Looking for easy healthy meals for 18 month old? Mybabycooker blog has you covered. Here is a collection of catering recipes that are easy to make and even more delicious to eat!
It’s really hard to find easy healthy meals for 18 month old. I agree, many food are too difficult for the kids and you have to take more time to cook for them. But with this post, you will learn simple and healthy recipes for kids and family.
Easy Healthy Meals For 18 Month Old
What Should You Know About Feeding Your 18- T0 24-Month-Old Toddler?
- Follow their cues: Your little one knows when they are hungry and full, let them guide how much they eat
- Tips for picky eating: You provide healthy foods at mealtimes, let your toddler choose what and how much to eat
By 18 months, your child can eat the same foods as the rest of the family, making mealtime much easier to figure out. At this age, offer your little one food every 2 to 3 hours since their tummies are still pretty small and they’ll need to eat frequently throughout the day to get the nutrients needed for development.1 This usually ends up being 3 meals and about 2 to 3 nutritious snacks daily.
Follow Your Toddler’s Hunger And Fullness Cues
Your little one may be able to verbalize when they are hungry and when satisfied. Their developing communication skills may also include voicing their likes and dislikes when it comes to which foods they prefer to eat. Make sure to listen to your little one’s hunger and fullness cues to help them build strong internal feeding cues as well as a healthy relationship with food.2
To help nurture your child’s internal cues, provide meals without distractions such as the TV or other screens.
Tips for picky eating
You may find your little one becoming a bit picky at this age. Try not to let this be discouraging. Your goal as the parent is to provide healthy food choices and set specific times to eat. Your child’s job is to decide how much of the foods you provide to eat, or if they eat them at all!4, 5 This is called the Division of Responsibility.
While them leaving food on the plate may feel frustrating, don’t force your little one to eat something. Over time, and as they watch you eat these foods, they will become more comfortable and may eventually eat them.6 Keep mealtime a positive experience and offer disliked or new foods over and over again!
Food Ideas for an 18-month-old Baby
Best Foods for an Eighteen-Month-Old Baby
If you are looking for options in foods for your baby, you have come to the right place. Include the foods suggested below in your child’s diet.
1. Milk
If you still breastfeed your child, then it is well and good. But once a day, you can give him cow’s milk. Milk is essential for the healthy development of teeth and bones of your child, so make sure your little one drinks a cup of milk daily. He should learn to drink milk as well as water from a cup instead of a bottle now.
2. Fruits
Including fresh fruits in your child’s breakfast is a great way to make sure his body gets the essential nutrients. Don’t refrain from giving dry fruits as well as they are healthy too. Once in a while, you can give fruit purees, but don’t give fruit purees or fruit juices on a daily basis as they are not high in fibre and won’t be beneficial for your child’s health. Give him cut fruits every now and then.
3. Vegetables
You must include veggies in your child’s diet. If your child doesn’t like vegetables, you can make finger food for him. You can make baked carrot sticks or mashed potatoes. Also, include leafy vegetables in his diet.
4. Meat and Nuts
While this combination might seem weird, pairing both these foods together can meet your child’s protein requirements. You can give chicken or fish with soy chunks, sprouted beans, cashew nuts, and so on. You don’t have to do this everyday; having this combination every alternate day of the week should benefit for your child. But if you notice any signs of food allergy in your child, stop giving these foods together.
5. Bread
Avoid giving white bread to your kid as much as you can. Whole wheat bread should be your go-to option if you want to make sandwiches for him. You can also give him dry cereal or crackers instead of bread.
6. Ghee
Ghee is good for health and your child needs it in his growing years. So make sure you give him ghee daily. You can make parathas in ghee or even add it to khichdi. A dollop of ghee can be very nutritious for your child, so make it a part of his daily diet.
7. Jaggery
Instead of adding processed and refined sugar in your child’s food, add jaggery. Jaggery is good for health and can make anything taste delicious.
8. Water
We know water is not a food, but it is important for your child. Make sure that your little one drinks enough water daily. You can also give him other fluids. There are chances of your kid suffering from digestive issues and health problems if his water intake is not enough.
