Guidelines for feeding 1 year old babies that must be understood

Children who are one year old usually start to be picky about food and like to eat food in the mouth. Changes in eating habits in babies 1 year or 12 months are more or less influenced by changes in their daily diet. To overcome their behavior at mealtimes, you should adjust the food choices for babies 1 year or 12 months so that they still meet their daily nutritional needs.

Development of feeding skills for 1 year old babies

Somewhat different from the previous age, at the age of this first year your little one is usually adept enough to eat by hand.

Even though you can't use a spoon or other eating utensils properly, the ability to coordinate the two hands when eating can be said to be reliable.

When taking, holding, and even putting food into the mouth, a 1 year or 12 month baby can flexibly do it.

However, that does not mean you can freely let your little one go when eating. Every now and then, you should still pay attention to the activities that the child does while eating.

The reason is, there is still a possibility for a 12 month baby to choke when eating certain types of food.

If the size of the food is rather large or has a hard texture such as popcorn, it could be stuck in your little one's throat.

But the rest, at the age of 12 months, babies tend to be more active to learn and explore more about food.

Learning a 1 year or 12 month baby about food starts from eating procedures, until it is easy to try various types of food.

Although it seems easier to adapt to the various forms of food they are given, babies at 12 months are usually unable to chew properly.

It is only after the age of more than 1 year or 12 months, children will usually begin to become proficient at using cutlery by themselves.

As a parent, your job is to accompany and support every step of its development.

Gently remind when the child is wrong and give him the opportunity to practice his skills so that he can eat in a good and right manner.

What foods are good for a 1 year or 12 month old baby?

At the age of 1 year or 12 months, babies are more adept at chewing various kinds of solid foods.

Solid foods for babies 1 year or 12 months can be processed from rice, meat, eggs, chicken, broccoli, chayote, noodles, bread, apples, melons, watermelon, and others.

This is because the number of growing children's teeth is usually much higher, making it easier for them to chew.

That is why at the age of 1 year or 12 months, the texture of baby food is usually much denser and heavier, similar to the family meal menu.

In fact, in general, children are also able to eat on their own without the need for a lot of help from you or other people like their previous age.

Children aged one to two years need as much 1000-1400 calories per day. Apart from breast milk, these calories can be obtained from vegetables, fruits, carbohydrate sources, animal and vegetable protein sources, and milk.

Infants aged 1 year still need breast milk

Indeed, the amount of breastfeeding for babies aged 1 year is not as much as when they were less than 6 months old (exclusive breastfeeding). However, that does not mean that babies can just get out of breast milk.

Because basically, breast milk should still be given until the child turns two years old. This is because the content in breast milk still contributes a number of calories and nutrients needed by children in a day.

If this is not possible, consult your doctor further regarding formula feeding for children.

Types of food for babies aged 1 year or 12 months

Meanwhile, according to UNICEF, the following is a variety of food sources that should be given to babies 1 year or 12 months:

Rice, tubers, wheat, and grains as a source of carbohydrates
Red meat, chicken, fish, and beef liver as sources of animal protein
Nuts, tofu, and tempeh as sources of vegetable protein
Vegetables and fruits as a source of vitamins, minerals and fiber
Eggs are a source of protein, fat, vitamins and minerals
Milk derivative products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and so on

You need to make an effort to offer your 12 month old baby a healthy diet. Remember, the choice of food for children is you who determine.

Choose healthy foods to give to children. The size of the child's stomach is still small, so fill the child's stomach with healthy food, not just food that only fills the stomach without being able to meet the child's nutritional needs.

Limit sugary foods and foods with empty calories to give to children. Apart from being less nutritious, often providing sweet foods can also damage the healthy eating habits of children.

It is feared that children will prefer to eat sweet foods and do not want to eat if they are given foods with a less strong or bland taste. Various examples of this food such as vegetables and fruits.

How many servings of food a day for a 1 year old baby?

If in the beginning, baby food was given a smooth texture, even with the portions and frequency of eating that was not too much, now it's not anymore.

Before entering the age of 1 year or 12 months, babies have learned to recognize textures and types of food gradually.

As a result, now that they are exactly 1 year or 12 months old, babies have adapted enough and are accustomed to different textures and types of food.

So that, the portion and frequency of eating babies 12 months will be much more than at the previous age.

Moreover, this 1 year or 12 month old baby needs approx1000-1400 calories per day. In addition to providing the main meal, it can be complemented by serving a snack or snack so that these calorie needs are met.

You can give your child 3-4 times a day with a frequency of intermittent feeding of about 1-2 times a day.

As for the amount or portion of 1 year or 12 month baby food, you can slowly increase the number of feeds to ¾ of a 250 milliliter (ml) bowl.

The portion and frequency of these foods have been adjusted so that the children's needs in a day can be fulfilled properly.

Tips for feeding a 1 year old baby

So, there is actually no difference between the food you eat and the food for babies for 1 year or 12 months. It's just that, the portion of food and the way it is given must still be adjusted to the child's abilities.

So that you don't get confused, here are some tips for feeding babies 1 year or 12 months:

1. Pay attention to the 1 year old baby food

UNICEF recommends that feeds for babies aged 12 months should be cut, sliced, or handled easily.

2. Serve a variety of foods for 1 year old babies with different textures

At this point, it is important for you to encourage your baby to try different flavors and textures of food even at the age of 1 year or 12 months.

That way, the child's tongue is familiar with certain foods. It can also prevent children from becoming picky eaters.

3. Free the child to learn to eat alone

First of all, let the child choose and hold his own food while occasionally letting him use a special spoon and fork.

Usually, at the age of 15-18 months, the child's ability to use the equipment is sufficiently trained because they are used to holding it.

Besides being able to practice independence, learning to eat alone will also train coordination between the eyes, hands and mouths of children.

4. Be active when feeding children

Parents should always be active and responsive when feeding babies for 1 year or 12 months, such as:

Be patient and continue to encourage children to want to eat.
Don't force your child to eat too much.
Use a special plate to determine whether the child eats all of his meals until they run out or how much they leave when they don't run out.

5. Apply a regular eating schedule

The Indonesian Pediatric Association (IDAI) also recommends that you schedule a regular meal every day.

This aims to make children accustomed to eating at regular hours every day so that they will be carried away until they are adults.

6. Keep cooking and eating utensils clean

Don't forget to always keep clean during the food processing and feeding process. Here are the rules that you should obey when giving baby food for 1 year or 12 months:

Keep the utensils used for cooking and feeding the baby clean.
Wash the hands of mothers and babies before and after eating with soap and running water.
Wash mother's hands with soap and running water before processing baby food as well as after going to the toilet and cleaning baby feces.
Store food to be given to babies in a clean and safe place.
Separate the cutting board and knife used for cutting raw and cooked ingredients.

7. Avoid children eating while doing other activities

As much as possible try to keep the child quiet at the table and chairs during the meal. Avoid eating while watching TV, using gadgets, or just playing with their favorite toys.

The reason is, this actually messes up his mind so that it makes children not focus when eating.