And gradually, from one and a half years to 3 years, the children’s diet changes, slowly approaching the usual common table. It is important for parents themselves to set an example for their child in food culture, behavior at the table, and also, if possible, reconsider their own usual diet in favor of a more healthy and healthy food, balanced and correct menu.
By the age of two years, all 20 baby teeth should have erupted, which gives the child the ability to fully bite, chew and grind food. Chewing is important for more than just biting and chewing food. The chewing process triggers the production of hydrochloric acid and pepsin in the gastric juice, moistens the food bolus with saliva, starting the process of partial breakdown of carbohydrates by salivary amylase. This makes food easier to digest.
The most important task at this time is to teach the child to chew and consume denser foods that require thorough chewing, i.e. food in pieces, not grated and ground:
- you need to gradually replace semi-liquid and liquid dishes with denser ones (with the exception of first courses, they must be included in the child’s diet).
- porridges from boiled cereals are gradually introduced into the diet
- casseroles from vegetables or cereals, cottage cheese
- pieces of meat and stewed vegetables.
If children at this age do not learn to eat dense foods that require active chewing, in the future they will refuse or be reluctant to eat the fruits and vegetables they need, which need to be bitten and chewed, as well as meat, which also needs to be bitten and chewed thoroughly.
Characteristics of the diet of children aged 1-3 years
| From 1 to 1.5 years | From 1.5 to 3 years | |
| How many times a day do you eat | 5 times | 4 times |
| Number of teeth a baby has | anterior incisors and chewing premolars, 8-12 pcs. Possible chewing of soft food, biting | 20 teeth, all groups of teeth - both for chewing food and for biting it off |
| Volume of the stomach and, accordingly, 1 meal | 250-300 ml | 300-350 ml |
| Daily food volume | 1200-1300 ml. | 1400-1500 ml. |
| Calorie content of meals |
|
|
Nutrition of a child at 2-3 years old
After one and a half years, you can gradually switch to four meals a day:
- Breakfast 8.00-9.00
- Lunch 12.30-13.30
- Afternoon tea 15.30-16.30
- Dinner 18.30-19.00
At the same time, lunch should account for at least a third of the total daily caloric intake, this is about 35%. The rest of the calories are distributed between breakfast, afternoon snack and dinner. The daily energy value of products should reach 1400-1500 kcal. A child of this age should receive per day:
- Proteins – at least 60-70 g, with up to 75% of them being of animal origin
- Fats - at least 50-60 g, of which about 10 g vegetable oils
- Carbohydrates - at least 220 g, most of which should be complex carbohydrates.
Maintaining a proper diet should be extremely important at this age; this will be very significant at any age, and especially at the stage of developing “adult” nutrition. If the correct diet is strictly observed, intervals between main meals are maintained, children will gradually develop food conditioned reflexes by this time.
This will ensure the correct and harmonious functioning of the entire digestive tract, starting with oral cavity, and ending with the intestines, where in due time digestive juices will begin to separate by the time the food masses enter there. The regime will allow you to digest food as completely and correctly as possible and absorb all its components.
With an irregular diet or erratic meals, these reflexes quickly fade, this leads to a decrease in the production of digestive juices, and as a result, food will not be fully absorbed. Food residues in the large intestine will rot and ferment, leading to constipation, bowel disorders and disorders general condition. And this will also lead to the fact that children will constantly eat poorly, saying that they simply do not want to eat.
Nutritional features under 3 years of age
In early childhood, the volume of the stomach is small, it is empty of food in about 3-4 hours, food rich in protein and fats can be retained for up to 4.5-5 hours. It is on the basis of these data that four meals a day for children are built. In this case, the intervals between feedings should be approximately 3.5-4 hours. From the age of one and a half years, with a child of normal (and even more so overweight) weight, it is important to wean him from night meals. The only exceptions will be children who are still breastfed and fall asleep with the breast.
Introducing any food other than breast milk, can lead to disturbances in nighttime sleep processes, and will create difficulties for the parents themselves in the form of constant running around with bottles and mugs.
Regardless of how many times your child eats food, the timing of its intake should be constant. In the set power time mode, deviations are allowed no more than 15-20 minutes. This is due to the peculiarities of the formation of conditioned food reflexes with the separation of digestive juices.
