Baby food 18 to 24 months

Toddler Meal Plan: 18-24 Months Old

What should you know about feeding your 18- to 24-month-old toddler?

Follow their cues: Your little one knows when they are hungry and full, let them guide how much they eat
Tips for picky eating: You provide healthy foods at mealtimes, let your toddler choose what and how much to eat

By 18 months, your child can eat the same foods as the rest of the family, making mealtime much easier to figure out.

At this age, offer your little one food every 2 to 3 hours since their tummies are still pretty small and they’ll need to eat frequently throughout the day to get the nutrients needed for development.¹ This usually ends up being 3 meals and about 2 to 3 nutritious snacks daily.

Follow your toddler’s hunger and fullness cues

Your little one may be able to verbalize when they are hungry and when satisfied. Their developing communication skills may also include voicing their likes and dislikes when it comes to which foods they prefer to eat.

Make sure to listen to your little one’s hunger and fullness cues to help them build strong internal feeding cues as well as a healthy relationship with food.²

To help nurture your child’s internal cues, provide meals without distractions such as the TV or other screens.³

Read more: Understanding Your Baby’s Hunger and Fullness Cues

Tips for picky eating

You may find your little one becoming a bit picky at this age. Try not to let this be discouraging.

Your goal as the parent is to provide healthy food choices and set specific times to eat. Your child’s job is to decide how much of the foods you provide to eat, or if they eat them at all!⁴^,⁵ This is called the Division of Responsibility.

While them leaving food on the plate may feel frustrating, don’t force your little one to eat something. Over time, and as they watch you eat these foods, they will become more comfortable and may eventually eat them.⁶

Keep mealtime a positive experience and offer disliked or new foods over and over again!

Read more: The Division of Responsibility: Helping Avoid Picky Eating

Utensil time!

By 18 months, your little one may be fairly proficient at eating with a spoon. At each meal, provide toddler utensils to allow your child lots of practice.⁷^,⁸

The same goes for cups. At meals, provide water or milk in a plastic cup to help your little one develop their skills.¹

Read more: Transitioning to Cups for Babies and Toddlers

Fully transition to cow’s milk

By now, your child should have transitioned from infant formula to whole milk or soy milk. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends drinking about 16 ounces per day, with a max of 24 ounces (2 to 3 cups). ⁹

If you are still breastfeeding, you can continue to do so as both you and your child desire.¹⁰^,¹¹

The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends that your little one be fully weaned from a bottle between 12 and 24 months.¹²

Read more: What Type of Milk Should my Toddler Drink?

Pro Tips for feeding your 18- to 24-month-old

As your child gets older and life gets busier, it may seem easier to choose quicker, more convenient foods. However, many ready-to-eat convenience foods many times contain too much added sugars and excess salt.¹³ Be sure to read the label before purchasing these for your tot.

Your child’s taste preferences are still developing so be sure to offer them mostly whole, fresh foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. The food you serve your child during this stage can influence what they prefer to eat later in life.^{https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5331538/}

18 to 24 Month Old Meal Plan

The below meal plan provides snack and recipe ideas to help you provide your little one with nutritious choices that will continue to positively influence their taste development, as well as get nutrients that are important for their growth and development.

Breakfast

Option 1: Whole grain toast topped with nut butter and sliced bananas
Option 2: Oatmeal made with milk and frozen berries
Option 3: Broccoli and Cheddar Egg Cups
Option 4: Whole grain waffle with ricotta cheese and berries
Option 5: Freezer-friendly Spinach Waffles

Lunch

Option 1: Whole wheat pasta mixed with white beans and tomato sauce
Option 2: Turkey roll up: whole wheat tortilla with hummus spread, turkey and sliced cucumber
Option 3: Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
Option 4: Avocado Tuna Salad in Mini Pita Pockets
Option 5: Tex-Mex pizza: whole grain pita topped with tomato sauce, cheddar cheese, and black or pinto beans

Dinner

Option 1: Veggie lasagna
Option 2: Crispy Cumin White Fish with Pineapple & Avocado Chunks and Cilantro Rice
Option 3: Whole Grain Chicken Nuggets with Green Bean “Fries”
Option 4: Stir fry with chicken, squash, peas and brown rice
Option 5: Black bean tomato quesadillas

Snacks

Option 1: Sliced apples with a thin spread of nut butter
Option 2: Cottage cheese and fruit
Option 3: Veggies with hummus
Option 4: Chocolate Avocado Yogurt Popsicles
Option 5: Blueberry Banana Blender Muffins

Let’s Chat!

