Before moving on to explore the Indian Toddler Food Chart, let’s address the need for such a chart.
Toddlers are not small adults and have unique dietary requirements. Many moms face challenges with their toddlers being fussy eaters and struggling to eat well. Providing variety and new flavors is essential to keep them interested in food. The Indian Toddler Food Chart, along with its recipes, offers different options to address this issue. As babies cross the first year mark, they can consume most foods that adults eat, with a few exceptions. However, it’s important to avoid spicy, salty, deep-fried snacks, and junk foods. A well-designed food chart helps moms provide a balanced diet with appropriate portions, preventing the mistake of overfeeding. By following the chart, toddlers can develop healthy eating habits without developing aversions to food.
So how much should a toddler eat?
Indian Food Chart for Toddlers
This Indian toddler food chart gives you options for breakfast, midmorning snacks, lunch, evening snacks and dinner.
Milk Requirements
You can feed your toddler the regular milk what he takes daily in the morning around 100 to 200 ml when he wakes up. If your toddler is allergic to milk products, you can substitute it with a whole fruit or Soya Milk or Almond Milk.
It is better to give commercial health drinks like horlicks, pediasure after 2 years.
If you want to add a health mix powder to your toddler’s milk you can try adding this Homemade Health Mix Powder. or the Dry Fruits Powder.
In the evenings, if your toddler needs milk then the same volume 100 – 150 ml can be given. For more comprehensive meal ideas and guidance, please refer to the Indian Toddler Food Chart.
Water Requirements
A toddler would require atleast 5 cups of water daily or according to his thirst. This includes the milk, juices and other fluids consumed by the toddler. Check this article to know about Water Intake for Toddlers
Few things to remember
1. The chart is meant as a guide, it is ok if you can’t follow it every day.
2. You can mix and match the recipes for the whole month according to your toddlers likes and dislikes.
| Breakfast | Mid Morning snacks | Lunch | Evening snack | Dinner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Moong dal Sprouts Cheela | Chickoo milkshake | Masala Khichdi | Shahi Tukda | Idli Tadka |
| Tuesday | Suji Veg Upma | Veg soup | Fried Rice | Milk 150 ml | Carrot Cheese paratha |
| Wednesday | Wheat Pancake | Apple Fingers | Palak Khichdi | Bread upma | Steamed Dosa |
| Thursday | Aloo Matar Paratha | Smoothie | Egg Rice / Veg Pulao | Milk 150 ml | Vermicilli Pulao |
| Friday | French toast/ Suji Toast | Egg Bhurji/ Veg Fingers | Veg Khichdi | Suji paneer Cutlets | Ragi Dosa |
| Saturday | Rava Idli | Oats Cookies | Jeera Pulao | Milk 150 ml | Besan ka Paratha |
| Sunday | Vegetable Pasta | Veg muffins/ Chicken | Carrot rice | Beetroot Rolls | Oats Pancake |
Breakfast recipes for Toddlers
2. Suji Veg Upma (This link is from another site, please follow the recipe with less salt, will post the recipe soon in MLM)
4. Suji Toast
5. Rava Idli
Lunch Recipes for Toddlers
1. 10 types of Khichdi Recipes for Toddlers
2. Pongal
3. Fried Rice
4. Egg Rice
5. Carrot Rice.
Dinner Recipes for Toddlers
1. Steamed Dosa
3. Idli Tadka
5. Ragi Dosa – Add 2 teaspoon of Ragi powder to Dosa batter and make dosas.
6. Oats pancake
Snacks
While snacks is not mandatory, it is better to feed the toddler something every 2 hours, it need not be elaborate snacks like beetroot rolls or spring rolls, just a simple whole fruit like apple would do.
Hope this chart was useful, do leave a comment below for any queries or doubts.
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Dear Dr. Hemapriya,
Thank you for such nice blogs and information. I have 3 year 5 months old son. His appetite is very small and he is in 10th percentile for weight for age (10.34 kg when was 3 year and 3 months old). Me and his mother find very hard time feeding him. We both are working and he goes to daycare where he gets his lunch. We do not know how much he eats there but he is very hungry and cranky while returning home from the daycare. We find very hard time thinking what do make and give him for his breakfast or lunch (weekends) or dinner. Can you please share me the food chart or pdf for one week meal plan for him. We are mostly vegetarian, take egg and sometimes eat chicken in week.
