2 Year (24 Months) Old Baby Food Chart

Food habits change rapidly as your infant grows. Within the first two years, your baby will have begun teething, moved on to solid foods, and more or less integrated with family mealtimes. Here is a food chart, as well as some recipes on how to integrate healthy eating habits in your child and include good, wholesome and nutritious food in his diet.

How Does Your Toddler’s Meal Time Change?

Your child will have begun eating solid foods as he starts teething. Kids this age are impatient and even fussy around mealtimes. At one and a half years (18 months), toddlers usually manage to handle a spoon to feed themselves. By 24 months, your child will have joined the grown-ups table as a regular!

Some Useful Steps to Form Good Eating Habits in Your Child

A toddler’s eating habits and tastes are only being established as he first starts eating solid foods. This is the time when parents should strive to build a healthy eating habit.

• Delay your child’s introduction to fast food and sweetened aerated drinks, and help build a preference for fresh, wholesome food.
• Stick to strict meal timings. Establishing a routine will lead to your child developing a fixed mealtime by getting hungry at the right time.
• Do not feed your child heavy snacks or lots of liquid rights before mealtime.
• Each meal should last for 20 minutes and no longer.

Food for a 2-Year-Old Baby

While a balanced diet is essential for us, children need a boost of nourishment that helps them grow.

1. Dairy Products

Milk, yoghurt, and paneer are all rich in calcium. Calcium helps build strong bones. In case your child is lactose intolerant, he may need to take calcium from other sources like nuts and pulses to make up for a gap in the calcium intake.

2. Chicken

Chicken and other non-vegetarian foods contain good quantities of easily absorbable iron and protein. Iron helps power haemoglobin in the blood and prevents anaemia. Iron found in vegetarian food is harder for the body to absorb and, hence, your child will need to consume at least twice as much of it to get the required amount.

3. Fish

Fish is a good source of Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs). EFAs help builds immunity and strengthens the cardiovascular system. Vegetarians will need proper substitution of EFA sources, as it is not produced in the body and can only be gained externally.

4. Healthy Oils

Flaxseeds, walnuts, soybeans, and other nuts and their oil contain reasonable amounts of EFAs and minerals.

5. Carrots

Carrots are famous as a rich source of Vitamin A. Spinach, kale, and other vegetables also contain high levels of Vitamin A. It is essential to include foods rich in different vitamins in your child’s diet. Vitamin A helps in boosting eyesight and immunity.

6. Citrus Fruits

Lemons and oranges are renowned for their Vitamin C content. Deficiency of Vitamin C can lead to serious diseases like scurvy. Vitamin C helps in strengthening gums and blood vessels and recovering from bruises. Guavas, mangos, bananas, tomatoes, and spinach also contain Vitamin C.

7. Sunshine

Although this isn’t technically a food, it is something the body absorbs. Hence, it is included in this list, considering the integral role it plays in growth. The element we gain from sunshine is Vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential for a child to achieve his maximum growth potential. Foods that contain Vitamin D are fish and dairy products.

8. Bananas

Magnesium and potassium, are essential elements for cardiac health, and muscle condition, and are found in bananas. Incorporate this beneficial fruit into cereals and other foods to make it a staple.

Food Chart/Schedule for 2-Year-Old Baby

Homemade Food Recipes for 2-Year-Old Baby

Here are some select recipes from the food chart that may not be too familiar to you.

1. Moong Dal Cheela

A power-packed start to your day!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup moong dal
•  ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon roasted cumin
• Salt to taste
•  ¼ cup chopped onions
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• Finely chopped green chillis
• A pinch of hing (asafoetida)
• Butter

How to Prepare:

• Soak the moong dal in water overnight.
• Drain the water and grind with adequate water to form a thick paste – similar to dosa batter.
• Add spices to the batter and mix well.
• Add the seasoning and a pinch of hing, and mix again.
• Allow the batter to rest for 15-20 minutes.
• Heat butter in a non-stick pan and spread the batter like you would a dosa.

2. Coconut Chutney

A traditional accompaniment to dosas and idlis!

Ingredients:

• ½ cup fresh grated coconut
• 2 tablespoons fried yellow gram
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 2 green chillis
• 1 garlic clove
• ¼ teaspoon mustard
• 1 dried red chilli
• ¾ teaspoon urad dal
• Hing
• Curry leaves

How to Prepare:

• Blend all the ingredients, except the seasoning, together.
• Add water and salt (to taste) while blending.
• In a few drops of oil heated in a pan, saute the seasonings.
• Add the blended chutney to the seasoning and turn off the heat. Serve with idli or dosa.

