What are good foods for toddlers? It’s a question many parents ask themselves. Here is a list of 15 nutritious foods that are ideal for kids under the age of two.
If you’re the parent of a toddler, you already know the answer to this question: what are good foods for toddlers? You need some healthy snacks for your toddler that will nourish them, keep them engaged and, perhaps most importantly, quiet.
What Are Good Foods For Toddlers
Typically at this age, toddlers only want to feed themselves, ‘mmeeeee do it’ is still a very popular phrase in our house:). So while their gumption is there, they still might not be ready to eat full sizes of kids and grown up foods yet. That can make it hard for you to come up with foods that are small enough for them to eat yet are still packed with all the essential vitamins and minerals that their growing bodies need. In fact, one of the questions I always get from my readers is, ‘what the heck do I feed my 1-2 year old’?
While I want to tell you to just feed your toddler the exact same meals that you are eating, because that is the motto that I live by now that my girls are bigger, depending on how old your toddler is that isn’t always possible. Sometimes you just want to snack on a crunchy Kind Bar or a have a spicy lentil soup for dinner that you don’t want to tame down for your toddler. I get you!
Below you will find some of my kiddos favorite meals and snacks that they devoured when they were toddlers.
In the pictures you might see that some of the foods might look too big for what age your toddler is, but just know that you can just cut up or scale down anything in these recipes to accommodate your toddlers food size range.
Rainbow Peppers + Feta Quiche for Toddler
Peach Summer Fruit Salad for Toddlers with Mint + Honey Dressing
Spiced Blender Pancakes for Baby + Toddler
Butternut Squash ‘Mac and Cheese’ for Toddler
Spring-Fling Finger Salad for Toddlers
3 Fall Blender Muffins for Baby + Toddler (Gluten and Refined-Sugar Free
Mini Chicken + Carrot Meatballs for Baby + Toddlers
Roasted Root Vegetables for Baby + Toddler
Sweet Potato Waffles for Baby & Toddler
Tomato + Mozzarella + Olives + Basil Toddler Snack
Toddler Breakfast Oat Cups – 4 Tasty Ways (Gluten and Refined-Sugar Free)
Blackberry + Cucumber + Melon Toddler Finger Salad
Avocado + Blueberry Yummy Toddler Muffins
Beets + Orange + Mint Toddler Finger Food
Toddler Tofu Sticks + Peanut Dipping Sauce
5 TODDLER MEALS (HEALTHY + EASY RECIPES)
This Master List of Toddler Meals is full of healthy and easy breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner recipes for your little one! Most of these recipes can be made in 5-30 minutes, are freezer-friendly and have allergy modifications. Great for toddlers 1-3 years old!
HEALTHY TODDLER MEAL IDEAS
Feeling stressed 😰 about what to serve your toddler? Are you short on time ⏰ and not sure what your toddler might actually eat? Do you need some fresh ideas 💡 for new recipes?
Then this is the right place for you!
I’ve compiled over 75 meals that are completely toddler-approved!
That’s right – I’ve tested them for you, so you won’t have to! Over the years, I’ve tested out hundreds of recipes on my daughters when they were toddlers and preschoolers, and these 75 recipes were clearly the winners 🥇 because they still love eating them to this day!
I’m not sure it’s okay to call your kids 👭 your test subjects… but we are just going to go with it! 👍
Feeding toddlers can be tricky! But, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! Here you will find real-life toddler meal ideas, over 100 toddler snack ideas, great hidden-veggie recipes, 50 cooking with toddler recipes and so much more!
FEATURED TODDLER RECIPE VIDEO
Need some toddler recipe ideas? Check out these videos to see just how easy they can be!
TIPS FOR MAKING EASY TODDLER RECIPES
- Freezer-Friendly: a great way to make feeding your toddler super easy is always to have a stash of toddler-approved meals in the freezer. If there are any leftovers, I will place them in the freezer for a later meal. This works great for muffins, waffles, meatballs, chicken nuggets, etc. Basically, anything you can find in the grocery store’s frozen section can be frozen with your own homemade recipes. You can also make a double batch of your kiddo’s favorite recipes so you can have a backup plan when life gets crazy (or toddler gets demanding;).
