Allowed and prohibited foods for a 2-year-old child
The diet of a 2-year-old child should be balanced and varied. To bring only benefits to the body, you need to understand the list of permitted and prohibited products.
A child's diet requires:
Product | Description |
Natural yogurts, kefir, fermented baked milk, low-fat sour cream, milk. | Saturate the body with calcium |
Cereals. It is better to pay attention to oatmeal, barley, rice and buckwheat porridge. | A source of slow carbohydrates that provide energy. |
Meat with fish | They provide proteins useful for building muscles. |
Pasta and bread of different varieties | They bring B vitamins, phosphorus and carbohydrates to the body. |
Eggs | Saturated with amino acids and proteins. |
Fruits with berries | They are used raw, as well as in the form of compote, jelly, and jelly. |
Greens and vegetables | Provide the body with valuable vitamins and microelements. |
Natural sweets | Available in the form of jelly, oatmeal cookies, natural marshmallows or jam. |
Juices | It is better to consume from fruits that grow in the region where the child lives. |
Prohibited for children:
- heavy shrimp, crabs and mussels;
- sausages with flavorings, dyes and preservatives;
- fat meat;
- melon or grapes, as they increase the accumulation of gases;
- industrial ice cream;
- chocolate, pastries, cakes;
- drinks with carbon dioxide.
You should also refrain from dishes with a lot of herbs and spices.
We exclude harmful products
Since we’re talking about what’s good for a 2-year-old baby and what’s not, let’s immediately discuss what is strictly contraindicated to feed a baby. The list of such products is quite extensive:
- Smoked meats, deep-fried and spicy dishes, fast food products;
- Seafood that can cause an allergic reaction (shrimp, crabs, mussels, red and black caviar);
- Mushrooms;
- Fatty meats (lamb, pork, geese and ducks);
- Milk not adapted for baby food;
- Grapes and melon, which increase flatulence and disrupt pancreatic function;
- Sweets (cakes, candies, ice cream, chocolate, baked goods, shortbread or puff pastry);
- Honey (for children prone to allergies);
- Sparkling water;
- Pasta and sausages (at least you can give them to your child as an exception).
In addition, take into account the individual characteristics of your child’s body. You should not stuff your baby with what is healthy if he has a natural intolerance to a certain product.
What to give a 2 year old for dinner
Dinner can be 200 g of the main dish and 150 ml of drink. It is better to cook from cottage cheese, sour cream and fruit. Before bedtime, you can serve your child 100 ml of kefir, sugar-free rosehip decoction with oatmeal cookies, or simply offer raw fruit.
A classic would be a glass of fresh milk and cookies.
Fish casserole
What can you cook for your child for dinner if he likes fish dishes? We offer you a simple recipe for a delicious casserole that can be prepared not only in the oven, but also in a slow cooker.
Required products:
- Fish fillet – one kilogram (it is better to take low-fat fish varieties).
- Eggs - four pieces.
- One onion.
- Rice - half a glass.
- Heavy cream – 100 grams.
- Salt, pepper and spices - to taste.
Prepare fish and rice casserole:
- Thaw the fillet and grind it in a blender.
- Beat the eggs together with salt and seasonings.
- Combine the prepared products with boiled rice.
- Peel the onion, chop and fry until golden brown.
- Whip the cream.
- Mix minced fish with cream and fried onions.
- Gently mix all the ingredients and place them in the multicooker bowl.
Cook the dish in the “Baking” mode for 45 minutes. When the time is up, let the casserole sit for another quarter of an hour. After this, it can be served immediately.
Salads and omelettes: ideas, cooking recommendations
Omelettes are a quick, satisfying and tasty morning dish containing vitamins A, E, D, B, potassium, phosphorus and other elements.
Broccoli omelette
Broccoli is the ancestor of all varieties of cabbage, but feeding a child cabbage is not easy. To make children happy to eat broccoli, it can be combined with eggs.
Ingredients for a quick breakfast:
- egg;
- 1 broccoli inflorescence;
- cream – 1 tbsp. l.;
- butter – 1 tbsp. l.;
- cream cheese – 10 g;
- salt – a small amount.
Step by step cooking method:
- Place an egg in a bowl, lightly salt it and beat with a fork.
- 1 branch of broccoli is cut off, and the green “cap” is cut off from it.
- The cabbage is placed in a bowl, 1 tbsp is added to it. l. cream. The mass is mixed.
- A baking dish (ceramic or metal) is greased with butter and filled with egg mixture.
