Feeding schedule for 2 year old baby

Toddler Feeding Schedules for 2-3 Year Olds — Malina Malkani

Your baby is weaned, eating solids, drinking cow’s milk (or a quality plant milk) from a cup, taking fewer naps, and refusing to eat foods they used to like.

Toddlerhood has begun! Now what?

If you haven’t already established a toddler feeding schedule, it’s a great time to consider one.

Toddler feeding schedules help life with toddlers run a little smoother (they were certainly helpful for me!) Kids thrive on routine and do well when they know what’s coming next.

Toddler feeding schedules are also easier on parents and help support responsive feeding within the structure of a dependable rhythm of meals and snacks.

When parents are responsive feeders, a feeding schedule for toddlers and babies encourages healthier eating habits and shepherds child feeding to the meal opportunities where parents decide what, when and where meals will be served, as opposed to allowing littles to graze throughout the day.

Keep reading to learn why toddlers thrive on an eating schedule. You’ll also find a sample eating schedule and toddler meal plan with easy, toddler-friendly recipes.

Why are Toddler Feeding Schedules Important?

Some of the benefits of a predictable meal and snack time for toddlers are:

Helps prevent grazing throughout the day and eating when not hungry

It's easy to lose track of how many Cheerios your little one has been munching on all day without a feeding schedule.

Helps prevent hangry (overly hungry!) toddlers

Little ones need to eat about every 3 hours. A toddler’s tiny tummy holds a small amount of food, so they’ll need to eat several times a day in order to get the nutrients and calories they need. Offering food every few hours helps keep your little one’s blood sugar and moods stable.

Helps prevent constant demands for snacks

Routines and schedules are the best defense against toddlers begging for snacks all day. When parents take charge of their child's eating schedule, they have time to plan and prepare more nutrient-dense snacks and meals rather than giving in to demands for less health-promoting options.

Little ones are more likely to be hungry for meals and snacks

Toddlers don’t need a lot of food to fill their bellies, so every bite counts, and we want to maximize the likelihood that they’ll eat during mealtimes, which is when more nutrient-rich, balanced options tend to be served.

A schedule ensures that kids are hungry at meal times. This reduces picky eating and poor table manners (like throwing food). It also prevents filling up on snacks between meals.

Easy Toddler Feeding Schedule

Toddlers ideally eat 3 meals and 2-3 snacks daily, spaced about 2 to 3 hours apart.

Most toddlers still take 1 to 2 naps a day. So, we can start by building a feeding schedule around the sleep and nap schedule.

Here’s a sample toddler eating schedule:

7:00 am breakfast
Nap
10:00 am morning snack
12:00 pm Lunch
Nap
3:00 pm Afternoon Snack
6:00 pm Dinner
Evening snack (optional)
Bedtime

These times are only an example. Your toddler may be an early riser or night owl, and their day may start at a different time. Further, not all toddlers take two naps and/or are hungry for 2-3 snacks, so find what works for your family.

What Should Toddlers Eat?

Kids need the nutrients that all 5 food groups provide. If your family chooses a lifestyle diet such as a plant-based diet, just make sure to provide the critical nutrients needed for healthy growth and development.

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting added sugar and choosing foods lower in sodium and saturated fat.

No matter what diet your family follows, here is some guidance on how to choose the healthiest macronutrients.

Healthy fats boost brain health and lower inflammation. These include omega-3 and other unsaturated fats, found in foods including avocados, nuts, nut butter, seeds, salmon, and olive oil.
Complex carbohydrates are a must for energy. Try to get most of your toddler’s carbohydrates from whole grains, like those found in whole grain breads and crackers, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta.
Low-fat protein builds and repairs muscles. Protein can come from plant-based sources, lean animal meats (chicken, turkey), dairy, and fish. Legumes, beans, and tofu are excellent plant-based proteins. Nuts and seeds are also great plant sources of protein that also offer monounsaturated and polyunsaturated healthy fats.

How Much Should a Toddler Eat?

