What to feed toddlers from 12 months

12 months+ · Feeding · Reviewed 18 June 2026 · All articles

The first birthday is a significant milestone in feeding. Your toddler can now join the family table and eat most of the foods that everyone else eats. But their stomach is still small, their tastes are evolving rapidly, and their nutritional needs are quite different from an older child's. Knowing what to offer, how much, and how to handle the inevitable refusals makes mealtimes a good deal calmer for everyone.

This guide draws on NHS guidance to walk you through the key changes at 12 months, the food groups that matter most, drinks, portion sizes, and how to manage fussy eating without turning every meal into a stand-off.

What changes at 12 months

The biggest shift at 12 months is that toddlers move from a diet built primarily around milk to one where solid food provides the main source of nutrients. Up to this point, breast milk or infant formula has been the cornerstone of their nutrition. After 12 months, that role belongs to food, and milk becomes a supplement rather than a staple.

If your baby was on infant formula, you can now switch to full-fat cows milk as a main drink. The NHS recommends sticking with full-fat until age 2, because growing toddlers need the fat and calories it provides. If you are still breastfeeding, you can carry on for as long as you and your toddler wish: breast milk continues to offer nutritional and immune benefits alongside solid food.

Your toddler will also be moving away from smooth purees if they have not already. Most 12-month-olds can handle soft lumps, mashed food, finger foods and small pieces of food from the family table. The textures they can manage will continue to develop over the coming months.

One more change worth knowing: toddlers have unpredictable appetites. They may eat heartily one day and seem uninterested in food the next. This is completely normal. Growth slows considerably after the first year, so their calorie needs are actually lower relative to body size than they were in infancy, even though it does not always feel that way.

Food groups: what to include every day

The NHS recommends that toddlers eat a varied diet that covers all the main food groups. You do not need to hit every group at every meal, but aiming for variety across the day means your toddler gets the range of nutrients they need.

Starchy foods

Starchy carbohydrates should make up around a third of what your toddler eats. Bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and breakfast cereals are all good choices. Wholegrain versions are nutritious, but very high-fibre versions can fill small stomachs quickly and reduce appetite for other foods. A mix of wholegrain and refined works well at this age.

Fruit and vegetables

Aim for five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. A toddler portion is roughly a tablespoon per year of age, so at 12 months that is one tablespoon per portion. Fruit and vegetables can be fresh, frozen, canned (in water or juice, not syrup) or dried. Offering a rainbow of colours over the course of the week helps cover a broad range of vitamins and minerals.

Protein foods

Protein is essential for growth and development. Good sources include meat, fish, eggs, beans, lentils, chickpeas and tofu. The NHS recommends two portions of fish per week for toddlers, one of which should be an oily fish such as salmon, mackerel or sardines. Oily fish provides omega-3 fatty acids that support brain and eye development. Note that the NHS advises limiting oily fish to two portions per week because of pollutants.

Dairy foods

Full-fat dairy provides calcium and fat-soluble vitamins. Full-fat cows milk, cheese and yogurt are all suitable from 12 months. Aim for around two to three servings per day. Limit milk as a drink to around 300 to 400ml per day so it does not crowd out appetite for solid food.

Foods high in fat and sugar

Foods high in saturated fat and added sugar should be kept to a minimum. This includes cakes, biscuits, sweets, crisps and sugary drinks. Small treats are fine on occasion, but they should not displace more nutritious food. Added salt should also be kept very low: toddlers' kidneys cannot process as much salt as adults, and the NHS recommends no more than 2g of salt per day for children aged 1 to 3.

Drinks for toddlers

Staying hydrated is important, but what your toddler drinks matters as much as how much they drink.

Water and full-fat cows milk are the best drinks for toddlers. Water should be freely available throughout the day. Milk provides valuable nutrition but should be kept to around 300 to 400ml per day from a cup rather than a bottle, to protect developing teeth and to avoid filling up your toddler before meals.

Fruit juice and smoothies, even unsweetened ones, are high in natural sugars and can damage tooth enamel. If you do offer fruit juice, the NHS advises diluting it well (one part juice to at least ten parts water) and offering it at mealtimes only, never as a between-meal drink. Squash, fizzy drinks and sweetened drinks are best avoided altogether at this age.

Cups with free-flowing spouts are better for teeth than bottles with valves. By around 12 to 15 months, most toddlers are ready to move from a bottle to an open cup or free-flow cup. Making this transition gradually is fine.