Thank you
Sure, You chan follow our meal plan. Please click here for the same. You can also talk to the day care teachers regarding this. That can help you to rule out the crankiness.
my daughter is 2.5yrs old and she is resisting any new variety food so I end up giving her dhall and curd rice with some vegetables everyday on her meal for lunch and dinner. she is still underweight for her age but active.so, her pediatrician said okay for now but try different options in her food to make her eat. how to make her try new variety food?
Hi Aishwariya,
Please give lots of finger fodds and practice self feeding. That’s most important for increasing the feeding ability and interest in foods.
Could you please send pdf of food chart according to Month and agee
Hi,
You can find a place to type in your email id under every food chart blog. Once you enter the details, you will receive the pdf format. Or please send an email with the request to [email protected].
Hi mam,
My son is 3 years old. He eats only only idli,dhosa for breakfast and dinner. Curd rice for lunch. He is not willing to eat any other foods. He is very fond of Poha aval and eating it daily often. He is not trying any other varieties at all. Am very worried about his nutrition. Kindly guide me how to make him try new foods
Hi Kavi,
I would request you to keep giving lots of varieties, so that he doesn’t get bored. Practicing selffeeding is also most important for increasing the feeding ability and interest in foods.Even if he doesn’t accept big meals, try giving small volumes of nutritious foods in regular intervals. That can definitely help.
Hi my baby is 6.5 year old plz share chart for him as he is getting thin day by day dark complexion uneven tone skin.
Hi Kanika,
Sure, you can use this toddler diet plan for the entire family. Try concentrating on healthy feeding. Adding avocado, peas, pear, peach, dry fruits, ghee, oats, ragi, coconut oil, bananas, raw kerala bananas, potatoes, sweet potato etc can help to gain weight. You can also give our energy nutrimix with milk for a healthy weight gain 🙂
hi, my girl is 4.6 yrs old. she is a very choosy and slow eater and on daily basis she like to have pratha (mostly plain) with butter and second meal she likes to eat daliya (i cook with my modifications like adding veggies and pulses).
she is not ready to have a little of spice atall. Apart that she is not having other food varieties.
please guid e m here how can i add more cuizines in her diet.
and due to this is she is very slim.
Hi Kanika,
Spices can be added gradually. Start with a pinch. Try giving different colorful varieties in a playful way. That can help in creating interest 🙂
How much quantity of milk should one year old baby can have?
As my child is drinking 3 times (Before BF in b/w 6AM to 8AM, night before bed, mid night around 2 to 3)a day 150ml each time.
Hi Sravani,
Baby can have approximately 300 to 400 ml of milk.
Hi,my baby girl is now 14 months old now..doctor suggests give her vurd..but I don’t understand which type of curd I give her..can I give her flavored curd or hung or normal Amul wala..
Hi Neha,
Please avoid flavored or the curds with preservatives or additives. Home made curd or the plain natural curd are best to be given to babies.
Hello Hema – I am Ramya, and I have a 15month old. At this point we are in a quite difficult situation with respect to his food. In general since day one he was a fussy one for drinking milk due to reflux. Later we had the same issue with purees.Now he is in the stage where he still needs to be fed, meaning he doesn’t pick by himself till date to at least try to taste.
So we have been able to successfully feed him mashed food, with some sort of dal,rasam, sambar etc more on the liquids side.
He is now a big no no to milk – we switched from formula to cow milk now. yet the same, tried to feed him milk in some form like glass, sips cups etc still no luck. Can you suggest the best practices for feeding methods. I am a bit worried as he will soon go a day where they would want him to eat by himself n not feed.
I am just going crazy n confused hence looking forward for your response.
Hi Ramya,
Try placing a plate in front of him with his favorites and ignore, don’t ask him to eat but you eat in front of him so he gets curious:) If he denies milk don’t compel him. Add calcium rich foods like Curd, drumstick leaves, ragi, cabbage, ladies finger, oranges, soya beans regularly in baby’s diet. Try adding natural health mixes in milk to make it more healthy and convincing. Don’t worry dear. He would slowly change the preference.