9. Cheese
Along with milk, you can also include other dairy products in his diet. Kids love to eat cheese and cottage cheese, so give these to your kiddo without worrying. Different varieties of cheese along with yoghurt provide probiotics and other nutrients that simple whole milk may not always do.
10. Whole Grains
The benefits of consuming whole-grain food items may not be visible instantly but they take place internally over time. Instead of giving him calorie-rich cereals or white bread, give him whole wheat bread or whole-grain cereals.
11. Soybean Cutlets
You might have made bread cutlets often. How about this time you try something different? Make soy cutlets – your little one will love eating them.
Ingredients
- Chopped onions – 1 cup
- Oil – 2 tbsp
- Chopped coriander leaves – 1 cup
- Pepper – 2 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Chaat masala – 1 tsp
- Garam masala – 1 tsp
- Boiled and mashed potatoes – 4
- Bread crumbs – 1 cup
- Soybean dal paste – 1 cup
Method
- In a large bowl, mix the soy paste, potatoes, spices, coriander, and some salt. Mix the ingredients well.
- Now, make small balls of the above mixture and flatten them to make cutlets. If they are loose, keep them in the fridge for 30 minutes. Next, coat them with the crumbs.
- Add some oil to a pan and shallow fry the cutlets from both the sides on a medium flame.
- Serve with tomato chutney.
12. Besan Cheela
The versatility of this recipe is what makes it a great hit among children and adults alike.
Ingredients
- Oil – 2 tbsp
- Chopped coriander leaves – 1 small cup
- Salt to taste
- Water as required
- Besan – 1 cup
Method
- Take the besan and salt in a bowl. Add the coriander to it. Add water slowly and stir continuously to mix it well. Make sure no lumps are formed.
- Heat some oil in a pan then pour a ladle or two of the batter on the pan – spread it evenly. Cook it well from both the sides – until it turns golden brown.
- Serve with ketchup or yoghurt.
13. Banana Dosa
Banana dosa may sound strange but it tastes delicious. Here is how you can make banana dosas for your little one.
Ingredients
- Ghee – 2 tbsp
- Bananas – 2
- Dosa batter – 5 cups
Method
- Take peeled and mashed bananas in a large bowl. Add the dosa batter to this bowl and mix them well.
- Heat some ghee in a pan and pour a ladle or two of the batter on to the pan, spreading it evenly to make a small circle. Add a little more ghee around the edges.
- Cook the dosa on a medium flame then flip. Let it cook from both sides.
- Serve with honey and let your child enjoy it.
14. Oats and Apple Porridge
This breakfast recipe can be made for the entire family in a single go.
Ingredients
- Jaggery or honey – 2 tbsp
- Chopped apple – 1
- Milk – 2 cups
- Instant oats – 1 cup
Method
- Cook together oats and milk in a deep pan. Stir it continuously for a few minutes.
- Turn off the flame when it starts thickening. Garnish with apple pieces before serving.
15. Spinach Moong Khichdi
Spinach moong khichdi tastes yummy and offers many nutritional benefits.
Ingredients
- Ghee – 3 tbsp
- Turmeric – 1 tsp
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Garlic (crushed) – 3-4 cloves
- Spinach leaves (chopped) – 1-2 cup
- Rice – 1 cup
- Moong dal – 1/3 cup
Method
- Wash the rice and dal in two separate bowls and strain the excess water. Keep them aside.
- Heat some ghee in a cooker. Once the ghee is hot, add the cumin seeds.
- Once the colour of the cumin seed changes, add in the crushed garlic and spinach. Add in turmeric and sauté.
- Then add the washed and soaked dal to the cooker, followed by washed and soaked rice.
- Add 2-3 cups of water and let it cook for five whistles. Mash it properly and add some ghee before serving.
Tips to Feed Your Child
If your little one is a fussy eater and doesn’t eat what’s on his plate, here are some tips you can try to make him eat his food.