- The dish is baked for 10 minutes at 190 degrees.
- The omelette is taken out, placed on a plate and sprinkled with grated cheese.
The serving is complemented by fresh vegetables and peas.
Meat omelette
You can supplement an omelet for a child with dietary chicken fillet. The result is a nutritious and satisfying dish at the same time.
Ingredients for cooking:
- chicken fillet – 1 half;
- pasteurized milk – 50 ml;
- chicken eggs – 4 pcs.;
- a little salt;
- green onions and dill - a small amount.
Step-by-step description of the recipe:
- The greens are washed well and crumbled finely.
- The meat is washed, the films and skin are cut off. The chicken is placed in a saucepan, filled with water and placed on the fire. The meat is cooked until cooked, and the foam is removed.
- The breast is cooled, finely cut so that it is convenient for the child to chew it.
- The whites are separated from the yolks. The whites are salted and whipped with a mixer until stable peaks form.
- The yolks are mixed with milk and whisked until smooth. Whipped whites are introduced into them and both substances are mixed with a spatula into a mass with a homogeneous consistency.
- Chopped herbs and chicken slices are poured into the egg mixture.
- The cupcake pans are greased with oil. In them, the egg mass is laid out to half the volume of the mold, since the omelette rises greatly during baking.
- The molds are placed in the oven, preheated to 150 degrees for 30 minutes.
The omelet will turn out much more tender if milk is replaced with sour cream , and turkey meat is used instead of chicken. If desired, when serving, the dish is sprinkled with grated cheese or chopped fresh herbs.
Beet salad with prunes
Salads go well with any side dishes and meat dishes. The original taste of the dish comes from the combination of vitamin-rich beets and dried prunes.
Components:
- beets – ½ pcs.;
- fresh sour cream - 1 tbsp. l.;
- cranberry juice – 1 tsp;
- prunes – 3 pcs.;
- a handful of chopped greens;
- walnuts – 1 tsp. (optional, if there are no contraindications).
The recipe consists of steps:
- The beets are washed, boiled, peeled and grated on a grater with large meshes.
- The prunes are soaked in warm water until soft, cut thinly and placed with the beets.
- The nuts are dried in a dry frying pan for 7 minutes, crushed and sent to the beets.
- The salad is mixed, dressed with sour cream and cranberry juice and decorated with herbs.
The salad is served with any meat dish or buckwheat porridge.
Potato casserole with cheese
What delicious food should you prepare for your children for dinner? This delicate potato and cheese casserole will appeal to kids and adults. Creamy taste and aromatic spices complement each other perfectly, turning your dinner into a real holiday.
Ingredients:
- Potatoes – 1000 grams.
- Garlic – two cloves.
- Hard cheese – 60 grams.
- Sour cream – 200 grams.
- Milk – 100 ml.
- Spices and salt - to taste.
The casserole recipe is very simple:
- First wash the potatoes and then cut them into thin slices. To get the best result, use a special knife or grater.
- Grease a baking dish with oil, and then place potatoes, spices, sour cream and grated cheese one by one.
- When you run out of ingredients, pour the dish with milk, sprinkle it with cheese, chopped garlic and spices.
Place the casserole in the oven and cook for about 50 minutes. You can serve it as a main course or as a side dish for meat or fish.
Casseroles: types and methods of preparation
Casserole recipes for a child who is already 2 years old can be very diverse. At this age, children can be offered the most authentic rosy and delicious casseroles with a crust.
Vegetable casserole
The aromatic dietary casserole is not only tasty, but also extremely healthy due to the large amount of vitamins it contains.
Product set:
- cauliflower – 100 g;
- carrot root vegetable – 100 g;
- broccoli – 100 g;
- a pair of eggs;
- semi-soft cheese – 100 g;
- heavy cream – 2 tbsp. l.;
- salt - a little;
- butter – 1 tsp. l.
Cooking process:
- Vegetables are washed, boiled and cut into small slices.
- The egg is released into a bowl, salt, cream and grated cheese are added to it.
- A baking sheet is greased with butter, vegetables are laid out on it and filled with egg mixture.
- The casserole is cooked in the oven for 25 minutes.
The serving is complemented with green peas or chopped vegetables.
Potato casserole with meat
Children really like the dish, and adults it evokes the aroma of childhood.
Required list of ingredients:
- potatoes – 250 g;
- fresh minced meat – 250 g;
- egg;
- butter – 20 g;
- whole milk – 150 ml;
- small onion;
- a little salt;
- breadcrumbs - 3 tbsp. l.