Hi, Dr. my daughter is 17 months and she is a fussy eater. She only takes foods that are mashed properly almost liquid consistency. Even the tiny solid in the food she pukes out everything. How can I introduce to her solid like chapati and parathas? Is it okay for baby to have mashed food and for how long?
Hi Affreen,
Try not to always mash food for the baby as her digestive system might get used to it. Gradually change the consistency from watery to partially mashed and so on. She will definitely cope up. Try giving lots of finger foods, that would be helping her to increase the feeding ability. Give very small pieces of soft fruits and vegetables first and then gradually introduce small pieces of roti to chew.
Hi Hema,
My daughter is 16 months old. Body weight absolutely fine. Very active. I actually see no issues. But my worry is she doesnt like to eat roti/parantha. My mil says she should be eating atleast 2 chapatis by now daily. Below is the meal plan I follow
7AM – big bowl of sweet daliya
9 AM – About 5oz of milk.
9:30 – 11:30 – she sleeps
12:00 – One banana
12:30 – Big bowl of curd
1:30 – 5-6 bites of roti with dal/vegetable
2:30 – About 6 oz of milk
3:30- 5:30 she takes a nap
6:00 – seasonal fruit
7:30 – A bowl of dal / Khichdi / half roti with dal (This depends on her mood, some days she finishes a big bowl of dal and some days she doesnt have anything)
9:30 – 7 oz milk and she sleeps
She rarely gets up at night .
Please let me know , if she is getting enough nutrients or do I need to increase her food intake. I do not force feed .
Hi Mansi,
Quantity of food depends on the baby dear, you can give how much she eats and stop when she denies.If she hates rotis you can try other recipes for her, forcing will only increase aversion over foods.Let her enjoy eating. Your diet plan is good but you can add varieties in daily diet dear. Please check on the below link for different recipes.
Link – https://goo.gl/SvVZ5J
Hi Dr.Hema,
Thank you for providing such helpful information.my 16 month old son is a poor eater. I prepare different varities for him but when i try to feed him , he just smells the food and refuses to eat. I have tried rice/sambar, pongal, first bytes(organic food),poha,upma,idli etc. He refuses to eat . Entire day he eats 3-4 biscuits and drinks milk.Can you please suggest how i can make him eat?I am not sure what i am doing wrong.Thanks for your help.
It’s our pleasure dear 🙂 This is just one of the stages in your child’s development. Whenever you get time, try eating together, let him see the other children of the family eat, encourage your child by talking about the food’s color, shape, aroma, texture and taste, make the food appealing by adding some extras which your baby likes, never force your child to try a food. It’s not advisable to give cookies with preservatives, you can try making it at home if he loves. If your child hates vegetables in one form like mashed, try steamed or roasted ( you can also try different recipes from our website). Don’t get upset if one doesn’t work. Each child is different, and what works for one may not work for another. Be patient and soon baby will start enjoying food 🙂
Cookies recipe :- https://goo.gl/QxJjbK
My son is one year old. Have a few questions regarding his diet:
1. Is it ok to give him one egg everyday? He loves it. Earlier I was giving him 2 eggs everyday
2. Is rock salt better than regular salt
3. Have been using homemade ghee for preparing his food so far. Can I start using oil? Which one is the best? Is olive oil/ mustard oil ok?
4. I add a little cheese to his veggies since it’s easy to feed him that way. Is that ok?
5. Which one is better amongst bread/ roti/ rice? He doesn’t like rice much. Do you have any creative ideas on how to get him to eat rice?
6. I feed him by hand. Have tried to get him to feed himself many times but failed. He simply plays with the food. Do you have any suggestions?
7. I have been ordering your Sathumavu mix and moongdal khichdi mix .. my son loves both of them. Is it ok to give these to him everyday as one meal?
Hi Gitanjali,
Here are your answers dear,
1. It’s perfectly fine to feed 1 egg per day.
2. Too much of any salt is bad, as rock salt is in more natural form, it’s supposed to be better.
3. any filtered or cold pressed oil, preferably the virgin version. You can choose between sesame, mustard, coconut or groundnut oil. ( find more information by clicking on the link- https://goo.gl/9waQN6 )
4. Yes, you can add – unsalted cheese.
5. All 3 are good 🙂 you can check for different nutritious recipes from our site.
6. Give him more finger foods Just let him eat with his hands and clean up when he’s done, Continue to put a wide variety of foods in front of your child and then TOTALLY IGNORE what he does with the food, never mind if he plays, this would improve his feeding ability.
