At this age, your little ones want more choices in food. As they grow, their tastes and preferences evolve. They will be very happy if you offer them a wide variety of food. Adding healthy snacks to the meal plan will go a long way in meeting nutritional needs and looking forward to mealtimes.

HOW MUCH AND HOW OFTEN SHOULD THEY BE FED?

The stomach capacity of an 18-month-old baby is 250-300 ml. As of this month, it is enough for the baby to take 15 calories a day for each inch of height. For example, a baby who is 90 cm tall should consume 1350 calories per day. Your 18-24 month old baby is now starting to eat like a big kid. Nutrition should be in the form of 3 main meals a day and 2 healthy snacks at 3 hour intervals.

Sample Nutrition Plan-1:

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Sample Nutrition Plan-2:

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Sample Nutrition Plan-3:

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NUTRITIONAL TIPS

1. Be a model. If you want your baby to try a new vegetable or something, eat it in front of it, with gestures, facial expressions and tongue, and tell it`s delicious. It might be appealing to it too.

1. By the time your baby is 18 months old, you should have stopped feeding puree. Your little one has many teeth for grinding, chewing and preparing food for swallowing. During this period, it can eat everything by tearing it off.

1. The amount of food that 18-24 months old baby eats changes a lot during the day. One day, it may eat as much breakfast as 2 people can eat, but the next day it may not eat anything.

1. You can prepare cheerful fruit plates for your baby that does not like to eat fruit. When it sees fish, turtles and ladybugs, it will even eat fruits that it does not like with pleasure.

1. Let`s say you have a hard time getting your baby to eat vegetables. In this case, you can give vegetables hidden in other foods. Things like making meatballs with vegetables or making a zucchini omelet can work.

1. As your baby is 18 months old, the little one may suddenly want to have a say in what, when and how much to eat. You can ask it to choose one of the two dishes that you decide on the content. In addition to something delicious and new at every meal, it also helps to include at least one of its favorite foods.

1. You can offer your baby foods that it did not like before, over and over again, as it enters a period of interest in new tastes. If possible, when it is very hungry! It will surely love it at some point. Because gradually, the food options increase and the taste continues to develop rapidly.

1. These months may be the months when stubbornness and tantrums begin or even peak. It can make your job easier if you act consistently by maintaining your meal order without being stubborn.

1. Let your baby play with the food first. If it doesn`t eat vegetables, it`s okay, let it play. In a few days, it`ll finally put that vegetable in its mouth and really like the taste of it.

1. Give it frequent but small meals.

1. Introduce new foods each week, this will improve its taste buds.

1. Teach it to chew its food properly.

1. You can use colorful or patterned spoons, forks and plates to catch its attention.

1. The baby, who is allowed to eat by itself from the age of 1, can start to eat with a spoon at 18 months.

1. In the 18-24 month period, the baby`s fine motor skills increase and it starts to roll the dough and stack the items in its hands. It likes to do things with you in the kitchen. Enjoying spending time in the kitchen can also increase its interest in nutrition. It is especially willing to eat the foods it contributes to.

1. If it likes rice very much and refuses to eat anything other than rice, add a second food that it should eat. Such as meatballs-rice, chicken-rice, chickpeas or white beans. But do not repeat these menus every day.

1. When serving meat or fish, add boiled small vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower. Even if it doesn`t eat these, put them on its own plate, it`s very important to get used to seeing them.