3. Chana Dal Khichdi

A simple recipe that uses very little seasoning and embraces the natural flavour of chana.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder
• 1 pinch of asafoetida
• ½ cup of rice
• ½ cup chana dal
• Oil
• Water
• Salt

How to Prepare:

• Soak the rice for 30 minutes prior to preparation.
• The chana dal should be soaked for 4-5 hours, prior to preparation. (If time does not permit, you may soak it in hot water for about 30 minutes)
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pressure cooker and add the seasoning.
• Add the rinsed chana dal with salt to taste and stir.
• Add 1 cup of water and cook under pressure for 6 minutes or 2 whistles.
• After it has cooled down, add the rice and cook for 1 or 2 whistles.

4. Paneer Cutlet

Paneer provides a boost of protein and calcium to the common vegetable cutlet and gives a uniquely soft texture to the cutlet too.

Ingredients:

• 2 pinches of turmeric powder
• ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• ¼ teaspoon garam masala
• 200gms paneer
• 150gms potato
• 100gms carrot
• 1/3 cups peas
• Paste: 1 green chilli
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1-inch slice of ginger
• 3 tablespoons rice flour
• 3 tablespoons rava
• 3 tablespoons oil

How to Prepare:

• Cut the green chilli, garlic and ginger, and grind to a paste.
• Peel and cut the vegetables and cook for up to 4 whistles in a pressure cooker, with 2 cups of water.
• Drain the water when cooled and transfer the cooked vegetables to a mixing bowl.
• Mash the vegetables, add the paste and seasoning, and mix well.
• Add the paneer (Paneer should be crumbled or grated).
• Add 3 tablespoons of rice flour and salt to taste, and mix again.
• Take small portions of the mixture and shape into patties.
• Coat with rava and fry in a shallow pan until both sides are golden brown. Serve with ketchup or chutney.

5. Soya Chunks Fry

A healthy and tasty dish that is simple to make. It goes great with both chapattis and rice!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup soya chunks
• 2 onions, shredded
• 2 green chillis, slit
• 1 big piece of ginger cut into thin strips
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1/2 Tsp garam masala
• 1/2 Tsp chaat masala
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• 2 tomato, finely chopped
• Coriander leaves
• 2 tablespoons oil

How to Prepare:

• Immerse the soya in hot water for about 20 minutes.
• In a pan, saute the onions in oil.
• Once the onions are golden-brown, add the garlic and ginger.
• Add the green chillis and then the tomatoes.
• As the mixture cooks, add the seasoning and mix well. Turn off the flame.
• Now, drain the soya chunks (You may need to squeeze them with the help of a sieve to drain them well).
• Add the soya chunks to the mixture and begin cooking again.
• Add salt to taste and mix the contents of the pan thoroughly so that the soya chunks are well coated with the masala (You can also add a bit of lemon juice to this, for a hint of tanginess).
• Cook in a pan till the soya chunks are browned.
• Turn off the flame and garnish with plenty of finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve warm.

Feeding Tips

• While providing healthy food for 2-year-old baby do not fixate on the amounts eaten. This will change from child to child and between different days and mealtimes.
• A 2-year-old toddler’s food requirement does not have to include artificial supplements.
• Indian baby food recipes for a 2-year-old can be spicy. If your child is fussy about this, you can experiment with reducing the amount of seasoning, especially red chilli powder.
• Give your child notice before every mealtime. This gets him thinking about food and builds up an appetite.
• Have the food ready and plated for mealtime when your child arrives.
• Do not punish or reward your child’s eating habits, as it can create a problematic attitude towards food and harm your child’s relationship with food.
• Don’t allow your toddler to watch T.V. during mealtime, as he needs to focus on the food. Talk to him instead and include him in conversations with all the family members.

Disclaimer:

• Look out for allergies. Your child could be allergic to certain nuts, grains or dairy products. Make sure you avoid these food items and consult your doctor about the allergies.
• When introducing your toddler to new foods, you should ensure that you introduce new food one at a time as this will make it easier for you to check for allergies and help you understand your child’s preferences.
• If your child is suffering from diarrhoea, don’t stop feeding him. Consult a doctor and feed him foods that are nutritious and can control the diarrhoea.
• Don’t force-feed your toddler. Toddlers can be fussy with food, be patient and know when he has eaten enough.

Eating nutritious food that is fresh and doesn’t contain preservatives is seen by many as something that takes too much effort, but with the right motivation, it can be a habit and not a chore! Include different fresh fruits in your child’s diets, so his tastes vary and he is less likely to become fussy over time.

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