Normal feeding patterns for 1 year?

[Chlo-Bo's Mummy]

Our daughter has just turned 1. She has been on solids since 6 months and was eating everything we offered her. She just started on a bottle at 11 months and was only being breastfeed before that. Since she has started on a bottle she has gone off most of her solids.
Now she is will only wants to eat our food off our plates, is this a bad habit to get her into?
She doesn’t like any of her fruit (I use the Heinz 10-15 month puree mixed with farex). She will just spit it out and refuse any more (she will eat whole fruits such as plums and peaches etc). She is enjoying pasta, and steamed meat and vegies, but only if we are eating them also.
She was having 3 meals a day up until she started on formula. When she refuses a meal I still offer her a bottle, should I stop this to increase her hunger? She is sleeping through the night, usually having 600ml-1000ml of formula a day depending on what solids I can get into her!
I am very worried she is not getting the nutrition and energy she needs from food. Need any help I can get! Thank you!

[the pero clinic]

Dear Chlo-Bo’s Mummy,

It primarily sounds as though your little girl has become much more aware of what people are doing around her and is trying to be like the independent grown ups that she sees. It’s not uncommon for bubs to insist on self-feeding and eating family foods around the age of 1. The degree of independence often seems to come down to individual personalities.

There is nothing wrong with your little girl preferring finger foods to spoon foods – in fact it will provide her with good oral development and self-feeding practice. If it helps to encourage her to eat more food, you can offer her food from your own plate. It would be a good idea though to put it into her own bowl at her highchair - so that she doesn’t get into the habit of grazing.

At 1 year of age, your bub should be transitioning to a feeding routine that consists of small meals and snacks every couple of hours (i.e. breakfast, lunch, dinner & morning and afternoon teas). Milk or formula should not replace a meal, but just be given as drinks. It sounds like your little girl is having about twice as much formula as she needs some days.

Work with her surge in independence to introduce a cup for her to have up to 500mL a day. This amount may need to be a little more or less depending on how many other dairy foods she has.

Finally, avoid offering bottles or milk when a meal is refused – it will only teach her to refuse more often.

the pero clinic