It’s normal for babies to start showing a reduction in appetite at around 1-2 years old. This is because after the large growth spurts that happen during infancy, a baby's growth rate slows down at about 1 to 3 years of age, and appetite tends to follow.

According to the USDA’s MyPlate, kids ages 2 to 3 need approximately 1,000-1,400 calories.

Young kids only eat small amounts of food at a time. That’s why it’s helpful to offer food that’s packed with nutrients, but don’t worry if your little one doesn’t finish everything on the plate.

Once you’ve offered balanced meals at regular intervals throughout the day, it’s up to the child to decide whether and how much of the food to eat. When we use this Division of Responsibility, kids tend to get all the vitamins and minerals they need throughout the day.

Allow your toddler to eat as little or as much as they are hungry for during meal and snack times. Trust your child’s appetite as long as they’re growing appropriately and following their growth curve on the growth charts.

Restricting food or forcing kids to eat can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and raises the risk of eating disorders.

To get an idea of general portion sizes for toddlers, here’s MyPlate’s daily meal pattern for children 2 to 3 years old.

	Portion size	Examples of Single Portions
Fruit	1 - 1-½ cups	1 cup raw, frozen, or cooked/canned fruit ½ cup dried fruit 1 small apple 1 cup applesauce 1 large banana
Vegetable	1 - 1-½ cups	1 cup raw or cooked/canned vegetables 2 cups leafy salad greens
Dairy	2 - 2 ½ cups	1 cup dairy milk or yogurt 1 cup lactose-free dairy milk or yogurt 1 cup fortified soy milk or yogurt 1½ ounces of cheese
Protein	2 - 4 oz	(Each of the below counts as a 1 oz protein portion) 1-ounce seafood, lean meat, or poultry 1 egg 1 Tbsp peanut butter ¼ cup of cooked beans, peas, or lentils ¼ cup tofu ½ oz seeds ½ oz nuts 6 Tbsp hummus
Grains	3 - 5 oz	(Each of the below counts as a 1 oz grain portion) 1 slice of bread 1-ounce ready-to-eat cereal ½ cup cooked rice, pasta, or cereal

Sample Toddler Meal Ideas & Meal Plan

Breakfast (½ oz protein, 2 oz grain, ½ oz dairy, ½ cup fruit): Easy Blender Pancakes and ½ cup yogurt, ½ cup milk or soy milk

Snack (½ cup vegetables, ½ oz protein, ½ cup fruit): mix and match the protein and fruit with Sweet and Savory Sweet Potato Toast (ricotta cheese would count as protein and dairy)

Lunch (½ oz protein, ½ cup vegetables, ½ cup fruit, ½ cup dairy): Cannellini Bean Burgers with grapes and broccoli and 4 oz milk or soy milk

Snack (1 oz protein, ½ cup vegetables): Mommy and Me Cashew Dip

Dinner: (1 oz protein, ½ cup vegetables, 1 oz grain, ½ cup dairy): Sesame Tofu Spring Bowl and 4 oz milk or soy milk

Quick Tips for Feeding Toddlers

Offer water between meals to quench thirst
Provide a variety of textures and flavors to help reduce picky eating
Eat together! Toddlers benefit from role modeling when they eat what the rest of the family is eating
Every bite counts for little bellies, so offer nutrient-rich meals and healthy snacks
Keep food and drinks with added sugar to a minimum
Skip the juice altogether (recommended) or limit to a maximum of 4 oz of 100% juice per day
Choose foods with less saturated fat and sodium
Keep offering! Repeated exposure to foods helps reduce picky eating behaviors over time

What’s your favorite healthy meal or snack for toddlers? Let me know in the comments below!

For more tips on feeding kids, grab my FREE guide to reducing picky eating, and if you are looking for help navigating picky eating behaviors in your toddlers, preschoolers, and school age kiddos, check out my online course, Solve Picky Eating, a self-paced set of 12 modules that are delivered quickly in 5-15 minute videos.