In the intervals between main meals, you should not indulge your child with high-calorie foods and sweets. It is worth removing from snacks such dishes as rolls and cookies, undiluted fruit juices and dairy products, sweets and chocolate. This will lead to a decrease in appetite and may lead to the fact that during the next meal the child simply does not want to eat cooked meat, vegetable or cereal dishes necessary for his nutrition.
What can you give a child aged 2-3 years?
Just as in the previous period, after one and a half years the child’s nutrition should be varied and nutritious. It should include useful products:
- milk and dairy products
- meat, fish and poultry dishes
- cereal side dishes and porridges
- bakery products
- vegetables and fruits
- healthy sweets and desserts.
Dairy products
After one and a half years, children need to consume a sufficient amount of fermented milk products, and from two years old, whole foods can be gradually introduced into the diet. cow's milk. Dairy products will be sources for the child:
- easily digestible animal protein
- calcium and phosphorus necessary for skeletal growth
- animal fat and fat-soluble vitamins, in particular vitamin D
- beneficial microbial flora, which stimulates the growth and development of its own, strengthens the immune system and stimulates digestion.
The total daily amount of dairy products at this age should be at least 500-600 ml, taking into account the volume of milk for cooking. Children's daily diet should include products such as kefir or yogurt, biolact. Several times a week, products such as cottage cheese and products made from it, curd products, cheese curds, mild unsalted cheeses, cream, sour cream are used. They can be consumed either whole or used for preparing and seasoning first and second courses.
Under the age of three years it is permissible to use:
- 50-100 g of cottage cheese with fat content from 5 to 11%
- 5-10 g cream with 10-20% fat content
- 5-10 g sour cream with 10-20% fat content
- yoghurts, kefir or biolact with fat content from 2.5 to 4%
- after two years, milk with a fat content of 2.5 to 3.2%
Dairy products can be used to prepare or season cheesecakes, dumplings, casseroles or desserts.
Meat products and poultry
In the diet of children under three years of age, the amount of meat gradually increases; by the age of two it reaches 110 g, and by the age of three it reaches 120 g. baby food At this age, the following types of meat are used:
- lean beef
- veal
- rabbit meat
- lean pork
- lamb
- horse meat
- liver
- heart.
Meat dishes are prepared in the form of stews with pieces of meat, steamed or oven cutlets, minced meat, stewed meat in small pieces. You should give up sausages and all kinds of deli meats for up to three years. All of them are full of salt and spices, dyes and other food chemicals, which is not at all useful for the child. If it is impossible to limit children from industrially produced semi-finished meat products, once every two weeks you can allow the child children's milk sausages, but the products must be of high quality.
Poultry dishes - chicken, quail, turkey - will be useful. But duck and goose meat is not given at this age; it is poorly digestible and very fatty for children.
Unfortunately, today on supermarket shelves the quality of dairy products, pork, and chickens does not always meet the standards acceptable for children. In Russia, there is no strict control and restrictions on the use of antibiotics and growth hormones when growing poultry and meat, as in some developed countries, therefore Rosselkhoznadzor inspections regularly reveal certain violations in the production of meat and poultry (see), which does not improve the health of our children.
Eggs
Chicken eggs will be one of the main sources of protein for a child; they should be present in children's diet often - daily or every other day. Eggs are given to children hard-boiled, in dishes or in the form of omelettes. The use of poached or soft-boiled eggs is prohibited due to the risk of salmonellosis. In case of intolerance chicken eggs You can use quail eggs, but waterfowl eggs (ducks, geese) are prohibited in the diet of children under three years of age.
Fish and fish dishes
- In the absence of allergies and other contraindications, it is worth using river and sea fish in children’s menus once or twice a week.
- At the same time, fish dishes should be from low-fat varieties; salmon, sturgeon, halibut or salmon should be excluded from the children’s diet.
- The amount of fish per day reaches 40-50 g.
- You can offer children boiled or stewed fish without bones, fish balls or cutlets, and specialized canned food for children.
- But canned fish for adults, as well as smoked, salted and dried fish, are prohibited for children.
- Also, you should not give children fish caviar; it is a strong allergen.
Vegetables
Fresh or thermally processed fruits contain a large amount of fiber and ballast substances that pass through the intestines in transit and are not digested. At the same time, these substances stimulate intestinal motility, thus counteracting constipation. But this is far from the only advantage of vegetables, berries and fruits. Due to their composition, they help in stimulating appetite, as they promote the separation of digestive enzymes. Fruits and vegetables also contain many vitamins and mineral components that replenish constantly depleted reserves.
