15 Month Old Baby Feeding Schedule, Recipes and Tips

By the time your little one turns fifteen months old, he has started eating solid food. In fact, the little one has become a pro and started liking solid foods more than milk. The kid can now start eating many foods that were off-limits before. As there are very few food restrictions on the kid now, he can have most foods adults can have. With a nutritious diet, you can ensure he gets all the nutrients required for his growth. It is essential to give him a balanced diet composing of essential nutrients, while also maintaining his love for food. This is also a great time to experiment by feeding him different foods. Let’s find out about food for 15-month-old babies.

What to Feed a 15-Month-Old Baby?

The little one has turned fifteen months old, and now he can recognize different foods and demand their favourite ones too. They have a different food habit than the first year;  therefore, parents need to ensure they include healthy ingredients and balance their diet, not to forget in accordance with the liking of the young one. For a wholesome diet, baby food ideas for parents should include all the food groups. Let’s take a look at them one-by-one.

1. Fruits/Vegetables

• A 15-month-old baby can chew most vegetables.
• Try to avoid fibrous vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower, which they might find difficult to chew. If you want to feed these vegetables, boil and mash them to make them tender.
• A 15-month-old toddler can have all the fruits now, but parents must cut them in small bite-size pieces, including small fruits like grapes to prevent their babies from choking on them.

2. Protein

• A 15-month-old baby needs approximately 13 grams of protein daily. So, parents can feed soft pieces of well-cooked meat or chicken.
• Fish intake should not exceed 12 ounces per week.
• The baby can have fish such as salmon, light tuna, catfish and Pollock as these fishes have less mercury.
• The toddler can also have scrambled eggs.

3. Other Food Items

• Include as many cereals as possible, such as rice, millets, wheat and pulses in the diet of your 15-month-old kid.
• Kids this age also love pasta but remember to choose the whole-grain variety to make it easier for them to digest.
• Cheese is also a good source of protein for the kid.
• Kids can now have nuts and seeds but in powdered form, not whole.

Once you know what your 15-month-old baby can eat, knowing the quantity/portion of food can help you provide enough nutrition per meal. Read on to know how much your 15-month-old baby should eat and the feeding schedule you can follow to provide him with the necessary calories every day.

How Much Should a 15-Month-Old Eat?

A 15-month-old kid should have a calorie intake of approximately 1000 calories per day. He should have three meals plus two snacks every day, which should have all the food groups, including vegetables, fruits, protein, grains, and dairy. The young one needs roughly 700 mg of calcium per day, which should come from milk and other calcium-rich foods. Also, several parents wonder how much milk they should give their little one. Well, 360-480 ml of milk every day should be enough to provide your 15-month-old baby with the calcium he needs.

15-Month-Old Baby Feeding Schedule

Your growing 15-month-old baby needs a feeding schedule made according to his/her eating habits. The parents need a diet plan according to the likes and dislikes of their toddler. The kid now has a schedule for sleeping, playing and other activities. He also needs an eating or feeding schedule to ensure he gets a wholesome diet.

Here’s a sample of a 15-month-old food chart you can refer to make your own kid’s diet chart.

When charting the feeding schedule for your 15-month-old baby, you must also know which foods to avoid. The next section of the article will help you understand this.

Foods to Avoid for a 15-Month-Old Baby

Here’s a list of some foods that parents should avoid feeding their 15-month-old babies:

• Avoid unpasteurized cheese or dairy products. They are harmful as they could contain listeria, a bacterium that can cause listeriosis.
• Don’t feed over 4 – 6 ounce of fruit juice per day.
• Avoid highly processed foods such as chips, candies, microwave meals or foods with added flavours, and artificial colours.
• Don’t feed the baby whole nuts or seeds, as they can cause choking.
• Sugar and salt – avoid excess sugar and salt in the baby’s food. Avoid sugary and salty snacks too.
• Avoid feeding raw vegetables, especially carrots, broccoli or cauliflower.
• Avoid raw eggs or uncooked eggs to avoid salmonella infection.
• The kid should not be fed raw seafood, fish or red meat.

Let’s take a look at some recipes that are safe to feed a 15-month-old baby.

