1 to 2 years baby food
Feeding & Nutrition Tips: Your 2-Year-Old
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Ages & Stages
Ages & Stages
With your two-year-old's blossoming language and social skills, they're ready to become an active mealtime participant. They should no longer be drinking from a bottle, and can eat the same food as the rest of the family. Their diet should now include three healthy meals a day, plus one or two snacks.
Here are some tips to help your little one develop healthy, safe eating habits and get the nutrition their growing bodies need.
Mealtime tips for toddlers
Try not to fixate on amounts of food they are eating.
Avoid making mealtimes a battle.
Pay attention to adopting healthy eating habits—including sitting as a family at mealtime.
Focus on making healthy food choices as a family.
Unsafe foods for toddlers: choking risks
At two years old, your child should be able to use a spoon, drink from a cup with just one hand, and feed themselves a wide variety of finger foods. However, they are still learning to chew and swallow efficiently and may gulp food down when in a hurry to get on with playing. For that reason, the risk of choking at this age is high.
Avoid these foods, which could be swallowed whole and block the windpipe:
Hot dogs (unless cut in quarters lengthwise before being sliced)
Chunks of peanut butter (Peanut butter may be spread thinly on bread or a cracker, but never give chunks of peanut butter to a toddler.)
Nuts—especially peanuts
Raw cherries with pits
Round, hard candies—including jelly beans
Gum
Whole grapes
Marshmallows
Raw carrots, celery, green beans
Popcorn
Seeds—such as processed pumpkin or sunflower seeds
Whole grapes, cherry tomatoes (cut them in quarters)
Large chunks of any food such as meat, potatoes, or raw vegetables and fruits
The best foods for toddlers include:
Protein foods like meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, nuts, seeds and soy
Dairy such as milk, yogurt, cheese or calcium-fortified soymilk
Fruits and vegetables
Grains such as whole wheat bread and oatmeal
It is normal for toddlers to choose from a limited number of foods, reject foods entirely, and then change their preferences over time.
Never force your child to eat something they do not want to eat. The best approach is to let your child to choose from 2 to 3 healthy options, and continue to offer new foods as their tastes change.
Offering a variety of foods and leaving the choices up to your child will eventually allow them to eat a balanced diet on their own. Toddlers also like to feed themselves. So, whenever possible, offer your child finger foods instead of cooked ones that require a fork or spoon to eat.
Supplements for some children
Vitamin supplements are rarely necessary for toddlers who eat a varied diet, with a few exceptions.
Vitamin D. Infants under 12 months of age require 400 International Units (IU) of vitamin D per day and older children and adolescents require 600 IU per day. This amount of vitamin D can prevent rickets—a condition characterized by the softening and weakening of bones. If your child is not regularly exposed to sunlight or is consuming enough vitamin D in their diet, talk to your pediatrician about a vitamin D supplement.
See Vitamin D for Babies, Children & Adolescents for more information and a list of vitamin D-enriched foods.
Iron. Supplemental iron may be needed if your child eats very little meat, iron-fortified cereal, or vegetables rich in iron. Large quantities of milk (more than 32 ounces [960 mL] per day) also may interfere with the proper absorption of iron, increasing the risk of iron deficiency anemia.
Calcium. Your child should drink 16 ounces (480 mL) of low-fat or nonfat milk each day. This will provide most of the calcium they need for bone growth and still not interfere with their appetite for other foods—particularly those that provide iron.
Note: Children stay on whole milk until they are two years of age—unless there is a reason to switch a baby to low-fat milk sooner. Whole milk contains approximately 4% milk fat. It may help to gradually switch your child from whole milk to a lower-fat milk.
Therefore, many pediatricians recommend that children get reduced fat (2%) milk for a few weeks before switching them to low fat (1%) or no fat (skim) milk.
More information
- Sample Menu for a Two-Year-Old
- Feeding & Nutrition Tips: Your 3-Year-Old
- Selecting Snacks for Toddlers
- I Need a Treat: How to Tame Your Child's Sweet Tooth
- Diagnosis and Prevention of Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anemia in Infants and Young Children (0-3 Years of Age) (AAP Clinical Report)
- Last Updated
- 9/6/2022
- Source
- American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Obesity (Copyright © 2022)
The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.
Selecting Healthy Snacks for Toddlers
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Ages & Stages
Ages & Stages
Toddlers use a lot of energy to grow and play, and their little stomachs can't hold enough food to keep them from getting hungry between meals. Many young children need both a morning and an afternoon snack. These should be timed so they will still be hungry for lunch and dinner.