And if you're looking for personalized nutrition support for yourself, your babies and/or your kids, I am currently accepting new clients in my virtual private practice. Looking forward to meeting you online…

Sample Daily Toddler Meal Plan (And Feeding Schedules)

Deciding what to feed your toddler every day can be a challenge so these sample toddler meal plans, feeding schedules, and information on what and when to feed, should help eliminate some of the confusion.

Toddler Meal Plan

To give you examples of what a toddler might eat in a day, I have 5 sample toddler meal plans from my own real life when my middle kiddo was 2 years old. These days represent average days and will show how an appetite might fluctuate and the diversity of foods that we can be offering to our toddlers.

What should toddlers eat?

Each day, toddlers should have a mix of:

Protein from dairy, nuts/legumes (in forms that are safe for their age), meat, poultry, and fish.
Complex carbohydrates from whole grains and produce including sweet potatoes and squash.
Healthy fats such as avocado, flax seed, chia seed, hemp seed, egg yolks, and nuts and seeds.
Produce including fruits and veggies.

Toddlers also need iron-rich foods and fiber-rich foods, which they’ll naturally get if they eat from a mix of categories above. It’s also a good idea to aim to serve them a wide range of foods to ensure that they’re getting the nutrition they need to grow—and to help avoid falling into a rut of picky eating.

This may sound overwhelming, but really, if you aim for 1-2 food groups minimum at most meals and vary what you serve throughout the week, you don’t need to spend time tracking food groups or counting grams, promise.

TIP: Get a printable Toddler Daily Nutrition Chart here.

How many meals a day should a toddler have?

Most toddlers will do well with three main meals and two smaller snacks a day. Tune in to your toddler though because they may prefer a snack first thing, then breakfast later in the morning at what is typically morning snack time. Many toddlers are also hungry for a dinner-size meal at 4 pm and would be satisfied with a smaller snack closer to bedtime. You can adjust as needed.

TIP: It can help to think of all of the food your child eats in one day as “mini meals” and to serve the same sorts of foods at each meal—instead of saving “snack” foods for just snack times. That can improve your kiddo’s disposition at all meals!

How much time should I allow between toddler meals?

Depending on the age of your toddler, and their activity level, whether they have a cold, and what you’re up to, etc, you can aim for 2-3 hours between meals and snacks. That window of time will give them plenty of time to work up an appetite, which can help them be more interested in eating what you serve them.

Having set meal and snack times is a good routine to aim for since it can set a cadence to your day and help your toddler know what to expect. (I.E., try not to allow grazing on snacks all day since that is the fastest way to ruin an appetite for an actual meal!)

TIP: Learn what to do when your toddler won’t eat here.

Toddler Feeding Schedule

Here’s a look at three sample options for toddler feeding schedules that might work for your toddler. These are not set in stone because I realize that everyone has a different daily schedule but are meant to be examples for you to consider and adjust.

7 am: Breakfast
9:30 am: Morning Snack
12 pm: Lunch
(1 pm nap)
3 pm: Afternoon Snack
5:30 pm: Dinner

6 am: Breakfast
9 am: Morning Snack
11:30 am: Lunch
(12 pm nap)
2:30 pm: Afternoon Snack
5:30: Fruits and/or Veggies while waiting for dinner
6 pm: Dinner

1 Year Old Feeding Schedule

For a one year old who’s still taking two naps a day and having bottles or breastfeeding, here’s a look at what their schedule might be. (For more info on how to wean a toddler and gradually drop bottles or breastfeeding (if you want to), this post has all of the weaning info you might need.)

6 am bottle or breastfeeding
7 am: Breakfast
9 am: Morning Snack
(9:30 am nap)
10:30 am bottle or breastfeeding
11:30 am: Lunch
(1 pm nap)
2:30 bottle or breastfeeding
3:30 pm: Afternoon Snack
5:30 pm: Dinner
6:30: bottle or breastfeeding
(7pm bedtime)

TIP: Find out more about 1 Year Old Feeding Schedules here.