However, you should not rely heavily on eating potatoes, as one of the leading vegetables in the diet; its quantity is limited to 100-120 g per day, the rest should be obtained from other vegetables. On average, the diet should contain at least 200-250 g of fresh or cooked vegetables. Vegetables are used to prepare first and second courses, salads and even desserts and baked goods. Vegetables such as:
- carrots, onions
- tomatoes, cucumbers
- zucchini and squash
- pumpkin, beets
- cauliflower, white cabbage, broccoli
In the diet of children after one and a half years, it is necessary to include fresh garden greens - in salads, first and second courses.
- You can also give your child green onions and garlic in small quantities to give dishes a more piquant taste.
- expansion of the diet occurs due to the gradual introduction of turnips, radishes, radishes, and legumes (peas, beans) into the diet after two years.
Proper preliminary and heat treatment of vegetables is important so that they retain a maximum of vitamins and mineral components. When peeling vegetables, you need to cut off a thin layer of skin, since the peel area contains the largest reserves of vitamins. In salads or vinaigrettes, it is recommended to boil vegetables in their skins by steaming or boiling them in a small amount of water. Peeled vegetables should not be kept in water for a long time so that vitamins and minerals are not washed out. Vegetable broth should be used when cooking peeled and washed vegetables. You need to cook vegetables for a certain time:
- spinach and sorrel no more than 10 minutes
- beets – up to 90 minutes (in a slow cooker 20 minutes)
- potatoes – up to 25 minutes
- carrots – up to 30 minutes
- cabbage – up to 30 minutes
For salads and vinaigrettes, raw vegetables are peeled and chopped or grated immediately before eating, since the action of atmospheric oxygen destroys vitamins in peeled and finely chopped foods, vitamin C and group B are especially affected.
Fruits and berries
Fruits must be included in the diet of children under three years of age; the amount of fruit per day should not be less than 200 g, and berries - about 20 g. apples, plums, pears, cherries, bananas, oranges. Considering that citrus and exotic fruits can cause allergic skin reactions, you need to introduce them into the child’s diet slowly and only in small pieces, monitoring the reaction.
Seasonal berries will be no less useful in children’s diets - children can be given cranberries, lingonberries, gooseberries, and chokeberries, currants, strawberries, wild strawberries. You should not give a lot of berries; initially, you can limit yourself to one handful, since an excess of berries can also be harmful. Any new fruits and vegetables should be introduced little by little, and reactions to them from the skin and digestion should be monitored.
Fruits and berries can also influence digestion and regulate stool.
- Blueberries, pears, chokeberry, black currants can strengthen stool; if you have constipation, you should not give too much of these fruits.
- Kiwi, plum, apricot, or simply an excess of fresh berries or fruits eaten on an empty stomach have a laxative effect.
Cereals, pasta
In the diet of children, it is worth using various types of cereals; buckwheat and oatmeal porridge will be especially useful for children after one and a half years of age; they are richer than all others in complete vegetable protein, minerals and vitamins. No less useful in the diet will be cereals and porridges made from them such as pearl barley, millet or barley.
At this age, it is quite acceptable to use noodles, noodles as side dishes or milk soups as side dishes, but they should be consumed no more than twice a day - they are rich in carbohydrates and high in calories. On average, children under three years of age need no more than 20 g of cereal and no more than 50 g of pasta per day.
Sweet
Children's diets may also include sugar, which improves the taste of cooked dishes, but if it is in excess, there is a load on the pancreas and excess weight, appetite decreases, and metabolism is disrupted (see the article on the dangers of refined sugar). Under the age of three years, no more than 40 g of sugar per day is allowed, this amount will also include glucose in juices, sweets or drinks.
Glucose is good for brain function, but foods with complex carbohydrates (cereals, potatoes, pasta, bread) in recommended quantities do not provide the entire amount of glucose. The volume of nutrition cannot be increased due to the child’s digestive characteristics, so children at this age need to replenish glucose reserves for the brain through light carbohydrates - sweets. They give a rapid increase in blood glucose levels, and it is quickly delivered to the brain, liver and kidneys.
But you need sweets in moderation; excess of them does not have time to be consumed and leads to excess weight. Healthy sweets include marmalade, marshmallows, jam, fruit caramels and marshmallows. Chocolate, candies with chocolate and cocoa are not recommended for children due to their stimulating effect on the nervous system and high allergenicity.
