Nutrition for a child at 2 years old

At two years old, the child, although still small, is almost an adult in comparison with one-month-old babies, which means that the nutrition of the crumbs should become more varied. But at the same time, it is not yet so large that food is like that of adults. In this article, we will tell you how and what to properly feed a child at two years old.

How much should a child eat at 2 years old

Young children, like adults, are already individuals, both in terms of character and nutrition. There are no exact standards for how much a child should eat, which is due to the following: as a rule, the more active the child, the more he eats and vice versa. Those. the more activity he shows, the more the body needs nutrients to keep up with the baby. However, there are certain principles in the nutrition of a two-year-old baby that you need to try to follow in order for the baby's diet to be complete.

• Spices and salt should be used in the smallest amount. At this age, the task of such ingredients is not so much to improve the taste of the dish as to give the body important elements, and for this they need absolutely nothing.
• If you want to understand if your baby is eating enough, try calculating how many calories he consumes per day. According to experts, this figure should be around 1,500 kcal. But at the same time, it is worth considering the correct percentage distribution of calories by time of day. Those. the calorie content of breakfast should be within 25% (approximately 375 kcal), lunch accounts for 30% (approximately 450 kcal), afternoon tea 15% (approximately 225 kcal), and dinner 30% (approximately 450 kcal). If a baby eats like this at two years old, it's just perfect.
• It is very important that the baby has a varied diet and receives all the necessary micro and macro elements, and especially calcium. It is very important for the healthy development of bones and the entire body. Therefore, introduce foods with its high content into the child's diet, these are cabbage, dried apricots, oatmeal, cottage cheese, cheese, milk, and prunes.
• In addition to the distribution and accounting of calories, for proper nutrition of the baby, the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates must also be taken into account. For a two-year-old child, the ratio can be 1: 1: 4 or 1: 1: 3. Proteins for the body of the crumbs are the main sources of "building material", carbohydrates are energy suppliers, just like fats.

These are the basic rules that must be adhered to in the process of feeding the baby, which will make it possible to draw up the right menu and organize high-quality nutrition.

What can a child eat at 2 years old

By the age of two, the needs of the baby are becoming relatively wide, so its menu can be significantly expanded:

• The baby should drink about 600 g of dairy products per day, and if we talk about kefir, then its total amount per day should be up to the volume of a glass.
• By this age, in addition to the yolk, protein can also be introduced into the child's diet. The norm for a day is half an egg.
• It is acceptable to give low-fat varieties of cheese, in a total amount of 20 g.
• The norm of cottage cheese per day is 50 g. Moreover, you can not give "empty" cottage cheese, but mix it with sour cream, a little sugar and fruit. You can also cook from cottage cheese various sweets: casseroles, cheese cakes and puddings.
• It is permissible to cook meat dishes from lean types of pork, veal and beef. It is very useful for babies and chicken, it is easy to prepare and is absorbed by the crumbs' body without any problems. But such protein food is desirable for consumption in the morning. For a two-year-old baby, the daily intake of meat is about 70 g. By this time, you can include in the child's diet low-fat sausage, naturally boiled, and ham, liver pate.
• The total amount of natural butter consumed should not exceed 16 g.
• The norm for sweets is no more than 10 g, and if we talk about sugar, then no more than 50 g.
• In addition to cereals, you can cook crumbs of cereals and muesli, special for children. If speak about the form of cereals, then it is better to give preference corn porridge, buckwheat, oatmeal and rice. The cell can be connected to this age.
• You can organize vegetable salads for your child, which can be seasoned with vegetable oil. The daily norm of the latter is no more than 6 g.
• The general norm of bread per day is about 100 g, and 70% of the total is wheat, and 30% is rye.
• The volume of vegetables for a baby can be up to 250 g, and if the crumb eats only potatoes during the course, then its amount should not exceed 150 g per day. Vegetable purees can be prepared from one vegetable or combined in one dish at once. Among the best vegetables for a two-year-old child are red bell peppers, cucumbers, radishes, turnips, pumpkin, eggplants, beets, carrots, onions, cabbage, etc.
• Do not forget to alternate meat dishes with fish several times a week. It can be boiled, stewed and steamed. Cook cutlets, meatballs from fish, boil broths. The amount of fish per week should be within 170 g.
• It is permissible to include flour products and pasta in the child's diet. It is better to purchase the latter for children, as they are smaller in size and are convenient for babies.
• You can give your child up to 200 g of fruits and berries per day.

In addition to nutrition, do not forget that the baby should consume a sufficient amount of liquid per day. After all, a lack of water in the diet can turn into problems in the body. For a guideline, remember that each kilogram of weight needs to be given to the baby 100 ml of water per day. But this does not mean that he should drink this amount in pure form. The indicator of the daily volume of fluid consumed is considered cumulative. Everything is taken into account: drunk juices, teas, broths, compotes, etc. In the summer, when the weather is hot outside, the volume of liquid should be increased. The average figure is 1.5 liters per day.

Speaking about what drinks are permissible to drink at two years old, these are rosehip broth, weakly brewed tea, compotes, juices from fruits and vegetables, milk and, of course, cocoa.

Child's menu at 2 years old

Each mom can compose a menu for her baby herself, taking into account the taste needs of the child. Knowing what foods and in what quantity are permissible for this age, it will not be a problem to compose a diet.

In the morning, the crumb can arrange breakfast, which includes a main dish weighing 200 g and half a glass of a drink. You can complement your breakfast with a slice of bread, butter and cheese. At lunchtime, it is useful to feed the baby with a vegetable salad or make a full meal, which will include 40 g of soup and 150 g of the second course. It is also encouraged to feed the child with fish and meat dishes at lunchtime, in the amount of 40 g of meat or fish and 100 g of side dish. For dinner, a drink is served in the volume of half a glass.

An afternoon snack for a two-year-old child can consist of 15 g of cookies and 150 ml of milk, or, instead of cookies, 45 g homemade baked goods... In addition to the afternoon snack, you can serve a portion of fruits or berries. The dinner ration is similar to breakfast and consists of 150 ml of the drink and 200 g of the main course.

This is roughly how the daily diet of a baby who has already turned two years old looks like. As we have already said, each mom, keeping a reference point on acceptable products, can herself make up a menu for crumbs. And remember that there is no single yardstick for children. If the child eats a little, this may indicate that the received volume of food is enough for him and vice versa. If you are very worried about this, you can check with a qualified specialist, and if no health problems are confirmed, then this is just a feature of the body of the little ones and you just need to come to terms with it.