Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP)

GUIDELINES FOR PARENTS

Nutrition Between
1 and 2 Years of Age

Convener: Mukul Tiwari

Members: Priyam Gupta,
TM Ananda Kesavan
Reviewer: Anurag Agarwal
Editor: Dheeraj Shah

10 FAQs on NUTRITION BETWEEN 1 AND 2 YEARS OF AGE

1. My child is now 1 year old. Should I stop breastfeeding or continue?
2. What should I feed my child at 1 year of age?
3. Please give me a diet chart for my 1-year-old child; a chart that shows food items, frequency, and quantity.
4. Should I give commercially available baby foods to my 1-year-old child?
5. Should I give skimmed milk to my child to avoid the possibility of obesity in future?
6. My toddler eats only few items and rejects other foods. What should I do?
7. Doctor! Please write a good appetizer for my child who is now 15 months old.
8. I have heard that calcium should be given to children for teething and strong bones. Should I give too? What other
vitamins and supplements should I give?
9. Should I give fruit juices to my child?
10. What drinks are recommended for my young kid?

Under the Auspices of the IAP Action Plan 2020–2021

Piyush Gupta Remesh Kumar R Bakul Parekh GV Basavaraja Deepak Ugra
IAP President 2021 IAP President-Elect 2021 IAP President 2020 IAP HSG 2020–2021 National Co-ordinator

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 © Indian Academy of Pediatrics

IAP Parent Guideline Committee

Chairpersons: Piyush Gupta, Bakul Parekh

IAP Co-ordinators: GV Basavaraja, Harish Kumar Pemde, Purna Kurkure

Core Group

National Co-ordinator: Deepak Ugra

Member Secretaries: Upendra Kinjawadekar, Samir Dalwai
Members: Apurba Ghosh, CP Bansal, Santosh Soans, Somashekhar Nimbalkar, S Sitaraman

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 42
Nutrition Between
1 and 2 Years of Age

Q1

My child is now 1 year old. Should I stop

breastfeeding or continue?

 There is no need to stop breastfeeding after 1 year. It is a natural

process for children to outgrow breastfeeding on their own. You
should ensure that the child is taking enough nutrient rich food
apart from breast milk; otherwise, there is a risk of malnutrition.
 Breast milk can provide up to one-third of energy needs
beyond 1 year of age, and other nutrients (e.g., vitamin A and
vitamin C) important for the health and emotional wellbeing
of the child. It also boosts the immune system. Hence, mothers
can continue breastfeeding along with other foods till 2 years
of life, which is the period of maximum brain growth.
 During the entire period of breastfeeding (and beyond), mother
should also have adequate nutrition including good amount of
calcium and iron.
 Care should be taken to see that breast milk does not remain
the predominant diet of the child at this age. The child must
be offered semisolid cereal-based feeds in adequate quantity.

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 Q2

What should I feed my child

at 1 year of age?

 By 1 year, child should be offered all foods prepared at

home for other members of the family. He/she can take
cereals, vegetables, fruits, pulses, milk, egg, meat, and fish.
Iron-rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, jaggery,
meat, and fish should be included in diet.
Nutrition Between 1 and 2 Years of Age

 “Variety is a good appetizer”. So, add variety, but introduce

new foods one at a time.
 Food items to be avoided include tea, fruit juices, sugar-
sweetened beverages and other junk foods containing
high amount of sugar, salt, fat, and chemicals, which not
only make the child feel full but are also harmful. Too much
milk (apart from breastfeeding) should also be avoided.
Use milk to prepare balanced foods for the child rather than
making him/her drink the milk repeatedly.
 Self-feeding should be encouraged. Your baby will be slow
and messy at first but it will promote good feeding habits.
 Offer foods up to 4–5 times in a day. Small frequent
feeds may help to increase food intake and help in better
digestion.
 Handle the food hygienically.
 Do not offer food sitting in front of TV/mobile. If possible,
tell her/him good stories (It will improve her social skills
also) at the time of feeding. Basically, make the mealtime a
pleasant event for the child as well as for parents.
 Food items such as groundnut and sweets may lead to
choking (aspiration). Forceful feeding also may rarely lead
to aspiration. So, take care.

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 Q3

Please give me a diet chart for my 1-year-old

child; a chart that shows food items, frequency,
and quantity.

Morning: Two idli/dosa/appam/puri with vegetable/pulse curry. Everyday, we

can rotate the item so that child will take it without hesitancy. Add little amount
of ghee or oil and jaggery/sugar to food, wherever possible to enhance its
nutritive value. You may add some milk, if demanded.
11 AM: Half the banana/other fruits. Always give fresh and seasonal whole

Nutrition Between 1 and 2 Years of Age

fruits after removing peel and seeds to avoid choking. Avoid fruit juices.
Let them enjoy whole fruits. Teach your child to peel-off fruit, remove its seeds,
and let him/her enjoy the process.
Noon: Rice with sambar or chapati with dal, meat/fish/egg or/and green leafy
vegetables should also be offered (Fig. 1).
4 PM: Upma/Dosa/Egg/Bread with butter/pulses/vegetable curries as appro­
priate.
Milk: 50–100 mL or use milk to make porridge (dalia).
Night: Chapati/Dosa/Rice/Uthappam/Khichdi with dal/curd/vegetable curry
as appropriate.
Bedtime: 100 mL milk with half teaspoonful sugar.
Offer frequent breastfeeding as and when demanded by the child.
Note: This diet chart is representative. Modify it according to culture,
acceptability, availability, and affordability. Rotate foods to offer more variety.