Portion sizes and meal ideas

Toddler portion sizes are much smaller than adult portions. A general guide is to aim for roughly a quarter of an adult portion at each meal, though your toddler's appetite will vary. Trust your toddler to stop when they are full: the NHS advises against encouraging children to finish everything on their plate, as this can undermine their natural hunger cues.

A useful daily structure from 12 months looks something like this:

Breakfast: a small bowl of porridge or cereal with milk, or toast with a soft topping such as mashed banana, nut butter or scrambled egg.
Mid-morning snack: soft fruit pieces, yogurt or small cubes of cheese with crackers.
Lunch: a small portion of soft pasta with a vegetable-based sauce, or a sandwich cut into small pieces alongside vegetable sticks and hummus.
Afternoon snack: rice cakes, soft fruit, or a small pot of yogurt.
Dinner: a family meal such as mild curry, fish pie, stir-fried vegetables with rice or lentil soup with bread, adapted to be low in salt and soft enough to manage.

Iron is particularly important for toddlers because stores laid down at birth begin to deplete around 6 months and the risk of deficiency continues into the toddler years. The NHS highlights iron as one of the key nutrients to prioritise. Good sources include red meat, beans, lentils, fortified cereals, eggs, and dark green vegetables. Pairing iron-rich plant foods with a source of vitamin C (such as tomatoes, peppers or citrus) at the same meal helps the body absorb the iron more effectively.

Managing fussy eating

Fussy eating in toddlers is so common that it can almost be considered a developmental phase rather than a problem. Between the ages of one and three, many children become more selective about what they eat, may refuse foods they previously enjoyed, and insist on the same familiar meals repeatedly. This is thought to be partly evolutionary (an instinct to avoid unfamiliar foods as toddlers become more mobile and independent) and partly about asserting autonomy.

The NHS advises a calm, low-pressure approach. Key strategies that research supports include:

Keep offering variety: continue placing small amounts of new or refused foods on the plate alongside foods your toddler likes. Do not pressure them to eat it. Simply seeing the food repeatedly, over many meals, gradually makes it feel familiar and safe.
Eat together: toddlers learn by watching. Eating the same food yourself at the same time is one of the most effective ways to encourage your toddler to try new things.
Involve your toddler: children who help shop for food, wash vegetables or stir ingredients tend to be more willing to taste them.
Avoid battles: pressuring, bribing or punishing a child over food can create negative associations with eating and make fussiness worse rather than better. Keeping mealtimes calm and predictable helps.
Limit snacks before meals: if your toddler is not hungry at mealtimes, check whether snacks are too close to mealtime or too large.

If you are worried your toddler is not eating enough, is losing weight, or is restricting so severely that their diet is genuinely very limited, speak to your health visitor or GP. They can assess growth and refer on if needed.

Frequently asked questions

How many meals should a toddler have each day?

From 12 months, toddlers need three meals a day plus two to three healthy snacks. Meals do not need to be large: toddler portion sizes are roughly a quarter of an adult portion. Offering food at regular, predictable times helps toddlers build an appetite.

What milk should a toddler drink after 12 months?

From 12 months, toddlers can have full-fat cows milk as a main drink. Semi-skimmed milk can be introduced from 2 years. Skimmed milk is not suitable until age 5. The NHS recommends limiting milk drinks to around 300 to 400ml per day so that milk does not displace solid food.

Which foods are still unsafe for toddlers?

Whole nuts should not be given to children under 5 because of the choking risk. Salt and added sugar should be kept very low. Honey can be given from 12 months (it should not be given before 12 months). Shark, swordfish and marlin should still be avoided because of mercury levels. Raw shellfish and unpasteurised cheese should also be kept off the menu.

My toddler refuses most foods. What should I do?

Fussy eating is very common in toddlers and is a normal part of development. The NHS advises not making mealtimes a battle: keep offering a variety of foods alongside familiar ones, involve your toddler in food preparation where you can, and eat together as a family when possible. Avoid pressuring or bribing your child to eat, as this can make the situation worse.

Does my toddler need a vitamin supplement?

The NHS recommends that all children from 6 months to 5 years take a daily supplement containing vitamins A, C and D, unless they are drinking at least 500ml of infant formula a day. Ask your health visitor or GP about the Healthy Start scheme if cost is a concern.

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