Toddlers this age are moving toward a diet more like your own. Keep introducing new flavors and textures. Food preferences are set early in life, so help your child develop a taste for healthy foods now.
Toddlers have little tummies, so serve foods that are packed with the nutrients they need to grow healthy and strong. Avoid sweets and empty calories. Don’t give your child sugar-sweetened drinks, such as soda, juice drinks, sports drinks, and flavored milks. Limit 100% fruit juice to no more than 4 ounces a day, and serve juice in a cup, not in a bottle.
Your toddler will continue to explore self-feeding, first with their fingers and then with utensils at around 15–18 months of age. Give your child lots of chances to practice these skills, but lend a hand when frustrations arise. As skills develop, step back and let your little one take over.
Toddlers like to assert their independence, and the table is one place to give yours some sense of control. Serve a variety of healthy foods from all the food groups and let your child decide which of those foods to eat and how much.
What About Milk?
Milk is an important part of a toddler's diet because it provides calcium and vitamin D, which help build strong bones. Most kids under age 2 should drink whole milk. If a toddler is overweight or there is a family history of obesity, high cholesterol, or heart problems, your doctor might recommend switching to reduced fat (2%) milk.
If your child can’t drink cow’s milk, choose unsweetened soy drinks fortified with calcium and vitamin D. Other milk alternatives (such as almond, oat, rice, or coconut) have less protein and may not be fortified.
Kids this age don’t need special toddler milk or formulas, which contain added sugars. Toddlers can get all the nutrition they need by drinking cow’s milk or a fortified soy drink and eating a variety of solid foods.
When your child is 2, you can switch to low-fat or nonfat milk.
Between 12 and 18 months of age is a good time to move to a cup. Instead of stopping bottles all at once, slowly drop them from the feeding schedule, starting with mealtime. Offer whole milk in a cup after your child has begun the meal.
Why Is Iron Important?
Iron makes the red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body. Low iron levels can affect growth and may lead to learning and behavior problems and anemia (a low number of red blood cells).
After 12 months of age, toddlers may not get enough iron because they no longer drink iron-fortified formula and they may not get enough iron-rich foods in their diet.
To help prevent iron deficiency:
- Limit your child's milk intake to 16–24 ounces (480–720 milliliters) a day.
- Include iron-rich foods in your child's diet, like meat, poultry, fish, beans, and iron-fortified foods.
- Continue serving iron-fortified cereal until your child is eating a variety of iron-rich foods.
Talk with your doctor if your child drinks a lot of cow's milk, isn't getting enough iron-rich foods, or if you're thinking of giving your child a multivitamin.
What Foods Should We Avoid?
Offer your child a variety of healthy foods. Watch for allergic reactions when trying new foods.
Toddlers between 12 and 24 months should avoid:
- foods with added sugars and no-calorie sweeteners, including sugar-sweetened and diet drinks
- high-sodium foods
- unpasteurized juice, milk, yogurt, or cheese
- foods that may cause choking, such as hot dogs, raw vegetables, grapes, hard cheese, popcorn, and nuts
Always supervise when your child is eating. Make sure your child sits up in the high chair or other safe place.
How Much Should My Toddler Eat?
Schedule three meals and two or three healthy snacks a day. But expect your toddler to sometimes eat less or skip meals. This can be hard for many parents, but kids should be allowed to respond to their own feelings of hunger and fullness. Toddlers who are full may push food away, close their mouths or turn their heads away from food, use hand gestures, or make sounds to let you know they have had enough. Don't push food on a child who's not hungry.
If you have any questions about what and how much your child is eating, talk with your doctor.
FAQs
Your child can take between three quarters to one cup of food three to four times a day, plus one to two snacks between meals. Continue breastfeeding as much as your child wants, until at least 2 years old. Avoid junk food and soft drinks.
Am I feeding my 1 year old enough? ›
One year olds need about 1,000 calories divided among three meals and two snacks per day to meet their needs for growth, energy, and good nutrition. Don't count on your child always eating it that way though—the eating habits of toddlers are erratic and unpredictable from one day to the next!
