How often does a one year old need to eat?

Sep5Bride · January 2014

I hope this isn't a repeat - I looked back but didn't see it recently. I was just wondering, how often should a one year old need to eat? My daughter will turn one on Monday, and she is eating solids every 3 hours during waking hours, which equals 5 times a day. She also gets BM four times per day, but I am trying to cut back on that. She seems to get very hungry and cranky if she doesn't eat this often, and of course I want her to have as much food as she needs, but I don't want to be in the habit of snacking all day long. Any thoughts on what is normal here?

Thanks, ladies!

jnnfrrose6 · January 2014

At 12 months, DS was getting a sippy of milk when he woke up (he weaned right on his birthday...), breakfast, a snack mid morning, lunch, snack in the afternoon, dinner, then a sippy before bed. I think if you timed out the eating, it was probably around every 3 hours, the snacks were just smaller meals than the actual "meals."

ETA he got milk and/or water with his meals and snacks, too. We're still basically on this schedule, minus the sippy before bed and I occasionally leave out a snack if he doesn't seem to need it (he's in DC, so during the week, that's up to them).

ashiscute · January 2014

That sounds normal to me. My kids both eat 3 meals but 2-3 smaller snacks per day. They were nursing 3-4 times per day.

I wouldn't stress about the snacking. Some people eat more often and eat less at meals and others are opposite. If she's hungry feed her and if she's not then she won't eat.

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fusionbride · January 2014

I think it will vary a lot between children, but my 13MO has 4 full meals a day, no "snacks". She gets about 5oz of milk in the morning when she gets up (around 7:30 or 8), breakfast plus cup of milk at 9, lunch plus cup of milk at noon, 2nd lunch plus cup of milk around 3:30 (time flexes depending on her nap times), and dinner plus cup of milk around 5:30 or 6, then 5oz of milk around 7 before her bedtime routine.

The milk in a cup is still new so she really only drinks about 2oz at a time, but we started grouping her milk with her meals around when she turned one and she has been able to go the 3-ish hours in between meals.

shannm · January 2014

At that age we were doing three meals and two snacks.

this decaf life · January 2014

DD nurses 4 times a day and eats 3 meals.

kjsmith9 · January 2014

On the weekdays she nurses when she wakes up, has breakfast, lunch, and a snack at daycare, dinner at home, and nurse before bed.

On the weekends we usually do 3 meals and 1 snack. She usually nurses an extra 1-2 times, so I'm not as worried about the 2nd snack. And she's typically napping when one of the snacks would fall anyways, so it just doesn't seem to fit right.