Toddler-eating--with-mum-encouraging

What to feed a 2 year old

1 min readUpdated November 20, 2025

Key Takeaways

  • At age 2, appetite naturally slows down as growth tapers off—this is completely normal.

  • Avoid power struggles over food. You decide what to offer; your child decides whether and how much to eat.

  • Serve meals at the table and limit distractions like TV to encourage mindful eating habits.

  • If milk intake is low, offer calcium through cheese or yogurt. By now, your child should be fully weaned off the bottle.

  • If food is refused, stay calm and try again later. Healthy toddlers won’t starve themselves and often make up for skipped meals naturally.

  • Collaborate with daycare providers to maintain consistent routines and observe mealtime behaviors when possible.

Your two-year-old's growth rate has slown down, so she really doesn't need as much food as you might think she does. She's also extremely opinionated about what she'll eat (and where she'll eat it and when she'll eat it, as well as in which bowl she'll eat it). First bit of advice we offer? Pick your battles.

Face It: You Can't Win

If you give in to these picky habits quietly, your child won't fight for them as hard. Insisting on your way will only make the battle that much more important to her. That said, don't ask her what she wants to eat: that's way too much power for a little person to handle. You make the selection from reasonable, kid-friendly foods.
Make sure your child eats at the table. People who eat at a set time and place usually get the best nutrition and are in the best physical shape. Establish this good habit early. Keep meals out of the car or bed and away from the TV. If your child won't drink much milk, give her calcium in the form of cheese or yogurt. She should be weaned off the bottle entirely now.

Dodge A Food Fight

If your two-year-old refuses to eat anything you put in front of him, outright confrontation won't get you anywhere. Try these methods instead:
  • Remove him from the table and try again in a couple of hours, at the next regular mealtime.
  • Start with a nutritious snack, such as cheese and crackers or fruit. Put it on a tray and join him.
  • If he still refuses, put him down again and stop worrying. No healthy child, even a two-year-old, has ever starved himself.

Coordinate With Day Care

Ask your daycare provider about your child's eating habits during the day. Children learn from different care environments, and there is a lot of leeway in children's diets. If possible, stop in for lunch with your child from time to time.

Related Articles

See more articles