- Make Once – Serve Again: if you are making a bigger or more time-consuming meal (anything over 30 minutes for dinner), it’s a great idea to save the leftovers and use those in another toddler meal. You can serve the same meal or use parts of the meal in another meal altogether – chicken can be added into cheese quesadillas, pasta can be served with a different sauce, soup can be served with different sides like grilled cheese or turkey sandwich or used as a sauce for pasta or rice.
- Quick Toddler Meals: a key way to not lose your mind is to always have a list (and the ingredients) for a quick meal for toddlers. Print out or make a list of these easy breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas and keep them on hand for when life is super crazy and your toddler needed to eat 10 minutes ago.
HELPFUL TODDLER FEEDING TOOLS
- plates
- open cups
- utensils
- smoothie cups
- booster seat
- suction plate
- lunch box
- reusable pouches
TODDLER DAILY NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES
According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, nutrients of concern for underconsumption in a child’s second year are vitamin D, calcium, fiber, and potassium, so make sure your toddler gets a variety of foods with these nutrients daily.
Below are recommended daily intakes for toddlers of different ages. Still, it’s important to look at what your child eats throughout the whole week instead of focusing on each day since toddlers’ eating habits can be erratic and unpredictable. As long as you keep offering a variety of foods from all of the food groups, your child’s nutrition should balance out each week.
Daily Recommended Intake for Toddlers 12-23 months
- 700-1,000 calories a day split between 3 meals and 2 snacks
- Half of the daily calories should be from healthy fats
- 2/3 – 1 cup of vegetables daily
- ½ – 1 cup of fruit daily
- 1 ¾ – 3 ounces of grains daily
- 1 2/3 – 2 cups of dairy daily
- 2 ounces of protein daily
Daily Recommended Intake for Toddlers 2-4 years
- 1,000-1,400 calories a day for girls and 1,000-1,600 calories for boys split between 3 meals and 1-2 snacks
- Healthy fats should be reduced to about 30% of total daily calories
- 1-2 cups of vegetables daily
- 1- 1 ½ cups of fruit daily
- 3 – 5 ounces of grains daily
- 2 – 2 ½ cups of dairy daily
- 2 – 5 ounces of protein daily
HOW TO BUILD A TODDLER MEAL
A good method for building a well-balanced meal for 1-3-year-old toddlers is to include foods from a variety of food groups each day. You don’t have to have all food groups represented at every meal but make sure you offer a protein at all meals and snacks to help keep little bellies full.
A typical toddler plate should be made up of:
- half fruits and veggies
- a quarter of grains
- a quarter protein
- serving of dairy
When serving dairy products, give whole milk products until age 2. Focus on whole fruits instead of fruit juice and aim to make half of grains whole grains for more fiber and other nutrients.
Offer foods multiple times, even if your toddler acts like he does not like it, because it can take up to 15 times of being presented with a food for a child to develop a taste for it. Try offering foods cooked in a variety of ways so your toddler can explore different tastes and textures. Even better, serve your child what you are eating (in age-appropriate sizes, of course) and eat meals together so you can model healthy eating behaviors for them.
SAMPLE TODDLER MEAL PLAN
Below is a sample 5-day meal plan for toddlers. Feel free to use leftovers if you have them to add to the next meal. You can also add in sides of cut veggies and fruit that you have on-hand.