Food Recipes for a 15-Month-Old Baby

If you are wondering what to make for dinner or snacks for your 15-month-old baby, here are some recipes that are easy to make and can provide all the essential nutrients to your little one.

1) For Breakfast

Breakfast is the first meal of the day, and should ensure that your little one has a hearty plate with nutrients to give him energy through the day. Here are some breakfast recipes.

1. Whole Wheat and Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour – 3/4th cup
• Wheat flour – 3/4th cup
• Butter – 3 tbsp
• Vegetable oil – 1 tbsp
• Sugar – 3 tbsp
• Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – 1/2 tsp
• Egg – 1 nos
• Buttermilk(low fat) – 1.5 cups
• Egg white – 1nos
• Maple spray – 3/4th cup

How to Prepare 

1. Take a bowl and mix the flours, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Whisk them well.
2. In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, oil, egg, and egg white.
3. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and whisk it well.
4. Heat a non-stick griddle over medium flame.
5. Take 1/4th cup of the mixture and spread it on the griddle to make the pancake.
6. Flip the pancake once you see bubbles forming on the top. See that the edges are also cooked on both sides.
7. Feed the kid these delicious pancakes with butter or maple syrup.

2. Blueberry and Spinach Puree

Ingredients 

• Blueberry puree – 1.5 cups
• Frozen spinach – 2 packets (10 oz)
• Lemon juice – 1/2 tsp
• Water – 2 tbsp

How to Prepare 

1. Boil the spinach with some water in a pan.
2. Cover the pan with a lid once it starts boiling.
3. Reduce the flame and simmer it for 7-8 minutes.
4. Drain the water and let the spinach cool a bit.
5. Then, blend the spinach till you get a smooth puree.
6. Add the puree to the blueberry puree.
7. Add the lemon juice.
8. Add some water to adjust the consistency.
9. Your blueberry and spinach puree is ready.

2) For Snack

Snacks are a pick-me-up during the day. Here are some snacks for a 15-month-old baby that you can try out.

1. Carrot Puree

Ingredients

• Carrot – 3
• Water – 2 tbsp
• Salt – to taste

How to Prepare

1. Peel and boil the carrots until soft and mushy.
2. Blend the boiled carrots into a smooth consistency.
3. Add salt to taste, and serve to your baby.

2. Date and Sesame Laddoo

Ingredients

• Sesame – 1/2 cup
• Dates – 3-4
• Roasted cashews – 5-7

How to Prepare

1. Toast the sesame on a pan until it starts to crackle.
2. Blend the dates until they are soft. Add a little water if needed.
3. Blend the roasted cashews and sesame seeds until they are a fine powder.
4. Mix the dates and powdered cashews and sesame seeds.
5. Shape them into small balls. 
6. Let them set for a few minutes before serving.

3. Kheer

Ingredients

• Cooked rice – 1/2 cup
• Milk – 1/2 cup
• Jaggery -2-3 tbsp

How to Prepare

• Heat the milk in a pan.
• Add the jaggery and stir until melted.
• Add the cooked rice and mix until it reaches a thick consistency.
• Cool and serve to your child.

3) For Lunch

If you’re looking for yummy, nutrious, and comforting food ideas for your baby, look no further. Here are some lunch ideas for 15-month-old babies.

1. Baby’s Pasta

Ingredients

• Pasta – 2 tbsp
• Low sodium chicken broth or vegetable stock – 1.5 cups

How to Prepare

• In a pan, boil the broth or stock.
• Add pasta to it.
• Cook for 7-8 minutes; till the pasta turn tender.
• Serve when cool.

2. Khichdi

Ingredients

• Rice – 1/2 cup
• Tur dal – 1/4 cup
• Vegetables of choice – 1/4 cup
• Ghee – 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Haldi – 1/2 tsp

How to Prepare

• Wash and soak the rice and dal for 2 hours.
• Add the soaked rice and dal, and chopped vegetables to a pressure cooker. Add salt and haldi.
• Cook for 2 whistles on medium flame.
• Let it cool, and serve to your baby with a dollop of ghee.

4) For Dinner

Dinner need not be too heavy, but it should be nutritious. Here are some dinner ideas for a 15-month-old baby.