The recipe consists of steps:
- The potatoes are washed, peeled and boiled until tender.
- The onion is finely chopped and fried in oil.
- Add minced meat to the onion, lightly sprinkle with salt and simmer until done.
- Potatoes are pureed with butter and milk. At the end, an egg is released into the puree.
- The baking dish is greased with oil, ½ mashed potatoes, ½ stuffing with fried onions and again ½ mashed potatoes are laid out in layers. The top of the mold is sprinkled with breadcrumbs and placed in the oven for 30 minutes at 180 degrees.
When the prepared dish has cooled slightly, it is transferred to a plate and supplemented with chopped fresh vegetables and sprinkled with chopped herbs.
Features of a child's nutrition after one year
After 1 year of life, the baby begins an important transitional stage in nutrition. The digestive system of a child at this age undergoes great changes. As a rule, by this age, most children have 6-10 baby teeth (some less), and chewing skills are rapidly developing and improving.
The amount of enzymes produced also increases, which means that the child’s stomach can absorb and digest more complex foods than a few months ago.
Some children continue to breastfeed after 1 year of age. Typically, these feedings are associated with a sleep ritual. Undoubtedly, there are benefits from feeding after 1 year, but still breast milk can no longer provide all the baby’s nutritional needs.
Up to 2 years of age, a child is fed 4-5 times a day, the intervals between meals should not be less than 3.5-4 hours. It is advisable for meals to be taken at the same time, and a routine to be developed. This will help the digestive system work, and the baby will eat with a good appetite.
You should not teach your child to snack on unhealthy foods between meals. The nutritional value of the daily diet for children 12-24 months old should be approximately 1300-1400 kcal.
Desserts: what sweets can a child of 2 years old
Desserts for a 2-year-old child can be both delicious and healthy.
Curd banana soufflé
If the baby does not show appetite in the morning or is capricious in choosing food, a cottage cheese-banana soufflé with an airy consistency will be an excellent way out.
Required components:
- children's sweet curd – 150 g;
- banana – 1 pc.;
- sugar – 2 tbsp. l.;
- egg;
- butter - for greasing molds;
- semolina – 2 tbsp. l.;
- breadcrumbs - 2 tbsp. l.;
- wheat flour – 1 tbsp. l.
Recipes for a 2-year-old child consist not only of healthy, but also tasty products.
The recipe for preparing the soufflé:
- The banana is blended with the curd mass in a blender until smooth.
- An egg is driven into another container and granulated sugar is poured in. The ingredients are whisked.
- 2 parts of ingredients are combined. Flour and semolina are sent to the preparation.
- The mixture is kneaded until smooth.
- Forms for baking pudding are coated with butter and sprinkled with breadcrumbs.
- The curd-banana mass is poured into molds and sent to the oven at 180 degrees. The dessert is baked for 30 minutes.
The airy and aromatic dessert is taken out and served to the child with tea or milk. If desired, you can add grated apple or carrots to the recipe.
Jelly made from juice and gelatin
To prepare this light dessert, any juices without pulp with an active color are suitable: grape, pomegranate, cherry or orange.
Necessary:
- fruit juice – ½ l;
- clean water – 100 ml;
- sugar - to taste if the juice is sour;
- gelatin – 25 g.
Description of step-by-step preparation:
- Gelatin is diluted with water according to the indicated scheme and left to swell.
- The juice is flavored with sugar as needed and boiled on the stove for 10 minutes.
- The gelatin is poured into the juice and stirred until the thick grains of gelatin dissolve.
- The cooled jelly is poured into molds. If you wish, you can drop a couple of cherries or a slice of orange without skin into the middle.
- The dessert is kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours (sometimes more).
The presentation can become interesting if 3 types of jelly are prepared in layers , with each new layer set to harden after the previous one has set. The result will be a 3-color “traffic light”.
How to better create a menu
It is recommended to prepare food for a 2-year-old child only for one meal, since when the food is heated, its components lose their beneficial properties. The menu of a one-year-old child differs significantly from the diet of a two-year-old baby. As for the weekly menu for two-year-old children, it must be compiled taking into account all the needs of your little one’s body. What does it include:
- In the morning, the main dish is given in the amount of 200 g, bread with butter or cheese. The drink should be 100-150 ml.
- For lunch - a first course, for example, soup in a volume of 150 ml. For the second - a meat or fish dish - about 50-80 g and a side dish - about 100 g, compote or juice - 100 ml.
- The afternoon snack consists of 150 ml of kefir, 40 g of cookies or pastries, fruits and berries.
