Transitioning to a one year old is a big change! They start walking and talking more, we have to figure out a new toddler schedule and explore toddler meal ideas now that they have transitioned out of baby food. Regardless if you are an amazing cook or don’t cook at all. If your one year old loves everything or barely anything. We all need some toddler food ideas to throw together in a pinch. These are some fast, easy and simple finger food meals for a one year old and growing toddlers!
Related Post: Master List of ALL the Food Ideas for 1 Year Old Babies
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Use this list as a reference so you never run out of ideas!
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When my first son Miles turned one, I was in a little bit of a panic as to what to feed him. He strongly preferred his pureed baby food so I mostly fed him that to his first birthday, with a few finger foods sprinkled in. With my second son Ellis, I started to introduce finger foods earlier with a little baby led weaning in addition to pureed food. He preferred to feed himself and trying new foods, so transitioning him was a little easier.
With both though, I have days when I haven’t cooked or have leftovers, or haven’t prepped a month’s supply yet. So I need to have some key toddler meals to turn to- that are fast, at least somewhat nutritious and delicious. 🙂
Many times the boys have leftovers or what we have for dinner, but other times that is not an option, so these toddler food ideas come in handy. I don’t differentiate between breakfast, lunch, and dinner because I often give them eggs for dinner! It’s such a fast and easy protein and can be cooked so many different ways. It makes a regular appearance at meal times around here, especially for the one year old toddler meal.
Related Posts: Quick & Nutritious Breakfast Ideas for a One Year Old & 12 Toddler Lunch Ideas for Daycare or Preschool
Foods To Have On Hand:
You want a variety in each category, these are some of our favorites.
- Fruit- bananas, strawberries, blueberries, “cuties” (clementines), peaches, etc.
- Veggies- avocado, green beans, carrots, peas, sweet potato, squash (easy to cook or low sodium/no sugar added cans)
- Dairy- cheese, plain whole milk or greek yogurt, milk
- Protein- eggs, turkey slices, chicken breast, natural chicken nuggets, beans (with rice), fish
- Carbs- whole wheat toast (or whatever bread you buy), oatmeal, potatoes, rice, pasta, corn tortillas, whole wheat pancakes, graham crackers, whole grain goldfish,
Tips and Supplies:
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- Get some fun divider plates or placemat plates. My two year old is using the placemat most since it doesn’t fit on our high chair. Check to see if yours will fit before buying!
- Reusable placemats for restaurant dining is amazing! No dirty tables anymore! (Have my sons eaten off tables? Yes, but if there is a better option, of course I’ll go for that!) P.S. Disposable placemats are also fantastic.
- I have Ellis hold a spoon while I feed him non finger foods. He can’t do it himself yet but he is getting used to holding it and giving it a try. Look for opportunities to practice their pincer grip and holding silverware.
- There will be phases of pickiness- don’t give up and stop offering the foods to your one year old. But also don’t get discouraged and try to make them eat it. It will get frustrating at times to make something they don’t eat, but it’s all part of growing up and them seeing what they like and don’t like. My oldest didn’t eat meat for at least 6 months- I kept trying and one day he ate it again. To substitute for protein we did a lot of eggs, beans and greek yogurt. Read more tips for picky eating phases here!
- If you use canned or prepackaged fruits and vegetables- buy ones without added sugar or salt.
- When you can- go for brown rice, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pancakes, and they even make whole grain goldfish!
- I have used lunch meat- I get the kind with lower sodium but it’s still a last resort option because of the amount of salt.
Here are 10 simple finger food meals for a one year old that you can try right away!
Eggs, potatoes, cheese, avocado, and peaches.
Half of a chicken and cheese sandwich on whole wheat toast, plain greek yogurt with honey and strawberries, with cooked carrots. Yogurt is not a finger food, but oh so nutritious and a great side.
Leftovers- chicken, potatoes, zucchini and yellow squash with clementines. Any leftovers you can turn into finger foods is always great!
Regular oatmeal with cinnamon and a sprinkle of brown sugar, blueberries, and scrambled eggs.
Turkey, cheese, avocado, and strawberries. Sometimes you just need to make a homemade lunchable!
Scrambled eggs with tomatoes and bell peppers, avocado, and blueberries.
Whole wheat pancakes, plain yogurt with honey, and bananas.
PB&J on whole wheat, carrots, and blueberries.
