediaSure, and a yogurt drink (and you won't change your mind about the liquid meal), read the labels. Which have the longest list of different nutrients? I don't know about the formula, but PediaSure is pretty good. Yogurt drinks are pretty...not unhealthy, but not enough of a variety of nutrients to be a meal replacement.

Most importantly, don't worry about overfeeding her. Put it out of your mind. Seriously. Children won't starve themselves and they won't overeat like we adults have somehow learned to do (barring any medical problems).

Answer 10

carrots     mashed  peas   beans    bannas   aples