The nutritional menu for a 12-month-old baby is of particular interest to many parents. The 12-month-old period is considered a period of many changes both physically and emotionally. Therefore, it is very important to choose a menu that is full of nutrients and supports children’s development. Refer to the article below to update the menu details recommended and highly appreciated by nutritionists suitable for 12-month-old babies.
Physical characteristics of a 12-month-old baby
Both boys and girls at the age of 12 months usually have an average weight of about 8-12kg and a height of about 70-80cm. At this stage, your baby has about 6 – 8 baby teeth and can already stand up and take his first steps. In terms of language development, babies have the ability to create simple sounds and words through imitation of adults.
Your baby’s vision and hearing are more developed, he can see and hear objects from a distance and react to sounds or movement around him. Importantly, your baby’s thinking and emotional skills are still developing, she can understand some simple situations and express emotions through gestures and facial expressions.
Physical characteristics of a 12-month-old baby
What should a 12 month old baby eat?
According to experts, 12-month-old babies need to develop a lot of bones and teeth. Therefore, calcium is an extremely important source of nutrients during this period. Every day, parents should supplement their children with foods or dairy products from about 300ml – 500ml.
In addition, at the age of 12 months, babies can eat soft foods such as porridge and soup for easy digestion and more nutrients. In particular, with foods such as vermicelli, pho, meat, and fish, parents should shred, not puree to stimulate chewing ability in children.
A small note, children should not be exposed to functional foods, such as Herbalife. Currently, there are many experts warning about the harmful effects of Herbalife foods that affect the ability to develop naturally not only in children, but also in adults.
What should a 12 month old baby eat?
Principles of building a menu for a 12-month-old baby
Before starting to plan the menu and how to prepare food for a 12-month-old baby, parents need to understand and adhere to the following principles:
- Weaning menu: Should give your baby 2 meals of porridge/day. After each meal of porridge, the baby should be supplemented with fruit, snacks, breast milk or formula. The amount of food will depend on the feeding needs of the baby.
- Time between meals: Your baby’s meals should be spaced 2-3 hours apart. Especially with porridge meals with meat, fish, and eggs, it should be separated by 3.5 hours to avoid indigestion.
- Last meal of the day: The last meal before bedtime should be taken an hour before bedtime.
- Limit night eating: Avoid creating a habit of feeding your baby at night to protect your baby’s stomach and teeth from being adversely affected.
- Consider the amount of food: Do not force your baby to eat too much or compare him to other babies. Parents should consider their baby’s dietary needs to make sure they get the right amount of nutrients.
- Diverse menu: Make sure your child’s diet is varied. Avoid causing your baby to become anorexic.
- Meal time frame: It is recommended to feed your baby at a specific time frame to avoid overeating and limit snacking too much.
Adhering to the above principles will help parents create a reasonable and healthy diet for their 12-month-old baby, helping them develop in the best way.
Principles of building a menu for a 12-month-old baby
Suggested nutritional menu for 12 months old baby in 1 week
Here is a 1-week nutritional menu for a 12-month-old baby that parents can refer to:
Monday
- 6:30: Stir-fried noodles with pork and sponge cake.
- 9am: Formula milk or breast milk.
- 11:30: Fish porridge and a piece of ripe papaya.
- 14h30: Yogurt.
- 17h30: Fried rice with shumai and half an orange.
- 9 pm: Formula milk or breast milk.
Tuesday
- 6:30: Chicken rib porridge and a banana.
- 9am: Formula milk or breast milk.
- 11:30: Rice with minced meat and pumpkin soup and a small glass of lemon juice.
- 14h30: Tofu boat.
- 17h30: Pork porridge and a piece of ripe mango.
- 9 pm: Formula milk or breast milk.
Wednesday
- 6:30: Solid powder and orange juice.
- 9am: Formula milk or breast milk.
- 11:30: Chicken porridge and a banana.
- 14h30: Smoothies.
- 17h30: Steamed rice with potted rice and a piece of ripe papaya.
- 9 pm: Formula milk or breast milk.
Thursday
- 6:30: Spring rolls and half a glass of milk.
- 9am: Banana tea.
- 11:30: Egg porridge.
- 14h30: Tofu boat.
- 17h30: Shrimp rice with spinach soup and a sapoche fruit.
- 9 pm: Formula milk or breast milk.
Friday
- 6:30: Bread dipped in milk.
- 9am: Flan.
- 11:30: Solid dough and a banana.
- 14h30: Smoothies.
- 17h30: Straw mushroom liver porridge and a piece of butter.
- 9 pm: Formula milk or breast milk.
Saturday
- 6:30 am: Beef noodle soup.
- 9am: Formula milk or breast milk.
- 11:30: Minced meat rice with yam soup and a piece of watermelon.
- 14h30: Tofu boat.
- 17h30: Beef porridge and 1 banana.
- 9 pm: Formula milk or breast milk.
Sunday
- 6:30: Chicken vermicelli and half a glass of orange juice.
- 9am: Formula milk or breast milk.
- 11:30: Crab bamboo shoot soup and smoothie.
- 14h30: Banana tea.
- 17h30: Eel porridge and a sapoche.
- 9 pm: Formula milk or breast milk.
Conclude
Above is a summary of the nutritional menu for a 12-month-old baby in a week that parents should immediately refer to for their children. Hopefully, the sharing from the article will help you gain more knowledge to support children’s comprehensive and healthy development.