Rice and beans, avocado, with grapes. Like yogurt, rice and beans are technically not a finger food, but super fast to make and great protein source!
Cheese quesadilla on corn tortilla, strawberries, and peas.
Cheerios, banana, with yogurt melts. This is a bonus number 11! Because sometimes you just need to throw down some cheerios and yogurt melts. 🙂
For on the go park lunches, I still love these 6 ounce containers.
Lastly, to be completely honest, I don’t always use plates. He likes to throw them at times, so we do some straight on the high chair eating as well.
Hope you’ve gotten some ideas for feeding your little one!
Access Your Free Printable of Meal Ideas for 1 Year Olds!
Use this list as a reference so you never run out of ideas!
Subscribe (free!) to my newsletter with 23K+ moms and get tips for mom life, projects, and meal preps PLUS get instant access to my resource library with ALL of my other free files and printables (including this list)! Once subscribed, I will send you a newsletter with all the details.
Thanks Shantell!! Super helpful for me as I am a ftm!
Thanks so much for these recipes. It’s difficult handling a 2-year old eating .. Food is flying everywhere but the important thing is that they get their nutrients and these recipes certainly ensure that!
Thank you so very much for the helpful tips. I am a grandmother watching my one year old granddaughter and she has been on baby food till now! I want to give her real food. Your suggestions are will help a great deal to get started Thanks again.
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful ideas! This is so so helpful!
Thank you SO much for these suggestions! As a FTM it can be overwhelming when trying to come up with a variety of healthy and simple meals for a one year old.
I’m not sure when this post is from but I just found it and am really excited to try some of the meals. My 17 month old son has been incredibly challenging with regard to food. He will eat certain snacks and loves fruit pouches, but flat out refuses pretty much all food now to the point where I’ve gone back to giving him purées he ate as an 8 month old just to make sure he’s eating. It was really helpful to read your comments about phases, as he used to eat a lot more and now suddenly seems to refuse everything. I will keep trying to introduce some new things while keeping his staples (hummus and crackers 🙄 , yogurt and pouches) available at each meal.
How did your baby fare on finger foods? I’m having so much difficulty with feeding my 11.5 mo old and it sounds a lot like what you experienced. Any tips mama? I’m tired. ):
Nice listing about finger food meals. I have a child on same age. Going to make some dishes. Thanks.
Thank you so much for posting very usefully for my kid
thanks Shantall
OMG! Thank you so much! This was truly a big help. I am a first time momma who also works 30 hrs pr week. This ideas are quick, easy and healthy for my little one. As a first time mom, I had no idea what to make for my baby, or how much he needed. Your pictures are very helpful. Lots of love and many thanks from Cali <3
P.S.
My boy also has fun throwing plates around, specially if they have food on them!
I’m so glad! Thankfully, he still loves to throw but not food anymore. It’ll pass…eventually. 🙂
Do you make your own yogurt melts? I have been trying to make them without any luck.
I’ve always thought about it! Not sure why I never tried, but my boys all love the HappyBaby Yogi Melts.
Great stuff! I sprinkle the cinnamon and raisins in the oatmeal when I cook it and it’s more naturally sweet. So I only sneak brown sugar on mine 😂
Hah! Yep, that is exactly what I have done as well! Thanks so much for reading.
Thank you so much for posting these finger food meals for a one year old child. Very useful
You’re welcome!
Thank you so much for posting this. I’m just trying to figure out how to get my newly 1 year old to enjoy other foods than her pureed goodness. This was soooooo incredibly helpful.
Thanks for reading! 🙂
Love this! My 8 month-old eats meals like this and I’m always getting stuck in ruts. She has 8 teeth and does not really like pureed foods (normally will clamp her mouth shut and turn her head). She likes to feed herself, by the fistful. Is there anything on here aside from the honey that you would not give a baby younger than 8 months? I know if I’m a strange situation… But it’s easier not to fight her over food!!!
***younger than 12 months. LOL. I’m tired…
Hi Kat! A lot of people skip purees and go straight to finger foods. I’m doing more of that with my youngest son. Them learning how to self feed this early and try a variety of foods will be really beneficial for the toddler years. Monitor her while she eats, which I’m sure you already do, but generally anything hard or crunchy should be introduced slowly. For example-apples, peel and cook them. Or peel the peaches- sometimes it’s hard to chew through fruit skin. Thanks for reading!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Did I say Thank you!? This is so straight forward. Just the info and guidance I was looking for.
