What do you need to know when feeding 2 year olds?

When your baby is two years old, he or she should eat three main meals and 1-2 snacks a day. Ideally, make sure that your baby eats each of the basic food groups after each day:

Meat, fish, poultry, eggs;

Milk, cheese and other dairy products;

Fruits and vegetables;

Whole grains, potatoes, rice and flour.

Your baby's eating habits

Fortunately, the baby's ability to self-feed at this time has become quite "civilized". At the age of two, babies can use a spoon, drink water from a cup and eat with many dishes with their hands. You should encourage your baby to eat with all family members. As your baby's language and communication skills develop, he or she will become an active member of the meal if eaten with everyone. In addition, you should also prepare nutritious and healthy dishes for the whole family to enjoy with your baby.

Don't be alarmed if your baby refuses to eat or if he eats just one or two of his favorites for a long time. The more determined you are to change your baby's eating preferences, the more determined he will be to resist you. So let your baby eat a variety of foods and let your baby choose. Children will be more interested in healthy foods if they can choose their own foods.

Safe during mealtimes

Now that your baby can eat properly, he or she still needs to get used to chewing and swallowing, so the baby's risk of choking is quite high. You should limit the following foods:

Sausage sandwiches (unless cut to taste, you should not offer them);

Seeds with their shells intact (especially peanuts);

Round, hard candy or gum;

Whole grapes;

Raw carrots;

One scoop is full of peanut butter;

The cherries are stalked;

Prunes.

Vitamins for babies

Vitamin D or iron supplements are not really needed once your baby is eating a varied diet at this age. However, iron tablets may be needed if your baby eats less iron-rich meat, cereals or vegetables. If your baby drinks too much milk (more than 960 ml per day), this amount can interfere with iron absorption, leading to iron deficiency in the baby. So you should only give your baby about 480 ml of low-fat or non-fat milk per day to provide enough calcium without affecting the baby's taste.

For babies who are not regularly exposed to sunlight, consuming less than 1 liter of milk containing vitamin D or not taking multivitamin supplements, vitamin D supplements with a dosage of about 400 IU per day are very important important.

If you still have questions or think your child has nutritional problems, consult your doctor or a dietitian for more detailed advice.