A child over 1 year of age, although showing great interest in what older family members eat, is still not ready for dishes from the “adult” table. Why? A yearling still has special nutritional needs and needs up to 6 times more certain vitamins and minerals than an adult (per kilogram of body weight). This is why composing the correct diet – supporting the development of a young organism – is a real challenge for parents. How to arrange a toddler’s daily menu? Learn the 3 most important facts!
Fact # 1: A child is not a small adult
After the first year of life, a child can do more and more often surprises parents with his curiosity and energy. He is also eager to learn new tastes and can communicate perfectly what he likes and what he doesn’t want to eat. During the first 1000 days of a child’s life (up to 3 years of age), the intensive development of his young organism continues. That is why the diet of a yearling should still be different from that of adults – it should be properly varied and rich in essential nutrients.
Although the toddler often shows great interest in the foods consumed by adults, his still delicate and sensitive body is not ready for them. This is the time when, for example, digestive system. A one-year-old child needs up to 6 times more certain vitamins and minerals than an adult [1]. The young body gets all the necessary nutrients, incl. with properly composed meals. Harmonious development largely depends on what and how much the toddler will eat.
Dishes eaten by adults are not only balanced in a different way, but also often prepared in a way that is inappropriate for a young child – fried, hard to digest and spicy. It turns out that As many as 83% of children over 1 year of age receive salted meals, not recommended at this stage development. The same applies to sweetened meals – as many as 75% of children over 12 months of age consume excessive amounts of sugar [2]. Therefore, mum and dad’s meals may not meet the different needs of the young organism.
The menu of a one-year-old child should be varied, but it must also be safe and adapted to the stage of development of a young organism. The proverbial “pork chop” fried in deep fat and breadcrumbs – although it may arouse the toddler’s enthusiasm – will not provide him with the necessary nutrients, but a lot of those that should be avoided.
So how to meet the challenge and correctly compose children’s meals? Experts from the Institute of Mother and Child may make it easier to compose a daily menu for a small child model feeding plate. It shows the share of individual products in the daily diet in specific amounts and proportions.
Follow these tips a child after 1 year of age should receive 5 portions of cereal products, 5 portions of vegetables, 4 portions of fruit, 1 to 2 portions of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, 3 portions of milk and dairy products and 1 to 2 portions of fats every day. Every day a toddler should eat about 4-5 meals, eg broken down into: breakfast, lunch, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner [3]. In children 1-3 years of age, the fluid requirement is approximately 1300 ml per day. The main source of water for the child’s body should be milk and good-quality water [4].
Fact # 2: A properly composed diet supports the development of the immune system
After the first birthday, the child grows intensively – its height, weight and changes change the immune system is formedthat will not reach maturity until around the age of 12.
A properly balanced diet is also crucial for the proper development of the immune system. Why? Because as much as 80% of all immune cells are related to the gastrointestinal tract. It is in the intestines that the most severe exposure of the maturing immune system to the surrounding microorganisms takes place. To support its development in the first years of life, it is important to provide the young body with all the nutrients it needs in the right amounts and proportions along with a balanced, nutritious and varied diet. Daily meals (3 basic and 1-2 supplementary) should provide the right amount of energy, as well as the basic ingredients – protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals in the right proportions.
Fact # 3: Milk is still a key ingredient in a one-year-old’s diet
In the daily menu of a one-year-old child there must be room for 2 portions of milk and a portion of milk products, which are the main source of calcium. These can be kefirs, natural yoghurts and cheeses [5].
Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend to continue breastfeeding a child after the age of 1 – mum’s milk should be one of the three daily portions of milk and dairy products in the baby’s diet even until he is 2 years old or longer – as long as it is both mother and child wanted it. If it is not possible to continue breastfeeding, it is worth reaching for a nutritional formula based on milk tailored to the needs of a one-year-old child., enriched with vitamins and minerals that will help meet the great needs of a young organism. This is important because, according to research, parents introduce, among others, to their children’s diets too early. plant-based drinks and cow’s milk, which should not be considered substitutes for human milk or a nutritional formula [6].
An example of such a product is Bebilon 3 Advanced Pronutra. It is a wealth of ingredients for the proper development and support of the immune system [7] of a child after 1 year of age. Already 2 cups of 200 ml of Bebilon 3 Advance Pronutra daily as part of a varied diet, they will help to provide your child with the right amount of consumed vitamins, minerals and ALA fatty acid from the omega 3 group.
Sample menu for the whole day for children aged 13-24 months:
Breakfast
Sandwiches with unsweetened jam and a cup of nourishing milk-based formula
- nourishing formula based on Bebilon 3 Advance Pronutra milk (220 ml) – prepared as described on the packaging.
- sandwiches on whole grain bread (e.g. rye) with unsweetened jam (about 5 grams of jam per slice of bread, i.e. a small teaspoon)
Second breakfast
Fruit mix with natural yoghurt
- banana (30 g)
- ripe soft pear (30 g)
- apple (30 g)
- natural yoghurt (25 g – 1 tablespoon)
Dinner
Pasta with poultry meat and vegetables, and water
- wholemeal pasta (up to 30-40 g – 2 tablespoons after cooking)
- finely chopped chicken breast meat (25 g)
- zucchini, carrots, peas (20 g)
- tomato puree (10 g – spoon)
- linseed oil (5 g – teaspoon)
- water (220 ml – incomplete glass)
Tea
Baked carrot fries
- carrot fries (30-40 g after baking)
- Provencal herbs (5g – teaspoon)
- olive oil (5 g – teaspoon)
Supper
Multi-grain porridge with peach
- nourishing formula based on Bebilon 3 Advance Pronutra milk (220 ml – half a glass)
- BoboVita Bio multi-grain dairy-free porridge after the 6th month (25 g – 3 tablespoons)
- shredded peach, raisins (15 g – spoon)
Important information: Breastfeeding is the most appropriate and cheapest way of feeding infants and is recommended for young children along with a varied diet. Mother’s milk contains the nutrients necessary for the proper development of the baby and protects it against diseases and infections. Breastfeeding gives the best results when the mother is properly nourished during pregnancy and lactation, and when there is no unjustified feeding of the baby. Before deciding to change the feeding method, the mother should consult her doctor.
[1] Ibid.
[2] Report on the study “Comprehensive assessment of the nutrition of children aged 5 to 36 months – a 2016 nationwide study”, Weker H., Socha P., et al., Institute of Mother and Child, Warsaw 2017.
[3] Weker H. et al. A guide to nutrition for children aged 1 to 3. PZWL Medical Publishing, 2020.
[4] Weker H. et al. Position of the Human Nutrition Science Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences on the principles of nutrition for children aged 1-3 years. Medical Standards / Pediatrics, 2022; 19: 1-18.
[5] Weker H. et al. A guide to nutrition for children aged 1 to 3. PZWL Medical Publishing, 2020.
[6] A study conducted by a team of doctors from the Medical University of Warsaw and experts of the “First 1000 days for health” program initiated by the Nutricia Foundation, 2021
[7] Bebilon Advance Pronutra 3 contains vitamins A, C and D for the proper functioning of the immune system and iodine and iron for proper cognitive development.
Sponsored article