Sooo glad you found it helpful!
Oh my!! Thank you so much for this!! Going back to work and thinking what my child can take for lunch at the sitters was getting a bit overwhelming since he’s my first baby. Appreciate it!:)
Thank you!!
Just a note, I’ve been told by my pediatrician not to do honey until after 18 months. Now to seem holier than thou, just fyi 😉 they don’t have the stomach enzymes needed to digest the spores and can get botulism. It’s rare… but just something to keep in mind. Great post. Thanks for all the ideas!
There hasn’t been a reported case of botulism from honey in over 13 years.
Appreciate the comment. My pediatrician and everything I’ve researched, says that honey can be started after 12 months. You should for sure follow your pediatrician’s advice, as I would recommend to follow your doctor over anything else. But, the post will stay as is per my doctor and research.
You should not feed any honey to infants. I happen to be a doctor and a mom. We never recommend it to a child under 24 months of age. Dear author: Please remove that “honey” meal off your blog/and double check what “bloggers” recommend as it may be harmful to any child’s wellness. Good luck.
Here are some sources: https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/when-can-babies-eat-honey https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/infections/Pages/Botulism.aspx and https://www.aappublications.org/news/2018/11/19/honey111918
All say do not feed babies honey under 12 months of age. I would never recommend anything that is harmful to a child.
“Babies younger than 1 year old should not be given honey. Clostridium bacteria that cause infant botulism usually thrive in soil and dust. They also can contaminate some foods — honey, in particular.
Infant botulism can cause muscle weakness, with signs like poor sucking, a weak cry, constipation, and decreased muscle tone (floppiness).
Parents can help prevent infant botulism by not giving their baby honey or any processed foods containing honey (like honey graham crackers) until after the child’s first birthday. Light and dark corn syrups might also contain botulism-causing bacteria, but a link hasn’t been proved. Check with your doctor before giving these syrups to a baby.
As kids get older, they can have honey because their mature digestive systems move the Clostridium bacteria spores through the body before they can cause harm.”
I’ve heard after 12 months, it’s fine.
You are the best..i can’t even tell you how awesome this post /article is. Thank you .😍😉❤
Awwww! Thank YOU for reading!
I’m interested in your super fast rice & beans technique! My son loves rice and beans when I order at a restaurant, but every recipe I’ve found is long and drawn out.
My fastest way uses the frozen rice packages from Trader Joes- seriously the best rice that can be made in minutes. And a can of black bean soup- can be Amy’s or Goya etc.. It already has the seasoning and heated up in minutes. The only downside is to check the sodium levels as those tend to be higher in canned goods. Another thing I have done is make a bunch of rice in my rice cooker and freeze smaller packages for easy reheat.
My little is 11 months hes seem to gag alot he has 8 teeth. And can be sick with food should I try this food.
Yes!Start with the really soft foods like banana, avocado, cooked apple. Cut it small and progress from there. But gagging is a very normal thing for them to do at this age when starting to eat!
My son had same issue… had to get bowl with grids and break it down small as tge learn to use teeth and chew more it will stop.
Thanks for this! I found myself in a rut with meals for my one year old – this is a good reminder! My pediatrician always tells me not to worry about individual meals – they’re happy and healthy and growing, and they’ll get what they need if you don’t stress too much!
What a wonderful article with beautiful photos! I must comment on how neatly your foods are cut and prepared, especially the PBJ! Mine ends up with jelly squished out the sides and uneven bread bites. Any tips on cutting PBJ and other veggies into perfect sized bites?? 🙂
I do a thin layer of pb&j, but they all probably look a little neater when I am taking blog photos. 😉
My granddaughter only has two bottom teeth even though a year old, are all the above foods mentioned ok for her? I’m sorry I sound so dumb but it’s been 29yrs since I fed a baby and things have really changed
You do not sound dumb- not one bit. It’s so great that you are looking into stuff like this for your granddaughter, truly amazing. I believe so, but you can start with the really soft food first like banana, avocado, soft cheeses etc. Then work your way up from there. Enjoy!
Thanks so much for sharing, I can relate to all of this!! It’s refreshing to see I’m not alone in this battle. My lo is almost 17mths and it’s always hit or miss at meal times.