- Dinner in the amount of main dish 200 g and drink 150 ml.
Dr. Komarovsky argues that feeding a child with high-quality and varied food is a prerequisite for the moral well-being of parents.
General recommendations
A tasty and healthy menu, enriched with vitamins and minerals, will contribute to the healthy growth and development of the growing baby. A 2-year-old child is already familiar with many products from the adult table, and his tastes grow with him.
New gastronomic discoveries give the baby the opportunity to explore the world around him. In order for these acquaintances with adult cuisine to be successful, mothers should adhere to some rules for creating a diet for their children:
- Introducing your baby to a new product should begin in the first half of the day in order to monitor the body’s reaction to it and avoid adverse consequences in the event of allergic and other manifestations.
- Portions offered to a child aged 2 years should not be large - a new dish always starts with a couple of teaspoons.
- Feeding is a special ritual for both: mother and baby. Therefore, preparations for the meal and the process itself should be pleasant and useful at the same time. Diet for 2-year-old children is an important rule for developing healthy habits.
- Snacks may be present on children's menus, but they should not be frequent, but used in rare situations when nutritious food is not available. But even you need to have a snack in a calm environment (not “on the go”) for favorable digestion and the safety of the child.
- The diet of two-year-old children must include meat, fish, cottage cheese (heat-treated), fermented milk products, cereals, and always fruits and vegetables (daily). Adequate feeding will be the key to good immunity during the period when a child gets acquainted with kindergarten. You should be careful with baked goods, sweets, and store-bought sweets with a long list of ingredients and various chemical additives.
- At the age of 2, a child should be taught table manners. Most of this process will fall on the shoulders of the kindergarten teacher, however, as you know, all the habits of a child come from his family, so we instill the rules of etiquette by our example!
- For the little ones who don’t want to eat, you can come up with different stories about products and dishes. Let the process of eating an “unloved” dish become full of adventure for your baby. Let him come up with interesting names for foods - this will stimulate a new interest in food.
- Options for serving dishes from the menu can be standard, without any frills, but such meals quickly get boring for little gourmets. The solution to such issues will be an interesting design of the dish, let it be funny faces or magical animals - this is the ideal way to get your baby to eat raw vegetables.
- A two-year-old baby is already quite an adult, and he can safely be seated at the common table. Do not forget that a small child takes an example from an adult brother or sister, from his parents - let your meal together be constant. Then the responsibility of mothers to feed the baby with their own hands will soon disappear.
By following these simple recommendations, you will instill in your child the necessary skills for independent feeding. This will make life easier for both mothers and, in the future, his kindergarten teachers. And besides, it’s such a blessing to see your child’s healthy appetite, which will undoubtedly be the foundation for strong immunity in the future.
Veal goulash
What to cook for dinner for a 2-year-old child if he loves meat dishes? Beef or veal goulash is a great option. The recipe for its preparation is very simple, and the set of necessary products can be found in the refrigerator of any thrifty mother.
Ingredients:
- Meat – 500 grams.
- Bulb.
- Tomato paste - teaspoon.
- Flour - a tablespoon.
- Bay leaf.
- Black pepper – a pinch.
- Vegetable oil - two or three tablespoons.
How to cook goulash:
- Select a piece of lean meat and cut it into cubes.
- Peel the onion and cut into half rings. After that, heat it in a frying pan, and at the end add the veal.
- When the meat is browned, pour a glass of water into it and simmer the dish over low heat until cooked.
- Prepare a sauce from 100 ml of water, tomato paste and flour. Pour it into the pan, then add salt and spices to taste. Don't forget to add bay leaf for flavor.
Cook the goulash for a few more minutes. When the sauce thickens, the dish can be removed from the heat and served.
Foods suitable for dinner
Dinner should be approximately 20% of the total amount of food consumed per day. Preference should be given to dishes that are quickly digestible and do not cause nervous excitement in the child, but on the contrary, calm him down. It should be remembered: what is tasty is not always healthy, but you can prepare a decent dish from the right ingredients.
Products that are perfect for preparing dinner:
- fermented milk products – cottage cheese, kefir, natural yogurt, fermented baked milk, cheese;
- low-fat boiled or baked fish - pollock, cod, flounder, pike and others;
- turkey meat, chicken breast, boiled eggs or in the form of an omelet;
- raw and baked vegetables and fruits (apples, pears, carrots, beets, cabbage);
- dried fruits (dried apricots, prunes);
- buckwheat and oatmeal.