MONDAY
Breakfast: Blueberry Oatmeal with a cup of milk
Morning Snack: Whole Grain Cheese Crackers
Lunch: Turkey + Carrot Roll-Ups with a side of sliced strawberries and milk
Afternoon Snack: Healthy Spiced Apple Dip
Dinner: Chicken Parmesan Meatballs served with whole-wheat penne, side of asparagus, and a cup of milk
TUESDAY
Breakfast: Avocado Egg Toast for Baby + Toddler with a cup of milk
Morning Snack: Healthy On-The-Go Granola Bars
Lunch: Mini Bagel Pizzas with Pepper “Sprinkles” with a side of cut cucumbers and pineapple, and a cup of milk
Afternoon Snack: Funfetti Energy Balls
Dinner: Taco Tuesday for Baby + Toddler with a side of oranges and milk
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast: 3-Ingredient Banana Pancakes with milk
Morning Snack: Strawberry Applesauce with a cheese stick
Lunch: leftover Taco Tuesday for Baby + Toddler with a side of peaches and milk
Afternoon Snack: Chewy Mint Chocolate Granola Bars
Dinner: Crispy Salmon Bites with a side of green beans and milk
THURSDAY
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Banana Yogurt Bark
Morning Snack: Applesauce Mini Muffins
Lunch: Easy Tomato Soup with Cheesy Bread Dippers, side of blueberries and a cup of milk
Afternoon Snack: Funfetti Energy Balls
Dinner: Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Apple Slaw with a side of baked sweet potatoes and milk
FRIDAY
Breakfast: Cottage Cheese + Fruit Bowl with a side of whole-wheat toast
Morning Snack: Healthy On-The-Go Granola Bars
Lunch: Kale + Spinach with Apple Quesadilla and milk
Afternoon Snack: Chewy Mint Chocolate Granola Bars
Dinner: Crispy Seasoned Fish with Pineapple & Avocado Chunks with a side of rice and milk
TODDLER BREAKFAST
MADE IN 10-MINUTES OR LESS
- Blueberry Oatmeal (10-Minutes)
- Almond Butter + Banana Toast with Hemp Sprinkles for Toddler
- Avocado Egg Toast for Baby + Toddler
- Cottage Cheese + Fruit Bowl for Baby + Toddler
- Power-Packed Smoothie
- My Toddler’s Favorite Pink Smoothie
- Peach Pie Smoothie for Toddler + Kids (2 hidden veggies!)
- 3-Ingredient Banana Pancakes
- Peanut Butter Banana Yogurt Bark
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie with Hidden-Veggie
FREEZER-FRIENDLY
- Freezer-Friendly Spinach Waffles for Baby + Toddler
- Broccoli Egg Cups for Baby + Toddler
- Wholesome Blueberry Sheet Pan Pancakes (allergy-friendly)
- Whole Grain Pumpkin Waffle Dippers
- Healthy Yogurt Parfait Popsicles
- Easy Blender Spinach Pancakes
- Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bake
- Applesauce Mini Muffins
- Toddler Breakfast Oat Cups – 4 Tasty Ways
- Spiced Blender Pancakes for Baby + Toddler
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- Whole Wheat Pancake Mix
- Blueberry + Lemon Toddler Muffins
- Healthy Mini Pumpkin Muffins for Toddler + Kids
- Blueberry Avocado Mini Muffins
MADE IN 15-MINUTES OR LESS
- Mini Bagel Pizzas with Pepper “Sprinkles”
- Beet Hummus for Baby, Toddler + Kids (Hidden Veggie)
- Kale Pesto Chicken Quesadilla for Baby + Toddler
- Avocado Tuna Salad in Mini Pita Pockets for Kids + Toddler
- Turkey + Carrot Roll-Ups (easy kid + toddler lunch)
- Veggie-Loaded Toddler Rainbow Pizza
- Easy-Peasy 5 Veggie Pasta for Baby + Toddler
- Sunshine Sammie
- Kale + Spinach with Apple Quesadilla
- 12 Healthy Toddler Lunch Ideas
MAKE ONCE – SERVE FOR MULTIPLE MEALS
- Easy Veggie “Fried” Rice for Baby + Toddler
- Taco Tuesday for Baby + Toddler
- Baked Seasoned Chicken Tenders for Baby + Toddler
- Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa Bites for Toddler
- Tortellini-on-a-Stick with Marinara Dipping Sauce for Toddlers
- Easy Tomato Soup with Cheesy Bread Dippers for Kids + Toddlers
- Summer Pesto Finger Salad for Baby + Toddler
- Curry Pasta Salad for Baby + Toddler (great for Baby-Led Weaning)