Am I feeding my kids enough? ›
Children have extremely variable appetites due to growth spurts and other factors. Children can regulate their own food intake if we let them respond to their hunger and fullness. Hunger and fullness cues are the best guide to how much their body needs.
How much food should parents give toddlers? ›
How Much Food Do They Need? Depending on their age, size, and activity level, toddlers need about 1,000–1,400 calories a day. Refer to the chart below to get an idea of how much your child should be eating and what kinds of foods would satisfy the requirements.
What is the feeding relationship between parent and child? ›
Successful feeding demands a caretaker who trusts and depends on information coming from the child about timing, amount, preference, pacing, and eating capability. An appropriate feeding relationship supports a child's developmental tasks and helps the child develop positive attitudes about self and the world.
How do I know if I'm feeding my baby enough? ›
Signs your baby is getting enough milk
They seem calm and relaxed during feeds. Your baby comes off the breast on their own at the end of feeds. Their mouth looks moist after feeds. Your baby appears content and satisfied after most feeds.
Is Mother feed enough for 1 year old? ›
For the first 6 months, breast milk is all your baby needs to meet his or her nutrition needs. If you wean your baby before 12 months of age, be sure to give an iron-fortified formula. Breastfeeding should continue until your baby is 12 months old (and after as long as baby and mom would like to continue).
Is my 2 year old eating enough? ›
It's not always easy to tell if your little one is eating enough. Keep in mind that a typical toddler serving size is about a quarter to half of an adult serving size. On average, toddlers need anywhere from 700 to 1,300 calories per day, depending on their size and activity level.
Should you let a toddler eat as much as they want? ›
Remember that toddlers need small meals and regular snacks. Don't worry too much – a toddler's appetite and food intake can vary daily. Offer small serves and give more if needed. Let them tell you they're full and don't force a child to finish all food on their plate.
What is a normal portion size for a 2 year old? ›
An appropriate serving size for a toddler is going to be about 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 of an adult serving as recommended by MyPyramid. For example, a serving of bread for a small child would be 1⁄4 of a slice for a 1-year-old, and 1⁄2 of a slice for a 3-year-old.
Practicing responsive feeding when your child is a baby teaches positive eating habits and skills that keep them healthy as they get older. That's because responsive feeding teaches children to: Recognize when their bodies are hungry and when they're full (and to trust those feelings).
Which parenting style is best when it comes to feeding children? ›
You make have guessed it, but research shows that the Authoritative Feeding Style is the best style for your children's health. The Authoritative style provides a supportive environment allowing children to make healthy decisions when it comes to food.
What is a parental feeding style? ›
Food parenting refers to “specific behaviors or rules parents use to control what, how much, or when their child eats,” whereas parent feeding styles are defined as “general parent-child interactions across food-related situations.”
How do I know if my 1 year old isn't eating enough? ›
Toddlers should be eating between a quarter to a half-sized serving portion of what an adult eats at each meal. Some red flags of malnourishment include weight loss, fatigue, and persistent constipation. Contact your pediatrician or a pediatric nutritionist if you're concerned about your toddler's eating habits.
What is a portion size for a 1 year old? ›
An appropriate serving size for a toddler is going to be about 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 of an adult serving as recommended by MyPyramid. For example, a serving of bread for a small child would be 1⁄4 of a slice for a 1-year-old, and 1⁄2 of a slice for a 3-year-old.
Am I underfeeding my baby? ›
Signs that a baby is underfed or underfeeding include:
He fusses when put down. He demands full attention. He has trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep. He has four or less wet diapers (based on milk feeds alone).
How do I know if I'm overfeeding my 1 year old? ›
Overfeeding a baby often causes the baby discomfort because he or she can't digest all of the breast milk or formula properly. When fed too much, a baby may also swallow air. This can produce gas, increase discomfort in the belly, and lead to crying.