You are definitely not alone. There will be lots of phases, but that’s just part of feeding such little ones. 🙂
My kid will not feed himself unless it’s cheerios, bananas, berries, or avocado toast. If it’s one of those things he does it perfectly. If not it goes on the floor. If he ate like 70% and 30% ended up on the floor I could live with that. But seriously, 98% would end up on the floor. Not only that, I feel like I am in a complete rut on what I feed him. I have tried many of the things on this list (more than once) and he fights me until he is screaming and crying. There are things he likes and things he tolerates. I’m sorry… I’m not sure I actually have a question. Just venting I guess. My son is 17 months old and I still spoon feed him because whenever I try to get him to feed himself he wastes it. And frankly I can’t afford to let him do that. If anyone has any advice I would greatly appreciate it.
Hi Kara. I understand your pain- truly. I’ve teared up when my son dumped a whole plate of food on the floor that I worked hard to cook! And like you mentioned- we can’t afford to lose that food over behavior. If you know there are foods he’ll eat perfectly, offer those as much as possible as the beginning of each meal. Slowly introduce a few bites of something new. Then spoon feed him the rest- he will work on the skills with the food he likes and eventually he will try more! Just take a deep breath and do what you can. They go through phases and one day he may be more open to different foods. It’s okay if he eats a lot of the same stuff- as long as he’s getting nutrients. It can be really frustrating- there are days it drives me crazy and other days I can remind myself that this is just the fun in parenting toddlers. 🙂 Hope that helps.
My son throws food on the floor too. I’ve had to give him a single piece at a time of whatever I’m feeding him. For example, just one piece of cut up toast at a time. As he puts that piece in his mouth, I give him another piece of toast or of something different. The point is only one bite sized piece at a time or he’ll throw it on the floor. It’s painful, but it works. I’m hoping eventually I can sit a plate in front of him.
You will!!!! 🙂
Thanks for this post. Ive been struggling to get my lo to feed himself. We started solids late and its been a struggle. How did you deal with getting your lo to eats foods with texture and self feeding? Thanks so much!!
Just hang in there and don’t give up! There will be phases, but eventually they evolve and change. Don’t stop trying new foods or assume if they don’t like something that it will always be that way. My boys have both gone through their own foods that they didn’t like but now they love and vice versa.
Thank you so much! I’ve been at a loss for what to feed my baby.
So glad it’s useful! 🙂
Wow, thank you so much. I’ve spent over eight hours trying to find meal ideas for my picky 1 year old and this is the first article I found where every meal is simple (I’m not going to spend an hour cooking just so he can throw it on the floor) and has some new ideas that I think he will actually like! I am saving every one of these and trying them later this week.
So glad you like it! It can be a little heartbreaking when they throw our hard work on the floor! I’ve been there…many times. Lol
Agreed. I am on the verge of crying because I can’t find anything my child will eat more than 2 bites of. I feel like she is not eating enough and doesn’t want the pureed baby jar food any longer. Fingers crossed that these ideas are what my baby is looking for.
Hope it helped! And I’ve been there! Phases come and go- they will eat eventually I promise. 🙂
Great ideas! I have a very picky eater. I still make and freeze meals and make chunky puréed just to get some vegetables in his diet and meat. Do you make The Whole wheat pancakes or buy already made?
I sneak in veggies into stuff all the time, except my almost 4 year old is on to me and told me he would eat his broccoli if it wasn’t touching his pasta. Lol. We’ll see. I buy a mix- the brand I get is Kodiak Cakes.
Where did you buy those plates from? Do they come with lids too?
Amazon! They are linked above. They don’t but that would be amazing.
Super helpful, thank you! Heading to the store now. 🙂
That’s great! 🙂
Hey. My 14 month old is a VERY picky eater. Everything that goes on his plate ends up on the floor. He’ll try something and then throw it away. Im at going crazy trying to have him eat a little bit of food. But its not working. Please help.