Toddler Meal Plan for 2 Year Old

Here’s a look at a few sample toddler meal plans from real life with my two year old. This first was a weekend day and we typically go lighter on snacks to help our toddler have an appetite for her meals. She ate a solid breakfast this day so the banana was all she needed for her morning snack.

Breakfast: Applesauce Waffles, applesauce, nut butter
Morning Snack: Banana, water
Lunch: Spinach Pesto Pasta with Peas, grapes, fruit leather, milk
Afternoon Snack: Cherry tomatoes, raisins
Dinner: ½ Cheesy Meat Bun, broccoli, milk

Sample Toddler Meal Plan Day Two

This toddler menu was another sample day in our life. On this day, my two year old ate more substantial snacks and didn’t eat all of her main meals, as sometimes happens.

Breakfast: Breakfast Cookie, reusable pouch with plain whole milk yogurt
Morning Snack: Cheese stick, clementine
Lunch: Butternut Squash Apple Soup, Veggie Straws, fresh snap peas with ranch (she didn’t eat all of this and mostly ignored the soup!)
Afternoon Snack: Joe’s O’s, kiwi, milk
Dinner: Taco filling with ground beef, peppers, beans, and corn; cheese quesadilla (she mostly ate the quesadilla in this meal)

Sample Toddler Meal Plan Day Three

I love to make a batch of muffins on the weekend to have on hand for easy weekday breakfasts—and the Banana Oatmeal Muffins are always a hit with my kids.

Breakfast: Banana Oatmeal Muffin, cantaloupe, milk
Morning Snack: Sauteed Cinnamon Apples
Lunch: Bean and Cheese Quesadilla, corn, Roasted Zucchini, Strawberry Applesauce
Afternoon Snack: Cheese Crackers
Dinner: Teriyaki Shrimp with Zucchini and rice

Sample Meal Plan Day Four

This may or may not be the right amount of food for your child, so adjust what you serve based on their typical hunger patterns and allow more food if they let you know they’re still hungry.

Breakfast: Spinach Pancakes, pineapple, peanut butter
Am Snack: Siggi’s 2% yogurt, cucumbers
Lunch: Sweet Potato Grilled Cheese, peppers, freeze-dried strawberries, chocolate chip cookies
PM Snack: Cheese stick and clementine
Dinner: Egg Muffins with veggies, salsa, applesauce, Triscuits

Sample Meal Plan Day Five

We do oatmeal at least twice a week and I’ve found that having it in a regular cadence each week increases the likelihood that my toddler will be happy to eat it.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with blueberries
Am Snack: Banana
Lunch: Carrot Cake Muffins, Roasted Carrot Fries, cottage cheese, grapes
PM Snack: Cottage cheese, raspberries, graham crackers
Dinner: Baked Chicken Tenders, Cheesy Rice with Carrots, watermelon

TIP: My kiddo was on a cottage cheese kick on this day, hence having it twice.

How do I know if my toddler is eating enough?

If your toddler is healthy and is energetic, is meeting milestones and is gaining weight, you can trust them to eat as much as they need for their hunger assuming there are no medical issues at play. (If there are medical concerns, always check in with your pediatrician.)

To help them do this, try to:

Limit distractions at the table, turning off screens so they can focus on their food.
Sit with them while they eat so they start to learn table manners and can mimic what they see you doing.
Don’t pressure them to eat more than they seem to want.
Read up on the Division of Responsibility in Feeding to avoid power struggles.
Set meal times and decide what to feed at each meal.
Let the kids decide what of the food to eat and how much.
Aim to serve a variety of healthy foods throughout the week.
Remember that just because a toddler refuses a food doesn’t mean that they don’t like it.
Keep foods you want them to eat in regular rotation so they’re familiar.
Serve small portions to avoid overwhelming the kids.
Be patient, they’re still learning!
Remember that appetites naturally fluctuate and that is not a cause for concern.

TIP: Learn more about normal picky eating in toddlers.