- Lead by example – if you want your child to try a new vegetable or something else, eat it in front of him and say that it is delicious. When he sees you trying something new, he might be tempted to try that out.
- Let your child play with food first. It is okay if he doesn’t eat a veggie – let him play. In a few days, he will eventually put that veggie in his mouth, and you never know he might actually love its taste.
- Give him small meals but frequently. If you serve too much he might not eat it.
- Offer new foods every week this will evolve his taste palate.
- Teach him to chew his food properly.
- Use attractive cutlery and make the dishes look appealing if you want to make your child eat something new.
It is hard to make a child eat something if he is not in the mood to eat. But we hope the food mentioned in the diet chart will be liked by your kiddo. The diet chart mentioned in the article is a sample diet plan. You can tweak it as per your liking. A better option would be consulting a doctor before making your child try anything new. So talk to your doctor and find out what is best for your 18-month-old. Work out a plan with your doctor and give the best to him!
A Sample Food Chart for an 18-Month-Old Baby
Here is a sample chart that you can refer to for making a healthy meal plan for your eighteen-month-old toddler. However, it is recommended that you consult a doctor or an expert before giving him something new. You can make some changes in this plan and create a meal plan that suits your 18-month-old toddler.
Diet for a 18-month-old – Week 1, Day 1
| Breakfast | French toast with milk |
| Mid-morning | Mashed potato |
| Lunch | Roti + dal + a sabzi of choice + a few slices of cucumber + hand pounded rice |
| Evening | Strawberry yoghurt |
| Dinner | Sprouted moong (green gram)-oats cutlet with homemade date-tomato-mint chutney |
Diet for a 18-month-old – Week 1, Day 2
| Breakfast | Besan (gram flour) dhokla + banana milkshake |
| Mid-morning | 1 small glass of watermelon juice |
| Lunch | Palak paneer and paratha |
| Evening | Seviyan (vermicelli) kheer |
| Dinner | Mixed vegetable – paneer (cottage cheese) paratha |
Diet for a 18-month-old – Week 1, Day 3
| Breakfast | Wheat pancake with chocolate milk |
| Mid-morning | Chikoo (sapota) |
| Lunch | Tofu bhurji with jowar (sorghum)-wheat roti and grated carrot raita |
| Evening | Milk + 2-3 whole wheat or multigrain biscuits |
| Dinner | Dal khichdi with plain lauki (bottle gourd) soup |
Diet for a 18-month-old – Week 1, Day 4
| Breakfast | Appe with chutney and chikoo (sapota) milkshake |
| Mid-morning | Banana |
| Lunch | Jowar (sorghum)-wheat roti + masoor (red lentil) palak (spinach) + a few cherry tomatoes |
| Evening | Apple-date milkshake (strained) |
| Dinner | Pulao with tomato soup |
Diet for a 18-month-old – Week 1, Day 5
| Breakfast | Scrambled eggs or paneer (cottage cheese) ladoo with anjeer (fig) milkshake |
| Mid-morning | Papaya |
| Lunch | Roti + dal + a sabzi of choice + a few slices of cucumber + hand pounded rice |
| Evening | Homemade aloo (potato) chips with tomato chutney + milk |
| Dinner | Ragi (finger millet) dosa with potato sabzi and sambar |
Diet for a 18-month-old – Week 1, Day 6
| Breakfast | Broken wheat porridge with almond or walnut powder and crushed raisins |
| Mid-morning | Guava |
| Lunch | Multigrain roti + dal + a sabzi of choice + a few slices of boiled beetroot + hand pounded rice |
| Evening | Ragi (finger millet) satva |
| Dinner | Methi (fenugreek) pithla with jowar (sorghum) roti |
Diet for a 18-month-old – Week 1, Day 7
| Breakfast | Whole wheat pancake with milk |
| Mid-morning | 1 small glass of pomegranate juice |
| Lunch | Roti + dal + a sabzi of choice + a few slices of cucumber + hand pounded rice |
| Evening | Banana-walnut milkshake |
| Dinner | Stuffed parathas with curd or lassi |