Sample menu for children from one and a half to three years old
Menu for a 2 year old child for one day
- Breakfast : oatmeal with banana, bun with butter, half a boiled egg, dried fruit compote
- Lunch: vinaigrette, cabbage soup with fresh cabbage, meatballs with pasta, half a banana, mint tea
- Afternoon snack: cottage cheese casserole, bun, boiled milk, pear.
- Dinner : vegetable stew with cabbage and potatoes, bread, jelly with raspberries, apple.
- At night - yogurt.
The most pressing question every day for caring mothers, grandmothers and even fathers: “What to cook for a 2-year-old child?” At this age, the baby is very active and mobile, so he needs more calories and vitamins consumed from food. Moreover, the little one is already:
- has milk teeth;
- can hold a spoon correctly and operate it properly;
- knows how to chew, since by the age of two his chewing muscles have become stronger.
Therefore, it’s time to review the child’s diet at 2 years old: increase portions for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and also introduce new foods and dishes into the diet. By the way, some parents mistakenly believe that the baby should be fed what they themselves eat, just chop the portions and serve them in smaller quantities. You can't do that! After all, the toddler’s body is actively improving:
- brain, liver, lungs, kidneys develop
- growth increases
- muscles are strengthened
- bone tissue is built.
Therefore, a baby’s need for nutrients differs significantly from an adult’s and requires an optimally balanced diet.
“How to feed a 2-year-old child?” you ask. Having worked through a lot of information based on the vast experience of many generations of parents, as well as proven science and confirmed by doctors, nutritionists, etc., I will try to fully answer your question.
First, let's figure out what foods a two-year-old child can and should eat, and which ones are strictly prohibited.
- canned and pickled vegetables, salads, etc. Please note that fermented ones are possible and necessary.
- mushrooms, including champignons and oyster mushrooms
- carbonated drinks
- seafood and salted fish
- purchased tomato ketchups, sauces that contain vinegar, as well as horseradish, mayonnaise, mustard
- hot seasonings, pepper and dry concentrates
- Navy-style pasta, i.e. pasta with minced meat
- fatty and tough meat. For example, goose or duck meat is difficult to digest and is slowly absorbed.
- coffee (both ground and instant)
- store-bought pastries and cakes. If homemade, then you can, for example, have a sponge cake with sour cream or curd mass. Never decorate a cake with chocolate or frosting - these products are not suitable for a two-year-old child.
- puff pastry pastry
Now let’s look at those products that are not only possible, but also necessary to be included in a child’s menu at the age of 2:
- Meat: beef, veal, chicken, lean pork and lamb. Moreover, a toddler should eat at least 90 grams of meat or meat dishes per day.
As a rule, the meat is served in the form of steam cutlets or cut into small pieces and then boiled or stewed.
You can sometimes pamper your baby with high-quality milk sausages, sausages or boiled sausages. You should not give your toddler smoked sausages, meat or sausages.
By the way, some caring mothers prepare cabbage rolls or meat casseroles for children 2 years old, which include boiled meat, rice or pasta and various types vegetables.
- Liver is a very healthy product that is very rich in various beneficial substances:
— High-quality and easily digestible proteins
- Glycogen - animal starch
— Mineral salts
— Vitamins.
The liver stimulates digestion and hematopoiesis.
What dish can be prepared from the liver: make liver pate or cut it into pieces and stew with vegetables.
- Fish- This is a mandatory product that should be included in the diet of a 2-year-old child. Its daily norm is 30 grams or its weekly norm is 210 grams. You can arrange fish days for your child by preparing fish dishes 2-3 times a week.
Remember that the baby is not yet able to choose the bones from the fish himself, so it is better to buy fillets or low-bone fish varieties.
In what form is fish served? Boiled or stewed in a small amount of water or sunflower oil. You can add carrots and onions to the fish broth. If you decide to give your little one salted herring, then you need to first soak it in water and serve it with a side dish for breakfast or lunch.
- Dairy products.
The daily milk requirement for a 2-year-old toddler is 600 grams, of which 200 grams are used as kefir. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that you should not make kefir at home or give your baby sour milk. This may disrupt his digestive process or even cause stomach upset.
It is very good if the child eats cottage cheese or cottage cheese-based dishes, for example, cheesecakes, every day.
If your baby does not like to drink milk, then add condensed milk to his tea or cook cocoa.
The daily diet of a 2 year old child should include 17 grams of butter and vegetable oil about 6 grams.
- Fruits and vegetables.
