A typical meal for one-year-old consists of 3 main meals and about 2 healthy snacks on a day. When it comes about to encourage healthy eating the best way is by continuing to offer a variety of healthy foods and snacks like fruits and vegetables rather than biscuits and junk food.
Here you find an example of a typical menu for an entire week. Personally I try to use all the main food groups during a week in preparing my babies food.
| Breakfast | Snack | Lunch | Snack | Dinner | Notes | |
| Monday | Porridge with fresh fruits | oats bar | Homemade beef soup | Pear/apple | Peas with chicken | |
| Tuesday | Scrambled eggs with avocado, mozzarella and tomatoes on the side | Orange juice Fresh Homemade recipe | Homemade beef soup | Blueberries | Peas with chicken | |
| Wednesday | Semolina boiled in milk and mascarpone | Apple/carrot sticks | Homemade chicken soup (corn fed chicken) with noodles | Oats bar/biscuits | Pasta with white sauce (homemade sauce) | |
| Thursday | Cereals with milk | Blueberries | Homemade chicken soup (corn fed chicken) with noodles | Plums/steamed broccoli and carrots sticks | Pasta with white sauce (homemade sauce) | |
| Friday | Weetabix with yoghurt | Mango | Spinach with boiled egg | Yoghurt with biscuits | Lentils cream soup with crumpets | |
| Saturday | Toast with butter, avocado and cheese | Orange | Spinach with turkey | Oats bar | Lentils cream soup with crumpets | |
| Sunday | Crepes with mozzarella | Biscotti | Steamed salmon with veggies | Mango | Broccoli meatballs with yoghurt |
Parents tips for picky eaters:
- Model healthy eating by eating with the child the same food and enhance the taste. Take care not to enhance too much, because the child will take it as a game and an enthusiastic toddler would start to play about by throwing food, for example.
- Talk through with your child and explain the texture and the impact that the food has it on his or her body. Of course, use short and simple words like ”broccoli helps you grow big like daddy”, or the yoghurt makes you strong” or ” oats and fruits gives you energy”.
- When the child gets distracted, try and sing together with a favourite nursery rhyme. Small children love singing and help them to get focus.
- Reassure the child that it is fine to stop eating when he does not want anymore. Let him or she decide when its time to stop so you can build up the trust.
- When you prepare the food let her or him do simple jobs like cutting the soft fruits or arrange them together onto the plate. Keeping them involved help them to feel the responsibility and builds self-esteem.
- Make sure they eat at the table in the same place and they are ready for eating by announcing them: ” It’s time for snack/dinner etc. let’s get prepared!”. Announcing the mealtime helps them to get used with the next steps. Also, this helps them to build their memory skills.
Have fun during the meal and enjoy the food. Do not hesitate to pop your own methods and tricks to make your child eat all healthy foods.