We know parenting often means sleepless nights, stressful days, and countless questions and confusion, and we want to support you in your feeding journey and beyond.

Our Happy Baby Experts are a team of lactation consultants and registered dietitian nutritionists certified in infant and maternal nutrition – and they’re all moms, too, which means they’ve been there and seen that. They’re here to help on our free, live chat platform Monday – Friday 8am-6pm (ET). Chat Now!

Read more about the experts that help write our content!

For more on this topic, check out the following articles and recipes:

Healthy Eating for Kids

Picky Eater Meal Plan: Recipe and Snack Ideas

When it’s More than Picky Eating: 4 Warning Signs

Healthy Snacks for Babies and Toddlers

Our meal plans offer recipe and meal suggestions for your child. They are not designed to replace your doctor’s recommendations, nor do they take into account special nutritional needs, including allergies and intolerances. The meal plans suggest serving sizes that may or may not be appropriate for your child. Please consult your doctor to determine what is best for your child.

50 Toddler Meal Ideas for 18-24 Months

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50 breakfast, lunch, and dinner Toddler Meal Ideas for 18-24 months. A list of simple, quick, easy, and healthy toddler meal ideas for young toddlers.

My son is a new 2-year-old and i’m sharing 50 ideas for toddler meal ideas based on what he ate from 18-24 months old.

We started with a combination of purees and baby-led weaning (BLW) and he has always been a pretty good eater! You may be thinking ‘how to I get my toddler to try some of these meals’? And my advice would be to just keep exposing them to the new foods! With many toddlers, meal time can quickly become a power struggle if they are forced to try a food they don’t want to eat.

Here’s some tips on how I get my toddler to try new foods:

Always serve the new food in a small amount, and serve it along with a food they love
No pressure; don’t bribe or force them to try the new food
Tell them ‘it’s okay if you don’t eat it’
Keep exposing and don’t give up, small victories like playing with the food are good steps forward!

By using these tips i’ve been able to help my son become a fairly adventurous eater. You may also like these related posts:

16 Family-Friendly Toddler Dinner Ideas
High-Calorie Breakfast Ideas for Toddlers
10 No-Cook Toddler Meals

Favorite Toddler Feeding Supplies

P.S. below are some of our favorite toddler feeding supplies that make toddler meal time just a little easier.

Pillowfort Plates: these plates are the best! They are our go-to plates and we use them for just about every single meal. They have held up up great after more than a year of use and going through the dishwasher.

Sandwich & Veggie Cutters: we got these a few months ago and they are so cute! I love to use these to make fun shapes when making sandwiches and also love the smaller veggie cutters for fruits and veggies.

Ingenuity Booster Seat: this is a great booster seat! We moved to a booster seat at the table at 18 months old. This booster seat is great because it is super easy to clean and fits well at our counter height table.

Okay, now onto the food!

Toddler Food Staples

There are a few staple foods that I try to keep in the house 24/7 to help make our quick and easy meals. I like to plan ahead some what and buy certain foods at the grocery store each week to make my toddler’s meals, but I also buy some staple foods and make up some meals as I go. Here are some of our toddler food staples:

Main

Tortillas
Dave’s Killer Bread (we like Powerseed)
Eggs
Peanut Butter
Avocados
Dr. Praeger’s Spinach & Broccoli Littles

Sides

Mandarin Oranges
Bananas
Grapes
Frozen Veggies
String Cheese

Toddler Meal Ideas for 18-24 months

Waffle – whole wheat Nutri Grain Waffle topped with strawberries and bananas. Some other fun toppings for your toddler’s waffle could be smushed banana, apple sauce, peanut butter, almond butter, smushed blueberries, or jelly.

