Foods for babies 18 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

  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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!
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. PB&J Bites – peanut butter (or nut butter) and jelly sandwich cut up into squares. Side of banana and peas and carrots.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. Baked Beans: beans can be a good source of protein as an alternative to meat. Side of broccoli and tomatoes and peaches.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. Lunch Meat & Crackers: low-sodium deli meat, wheat crackers, peach, peas, and carrots for a quick and easy lunch idea your toddler will love.
  1. 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.
  1. 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
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. Korean Beef Bowl – ground beef cooked in sweet Bulgogi sauce. Served over jasmine rice with shredded carrots and cucumber.
  1. Roasted Chicken – oven roasted herb chicken cut into bite-sized pieces. Side of mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower) and mixed steamed veggies.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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!
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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!
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. Ground Pork and Rice: ground pork with sweet Bulgogi sauce served over rice. Side of roasted broccoli with sour cream sauce and a tortilla.
  1. 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

18-24 months - mama.

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At the age of about 18 months, the motor, speech and intellectual abilities of the child begin to develop rapidly. Now he runs faster, speaks more clearly and thinks better. Before doing something, the kid can imagine it in his mind. By the end of the second year, the child understands almost any phrases related to everyday affairs and can even help his mother around the house.

Boys at 24 months

low below average medium above average high
Height, cm 76.9 79.6 82.3 85.0 87.7
Weight kg 8.8 9.8 10.9 12.2 13.7
Head circumference, cm 44.7 46.0 47.4 48.7 50.0

Girls at 24 months

low below average medium above average high
Height, cm 74. 9 77.8 80.7 83.6 86.5
Weight kg 8.1 9.1 10.2 11.6 13.2
Head circumference, cm 43.5 44.9 46.2 47.6 49.0

Baby health

18-24 months

Baby nutrition

18-24 months

Closer to two years, parents often face a problem: the child refuses to eat. You should not worry too much about this and force your child to stuff the entire contents of the plate into himself at all costs. Such a decrease in appetite has a completely scientific justification.

A child's growth slows down significantly by the age of one and a half. If during the first year of life his body weight increases by about three times, then from one to two years he grows by only 30 percent. Therefore, the baby needs less food. In addition, the growth of the baby in height is much greater than in width, and as energy reserves, the child spends fat accumulated in infancy. That is why children of this age begin to visually “lose weight”.

A baby's diet at this age should include approximately 1000-1300 calories per day. Protein requirement: 2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. Ideally balanced diet: 50-55% carbohydrates, 35-40% fats, 10-15% proteins. Frequent feedings are helpful. Sweet foods and sweets should be avoided.

It can be very difficult to fully balance the daily meals, because a child can eat more today and almost nothing tomorrow. Therefore, it would be reasonable to strive not for a balanced day, but for a “balanced week”.

Top 10 most nutritious foods: avocado, beans, cheese, eggs, fish (salmon, tuna, cod), nut butter, bran pasta, brown rice, tofu (bean curd), turkey.

Baby development

18-24 months

  • Runs, plays catch-up.
  • Jumps in place, jumps off steps.
  • Jumping for joy.
  • Kicks the ball without missing.
  • Climbing stairs without the help of an adult, may have difficulty descending.

By the age of two, the baby learns to ride a tricycle, can independently get out of the crib, climb onto a chair, open and close doors. Keep dangerous objects away and do not put the cup on the table closer than 30 cm from the edge!

  • Vocabulary increases to 20 to 50 clear legible words. Every day a child learns at least one new word.
  • Can form three-word sentences "I want more."
  • Purrs under his breath and sings.
  • By 24 months, the favorite phrase becomes the question "What is this?"
  • Loves and tries to pronounce difficult words: "dinosaur", "helicopter", distorting them in his own way.
  • Can give his first and last name.
  • Understands and remembers two-step requests: "Go to the kitchen and bring an apple to mom. "

Some children still do not speak by the age of two, but are more silent. Do not worry if at the same time they understand well the speech addressed to them, fulfill requests, and show logical thinking. They just have that kind of character. A little time will pass and the child will begin to speak no worse than his peers.

It is necessary to visit a doctor if by the age of two the child cannot understand the speech addressed to him, does not meaningfully use the words "mom" and "dad", does not repeat the words after adults.

Baby behavior

18-24 months

Most of the time the baby spends in motion. Running, jumping, playing - these are his favorite activities, and you should not deprive him of this opportunity. Skills and abilities are improving, he can already:

  • Build a tower of 6 cubes.
  • To sit down independently at the table.
  • Throw the ball over the head.
  • Tumble, likes to do gymnastics.
  • "Read" picture books by turning one page at a time. Some children who are prone to mental activity already like to make simple puzzles.
  • Many children at this age can learn how to use the potty.

Normal behavior: tantrums, whining, biting, squealing. Helps around the house. Maybe standing on a stool, helping mom wash the dishes.

Possible problems

18-24 months

Union of Pediatricians of Russia

Nutrition for children aged 1 to 3 years

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, 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: animal or poultry meat, 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 brain and nervous system of the child.

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.


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