The nutrition of each person must be balanced so that the body receives a sufficient amount of energy for life. Especially if it is a growing baby, for whom food is a supplier of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, trace elements and fiber. The menu of a child of 2 years must be carefully planned so that he receives a sufficient amount of energy per day. The body grows, and considerable attention is paid to food.
Differences from Infant Nutrition
The menu of a child at 2 years old is already different from what he ate a year. Now the main products are introduced as complementary foods, almost all the teeth have grown, and you can switch from mashed food to lumpy food. Soups should not be mashed, let the baby learn to chew. Also, the meat does not have to be twisted into minced meat, you can boil and cut into small pieces or stew. The porridge density should also gradually increase. Dairy products should be present in the diet along with meat, cereals, bread, vegetables and fruits. Let the kid join the common table, eat with everyone and take an example from his parents - so he will quickly learn to hold a spoon and will look forward to the next meal. However, the menu of a child at 2 years old should not consist of those dishes that adults eat. Children of this age should cook separately.
Differences from Adult Nutrition
The growing body of the baby needs only those products that benefit him. You need to know that from an adult meal is not suitable in the menu for a child of 2 years:
- mushrooms;
- canned food, tomato sauces, mayonnaise, pickled vegetables;
- carbonated drinks;
- seafood and salted fish;
- meat of duck, goose;
- sausages and smoked meats;
- coffee drinks
- spicy seasonings and spices;
- the amount of chocolate and pastry should be limited.
Over time, the child will eat the same as adults, and for two-year-old babies there are a huge number of recipes that will delight not only the baby, but also his parents.
Example menu for a 2 year old child
To facilitate the task of interested moms and dads, we present a detailed nutritional plan for children.
Child menu at 2 years old for a week| Day | Breakfast | Dinner | High tea | Dinner |
| 1. | 200 g semolina porridge, 100 ml tea with milk, a sandwich (30 g bread and 10 g butter) | 40 g of green salad with sour cream, 150 ml of borsch on bone broth from fresh vegetables, 60 g of beef zraz, 100 g of buckwheat porridge, 100 ml of apple juice, 30 g of wheat and 20 g of rye bread | 150 ml of kefir, 15 g of cookies, one apple | 200 g of fish with vegetables in sour cream, 150 ml of kefir, 10 g of wheat and rye bread |
| 2. | 200 g cottage cheese pudding with nuts and apples, 150 ml of weak tea, a sandwich | 40 g salad of apples and beets, 150 ml of potato soup with semolina dumplings, 50 g of beef stroganoff from boiled meat, 100 g of mashed potato, 100 ml of fruit compote, 30 g of wheat and 20 g of rye bread | 150 ml of milk, oatmeal | 50 g omelet with cauliflower, 150 g milk rice porridge, 150 ml kefir, 10 g rye and wheat bread |
| 3. | 40 g of apple and tomato salad, 160 g of milk oatmeal porridge, 150 ml of cocoa drink, sandwich | 40 g of herring, 150 ml of hot beetroot, 200 g of rice cake with liver and milk sauce, 100 ml of rosehip infusion, 30 and 20 g of wheat and rye bread, respectively | 150 ml milk jelly with blackcurrant, curd cake | 200 g cottage cheese zraz with fruit sauce, 150 ml of kefir, 20 g of bread |
| 4. | 200 g cheesecakes with sour cream, 150 ml of milk, a sandwich | 40 g salad of fresh cabbage, carrots and beets, 150 ml of pickle, 60 g of steam fish dumplings, 40 g of sauce, 100 g of mashed potatoes, 100 ml of tomato juice, bread | 150 ml of kefir, 10 g of cookies, apple baked with sugar | 200 g potato balls with egg and sauce, 150 ml kefir, bread |
| 5. | 200 g of milk rice porridge, 150 ml of cocoa with milk, a cheese sandwich | 40 g of green peas with onions and butter, 150 ml of soup with meatballs and corn grits, 50 g of beef meatballs, 100 g of cottage cheese and zucchini, 100 ml of strawberry jelly, bread | 150 ml walnut milk bun | 120 g cabbage patties, 80 g cottage cheese with carrots, 150 ml kefir, bread |
| 6. | 80 g omelet with cottage cheese, 120 g semolina cutlets with sour cream, 150 ml cocoa drink, sandwich | 40 g of vegetable salad, 150 ml of milk soup with potato dumplings, 60 g of rabbit cutlets, 100 g of buckwheat porridge, 100 ml of fruit compote, bread | 50 g kefir jelly, 10 ml apricot drink, 10 g cookies | 150 g of cauliflower baked in sour cream, 30 g of herring under the marinade, 150 ml of kefir, bread |
| 7. | 30 g beetroot salad with sour cream, 150 g cottage cheese pudding with raisins and sour cream, 150 ml of tea with milk, a sandwich | 30 g of herring paste, 150 ml of green borsch, 60 g of stuffed beef patties, 120 g of semolina porridge with vegetable broth, 100 ml of plum juice, bread | 150 ml kefir with crushed apples and mountain ash, oatmeal | 120 g of rice cake with fish and milk sauce, 80 g of carrots stewed in sour cream, 150 ml of kefir, bread |
Diet rules
If you do not have the opportunity to clearly follow the recommendations given in this menu for children, this is not scary. The main thing is to adhere to some rules, preparing healthy meals for your baby:
- lean meat should be present in the diet daily, about 90 g, and offal - 1-2 times a week;
- sausages and sausages can be given special, for children, and only as a rare exception;
- fish with a small number of bones - 2-3 times a week, 70-100 g at a time;
- 600 ml of dairy products are recommended per day, at least 200 of which are kefir or fermented milk;
- raw cottage cheese or in casseroles, puddings and cottage cheese pancakes - several times a week;
- an egg - 3-4 times;
- per day 12 g of butter and 6 g of vegetable oil;
- at least 250 g of fruits and vegetables per day;
- about 100 g of bread per day.
These rules are followed by the cook in kindergartens, making the menu of the child 2.5 years.
How to process products
To organize a child’s proper nutrition (2 years), the menu should contain cooked, stewed, baked, and freshly prepared dishes. Do not give the baby fried, the same cutlets can be cooked for a couple. Let the baby eat vegetables and fruits, both raw and processed.
How to adjust the diet
Some products appear in our diet periodically, seasonally. Therefore, in spring and autumn, you can support the body's strength by taking multivitamin complexes, but only after consulting a pediatrician. It is better to give preference to those products, fruits, vegetables and herbs that are grown in the region where you live.
How to organize meals for children
The menu has already been given in details, and it is advisable to maintain a given rhythm of the baby's nutrition every day. If he does not go to kindergarten yet, but sits at home, draw up a specific schedule, sequence of actions for the day. Let the child know that, for example, in the morning he will wake up, wash, do exercises and will have breakfast. After the walk, he will wash his hands and have lunch, and after lunch he will receive the long-awaited candy. It is not necessary to adhere to the schedule by the hour, the main thing is the sequence of actions. So, after energetic walking along the street, the kid will have an appetite, the more he knows - at home he is already waiting for several delicious dishes, and he will eat all that is offered with pleasure.
Malnutrition and overeating
You can not force the baby to eat everything that lies in his plate. If he does not want to eat right now, wait for the next meal without offering him a snack. Then the next time the portion will be eaten. Do not overfeed the baby, it overloads his digestive system. Let him eat a little, but when he really wants to. Parents should not be upset that the child, in their opinion, is malnourished. He will receive all the necessary substances, he simply eats a little later or even tomorrow. If he feels good, plays and is engaged in fun and enthusiasm - this is a sign that he is now quite full.