By the time your little one reaches the age of 20 months, he will start throwing tantrums. He won’t accept what you feed him and those amazing breakfasts that he loved earlier won’t work anymore. Children are at a peculiar stage when they approach two years, and their eating habits change as well. In such scenarios, keeping certain quick-to-prepare recipes at your fingertips and opting for a meal plan that he willingly accepts, can make your life easier.
Even while putting together interesting lunch ideas for your 20-month child, it is important to keep in mind that certain nutrients are essential for a baby and you cannot do away with it. Following are the nutrient requirements of a 20-month-old child. Make sure your child gets these nutrients:
Calories help provide energy for the body. The key aspect here is to know the difference between a diet that provides good nutrition as well as enough calories that power the core of the body. A balance is necessary in order to avoid a meal plan that skews towards either direction.
Proteins are considered to be the building blocks of the body and are essential for toddlers, especially in their development stage. Ensure that his diet consists of adequate protein.
Carbohydrates help provide fuel for the brain, muscles and nervous system.
Fibre helps in proper bowel movement and proper digestion. A simple habit to ensure enough fibre content in your kid’s meal is to opt for whole food items instead of any processed stuff. Most of the times, many carbohydrate-rich food items have a substantial fibre content in them.
Not many doctors or nutritionists stress on the necessity of sodium to be present in the child’s diet. All it takes is just 1 gram of sodium every day. Any reduction can severely hamper the nerve function in a kid.
Iron is required by the by the body for the proper functioning of the blood. Most kids that have an iron deficiency are primarily those that have a strong preference in their food choices. Iron supplements are barely needed, and most of it can also be obtained from vitamin C rich fruits or even utensils made from cast iron.
Vitamin D is needed for children of this age as it helps to absorb calcium and improves bone growth. This can be found in milk and through adequate exposure to sunlight.
Water helps in numerous bodily functions such as digestion, the creation of saliva and regulating body temperature. The activity of your child and the consumption of water needs to be directly proportional at all times. Even if your little one isn’t playing around all the time, keeping up with the daily water intake is essential in every way.
The activities of your little one will begin to increase as he approaches the 2-year mark. Therefore, his calorie requirement will now begin to approach closer to 1400, even though his appetite stays more or less the same.
Your dinner ideas for your little one can be enhanced by including certain foods in the diet of your 20-month-old baby.
When it comes to including fruits for nutrition variety can make it so much easier. Mangoes, kiwi, berries of various types, grapes, bananas, and even dry fruits play a vital role in introducing numerous tastes and nutrients to your kid.
Eating an egg every day can be great for your child’s health. Pair them up with bread to ensure a breakfast that provides all nutrients or even include them in various vegetable recipes.
Apart from a glass of milk, there are multiple items such as cheese, yoghurt and laban, that ought to be a part of your child’s diet. Lactose intolerant kids can opt for fortified alternatives.
Coconut oil and avocado oil have a special place in the diet of kids that are 20 months old. Appropriately served, these provide enough fat supply to the child, which creates energy reserves that keep the body going.
While leafy vegetables, as well as greens like peas, cauliflowers, broccoli and numerous other veggies, are good for your child, these are not the only sources. Simple tomato sauces and salsa do contain beneficial nutrients, too.
As your child comes closer to completing 2 years, you can start introducing small chunks of different meat items such as turkey, lamb, beef and so on. Make sure to start off slow and teach him to chew them properly.
Right from seeds such as hemp, chia, flaxseeds as well as legumes like peas, lentils, beans and many others, a couple of servings provided each day to your child would be a great addition to his nutrition.
Leafy vegetables in a large proportion combined with fruits that are rich in vitamin C work together in providing the kid’s body with iron and helping it absorb within the system effectively. Red meat is known to do the same job, too.
The reason oatmeal is highly recommended for kids, along with whole wheat bread, is the larger benefit, the inclusion of grain food items brings to their body. Quinoa is also suggested by most parents for kids between 1-2 years old.
Seafood is a tad tricky since it does have some great benefits but also comes with the risk of arsenic or mercury poisoning. As long as you stick to specific fishes which are procured from reliable sources, your kids would benefit greatly from them.
Here’s a diet chart for a 20-month-old baby to help you with planning his meals.
Day | Breakfast | Snacks | Lunch | Snacks | Dinner |
Monday | Chocolate muesli | Wheat biscuits | Grilled chicken sandwich with cucumber and yoghurt | Apple and pear chunks | Scrambled eggs on toast |
Tuesday | Tomato and cheese sandwich | Roasted peas | Baked seabass with lemon sauce and rice | Oat muffins | Spaghetti with meatballs |
Wednesday | Banana Pancakes | Granola bar | Grilled beef Kofta and Fatoush salad | Strawberry milkshake | Basil pesto pasta |
Thursday | Oatmeal porridge and berries | Watermelon milkshake | Chicken and spinach quiche | Wheat cake | Cheese and tomato omelette |
Friday | Cinnamon and apple waffles | Oats bar | Lentil soup and crackers | Spinach fritters | Meatballs in tomato sauce |
Saturday | Pumpkin pancakes | Fruit yoghurt | Capsicum rice with chicken cubes | Spring rolls | Cottage cheese and cucumber sandwich |
Sunday | Sweet potato & papaya hash | Wheat biscuits | Egg rice | Cheese balls | Hard boiled eggs and melted cheddar |
If you’re still figuring out what to feed my 20-month old that you can cook easily, these recipes can pave your way to make it happen.
These can be prepared and refrigerated in advance as well, to make for a quick and delicious breakfast.
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Biscuits don’t have to be the same boring ones all the time. Here’s a great variant for you to try.
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Homemade Chinese food is the best your kids will have, that is healthy and tasty at the same time.
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Give your little one a cake that is not just delicious but healthy all the way.
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These Easy Rotisserie Chicken Tacos are a quick and delicious weeknight meal that the little ones are going to keep asking for!
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Keep a few tips in mind when preparing a meal plan and feeding your little one.
Figuring out great snacks for a 20-month-old toddler won’t be as challenging as it seems, once you start looking at the possible combinations of everyday food items.
Also Read: 17 to 20 Months Old Baby Food Ideas