Avocado Toast – avocado is a great healthy fat for toddlers. We try to add avocado wherever we can and avocado toast is a great way to do it. Side of sliced banana.

Jelly Toast – jelly toast is another one of my toddler’s favorites. We like to mix up the types of jelly and try to buy natural jelly with no corn syrup. Side of sliced pears.

Strawberry French Toast – a different variation of one of our favorite breakfasts––Banana French Toast. Beat an egg and add chopped strawberries to the egg mixture. Dunk in bread and fry on a pan until set on both sides. So tasty and sweet no syrup is required!

Fried Egg – if you are tired of scrambled eggs for breakfast try giving your toddler a fried egg. I like to cook it a little longer so the yolk is almost set just so it isn’t quite as messy with a runny yolk. We like to cook our eggs in grass-fed butter for healthy fat. Side of peanut butter toast.

Silver Dollar Pancakes – mini pancakes topped with blueberry butter and blueberries. To make blueberry butter I simply mix butter and blueberries for a fun and yummy spread.

Oatmeal – instead of buying pre-made packets which can have extra sugar, my toddler loves when I make homemade oatmeal with fun toppings. This recipe was quick oats, water, diced pears, honey, and cinnamon. For more oatmeal recipes, check out my post: 8 Easy Toddler Oatmeal Recipes

Cereal with Milk – to make cereal a little more fun and nutrition I like to add fruit like banana and blueberries for my toddler. We normally serve him Cheerios or we also like Kashi Cinnamon Harvest.

English Muffin – as an alternative to toast, try an english muffin! My toddler loves cinnamon raisin English muffins with pb on top. Side of thinly sliced apples.

Mini Breakfast Burritos – how fun is this? Instead of a normal breakfast burrito, which could seem overwhelming to tiny hands, try cutting a tortilla in quarters to make four mini breakfast burritos. We like to fill ours with eggs, cheese, and red bell pepper, but anything goes! Side of hashbrowns with peppers, cheese, and sour cream.

Scrambled Eggs – it took my toddler a while to like eggs (approximately 18 months), but now they are one of his favorite breakfast meals. Avocado and peanut butter toast make great sides for scrambled eggs.

Yogurt Bowl – a super easy no-cook breakfast! Whole milk yogurt with peanut butter swirled in and topped with bananas and shredded cereal. Other fun toppings for yogurt bowls are: berries, kiwi, raisins, chopped nuts, peanut butter, and granola.

Stuffed French Toast Roll – a quick and easy way to make stuffed French toast. Roll out a piece of bread, spread with cream cheese and fruit, roll up tightly, dunk in egg, and fry in coconut oil on a stove top. We recently made blueberry stuffed French toast and added extra blueberries on top.

Smoothie Bowl – make your favorite smoothie recipe and blend it up a little thicker than normal, then top with fruit. Our go-to smoothie recipe is 1 banana, 1/3 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup whole milk, 2 Tbsp oats, and a squeeze of honey. We topped this bowl with mandarin oranges and kiwi.

Veggie Muffin – we love these chocolate zucchini muffins by Two Peas & Their Pod. I normally make two batches and freeze at least half for quick and easy weekday breakfasts. Side of mandarin oranges.

Cream Cheese Pinwheels – A fun alternative to toast! Roll out bread with a rolling pin or a glass cup, spread with cream cheese, tightly roll up and cut into pinwheels. Side of peaches.

Broccoli Littles – we love these quick and easy lunch options from Dr. Praeger’s brand (in the freezer section). They heat up in just a few minutes in the microwave. Side of bananas topped with peanut butter and avocado.

Avocado Grilled Cheese – like normal grilled cheese, but with added avocado inside! A great way to add an extra healthy fat for lunch. Side of sliced watermelon.