7. You can give dear, but please make sure to add different nutritious recipes in his diet too ( as he has to be gradually exposed to all kinds of solids by this age ).
Hope all your doubts are cleared 🙂
Hello Dr. Hema,
My Son is 17 months old but only likes to eat porridge and pureed food. He refuses to have solids, i tried it many times. Please suggest me how should i start giving him Solids??
Thanks!!
Hi Pranali, please check out this post on ways to help your toddler chew- https://goo.gl/ax95aT
Hi,
My son is 3.1 yr old with weight 11.5kgs. He just does not eat anything in the entire day. No vegetables no roti no fruits no milk. He s v petite n sometimes complain of leg pain . Please help.i have tried every possible recepie forhim.
Hi Richa,
If he drinks water then you can feed him various juices,soups and broths allow him to spend his time in physical activity so that he can probably feel hungry. Give him small portions of foods but that small portion should be packed with loads of nutrients in it. You can feed him finger foods if he is comfortable in eating them while playing, if he is eating the finger foods try giving him rolls patties sandwiches which are easy to prepare but holds a nutrient value to your toddler.
Nice. Can you please suggest meal plan for 16 month old baby which can be used by working mother?
Making so many food items is really not feasible for working mother.
Hi Krupali,
You can make him eat finger foods, keep it freshly stocked in fridge when the need arises you can bake them and give. Rolls,patties,fritters can be prepared before and can be given once it is time to feed your little one. Milkshakes and smoothies are easiest when required you can prepare and feed. The below given link will have many recipes in it. The one’s which is feasible for you that you can try and keep it in hand
https://goo.gl/c7WiAV
Hi dr. hema.you are doing great job for moms.thank you for the great recipes.I want to know why there is no milkshakes in this food chart.and do you deliver your products abroad.I live in uk.
Yes dear we do deliver in most countries. Please share your order details and address to [email protected] . Yes you can give milkshakes, add some seasonal fruits and milk and you can give. We have some shake resipes separately.
Hi Hema,
Oats generally we take as weight loss diet. Is it okay to give baby or toddler oats?
Can bread be given at night time??
You can sure give oats there will be no weight loss.
Once in a while you can give bread, there are many options like chapati, khichdi, dalia, veg soup and any stuffed paratha etc.
Hi.. my 10 mo eats daal n roti.. he is able to eat one thin chapati and sometimes more.. is it okay to give daal chapati for dinner?? .. or do I shift it to lunch?.. he seems ok and content and sleeps well if he had chapati for dinner.. is it too much?
Absolutely good, if the baby feels comfortable there is no harm atall. Just try to keep few hours gap before you put him to bed.
Hello
I am swarali
Your food charts are very good.
My baby is 14 months old. So i want to know how many charts are there on your website. I saw 3 charts. These for 1 to 2 years babies or there is different chart for every month.
Because i am not getting every months chart.
Thank you so much
Dear after one year you can refer to toddler charts and also you can start family food as the baby should now be eating everything that family eats.
Hi Dr Hema,
My daughter is 2.7 yrs old..she is a fussy eater and does not eat new types of food..in particular she does not eat rice at all..she was eating kichidi but totally mashed..but refuses to eat now..in fruits she only eats banana and mango..she weighs 11kgs..pls guide me as to how and what to feed her…thanks
Hi Bhagavathi,
Try giving her Finger foods both Vegetable and Fruit Finger foods, try to find out which fruits or vegetables she is comfortable with. Ragi, Milk, Banana, Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Ghee, Oats are some of the products which helps in gaining weight. Apart from this we have products which helps in gaining weight upon eating you can take a look at it in the below given link
https://goo.gl/ey2ciC
Hi Hema,
My daughter is 20 month old. She is very active but she is very fussy eater. She hardly feels hungry. She is not even gaining weight. Her weight is 9.3kg. Following is her diet chart, please review and advice
8 to9 am – milk with bhakhri/ dosa / oats/ biscuit
10 to 11:30 she sleeps
11:30 am – mango juice/ banana shake/ ragi milk
1 to 2pm – half roti with curd/milk and vegetable khichdi
2:30 to 4pm she sleeps
4 to 5pm – mosambi juice/ chiku shake/ maggie/ milk biscuit
8 pm – half roti sabji dal rice with buttermilk
About 9pm she sleeps and during night she only want breastfeeding. All her food mentioned above is also in smashed or liquid form she will eat. Please advice
Hi, Please check for post on feeding a fussy toddler, there are better options for snacking that you can use for your baby. Please search for healthy snacks for your child.