This is so so very common! And it is really frustrating. I don’t want to lie and say it gets better for good. I’ve seen that pickiness comes in waves and even their “favorite” foods change over time. My advice is to not give up. My oldest didn’t eat meat for at least 6 months- probably a lot more. I kept putting a little bit on his plate- not too much that it was a waste but still tried to get him to try it. Eventually he started to eat it again. The harm with giving them only what they “like”, is that it’ll be harder to introduce different food later. The mess will start to get better closer to 2, but it really didn’t get under control until 3 at our house. They aren’t going to starve. And he may be testing boundaries with throwing or just thinks it’s fun. My second son just turned two and he still does it. Sometimes we don’t give him his fork back if he threw it. Meal time can be a battle, but it’s easier to keep tackling it now then having to start fresh when they are older! My almost 4 year old- the one that hated meat- loves so many different foods now. He’ll even eat broccoli without it being mixed in to something and tried tofu tacos the other day. It was a long road- but there is light at the end of the tunnel!
Thank you for this, I keep referring back to this post when I am out of ideas! It is so helpful, especially when I have baby brain!
Yay! So glad it is still helpful. 🙂
Hey. Thanks for the mommy share. My one year old son has not tried this yet for we always give him cereals and fruits only. He is a picky eater. But will try these variety of food as a start. Hope its going to be a peaceful beginning. Lol!
I completely understand as we’ve been through many food phases. I have been surprised many times by what my kids like and don’t! It’s not always peaceful but over time they do grow to like things they may have not the initial try. 🙂
Hey how do you feel about the sizes that the food was cut into .
I am only asking because I’m really scared of my little one choking.He is just starting to eat some finger foods I’m just scared .
That’s a really common concern! Just start with really soft foods and really small pieces. When he is confident with those, you can add more variety. A little bit of gagging at times is normal as they learn to “chew” these new foods. And of course, stay close by and watch how he’s doing. 🙂 I started finger foods earlier with my second and he picked it up really fast!
I love most of what you have on this list – except the addition of honey to plain yogurt. It is true, a 12 month old child’s digestive system should be able to kill the spores that cause botulism. However, there really isn’t a reason to introduce ANY sweetener at this age, sugary foods should be avoided at this stage. Honey can be particularly damaging to the teeth and contains more calories than sugar.
Thanks for the feedback Ann! I think many readers may find that information valuable. Every mom has to make tough choices and decide what is best for their family and situation. It’s rarely going to be perfect. I personally thought a little bit of honey was better than buying the sugar laden yogurt. After my son wouldn’t eat the yogurt with just fruit, honey helped create a food that he would get nutrients from and actually eat. So it was a choice I made as a mom- maybe not perfect, but it worked for us.
First, this article is amazing and exactly what I have been searching for so THANK YOU, big!
Secondly, my PEDIATRICIAN has a son the age of my son (13 months) and HE recommended I introduce honey to add some flavor. He says he feeds his son honey all of the time! 🙂 can’t thank you enough for the post!
Oh YAY! So glad you like it and find it helpful! 🙂
she is right you may not want to use added sweeteners at this age. but you wrote this to what worked for your kids. each parent and child are different. the honey added nutrients for your kids. not everything mentioned may work for everyone. my daughter is six months old. just had her first try with “real food” mashed pototoes, sweet potatoes and chocolate pudding. i decided to reasearh what i can give her diet and capabilities progresses. a lot of the complaints about kids throwing food on the floor i can relate to from an Aunt’s perspective. my nephew eats very little and throws everything else on the floor. unless its pasta or potatoes. however we had meatloaf, sweet corn, and mashed potatoes and he only ate his veggies. his pickiness gets worse when teething and he is getting his moleurs. he is very independent we can’t just feed him ourselves cause he wont even try it if we do and throws a tantrum
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and experience!
Wow thank you such a life saver!!!
You’re very welcome!
Yummy, nutritious foods!
Also tasty treats for a dog patiently waiting nearby to catch spills!
LOL. Thank You! My dog always waits to eat her dinner after my one year old is done, because she knows there will be lots of yummy things coming down to her! Hey, it’s less clean up at least?!
Love these ideas. My kiddo is too old for them now, but there are few things new here to me.
Thank you! 🙂
Hi! My 20 months old toddler is a picky eater, she wants to eat only mac and cheese and I don’t know what to do is very difficult to make her eat could you game any advice please.
Hopefully you got my email about this! But I’ve had to stop feeding my kids something for a while so it’s not an “option” anymore. Then they open up more about trying new things.
Thank you Shan, I am always worried what to feed my 13 months baby. I liked your tip it easy to prepare and serve my baby a meal quickly. Thanks
You’re welcome! 🙂