What should I feed my baby or toddler after 12 months?

• Can easily use their hands and fingers to feed themselves.
• Can hold a cup with two hands and drink from it.
• Has molar teeth starting to appear. Molar teeth are the larger teeth at the back of the mouth which are used to chew food.
• Can bite through a variety of different foods and chew well.

Food ideas

• Breads (such as pita, rēwena, chapatti or bread rolls) cut to a size that your toddler can easily hold and eat.
• Small sandwiches with thinly-sliced fillings or a thin layer of easy-to-spread ingredients (eg, yeast spread).
• Soft pieces of fruit and vegetables such as banana or cooked carrot.
• Finely grated raw fruit and vegetables such as carrot or apple.
• Finely chopped salad vegetables such as lettuce or cucumber.
• Yoghurt or slices of cheese.
• Tender, finely chopped lean meat, chicken, seafood or egg.
• Soft, slightly mashed legumes such as cooked chick peas or canned kidney beans.
• Breakfast cereals (remove very hard foods like whole nuts or hard dried fruit).