Although your child in age 2 knows the taste of many foods now, there is more remaining that he has not tasted yet. When introducing him to new foods, you must be patient because the enjoyment of eating at this age can vary from one day to the other. He may refuse something he liked yesterday, and on other days, he can get stuck in the same food and ask for absulutely the same food prepared in the same way. The fact that they are stuck in the same meal is due to their love of habits and routine and it is necessary to be respected. But remember sometimes to present new foods.
You may still be breastfeeding your child who is over 1 year old. Breastfeeding is recommended until 2 years of age. If you stop breastfeeding earlier than his first birthday, you may have passed to formula milk. However, you can meet needs of the toddler who has completed the 12th month with cow’s milk now. Or you can continue with follow-on milk and formula. You should consult your doctor when making this decision.
If you start to cow’s milk or formula consisting of cow’s milk, what you need to be aware of is whether your child has cow’s milk allergy. Some toddlers have allergy to the protein in cow’s milk. Symptoms of this may include vomiting, stomach ache, crying, diarrhea, seeing blood in feces, stopping to gain weight or decreasing weight, itching, red-pink rash on the skin, coughing, wheezing, runny nose, tearing, and flushing in the eyes. If you have seen one or more of these symptoms, stop giving cow’s milk and consult your doctor.
From the 13th month onwards, fibrous foods are important for your child’s nutrition. Fibrous foods prevent constipation as well as comfortable bowel movements and prevent your child from getting too much carbohydrate and fat by keeping them full longer. Take care of your toddler for eating fruits and vegetables to ensure him to have enough fiber. Try to give fruits like apples, pears and with peel, if possible. You can add fruit into yoghurt. Serve fruit not by squeezing in the form of juice, but in the form of sliced fruit or puree as your toddler can benefit from the fiber. Do not neglect to offer him salads made from raw vegetables, even if he does not like it, take care to make him eat a little. When feeding with cereal foods, prefer the ones with whole grain.
From the 18th month onwards, your child’s calcium requirement also increases. you can give him foods such as milk, yoghurt, cheese containing calcium every day and dark green vegetables such as broccoli, peas often.
Plum, grapes, red meats, fish, figs, beans, broccoli, oat are the nutrients rich in iron. Make sure to give them enough from the 19th month.
It is recommended that you feed your child in 3 main meals and 3 refreshments during the 2nd year. Try to prepare healthy foods such as whole-grain crackers, yogurt, fruit, and boiled vegetable sticks for refreshments.
Do not Forget:
Remember, each child is unique and shows its unique growth and developmental characteristics. Not all babies acquire exactly the same developmental characteristics at the same time. Thus, do not compare your toddler with his peers and consider his own development line while following your baby. Please talk to your doctor if your toddler has not shown the expected improvement in these months.