Hi Hema,
My daughter is 20 month old. She is very active but she is very fussy eater. She hardly feels hungry. She is not even gaining weight. Her weight is 9.3kg. Following is her diet chart, please review and advice
8 to9 am – milk with bhakhri/ dosa / oats/ biscuit
10 to 11:30 she sleeps
11:30 am – mango juice/ banana shake/ ragi milk
1 to 2pm – half roti with curd/milk and vegetable khichdi
2:30 to 4pm she sleeps
4 to 5pm – mosambi juice/ chiku shake/ maggie/ milk biscuit
8 pm – half roti sabji dal rice with buttermilk
About 9pm she sleeps and during night she only want breastfeeding. All her food mentioned above is also in smashed or liquid form she will eat. Please advice
Hi Sonal, hope your little one is active. Here are some weight gain foods that can help the baby https://www.mylittlemoppet.com/20-super-healthy-weight-gain-foods-babies-kids/ and
https://www.mylittlemoppet.com/40-healthy-breakfast-recipes-for-toddlers/
You can also look at the food chart options so that you give variety https://www.mylittlemoppet.com/indian-toddler-food-chart-with-recipes-2/
As long as the baby is active, weight should not worry you much.
How to add a comment? Please help. I want to ask something
Please ask your query dear. Or you can also share your queries on our fb page/group for an instant response.
Hi mam
My daughter is 1 1/2 year old she is drinking dry fruits power in the mng but I’m filtering that. She doesn’t like to drink as its. It is right or wrng
Try to mix it well and give it as such, it does not need filtering and your kid is losing out on the nutrition.
Does a 1 year old child reallu eats all this??
my lil one is 1 year old…she doesn’t likes to eat khichdi nor roti neither paratha…she likes to eat food which she can gulp easily..
hi Arti,
This is just a guide to help you cook dishes for your little one, and better change to solids foods now from purees and porridges so that they are less picky in future
Hi Hema,
My comment is in moderation since 2 days, not sure if u can see it..anyway below is what I commented.
I have been following your blog for quite sometime..kudos, u are doing a great job ?
Well my daughter is 22 months now n she has hardly gained any weight since her birthday..I give chapati(sometimes paratha) almost daily in lunch n dinner is always rice. I was felling lunch is the main reason for her no weight gain as usually people tend to give heavy food and give chapati in breakfast…But now I see this chart, I feel my guessing is right. U have given only rice items in lunch, paratha in bf or dinner..
Should I switch to rice in lunch too?
Dear Sneha,
Yes you cna give rice in lunch, as i is heavy, babies will tend to sleep also longer after a lunch and that will indirectly in weight gain as well rested body will be more active and healthy 🙂
My baby is 17month old but still not chewing , he’s eating whatever we eat but he’s not chewing his bottle (Cow&Gate)food , I’ve tried to feed him seera but obviously that’s a solid so he won’t gonna accept it.
Any idea or suggestion what should I he give him or how should I make him to eat chewy food?
Hello Dr. Hema,
Thanks for sharing the food chart. It is indeed informative and provides many options which tend to slip out of our mind while handling our kids.
I have a 5 year old and 22 months old daughters. My younger one still takes mashed food for meals (Lunch and Dinner). She has recently started pan cakes and cheese puffs but only 2-3 bites. Rest everything that I try to give her non mashed, she instantly takes it out from her mouth or tends to throw up. I have been trying on the same since last 4 months now, but don’t see much progress.