It's no secret that vegetables and fruits contain many vitamins and minerals, so they constitute the main diet. The daily intake of vegetables for two-year-old children should be 250 grams and potatoes – 220 grams.
Depending on the season, it is advisable to include vegetables in your baby’s diet. These are carrots, beets, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, eggplants, zucchini, squash and radishes. Everything is raw, baked, boiled or stewed. Sometimes you can pamper your little one with pickled cucumbers, tomatoes or cabbage, but in small quantities.
Don’t forget to add parsley, dill, celery, and green onions to vegetable dishes - they have a positive effect on the digestion process.
- What about legumes?
They should also be included in your baby’s menu, but don’t overdo it! Peas and beans can be given to your baby no more than 2 times a week, as they are too heavy for the digestive tract, although they are healthy and rich in proteins.
During the season of fruits, berries, melons and watermelons, do not limit the little one in this useful product! Don't worry, babies won't eat more than they need!
- Bread.
The child’s body absorbs both white and black bread equally. The main thing is that the baby eats about one hundred grams of bread a day, including baked goods.
- Porridges from different cereals- This is one of the main foods for babies.
They can be served as a side dish or used for making casseroles, buckwheat cakes, meatballs, rice cakes, cabbage rolls, pancakes, etc. You can make the porridge sweet by sweetening it and adding jam, honey, candied fruits, dried apples, dried apricots, raisins, etc.
- Egg is a product rich in methionine, cysteine, and lecithin. These components have a beneficial effect on the nervous system, vocal cords and digestion.
By eating an egg for breakfast, the baby’s body will receive many vital components. It is not without reason that there are many therapeutic diets, the main product of which is the egg.
- What could we do without sweets?
As sweets, you can offer your baby marmalade, marshmallows, jam, honey, dried fruits, candy, as well as biscuits, oatmeal or homemade cookies. Remember that sweets can be given to your child only after meals and only 10-15 grams per day.
- Drinks: juice, jelly, compote, weak green and black tea.
In the morning you can give a drink made from chicory or cocoa. The daily norm is about 200-300 ml, but jelly should be given less often - 1-2 times a week. Water is allowed to be given in unlimited quantities.
- Seasonings and salt.
The salt limit for a two-year-old child is 0.5-1 grams/day, so children's meals should be slightly under-salted. You can add the following herbs and spices to your food: bay leaf, white and allspice, basil, rosemary, thyme, marjoram.
The above products and new dishes should be introduced into the diet gradually in order to see the body’s reaction and remove them from the menu in time, if necessary. After all, there are times when a baby becomes allergic to a particular product, for example: eggs, fruit, porridge, etc. Be careful and careful!
Pay attention not only to what your child eats, but also how!
After all, only you can teach him:
- wash your hands before eating;
- hold a spoon or fork correctly;
- before eating, wish “Bon appetit!”;
- use a towel or napkin;
- eat carefully, do not be distracted and do not distract others from eating;
- get up from the table only after eating;
- thank you for food: “Thank you!”;
- help clear the table.
Approximate diet for a 2-year-old child or “what is being served today?”
Breakfast for a 2 year old child may consist of:
- porridge with vegetables
- milk porridge, optionally with added fruit.
- cottage cheese or dishes made from cottage cheese: casseroles, lazy dumplings or cheesecakes
- scrambled eggs or omelet. By the way, the omelette can be with peas, sausage and cheese.
Fruits can be an addition to breakfast.
Offer your child a choice of drinks. It can be cocoa, juice, milk or chicory with milk.
Lunch for a 2-year-old child should be more eventful and consist of several dishes.
Salad of boiled vegetables (beets, carrots, potatoes.) As well as raw vegetables(tomato, cucumber, radish, radish).
First courses:
- soup with chicken, vegetable or fish soup for a 2-year-old child, cook with the addition of vermicelli or cereal.
Second courses consist of meat, fish and side dishes.
Meat dishes are steamed, baked or stewed. As a rule, these are cutlets, cabbage rolls, meatballs, stuffed zucchini, boiled chicken or fish, fish cutlets, baked fish. You can find recipes on the Internet on culinary sites or in books.
Side dishes: vegetable stew, boiled vegetables, pasta, potatoes and potato dishes.
Third courses for a 2 year old child: compote, jelly, fruit drink, juice.
Be sure to give your baby a piece of bread for lunch, and for the third course - cookies, loaf or white bread.
Afternoon snack for a 2 year old child may consist of: a drink, cookies, milk, berries or fruit.