PB&J Bagels: mini bagels are a perfect toddler meal idea because they are toddler-sized. I spread both halves with peanut butter and jelly and serve open faced. Side of avocado and halved grapes.

Cheese Roll Up: lay out a tortilla and spread with cheese, heat in the microwave or on the stove top (don’t let it get too crispy) and then roll up tightly. Side of strawberries and bananas, and peas.

Pasta – we like to use veggie flavored pasta or pasta made of veggies when possible. Toss with some grass-fed butter and mixed veggies. Side of string cheese and avocado.

Veggie Chicken Tenders – we love these Veggie Chicken Tenders by Perdue Chicken and they are so quick and easy to make for lunch in the air fryer. Drizzled with ketchup (to keep my toddler from eating it with a spoon) and sides of mixed veggies, pineapple, and kiwi.
Spinach Littles – another favorite by Dr. Praeger’s brand. My toddler also loves these because they are dino-shaped. Side of avocado, strawberries, and grapes.

Peanut Butter Tortilla Pinwheels – lay out a tortilla and spread with peanut butter, roll up tightly and cut into pinwheels. A fun alternative to a PB&J sandwich. You can also fill with any combination of nut butter, jelly, honey, or hummus or avocado. Side of strawberries with whipped coconut cream for extra healthy fat and mixed veggies.

PB&J Bites – peanut butter (or nut butter) and jelly sandwich cut up into squares. Side of banana and peas and carrots.

Cheese Quesadilla: cheese quesadillas are a quick and easy lunch idea; sometimes we also add avocado or mixed veggies to the quesadilla. Side of mixed veggies and applesauce.

Alfredo with Veggie Noodles: we love this frozen lunch entree by Birds Eye. Noodles made with veggies in Alfredo pasta sauce. Side of mixed veggies and grapes.

Baked Beans: beans can be a good source of protein as an alternative to meat. Side of broccoli and tomatoes and peaches.

Veggie Corn Dog: we love these veggie corn dogs by MorningStar Farms. Instead of slicing into pieces, sometimes I like to cut into strips so they are easier to dip. Side of peaches and mixed veggies.

Avocado Chicken Salad: canned chicken breast shredded and stirred together with avocado, and peas. This is also great on a sandwich or over a bed of spinach for adults! Side of mandarin oranges.

Mac ‘N Cheese: I don’t think that my toddler knows that mac ‘n cheese can come without veggies! I always stir veggies into his mac ‘n cheese to make it a little bit more well-rounded meal. Try peas, carrots, spinach or chopped broccoli.

Lunch Meat & Crackers: low-sodium deli meat, wheat crackers, peach, peas, and carrots for a quick and easy lunch idea your toddler will love.

Chicken Meatballs – we really like these chicken and veggie meatballs by KidFresh brand. They come in the freezer section and are really quick and easy to heat up. Side of corn and blueberries.

Toddler Snack Plate – my toddler LOVES when lunch is a snack plate. All his favorite healthy snacks together on one plate. Here we did peas, string cheese, halved almonds, kiwi, goldfish, blueberries, shredded cheese, halved grapes, and cooked carrots. For more snack tray ideas check out my post: 50 Toddler Snack Tray Ideas

Fish Sticks – this brings me back to my childhood, but there are even healthier options these days. We love the KidFresh brand fish sticks made with veggies. Side of avocado and mixed veggies.

Avocado Toast Bites – i’ve realized you can take a meal that your toddler is getting bored with and make it fun by cutting it differently! Try avocado toast cut in half, quarters, squares, triangles, strips, cookie cutters, or bite-sized. Side of broccoli with cheese and black beans.

Hamburger – whenever we have hamburgers as a family I try to serve my toddler the same or a modified version. We started with just the meat, and now sometimes do include the bun too. Side of sweet potato fries in the air fryer and grilled zucchini.

Korean Beef Bowl – ground beef cooked in sweet Bulgogi sauce. Served over jasmine rice with shredded carrots and cucumber.