Snacks should include a balance of healthy foods. Children often come to think of a "snack" as a time to eat highly processed foods. You can help avoid this trap by serving a variety of freshly prepared foods to your children—even at snack time.
Healthy snack options for toddlers
Fresh fruits
- Apples, bananas, peaches, nectarines, pears (thinly sliced for safety)
- Cherries, grapes, plums (sliced or smushed and pitted)
- Orange or grapefruit sections (cut into pieces)
- Strawberries
Dried fruits
- Apples, apricots, peaches, pears (cut up)
- Dates, prunes (pitted, cut up)
- Raisins or cranberries
Vegetables
- Carrots, green beans (well cooked, diced)
- Steamed cauliflower, broccoli
- Yams or sweet potatoes (cooked and diced)
- Peas (mashed for safety; a child can inhale whole peas)
- Steamed, pureed spinach or greens
- Avocado slices or small cubes
Dairy products
- Cheese (grated or diced)
- Cottage cheese
- Yogurt, fresh or frozen
- Milk, including non-dairy milk alternatives
Breads and cereals
- Whole wheat bread
- Whole grain tortilla, pita, or bagels cut into small pieces
- Crackers (graham, whole grain)
- Whole grain dry cereals
Lean proteins
- Fish (canned tuna, salmon, sardines, whitefish)
- Peanut butter or other nut butters (smooth, spread thinly on whole grain bread or crackers)
- Edamame beans or chickpeas (steamed or mashed) or hummus spreads
- Cooked tofu cubes or tofu dip
- Hard boiled eggs
Snacks toddlers should avoid
Big chunks of any food are dangerous for children under than age 4 and pose serious choking hazards.
For this reason, raw veggies and some fruits such as carrots, apples, whole cherry tomatoes, whole green beans, and celery should be cut into small pieces and/or cooked to minimize the choking risk. Nuts, peanuts, popcorn, and large amounts of sticky foods like peanut butter are also choking hazards. See Unsafe Foods for Toddlers for more examples.
Heavily processed foods should also be avoided; they tend to be low in nutritional value and high in salt and added sugar.
More information
- Sample Menu for a Two-Year-Old
- Choosing Healthy Snacks for Kids
- Avoiding Food Traps
- Preschoolers' Diets Shouldn't Be Fat-Free: Here's Why
- Airplane Choo Choo: A Feeding Guide for Children (National Dairy Council)
- Last Updated
- 8/11/2022
- Source
- American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition (Copyright © 2022)
The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician.
There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.
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Union of Pediatricians of Russia
Nutrition for children from 1 to 3 years of age
The period from 1 to 3 years of life is a crucial stage in the transition to an adult type of nutrition, which has certain features. In order to ensure that all the necessary nutrients enter the child's body and at the same time prevent an excess of individual nutrients, nutrition should be balanced and varied. nine0003
The daily amount of food for children aged 1 to 1.5 years should be 1000-1200 g, from 1.5 to 3 years - 1200-1500 g, the amount of food in one feeding should not exceed 300-350 ml. The diet consists of three main meals per day and two snacks. It is considered optimal when breakfast is 25% of the total energy density of the diet, lunch is 30–35%, dinner is 20%, and additional meals are about 10%.
In general, the child can eat the same food as the rest of the family. nine0003
In the diet of a child of 1–3 years of age , must be present daily: meat of animals or poultry, dairy and sour-milk products, vegetables, fruits, bread, cereals, vegetable and butter; fish and eggs are included in the diet 2-3 times a week.
Cereal products: bread - 2-3 servings per day, cereals and side dishes - 1 time per day
Fruit and/or vegetables: at least 5 times a day
Dairy products: at least 3 servings per day (including those used to make cereals, yoghurts, fermented milk drinks, cottage cheese, infant formula or breast milk). nine0003
Domestic pediatricians recommend, when compiling a diet for children aged 1–3 years, preference should be given to specialized children's dairy products of industrial production that meet high quality requirements and safety indicators for this age. Most children's dairy products are additionally enriched with vitamins and/or minerals and other biologically active components, taking into account the physiological needs of children of this age.
At the same time, in foreign recommendations, children over 1 year old are offered the gradual introduction of whole cow's milk, which is rich in fats necessary for proper growth and development, the absorption of vitamins A and D, the development of the child's brain and nervous system. nine0003
Meat dishes: 2-3 times a day
Fish dishes: 2-3 servings per week
Eggs: 2-3 per week
Dietary fats: 3-4 teaspoons of butter and/or vegetable oils per day
When cooking, use the minimum amount of salt and sugar, and do not add them to industrial products.