Dinner for a 2 year old child consists of: appetizer, main dish and drink.
You can make any salad as a snack. The main course may consist of cottage cheese, eggs, cereals, vegetable dishes and fish. By the way, they do not serve meat or meat dishes for dinner. The drink used is: juice, tea or chicory.
Finally, give your baby fermented milk drinks at night.
Period breastfeeding left behind, the body became stronger, and milk teeth appeared. The baby can already chew food on its own without the need for preliminary grinding. However, the child’s needs are growing every day, increasing the pace of development of the body. There is a need for a variety of foods, more enriched with fats, proteins and carbohydrates. But not everything from our daily diet can be given to a child at that age. And then the question arises: what should a child’s nutrition be like at 2 years old, and what should you know?
Thanks to improved performance gastrointestinal tract and the presence of teeth, food is absorbed by the child much more efficiently and quickly. The nutrition of a 2-year-old child requires a more varied and complex diet, which helps further develop the processes of chewing and digestion. It is important to encourage your child to train his chewing reflex at an early age, so that in the future he will not be picky about fresh fruits, vegetables and meat products. For this reason, the baby should eat foods that have the same hardness and consistency as for an adult. Heartier foods will help reduce the amount and frequency of food intake, and will also fill a two-year-old child more quickly.
Mandatory list of products
The diet of a 2-year-old child should contain a storehouse of microelements, nutrients and vitamins. At this age, the menu includes a larger number of foods that the baby can digest. The main criterion when drawing up a child’s menu should be the balanced presence of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and their absorption throughout the day.
Cereals and dishes made from them
The most satisfying and suitable breakfast for a baby. Remaining as complementary food from the age of one, porridge comes to the fore already at the age of two years. In the morning hours, they gently awaken the child’s digestive system, while at the same time saturating them with fiber and microelements. Most cereals help cleanse the body of toxins and harmful substances. For a child, it is best to eat porridge cooked with milk.
They are considered a daily must in the diet of a 2 year old child. Yogurt and kefir are best. Grated, mild cheese in small doses is welcome. Other dairy products are best served in combination with other dishes. Cottage cheese is perfect for children as cheesecakes and casseroles. Porridges are cooked using low-fat milk, and cream and sour cream can be added in small quantities to soups and salads. Freshness and a small component of fat in dairy cuisine are important.
Meat dishes
Meat products are increasing their importance in the baby food menu in the formation of the growing body. They are an effective source of protein and iron. The daily intake ranges from 50 to 90 grams. It is best to feed your child low-fat varieties of veal or beef and turkey. Pork is acceptable in limited quantities. Meat products should be boiled, stewed or steamed. Fried meat foods are still harmful to the baby’s gastrointestinal tract, as they contain many carcinogens. You can use low-fat sausage. Meat consumption is recommended in the first half of the day, as it is the most difficult to digest food.
Fish
Along with meat, it is a huge source of useful microelements. Eating fish is recommended 3-4 times a week. The daily norm for a 2 year old child is up to 40 grams. Thoroughly cleaned sea or river fish is served in the form of cutlets, meatballs, and also boiled. Steaming is actively encouraged: in this case, most of the nutrients are retained in the product itself. You should not feed your child processed foods, canned food, or fatty fish such as salmon, salmon, halibut, or sturgeon.
Vegetables
They are a rich source of fiber and a large range of fortified substances. The daily consumption rate of such products is 100-200 grams. Vegetables in most dishes are an excellent appetite stimulant. The diet of a 2-year-old child no longer requires the mandatory serving of vegetable dishes in the form of purees. Now the products can simply be cut into small pieces. Vegetable salads, stews, and soups are healthy for children. You can gradually introduce sources slow carbohydrates, for example, legumes. Now you can add a small amount of onion or garlic to your dishes. Also give radishes or turnips.
Fruits and berries
The child adoringly eats fruit and berry dishes, which are foods high in vitamins and fiber. The diet of a 2-year-old child must include a variety of fruits in the menu. Good choice There will be fruit salads topped with yogurt, as well as natural juices. You can gradually introduce bananas into your diet. You should avoid citrus fruits for now, as they can be a strong allergen for a child.
What to Avoid
Despite the fact that most products are already present in a child’s nutrition menu, there are still a number of differences between the diet of a baby and an adult. Certain foods can still create imbalances in your digestive processes.