There’s No Such Thing As a Perfect Toddler Diet

And most of all, take images of meals that other kids are eating with a grain of salt. No two kids are the same, no two families are the same. There is not one perfect way to feed a toddler, but I hope that seeing some examples do help!

Click here for a printable Daily Toddler Nutrition Guide.

I’d love to know how you approach toddler meals and timing in your house, so please comment below to share!

WHO recommendations for the introduction of complementary foods

08.08.2019

Readiness of the child to complementary foods According to the WHO recommendation, existing for 2018, it is optimal to introduce complementary foods to an infant at 6-8 months. Until six months, the baby's gastrointestinal tract is still not sufficiently formed, all the necessary enzymes are not produced for the assimilation of food other than mother's milk or formula. And by 9-10 months, the child can already form stable stereotypes of eating only liquid food, and overcoming them will be painful and difficult for the baby.

Thus, WHO defines the following signs of a child's readiness for the introduction of complementary foods: the maturity of the digestive system; extinction of the solid food ejection reflex; the appearance of the first teeth, making it possible to chew; the readiness of the baby to be stable in an upright position; emotional readiness for new tastes and sensations.

Complementary feeding system WHO has developed recommendations for three complementary feeding options: cereals, vegetables, and meat.

Fruit complementary foods are not recommended for cereals and vegetables. This is due to the fact that up to 8-9 months the gastrointestinal tract of the baby is not ready for the absorption of raw fruits and fruit juices. It is vegetables and cereals that will populate the intestines with the necessary bacteria for the absorption of fruits.

Kefir, according to the WHO, is not considered complementary foods because it is not a solid food. The WHO complementary feeding scheme includes kefir only as an additional food from 8 months. The introduction of cow's milk is recommended by WHO only from 12 months.

Any complementary feeding scheme assumes that portions of complementary foods will systematically increase from half a teaspoon to 100-200 g. The first dishes for complementary foods are prepared exclusively with one-component. Each next component is introduced only after complete addiction to the previous one (6-7 days).

Product sequence

The following sequence of introduction of complementary foods is proposed.

Vegetables at 6 months.
Porridges on the water (oatmeal, buckwheat, corn) at 6.5 - 7 months.
Fruit puree, yolk at 8 months.
Milk porridge at 8-9 months.
Meat puree at 9 months.
Meat by-products at 9-10 months.
Kefir, cottage cheese, yogurt at 9-10 months.
Fish at 10 months.
Juice at 10-12 months.
Berry puree at 12 months.
Meat broths at 12 months.

The introduction of vegetable oil (olive, sunflower) in puree and porridge is allowed from 6 months: a scheme with 1 drop with a gradual increase to a volume of 1 teaspoon. The introduction of butter begins at 7 months: the scheme is from 1 g to 10 g in porridge.

For formula-fed babies, the first feeding schedule is similar, with a few exceptions. For these babies, it is better to introduce complementary foods from 5 months, because the milk mixture does not give the small body all the “building material”. The introduction of complementary foods differs only in terms: vegetable purees and cereals are introduced a month earlier.

First cereals

If the child's weight is significantly less than normal, WHO recommends starting complementary foods with non-dairy cereals. For babies, cereals are prepared only with non-dairy, unsalted, semi-liquid, absolutely homogeneous in consistency. The first cereals are prepared from cereal flour (the sorted and washed cereals are carefully ground and crushed).

The following sequence of introduction of cereals is proposed: buckwheat, rice, corn, oatmeal, semolina. It is recommended to cook semolina porridge only once a week, because it contains practically no nutrients, but it is rich in gluten, which can cause problems in the intestines. Proportion for the preparation of the first porridge: 5 g of cereal flour per 100 ml of water. After slightly cooling the finished porridge, chop again. In the finished porridge, you can add 1-2 drops of vegetable oil or a little expressed breast milk.

From 9 months, the baby's nutrition system involves multicomponent cereals, from products already well known to the child. You can already add vegetables and fruits familiar to the baby to cereals. At 9 months, it is allowed to cook barley and millet porridge for babies. And by 10-11 months, cereals on the water will be a great addition to meat and fish meatballs and steam cutlets.