Roasted Chicken – oven roasted herb chicken cut into bite-sized pieces. Side of mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower) and mixed steamed veggies.

Zoodles with meat sauce – if you are getting tired of normal spaghetti, try zoodles (zucchini noodles). You can buy them in the store or easily make them at home if you have a spiralizer. Sometimes we do all zoodles and other times we do a mix with pasta noodles.

Pizza – life is all about balance and so is feeding your toddler. We have pizza sometimes! I like to pear it with some healthy sides to make it a more well-rounded meal. Here we had sides of avocado and mandarin oranges.

Chicken Fried Rice – fried rice with egg, diced chicken, and mixed veggies. For veggies we like to use broccoli, carrots, edamame, and water chestnuts, but really anything goes!

Shrimp ChowMein – chow mein noodles with shrimp and veggies; broccoli and carrots. This is a good way to exposure your toddler to shimp if its not their favorite food.

Pulled Chicken – we love “crack” pulled chicken. In your instant pot add 4 chicken breasts, 2 blocks of cream cheese, 1 packet of ranch seasoning, and 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Cook for 12 minutes and then stir in shredded cheese or bacon. We like to serve on buns as sandwiches. Side of sweet potatoes in the air fryer and grapes.

Taco Plate – for young toddlers, sometimes its best to serve tacos as a deconstructed taco plate. We normally have ground beef, cheese, sour cream, avocado and refried beans. Tomatoes, grilled peppers and onions are also a good topping or side!

Deconstructed BLTA – when the family has BLTA (bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado) sandwiches, we give my toddler a deconstructed version. Toasted bread with butter, bacon, tomato and avocado with a side of sweet potato fries.

Chicken Sausage – we have been loving this recipe for sheet pan chicken sausage and veggies. An easy one-pan recipe with chicken sausage, diced sweet potato, and roasted broccoli.

Shrimp and Avocado Salad – cooked shrimp with a side of avocado salad; diced avocado, roasted corn, tomato, and lime juice. This is such a quick and easy summertime meal.

Ground Pork and Rice: ground pork with sweet Bulgogi sauce served over rice. Side of roasted broccoli with sour cream sauce and a tortilla.

Grilled Salmon – we love plank-grilled salmon and my toddler does too! Its a great food for early eaters because it just melts in your mouth. Side of riced cauliflower and broccoli with sour cream sauce.

Thanks for stopping by! You may also like these related posts:

16 Family-Friendly Toddler Dinner Ideas
High-Calorie Breakfast Ideas for Toddlers
10 No-Cook Toddler Meals

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

It is important to remember that the baby can choke on pieces of food, so everything you give the child should be crushed or cut into small pieces that can be easily chewed.

Do not give 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.

Child Development Calendar from the Health of the Nation

The Child Development Calendar from the Health of the Nation medical center is a convenient system that tells parents by months how the baby is developing.

Child development by months

Newborn

How does the baby behave in the first weeks of life? Should I be worried if he sleeps 18 hours a day? What you need to know about the features of feeding the crumbs, and what recommendations for care should be followed?

1 month

What happens to a child at the age of one month, how his behavior changes. Features of development and the emergence of new actions. What you need to know about nutrition, daily care. Planned visits to doctors and testing.

2 months

What happens in the life of a child at the age of 2 months? What behaviors should be taken into account? The appearance of the first emotions of the baby, the development of the vocal apparatus.

3 months

What discoveries do parents expect when a child turns 3 months old? The emergence of new skills, the first conscious manifestation of emotions and desires. What you need to know about the features of feeding?

4 months

What happens to a 4 month old baby? The first serious games and interaction with the outside world. What you need to know about the features of feeding, and what recommendations for care should be followed?

5 months

Transition period from horizontal position. What you need to know about the features of feeding crumbs? What should parents of a five-month-old baby be prepared for?

6 months

What did the baby learn at 6 months of age? How critical is the discrepancy with accepted norms? What you need to know about the features of feeding crumbs, how to introduce the first complementary foods?