Fast foods and semi-finished products
It has been said more than once about the dangers of products fast food. They do not provide any benefit to the child and have a negative impact on all vital processes. You should not offer your child soda, snacks, quick snacks, etc. in any form. Processed foods, such as canned and pickled foods, mostly disrupt metabolic processes. Because of high content preservatives, such food irritates the walls of the intestines and stomach and can cause flatulence, constipation or diarrhea. Children's bodies are especially susceptible and may suffer due to their inability to digest this food.
Sweet
Sweets are not absolutely prohibited in a healthy diet for a 2-year-old child, but their consumption should be limited and strictly controlled. Sugar can cause addiction and acts as a strong allergen. In addition, it is a strong stimulant of the nervous system. It is acceptable to treat your child with marmalade or jam in small quantities. Fruits are a good alternative to sweets.
Spicy and spicy food
Dishes prepared with a large amount of seasonings may not be adequately perceived by the still vulnerable digestive system. Spicy foods can actually harm the mucous membranes internal organs.
Accustoming a child to proper nutrition With younger age will facilitate further development healthy image life. At different times of the day, foods are absorbed at different rates, which affects the overall functioning and comfort of the baby. For this reason, it is advisable to maintain a clear meal schedule that is not accompanied by snacks that interrupt the child’s appetite.
Breakfast
It's best to start the day with a light but satisfying meal. Porridge cooked with milk has these qualities. These include: rice, barley, oatmeal. Buckwheat will be especially beneficial. In combination with a small piece of butter, as well as an admixture of fruit, such a breakfast will be tasty and appetizing for the child. A good addition to breakfast would be cottage cheese and dishes made from it, such as cheesecakes. You can serve cocoa or natural fruit juice as drinks.
Content:
By the age of two, a child has erupted up to 20 baby teeth. This means that he can already eat solid and rougher foods. It is useful not only for the development of chewing muscles, but also for intestinal motility, which begins to digest food better.
Meanwhile, the diet of a 2-year-old child is still different from the diet of an adult. Despite the fact that digestive system more perfect, the child’s body cannot perceive some dishes.
Carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins
A growing child's body needs a lot of carbohydrates. Feed your baby cereal. Porridge is an excellent source of energy for a little fidget. Some kids don't really like them. Show your imagination: add pieces of fruit, dried fruit, vegetables or meat to the porridge. You can make casseroles, meatballs or cutlets from porridge.
Protein and vitamins in combination with carbohydrates are perfectly absorbed. Bread, liver and pasta also contain a lot of carbohydrates. Gradually introduce dumplings, potato pancakes, pancakes and pancakes into your diet. But you shouldn’t get carried away with pasta and flour products, as they lead to excess weight. The daily allowance of bread (black or white) for a child is no more than 100 g.
If legume dishes were not yet available at one year of age, then at the age of 2 they can be periodically prepared for the child.
The menu of a two-year-old child must include dairy and fermented milk products. Not suitable for a child skim milk or kefir. Save them for your diet. And although fats are of secondary importance, without them the brain and nervous system will not develop normally.
As you know, dairy products contain a lot of calcium, therefore, they are simply necessary for the formation and growth of a child’s bones.
Include cottage cheese products in your diet. For a two-year-old child, cottage cheese comes in second place after milk and meat.
Surely your baby will like cottage cheese, cereal, meat and vegetable casseroles. Seasoned with low-fat sour cream, even the most notorious capricious person will like them.
Sources of proteins include lean beef, lamb, liver, eggs, and fish. Dishes made from these products must be included in the baby’s menu at the age of two years. Cook sea fish for your child at least once a week. It is rich in iodine and proteins. Fish can be boiled, stewed or steamed. Meat does not have to be given in the form of minced meat. Boiled or stewed, with sauce or gravy, the meat is perfect for any side dish.
Milk sausages and boiled low-fat sausages should appear on the baby’s menu extremely rarely.
Nutritionists give a special place in a child’s diet to soups and other first courses. They should be on the menu every day. Borscht made with meat broth is the healthiest. Limit the use of bay leaves in soups and borscht. tomato paste and other seasonings.
As for salads, vinaigrettes, seasonal vegetables and fruits (radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, etc.), they can be given without restrictions (if the child is not allergic to them). Use vegetable oil or low-fat sour cream as a dressing. Do not give your two-year-old child salads dressed with mayonnaise.
Salted tomatoes and cucumbers can be given in limited quantities in winter, since they are inferior in nutritional value to fresh vegetables. Sauerkraut rich in vitamin C. It can be given to your baby periodically, but remember that it often causes flatulence and intestinal cramps.
