Your toddler is growing fast and now needs a variety of nutrient rich foods to cope up with the developmental requirements. Also you will find that your little one has developed food preferences and expects you to meet them. So make sure you start right and delay the introduction of fast and unhealthy food and carbonated or sweetened drinks.So here’s a food chart for 2 to 3 year old kids to build a preference for nutritious and wholesome food.
Food chart for 2 to 3 year-old kids
| Food Items :
Time: |
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Early Morning | Banana or any fruit/ kesar almond milk | 1 cup banana milk shake | 1 cup banana milk shake | 1 cup milk with dry fruits | 1 cup banana milk shake | 1 cup milk with dry fruits |
| Breakfast Time | Rava Upma
|
Idli with chutney | Vegetable Poha | Ragi porridge | Oatmeal porridge | Simple pav bhaji or appam |
| Mid-Morning | Mix veg/chicken soup | Corn soup | Orange / any fruit juice | Mix veg soup | Seasonal fruits (1 cup) | Corn soup |
| Lunch | Plain Khichdi | 1 chapatti (with ghee) & potato vegetable | Rice and Dal | Plain Khichdi | 1 chapatti (with ghee)& mix vegetable | Vegetable pulao |
| Evening Snack | Seasonal fruit (1 cup) | Fruit salad (1 cup) | 1 Ragi laddoo
1 Banana |
Fruit salad (1 cup) |
Fruit juice | Vegetable cutlet/Fruit salad |
| Dinner | Vegetable
pasta |
Potato peas paratha, Curd | 1 chapatti (with ghee) & any vegetable | Veg. pulav | Dalia or upma | Potato masala dosa |
| Bedtime Snack | 1 cup milk | 1 cup milk | 1 cup milk | 1 cup milk | 1 cup milk | 1 cup milk |
Tips:
1. Every child is different and so is the eating habit and quantity of food. Never force feed your child.
2.You can substitute vegetable soup with chicken soup or chicken pulao if you want to offer non-vegetarian food to your kid.Fish fillets properly cleaned and cooked , can be offered too.Boiled egg can also be given as a snack.
3.Make sure that the foods you offer are prepared with little or no added salt or sugar. Include healthy foods that are higher in fat like salmon, avocado, cheese, and nut butters like peanut butter.
4.Offer water between meals and snacks to quench thirst.Avoid lots of liquid right before mealtime.
5.It can be challenging to get enough protein, fat, omega-3 fats, vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, calcium and zinc from some vegetarian diets. Pay extra attention to these nutrients.
6.Establish a fixed meal time routine,so that your child feels hungry at the right time and you don’t miss his/her hunger cues.Encourage eating with the family at the dining table.
Don’t forget ,your child needs lot of sunshine, smiles and cuddles from you in his /her developmental process.So make sure you spend quality time with your child.
Happy parenting!
Download PDF:Food chart for 2 to 3 year
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