Offer your child a variety of foods and let them choose for themselves. Children love to eat on their own, so if possible, offer food that the child can eat with their hands. nine0003
It is important to remember that a baby can choke on pieces of food, so whatever you give your baby should be crushed or cut into small pieces that can be easily chewed.
Do not give to a small child: nuts, whole grapes, cherry tomatoes (unless quartered), whole carrots, seeds (such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds), round candies, legumes, raisins, because a child can eat them choke.
Also in the diet of children of the first 3 years of life should not be present:
Mushrooms; canned snacks, pickled vegetables and fruits
Home canned food
Dry concentrates for side dishes
Hot sauces, mustard, horseradish, pepper, vinegar, mayonnaise
Natural coffee
Juices and drinks in the form of dry concentrates; sweet carbonated drinks
Products containing food additives (flavorings, dyes of artificial origin, including chewing gum), popcorn
Combined fats; cakes and pastries
It is important to remember that children of this age should not be given too spicy and spicy foods.
1 to 3 years old
A balanced diet is the key to a healthy baby from 1 to 3 years of age. At this age, the menu should be varied, and recipes for a one-year-old child, a 1.5-year-old child and 2-year-old children should include foods such as poultry, eggs, fish, cottage cheese, bread, fruits, and vegetables.
Based on all the above products in this section, recipes for a delicious and complete children's menu are proposed. Clear step-by-step instructions and colorful photos in each of the recipes for kids will give you the opportunity to realize many ideas, diversifying baby food with high-quality, beautiful and mouth-watering food. Let your little one take every meal as a fun adventure filled with magical flavors. nine0003
The best recipes in the catalog
54 recipes for children from 1 to 3 years old
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Curds for ryazhenka in the ovenCatalogue: From 1 to 3 years 9002 15380 45 min. 12 1 5
With Grandfather at Dinner✅
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STEAM OMELET IN MULTIPLE COOKERCatalog: From 1 year to 3 years 9080030071 10 min. 2 0 11
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Yogurt "Cheerful for daughter" (FM)Catalog: from 1 year to 3 years
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Evgenia
November 01, 2014, 11:24
Omelet in pepperCatalog: From 1 to 3 years
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October 07, 2014, 00:50
Oatmeal with orangeCatalog: From 1 to 3 years
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Evgenia
October 07, 2014, 00:30
Beetrop with rice and home chicken (children's menu, multicooker)Catalog: from 1 year to 3 years old
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PHARTHY Soup with veal (children's menu, multicooker)Catalog: from 1 year to 3 years old
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06 September 06 2014, 11:11
Fish soup with cauliflower and noodles (children's menu, slow cooker)Catalogue: From 1 to 3 years
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M.
September 04, 2014, 12:22 9000 6
Tatiana М. 3 10 8
M.
August 23, 2014, 11:57
Curd "Hedgehogs" for breakfast and justCatalog: from 1 year to 3 years
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krolya
June 03, 2014, 14:31
"omelette-soufflé" in a jarCatalog: From 1 to 3 years
60132 20 min. 1 10 12
Elena Tyufekchi
April 27, 2014, 14:01
Soup with perch and cauliflower (children's menu, slow cooker)Catalogue: From 1 to 3 years
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Tatyana M.
April 24, 2014, 11:19
Sosisks children's white poultry meatCatalog: from 1 year to 3 years old
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9000 Tatiana М. 2 31 26
Krolya
February 05, 2014, 13:51
Children's steam sausagesCatalog: from 1 year to 3 years old
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Tatyana M.
08 January 2014, 11: 11: 11: 11: 31
Soup with spinach, fish meatballs, plum, baked with cottage cheese.
perfect lunch in 60 min. Catalog: From 1 to 3 years
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lil-8888
November 08, 2013, 23:25
lunch in 60 min.)Catalogue: From 1 to 3 years
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Persona
October 31, 2013, 23:44
Millet porridge with pumpkin. test-driveCatalog: From 1 to 3 years old
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GalinaN
October 17, 2013, 20:36
Vegetable menu with rice and ragum, vegetable ragum for childrenCatalogue: 1 to 3 years
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Tatyana M.
July 29, 2013, 20:33
Greek porridge with cream and raspberriesCatalog: from 1 year to 3 years old
24650 36 25,0002 Persona
July 08, 2013, 20:27
Semolina porridge (without lumps) with strawberriesCatalogue: From 1 to 3 years old
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Olga♥Ch
July 03, 2013, 10:09
Cheesecake with cherriesCatalog: From 1 year to 3 years
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