At the age of 2 years, a child can be introduced to cocoa, tea with milk and non-natural coffee. As before, give him milk, compotes, and jelly. But with sweets like candies and chocolate, it’s better to wait. For an afternoon snack, you can offer your baby unsweetened crackers or biscuits, as well as marshmallows, marshmallows or marmalade.
What foods should not be given?
Do not rush to give your child carbonated sweet drinks, chips and similar products, smoked sausages, bouillon cubes, and canned food. Their nutritional value is extremely doubtful, since such products usually contain preservatives, food additives and dyes. Their processing is a great difficulty for a child’s body.
Goose and duck meat are also difficult to digest, so they should not be prepared for a child at the age of two.
Any diet, as well as vegetarianism, will only bring harm to children's health. If the baby does not have a food allergy, no special diet should be introduced.
Sample menu for a 2-year-old child
We present to your attention a weekly menu for feeding children aged two years.
Monday
- Rice cutlets with prunes.
- Drinking yogurt.
- Fruits. They can be given as a second breakfast.
- Pumpkin and carrot salad.
- Borscht with meat broth.
- Lazy cabbage rolls.
- Cottage cheese pureed with sugar.
- Dried fruit compote.
- Marshmallow, bread.
- Syrniki.
- Kefir.
- Berries or fruits.
- Cauliflower stewed in sour cream.
- Milk or kefir.
- Bread with jam or honey.
Tuesday
- Baked fish with vegetables and rice.
- Cocoa.
- Sandwich with butter and cheese.
- Carrot-apple salad.
- Meatball soup.
- Pasta or noodles with boiled meat.
- Compote or jelly.
- Milk.
- Cookie.
- Fruits.
- Lazy dumplings with sour cream.
- Apple juice.
Wednesday
- Curd casserole.
- Sandwich with butter.
- Apricot juice.
- Salad with beets, prunes and walnuts.
- Meat cabbage soup.
- Mashed potatoes with fish balls.
- Rosehip compote.
- Marshmallow.
- Pear dessert.
- Kefir or milk.
- Pasta with sausages.
- Tea with milk.
- Fruits.
Thursday
- Semolina porridge.
- Carrot juice.
- Apple.
- Vegetable salad.
- Fishball soup.
- Cheesecakes with sour cream.
- Fruit and berry compote.
- Bread.
- Cookie.
- Cocoa with milk.
- Fruits.
- Pilaf with fruits.
- Milk.
Friday
- Oatmeal.
- Cottage cheese with sugar.
- Cocoa.
- Fruits.
- Vitamin salad.
- Milk soup with vegetables and rice.
- Cauliflower roll.
- Cherry juice.
- Paste.
- Bread.
- Corn flakes with milk.
- Carrot and raisin salad.
- Omelette.
- Stuffed zucchini.
- Milk.
Saturday
- Vegetable soufflé with chicken.
- Cocoa.
- Sandwich with butter and cheese.
- Apple-beet salad.
- Pea soup.
- Fish cutlets.
- Boiled potatoes.
- Compote.
- Bread.
- Banana pudding.
- Kefir.
- Dumplings with cottage cheese.
- Milk.
Sunday
- Buckwheat casserole with liver.
- Plum juice.
- Crackers with vanilla.
- Salad with cucumbers and white cabbage.
- Vegetable soup.
- Cutlet with vegetables in sour cream sauce.
- Cottage cheese with sugar.
- Fruit jelly.
- Bread.
- Sweet bun.
- Milk.
- Fruit salad dressed with yogurt.
- Beef liver pancakes.
- Tea with milk.
If your baby is naughty while eating
Many mothers do not face whims while eating. You can deal with them, you just need to be patient.
The time and place of eating should be the same. Develop a ritual that the child will soon get used to.
Buy beautiful children's dishes. Let your baby have a plate with fairy-tale characters depicted on the bottom. While he is eating, you can tell him a fairy tale, the ending of which will be depicted on the plate.
If a child eats common table, instill in him a culture of eating, show him how to use napkins and cutlery.
Do not put all dishes on the table. Serve the salad first, then the first course, the second course with a side dish, and only after that the drinks. The child will have no choice, so he will eat everything in the right order.
Don't force your baby to eat. The child's body itself knows the limits of saturation. In addition, overeating is harmful and the child will simply refuse the next meal.
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