Vegetable food

The first purees are made from one vegetable.

The sequence of introducing vegetables into complementary foods for babies suggests the following order: zucchini, cauliflower, pumpkin, potatoes, carrots, green peas, beets. These vegetables are introduced within 6-9baby months. After 1 year, you can give your child cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, sweet peppers, white cabbage. After preparing the puree, make sure that the mass is completely homogeneous, there are no fibers and small particles, the consistency is semi-liquid. Don't salt. Add 1-2 drops of vegetable oil or expressed milk.

If the child refuses vegetable complementary foods, cancel this product for 1-2 weeks. Try to temporarily replace it with another and return to it after a while.

Meat supplements

From 9 months old, the first meat purees are recommended for babies. The first courses are recommended to be prepared from lean meats: rabbit; quail; turkey; chicken.

Complementary foods for a 6-month-old baby are recommended to be introduced in the morning. This will allow you to track the child's reaction to an unfamiliar product before a night's sleep: is there a rash, intestinal disorders, anxiety in the baby, profuse regurgitation. It is better to give vegetables or porridge first, and then saturate with breast milk or formula. Gradually, porridge and a vegetable dish will replace one full meal. The dish must be warm and freshly cooked. Gradually, by the age of 1, your baby will develop taste preferences. You will know what dishes he eats with pleasure. In the meantime, try to fully expand the child's diet with products necessary for growth and development.

Be healthy!!!

Scheme for the introduction of complementary foods according to the new rules: what has changed - Parents.

About nutrition

When the baby is five or six months old, it's time to introduce him to "adult" food. And then the difficulties begin: the pediatrician says one thing, the grandmothers say another (they also say, they say, they raised you, and everything is in order).

Until now, Russia has followed the recommendations of the World Health Organization. And last year, a document was adopted that regulates in detail all issues related to the introduction of complementary foods - this is a new version of the "National Program for Optimizing Feeding Children in the First Year of Life in the Russian Federation." She has made major changes to the scheme we are accustomed to.

Four major innovations

- Starting complementary foods, regardless of the type of food, is recommended from 5 months, and if there are problems with weight, even earlier.

- The introduction of meat is recommended at 6 months.

- Fruit puree is recommended for constipation at any time. In the absence of constipation, fruit puree is introduced after meat.

- Portion size of mashed potatoes and cereals for a child of 5-7 months - 150 gr.

In addition, there are a few more important details - we will analyze them.

At what age to start complementary foods

Over the past decades, the rules for introducing complementary foods have changed dramatically. It is not necessary to give a baby apple juice at three months, and borscht at six months. Offering a chicken bone to scratch her gums is also not worth it.

Recall that, according to the WHO recommendation, complementary feeding of breastfed children should be started at six months. Until this moment, it is not necessary to supplement the child even with plain water. With artificial feeding, complementary foods are usually started a month earlier. According to an individual schedule, regular food will be introduced to babies who do not grow well on their mother's milk, do not gain weight, or they have some kind of allergy.

At the same time, Russian scientists, relying on the opinion of ESPGHAN (European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition), believe that exclusive breastfeeding does not always provide a sufficient level of micronutrients, especially iron, in the baby's body.

Therefore, in their opinion, the first complementary foods should be started at five months, and already at six months meat should be added to the diet as a source of this very iron.

There are additional recommendations. For example, the UK National Health Service highlights four things that indicate that a baby is ready for food other than formula and breast milk.

- He is already sitting and holding his head well.

- He can swallow food - the spoon ejection reflex has faded.

- His movements are coordinated: he can take a spoon and put it in his mouth.

- First teeth erupted.

What foods to introduce complementary foods with

The classical scheme, relatively speaking, consists of three steps: vegetables-porridge-meat.

As a rule, the first vegetables of the child are white and green vegetables: zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli. Porridge is preferably buckwheat, corn or rice. Of course, on the water. Meat - turkey, beef, rabbit. The first baby fruits will be banana, apple, peach and pear.

