What food for babies from 2 to 3 years old?

What foods for my child?

“The priority, at this age, is toensuring growth, and therefore energy supply, emphasizes nutritionist Jean-Michel Cohen. For this, it is crucial to teach your child to eat everything. Of everything, yes, but according to a particular distribution. At this age, you have to favor foods rich in slow sugars (mash, pasta, rice, etc.) and calcium (in milk, but also in fruits and vegetables). Slow sugars, because they provide the main energy necessary for growth; milk, because it is an excellent source of protein, easy to digest for a child who, at 3 years old, can drink more than half a liter a day.
Your child does not like vegetables ? Do not insist, to prevent it from turning. Even if it means offering them another time… in another form (vegetable gratin, for example). Continue to eat it yourselves, he will end up following your example! And if your child only asks for ham and pasta, don’t be discouraged: studies have shown that a new food always ends up being accepted after ten or fifteen times on average: psychologists call this “the phenomenon of ‘repeated exposure’!

Can my child eat everything?

Between 2 and 3 years, yes, absolutely, assures Jean-Michel Cohen. Yes to charcuterie or fries if they are served once in a while and in small doses. As for raw vegetables, sometimes suspected of irritating the stomach, you should know that they are harmless but rarely appreciated before 3 years. That solves the problem! Meat, long valued, is now accused of being too fatty by nutritionists. Nothing prohibits giving it every day, provided you alternate white, red, poultry, etc., and stay within the average recommended quantities. No food is inherently bad, Dr. Cohen insists, if the diet is varied and balanced. Only one exception: we do not quench our thirst with sugary drinks but with water. A rule to follow to the letter!

How much for my 2-3 year old child?

The most common mistake made by parents? Serve their child adult portions. But let’s remember: between the ages of 2 and 3, a child only needs 1,200 to 1,400 calories per day (divided into four meals), when a woman aged 20 to 40 should consume 1,900 to 2,200, and a teenage boy 2,100 to 3,700, explains Dr. Cohen. Thus, when you taste a classic 100g minced steak, between a third and a half is enough to cover your child’s daily meat needs. Ditto when you cut him a slice of bread. Only give him half! As for fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, it is at will! In practice, trust your little one’s appetite. Better to serve it again than to force it to finish its plate.

The recommended daily food intake for the child of 2-3 years?

– 350 to 600 ml of growth milk (or, failing that, whole milk).
– 2 yogurts or dairy productsor 20 to 40 g of cheese.
– 1 or 2 biscuits (10 g), or 20 to 30 g of breador 15 to 30 g of cereal (2 to 5 tablespoons).
– Vegetables or soup at will (at least 100 g).
– Fruits as desired (at least 100 g) or 50 ml to 200 ml of fruit juice.
– Starches as desired (at least 100 g).
– 30 to 50 g of meator 1 egg or 40 to 70 g of fish.
– 20 to 30 g of butteroil, cream.
– Sweet products: less than 20 g (i.e. the equivalent of 4 pieces of sugar).
Source: Eating well with the family, Jean-Michel and Myriam Cohen, Flammarion.

What if my child eats too much? Or not enough?

The recommended amounts are averages, not dogmas. appetite varies from child to child and even from day to day. If his growth is regular and his weight correct, it does not matter whether he is a big or small eater. In the event of a proven problem, a medical consultation will help you adjust the course. Are you worried because he’s not eating anything? To relieve you of anxiety, tell yourself, first, thata healthy child never starves himself to death. If he has hardly swallowed anything at lunch, he will make up for it at the next meal. Second, that the dietary intake are calculated over a week, not a day. The child regulates himself, and that is reassuring!