Your child's birth weight usually triples by one year of age. A toddler will normally gain only four to five pounds a year, as compared to 15 pounds gained during the first year. Because your child is not growing as fast as during his first year of life, appetite decreases. Your toddler will likely become a very picky eater. He should be on table food completely now.

• Milk should be limited to no more than 24 ounces a day, to prevent filling up on milk and refusal of solids. Give whole milk (not skimmed, 1% or 2% until two years of age. Toddlers need the fat for brain development.
• Weaning from the bottle is recommended at about one year of age (it is usually easier at this age than later when a child may become attached to the bottle). If your child refuses solids and only wants the bottle, you can try gradually diluting the milk with water to make it less satisfying. If this doesn’t work, by withholding the bottle and juices, your child will eventually become hungry enough to eat solid foods.
• Serve small portions. Because your child’s appetite is small. He will be overwhelmed by large portions and may refuse everything. What he eats is more important that how much. A general guide to serving size is one tablespoon of food per year of age or one-forth to one-third of an adult serving size.
• Serve three main meals with no more than two small. Nutritious snacks each day and limit juice to less than six ounces a day – so your child is hungry at mealtime.
• Snacks should not be given unless meal times are more than four hours apart. Limit between mean snacks off sweets and offer desert (not after every meal) only after a nutritious meal was eaten. A habit of frequent, sweet snacks can cause dental cavities, obesity and other health problems later in life.
• Do not force feed or bribe your child to eat. She may refuse food in order to be in control. Trust your child’s appetite which is controlled by the brain. Also, do not praise your child for eating a lot.
• Do not feed your child if he can feed himself (usually he can use a spoon alone by 18 months of age). This encourages independence and prevents over-feeding.
• Offer finger foods that have increased iron and protein content, such as peanut butter, crackers and cheese.
• Make foods look appetizing. For example, sandwiches can be cut into animal shapes with eyes and mouth made out of vegetable pieces. Also, vegetables smothered in cheese sauce looks good to a toddler.
• Allow your child to help you prepare food and she will likely try it.
• Mixed foods, such as casseroles, are rarely favorites. Toddlers often refuse to eat one food if it touches another.
• A toddler will often insist on the same dish, cup or spoon every time she eats as this is familiar and safe. He may reject food if it is served in a different dish.
• Food “jags” are common. Your child eats one food for three days and then suddenly refuses to eat it again for days. If you force your child to eat other foods, she will resist. Simply offer small portions of food from the other food groups at each meal and eventually she’ll pick another favorite food. A variety of snacks can be placed in an ice cube tray for a pick-and-choose menu.
• You may give daily vitamins if your toddler refuses all vegetables, which is better than forcing him to eat them.
• Don’t make your toddler sit at the table for an extended period of time.
• Make mealtime enjoyable, talk with the children and avoid discipline or family arguments during means.