Please note that if the child is not gaining weight well, then most likely the pediatrician will swap the first two steps, and complementary foods will start with cereals. He will tell you when it is really better to give the child meat. Any general rules can only be adjusted by a doctor who has been observing him since birth.

Cook your own or buy store-bought jars, it's up to you. Each of the options has its pros and cons. We only note that both the WHO and our doctors prefer industrial products.

“Modern industrial complementary foods are enriched with biologically active components, such as vitamins, minerals, pre- and probiotics, LCPUFA (omega 3), etc., which gives them functional properties,” the National Program says.

At 7 months, the new rules allow the addition of yolk, at 8 - fish puree, as well as cottage cheese and sour-milk drinks.

The attitude towards whole cow's milk has not changed - it is still not allowed to be used for baby food. And now, domestic experts have expressed an opinion about complementary foods with vegetarianism. In their opinion, "children on a vegan diet are at high risk for developing deficient conditions and require increased attention." And if parents are not going to give up their beliefs, then children need to be additionally given the necessary vitamins and minerals, especially B12.

9 complementary feeding rules

- One week, one new product. This is important for the adaptation of the body and in order to track signs of allergies if they appear. If you see that everything is in order, then after about a month and a half, new products can be introduced every three days.

- The first sample is literally three grams. It's less than half a teaspoon. And, of course, breastfeed or formula feed.

- It is desirable that complementary foods be in the afternoon feeding.

- The first real food should be liquid. Vegetable puree can first be slightly diluted with water or breast milk. 7-8 months is the time to introduce the baby to partially solid foods, and from 8-9 you can offer to chew small soft pieces, such as boiled carrots or potatoes. Ideally, by the age of one, the child can already safely eat solid food from the common table.

- Every day we slightly increase the portion. When we bring it to the desired volume (150 grams), we no longer give the breast or mixture in this feeding. At this point, you can add half a teaspoon of vegetable oil to the puree.

- When introducing new products, we always offer them first. Then we feed the already familiar ones.

- With the introduction of complementary foods, you can start offering water to your baby. And even immediately from the cup, bypassing the stage of the drinker. Juices during this period, doctors do not recommend categorically. Firstly, they have little nutritional value, and secondly, if you drink juice between meals, this increases the risk of developing caries. They can also cause weight gain if consumed in excess.

- If the child refuses complementary foods on principle, do not insist. This is common, sometimes it takes 10-15 attempts to "accept" a new product. Offer the product again after a couple of days.

- Do not introduce new foods when the baby is ill or recovering, during an allergy period, in preparation for or after vaccination. And how to improve digestion in case of dysbacteriosis, read the link.

In what order to introduce foods into the diet

(for a breastfed child without any allergic manifestations)

4-5 months (vegetables for lunch, porridge for breakfast)

1 week - zucchini

2 weeks - cauliflower

3 weeks - broccoli

4 weeks - a mixture of three already familiar vegetables + vegetable oil + teaspoon of butter

8 weeks - pumpkin, fruit puree - apple, pear, prunes

6 months (new product can be introduced every three days)

Meat - rabbit, turkey, veal in the form of puree

Baby biscuits

This was the base. Now the baby has a full breakfast and lunch, and you can introduce other foods in approximately that order, gradually replacing evening feeding with dinner.

7 months

egg yolk

8-9 months

cottage cheese, kefir, potatoes, carrots, beets, white bread, fish puree (2 times a week instead of meat), juice 9017 100003

berry puree

Another approach

In the UK, by the way, there is a completely different attitude towards the first complementary foods. While we diligently grind vegetables and fruits into a liquid gruel, they prefer to start right away with pieces. Yes, yes, right at six months. And without any nibblers with nets. Of course, it should not be immediately slices of apples, carrots and other hard vegetables. But the principle itself is this: you put small pieces of food on the child’s plate and allow him to eat on his own, actually sitting at the common table. Yes, it will be long and most likely not very clean.