2 to 2½ Years

I feel proud when I get to choose.

I need your help to LEARN TO MAKE CHOICES.

WHAT

  • I can eat what everyone else eats. You don’t need to make something special for me.
  • Let me decide what I will eat from the foods you offer.
HOW
  • Give me a choice when possible. Ask me, “do you want peas or carrots with dinner?” or “Would you like red or green apple slices?”.
  • Offer me a variety of foods, even ones you don’t like. Let me try them to learn if I like them.
  • If I don’t like a new food right away, that’s okay! Offer it again at another time. It might take 10 or more times before I decide to try it.
WHEN
  • My routine is important. Let’s try to eat at the same times every day.
  • If I don’t want to eat at a meal or snack, tell me I will have another chance to eat at the next meal or snack time.
  • Remember, I only need water between meals and snacks.
WHERE
  • I learn by watching you. Sit and eat the same foods that you offer to me.
  • Teach me I am part of the family. I can help by wiping off the table and tearing lettuce or greens for salad.
I am learning how to do
more, like feeding myself
and cleaning up my toys.
I love when you tell me
you are proud.

Here are some examples of what meal and snack portion sizes might look like on my plate.

Breakfast

¼ cup diced raspberries

½ cup low-fat yogurt

½ slice, cut up whole grain french toast

½ cup water

Lunch

¼ cup diced kiwi

½ cup cooked, mashed sweet potato

1 slice whole grain bread

with 1 tablespoon peanut butter spread thin

½ cup low-fat milk

Snacks

½ cup dry cereal

½ cup cooked, chopped carrots

½ cup chopped blueberries

½ cup shredded cheese

water between meals and snacks

Dinner

½ cup cooked, chopped green beans

½ cup low-fat milk

½ cup cooked, diced tomatoes

with ½ cup cooked whole grain pasta

with 2 tablespoons baked, chopped chicken

Daily suggested food group amounts

FRUITS

2 servings a day – 1 cup total
1 serving = ½ cup

Cooked or soft, raw fruit.

Mashed, sliced, or chopped.

Offer a variety: red, yellow, orange, blue, and green.

VEGETABLES

3 servings a day – 1½ cups total
1 serving = ½ cup

Raw or cooked, mashed, sliced, or chopped veggies.

Offer a variety: dark green, orange, red, yellow, and purple.

GRAINS

6 servings a day – 3 ounces total
1 serving = 1/2 ounce

Whole grain bread, tortillas, rice, or noodles.

Dry or cooked cereal.

PROTEINS

2 servings a day – 2 ounces total
1 serving = 1 ounce

Cooked, chopped meat, poultry, or fish.

Eggs.

Cooked, mashed beans, or peas.

Peanut butter.

DAIRY

4 servings a day – 2 cups total
1 serving = ½ cup

Low-fat or fat free milk.

Yogurt.

Cheese.

Look what I can do!

  • I can feed myself with a spoon or a fork. I still use my fingers so help me wash my hands before I eat.
  • I can run, jump, and climb. Let’s be active together!
  • I learn new words from you. Teach me the names and colors of foods and other objects. I still love it when you read to me.

Keep me safe and healthy

Now that I am 2 years old, it’s time for me to switch to los-fat or fat free milk, cheese, and yogurt.

I’m still learning to chew food properly. Please DON’T give me foods I could choke on like whole nuts, whole grapes, seeds, hot dogs, or hard candies, and sit with me while I eat.

Help me brush my teeth at least twice a day with a small, soft toothbrush and smear of toothpaste.

Be with me during screen time and interact with me. Remember, to schedule plenty of non-screen time into my day.

Feeding a 6-7 Month Old

Feed solids with a spoon and from a bowl, never from a bottle.

Feeding a 10-12 Month Old

Breast milk is the most important source of nutrition for your baby, even after you start offering solid foods.

Feeding a 8-9 Month Old

Feed solids with a spoon. Never put cereal in a bottle.

Tips

Mom new born home

Breast milk and formula feeding:

Around 2-3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months of age, babies may experience a growth spurt when they feed more often.

As they grow babies can hold more milk, so feedings may become further apart and take less time.

To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding. Never prop up a bottle to feed.

Start offering whole milk when your baby is one year old.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months and beyond.

feeding solid foods

Feeding solid foods:

Wait to offer solid foods until your baby:

  • Can sit up and hold up their own head.
  • Opens their mouth when they see food.
  • Can close their lips around a spoon.

To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding. Never prop up a bottle to feed.

Try one new food at a time. Wait 5 days before trying another new food to watch for allergies. Food allergies may include wheezing, rash, or diarrhea.

Introduce peanut butter around 6 months. Spread a small, thin smear of peanut butter or nut butter thinly on a cracker.  Watch your baby for any reaction for the next 2 hours.

Babies under one year should NOT have honey due to the risk of botulism. Also, babies should not have foods that can cause choking like nuts or whole grapes.

All babies are different. Talk with WIC or your baby’s healthcare provider about your baby’s needs.

Feeding Cues

Feeding a 4-5 Month Old

Before teeth come in, wipe gums with a soft, clean wash cloth after each feeding, especially before bed.

Feeding a 0-3 Month Old

Newborns have tiny tummies and need to be fed often. In the first few weeks, you may need to wake your baby to feed if they sleep longer than 4 hours.

Growth Spurts

Many babies are fussy during a growth spurt and will want to nurse longer and more often. This is called cluster feeding. This is your baby’s way of helping you increase your milk supply so that you can keep up with their needs. Remember, the more your baby nurses, the more milk your body makes.

Growth spurts can happen at any time, and every baby is different.

They often happen at these ages:

two-three-weeks

2 to 3 Weeks

6 Weeks

three-months

3 Months

six-months

6 Months

What foods can I get?

Authorized Food List
Authorized Food List

Where can I shop?