Can you please guide me as to how do i make her start having non mashed food as it has become essential now. She will be starting her play school shortly.
Kindly advise.
Hi Dr.Hema,
My baby girl is 17 months..she is abt 9 kg…She eats by herself only..and that too little sometimes..I offer her finger foods..that she eats sometimes..Im concerned if she gets enough nutrition if she eats by herself..she is still breast feeding…Not drinking any other milk
Hey,
My toddler is 18months. He is a very fussy eater n pukes everything. On advice of elders I used to give him puréed n mashed food uptil now but after joining your site I discovered he should eat proper food by now so I have started him with chilla, roti,oats,various types of porridge mentioned in your recipes over a week but he refuses to eat anything in solid form esp chilla n roti. Oats n porridge too he eats only 2 tsp. how to handle this situation?elders are again forcing me to start with mashed food as he remains hungry and keep asking for milk everytime.
Hi,
Please send me a food plan for my son who is 3.5 years old and weights 14 kg.
Though he is very active he looks very thin. Please guide.
thanks: mansi
Dear Mansi,
Please check the following link for more food plans Toddler Food CHarts
Hi Hema,
This chart is really helpful for me. My daughter is Almost 14 months now. i tried giving her some of the things above , but she refuses to eat, or she vomits at times. And specially any kind of sweet she is not liking to have. I am totally confused how should i feed her. she only like to have little watery mash khichadi or curd rice. How shall i make her interested in all the other food ?? Please help me
would like to get help on feeding my 15month daughter.
she is spitting out food. i used to give he khichdi with veggies mashed. now she doesn’t like at all. since i am a working lady, i do not get time to concentrate. but this way she would be left out with only breast milk.
Hi Swati,
You can substitute khichdi with other lunch recipes from our Recipe Index, She must be bored of the same type of food, do try to give her more variety
Hi Hema. Very helpful and easy to follow. My son is 1.5 years can you tell me how much quantity should he eat? Eg how many cheelas and what size for breakfast? 1 cup lunch or more? Pls help. Thanks a ton. God bless
Hi Michelle,
How are you and the little one 🙂
This post on How much a toddler should eat? can help you, still if it is unclear, leave me a comment, will help you out?
looking good. will try this
My daughter is 21 months old and she hesitates to eat everything except ragi flour with Oats, egg, pongal along with milk twice a day. Can you send me a diet sheet as to what all I can feed her?
Hi Vijaya, you can mail me at [email protected] for more details on customized food charts for babies
Hi Hema, My LO who is almost 13 months still doesn’t have teeth 🙁 and is extremely fussy eater. Any tips that may help?
Hi Parul, what sort of recipes do you want, try giving him soft finger foods, which he can bite with his gums
Hi Dr Hema…thanks for such a informative site. This is really useful. I have subscribed for emails and newsletters, however I have received below communication. In subscription confirmation email
This message cannot be displayed because of the way it is formatted. Ask the sender to send it again using a different format or email program. multipart/alternative
Hi Pooja, this is the first time I am getting this complaint, I will surely look into it, if you can tell me your little one’s age, I will add you manually so that you receive the newsletters.
Hema… My daughter’s age is 15 months
This chart can be used for 15 months toddler too 🙂
I also want the news letters. my daughter is one year old.
You may please fill in name and email address on the home page of the site so that we can ensure you hear from us regularly.
also he is very prone to catching cold n caugh very easily…suggest if you have any home remedies to prevent this …
You can check this link for the remedies https://www.mylittlemoppet.com/top-20-home-remedies-for-cough-and-cold-for-children/
Dr Hema this website is very good and informative…Hats off to you!!!
i would be very grateful if you can pls send an email on the below queries….
1… my son is 4 yrs old , underweight n fussy eater…pls give me toddler food plan i,e veg and non veg ( prefer for the whole month/week wise )
Hi, if you have subscribed, you will be recieving the enails every week
Quite helpful in deciding the schedule for my son
🙂
nice chart ….interested for more things
Thank you, will be posting every month a new chart
Can u tell me how much food does an 2.3 years should eat??like 4 tablespoon or half bowl or 2 spoon plz tell thanks
Hi Vidhi, it purely depends on humgry your little one and it varies with individuals, half to one cup is ok