Fig. 1: Food plate.

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 Q4

Should I give commercially available baby foods

to my 1-year-old child?

No! Homemade preparations with cereals, pulses, nuts (powdered or grinded),

and jaggery are more nutritious and healthier than giving processed foods
available in market. Also it is time to move away from giving porridge-like
food textures and start giving foods which the child could enjoy to chew and
eat. At this age, child should be eating what all the family members eat.
Nutrition Between 1 and 2 Years of Age

Q5

Should I give skimmed milk to my child to avoid the

possibility of obesity in future?

 As far as possible, avoid skimmed milk. Also, avoid too much animal
source milk. Both are poor sources of many nutrients. Rather, continue
breastfeeding which will offer child extra nutrients, and is likely to reduce
the risk of obesity in future.
 Babies at this age need fat in their diet for a variety of reasons, including for
brain development. So, it is recommended to have whole milk.
 If your child is overweight/obese or there is family history of obesity/dys­
lipidemia or cardiovascular disease, skimmed milk may be offered or milk
may be avoided altogether.
 In a healthy child, whole milk may be slowly switched to low fat milk after
the age of 2 years.

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 Q6

My toddler eats only few items and rejects other foods.

What should I do?

Children have a natural dislike of new things. But, do not worry too much.
Over time, they start eating new things. A child may refuse the food 15–20 times
before he/she begins to give it a try. Patience pays. There are psychological
reasons too. A child exerts independence and takes control of his/her life in this
way. But, think again. According to one study, almost 50% of mothers labeled
their child as picky eaters, whereas all the children in the study actually ate a
wide variety of foods. Here are some tips to handle a picky eater:

Nutrition Between 1 and 2 Years of Age

 Provide a variety of foods (a well-balanced diet) to your child.
 Be patient; some babies take time to like and begin eating a new item.
 Make meal-times enjoyable and not an ordeal. Experiment with food
shapes. For example, you can make star-shaped or fish-shaped chapatis or
shape the salad-like a duck or a ship.
 Allow your child to feed self.
 Go slow. Do not offer too many new choices in one go. Offer small quantities
initially.
 Involve your child while preparing food. You can ask what you should cook
which he/she will find tasty. Take care of safety of the child while involving
him/her in preparation of the food.

Q7

Doctor! Please write a good appetizer for my

child who is now 15 months old.

Appetizers are not recommended for children. Let the child decide how
much he/she wants to eat. Many appetizers available in market are dubious
preparations and their contents and claims cannot be verified. There are
medicinal appetizers also, but most of them contain substances which cause
sleepiness, irritability, and learning problems. There are some foods such as
tamarind and soups which are supposed to be natural appetizers. If the child
has some nutritional deficiency (e.g., anemia), treatment for the same may
increase the appetite. Consult your pediatrician, if you have any such concern.
7

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 Q8

I have heard that calcium should be given to children

for teething and strong bones. Should I give too? What
other vitamins and supplements should I give?

Calcium supplements are not routinely needed in children of this age. Make
sure your child gets a well-balanced diet and calcium-rich foods such as milk
and other dairy products. If you are concerned about deficiency of calcium or
vitamin D in the child’s diet, consult your pediatrician who may decide to start
Nutrition Between 1 and 2 Years of Age

some supplements after checking the child’s nutritional status. Some children
do need a daily multivitamin, iron or mineral supplement, such as:
 Kids who are not eating regular, well-balanced meals made from fresh,
whole foods.
 Kids who have feeding difficulties, as in cerebral palsy.
 Kids on a vegan diet may need some supplements. Kids on other restricted
diets also may need supplements.

Q9

Should I give fruit juices to my child?

Fruit juices are not recommended to be given to children up to 2 years of age.

Most of the packaged ready-to-drink fruit juices have doubtful amount of real
fruit content with unknown quantities of nutrients and lots of sugar. There is
also increased risk of dental caries with intake of these fruit drinks. Fresh fruit
juice contains some antioxidants, potassium, minerals and vitamins, especially
vitamin C, but lacks protein and promotes obesity. Give whole fruits to your
child because these provide additional fiber, which is good for digestion and
avoiding constipation. Natural sugar of fruits (fructose) is released very slowly,
and usually does not promote obesity.

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 Q10

What drinks are recommended for my young kid?

The American Academy of Pediatrics website for parents recommends only

water and milk as drinks for under 5-years-old children (Table 1).

TABLE 1: Water and milk requirements for young children.

Age Water Milk
6–12 months 120–240 mL/day Only breast milk
1–2 years 240–950 mL/day 300–500 mL/day, if no breastfeeding.
It is recommended to continue

Nutrition Between 1 and 2 Years of Age

breastfeeding; then less amount will be
required
2–5 years 240–1200 mL 480–600 mL/day
1 cup = 240 mL
Source: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/
Recommended-Drinks-for-Young-Children-Ages-0-5.aspx
Note: Generally, children below 2 years of age should not be given low fat or skimmed
milk. Children above 2 years may be given skimmed/low fat or full fat milk, depending
on their nutritional status.

Avoid 100% juice, stevia/sugar sweetened fruit drinks, flavored milk,

and caffeinated or carbonated drinks.

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