1. Risotto Primavera

Ingredients 

• Yellow Squash – 1 cup
• Olive oil – 1.5 tsp
• Asparagus – 1 cups, cut diagonally
• Garlic clove – 1 nos
• Black pepper – 1/4th tsp
• Leak – 1/2 cup, chopped
• Parmesan cheese – 1/2 cup, grated
• Thyme – 1.5 tsp
• Butter – 1 tbsp
• Chicken broth – 32 oz
• Water – 1 cup
• Salt to taste

How to Prepare 

1. Heat a pan and saute the squash, asparagus, salt, and black pepper on medium flame.
2. Take another pan, and cook the chicken broth and water on low heat.
3. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven and saute the leek.
4. Add the broth mixture to it. Keep stirring and cook it for 5-6 minutes.
5. When cooked, add thyme and cheese.
6. Top it with the sauteed veggies and serve.

2. Curd Rice

Ingredients

• Cooked rice- 1/2 cup
• Curd – 1/4 cup
• Salt to taste

How to Prepare

1. Mix the curd and rice together. Mash it a little to make it a semi-smooth consistency.
2. Add salt to taste.
3. If it is too cold, leave it in room temperature for a few minutes before serving to your baby.

Not every toddler accepts new foods. It can be quite a task to feed new recipes to growing toddlers. The tips given below will come in handy when you try to feed you 15-month-old baby one of the recipes given above.

Tips for Feeding a Picky Toddler

Most parents get confused about what to do when they see their baby refusing to eat. Try these feeding tips the next time your toddler resists foods:

• Introduce new food one at a time. Too many new things can confuse the kid.
• Feed the kid an assortment of recipes, so the baby sees variety and doesn’t get picky about one food.
• Be creative with the food. Try telling a story to hold your child’s interest as you feed him, or cut sandwiches in different shapes such as stars, animals, etc.
• Don’t force-feed your child. He will eat when he is hungry and will eat as much to fill his stomach. Force-feeding will make your child irritable.
• At 15 months, toddlers think they are big enough to eat their food themselves. Allow them to self-feed. Assist them if needed, but let them enjoy eating food with their hands.
• At this age, kids start wandering and enjoy exploring things around them. He might not like to sit for a long duration while eating his food and might get irritated sooner than expected. Therefore, feed small portions of food, several times a day.
• To keep the kid engaged in eating, make him eat with the family. To make eating easy for them, cut their food in small pieces.

FAQs

1. Why Is My 15-month Old Chewing But Not Swallowing?

This is a common problem, especially with kids chewing and spitting out food. It could be due to new foods, not liking the taste or texture, or being too full to eat.

2. How Much Water Should a 15-Month Baby Drink?

Your child should be drinking anywhere between 2-4 cups of water daily at this age. You can give him this quantity by making him sip water frequently through the day.

3. What Are The Best Foods For Weight Gain in a 15-Month-Old Baby?

Foods like potatoes, pumpkins, dal, ragi, eggs, and milk can be given to babies for weight gain. However, make sure you are checking with your paediatrician about concerns regarding your baby’s weight.

Your little one is growing, so are his eating habits. The young one needs a wholesome diet for his development. The food you feed him has to be wholesome as well as interesting for the child. Therefore, incorporate an appropriate eating schedule with healthy recipes such as the ones given in this article and watch your little one get ready for the next growth milestone.

References/Resources:

1. Feeding & Nutrition Tips: Your 1-Year-Old; American Academy of Pediatrics; https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/nutrition/Pages/Feeding-and-Nutrition-Your-One-Year-Old.aspx; October 2020

2. Feeding your baby: 1–2 years; UNICEF; https://www.unicef.org/parenting/food-nutrition/feeding-your-baby-1-2-years

3. Solid foods: How to get your baby started; Mayo Clinic; https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/in-depth/healthy-baby/art-20046200#; October 2021

4. Feeding Your Baby: The First Year; Cleveland Clinic; https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/9693-feeding-your-baby-the-first-year#.; February 2020

5. Recommended Drinks for Children Age 5 & Younger; American Academy of Pediatrics; https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/recommended-drinks-for-young-children-ages-0-5.aspx; May 2022

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