12-24 Months: A Guide to Early Toddlerhood

So much changes between 12 and 24 months. Your baby is becoming a toddler — walking, talking, and insisting on doing things themselves. They're ready to eat most of the same foods as you and want to feed themselves.

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Here's what you need to know about feeding, development, and keeping your toddler safe during this exciting time.

Key Takeaways

New foods after 12 months: Your toddler can now have honey and whole milk as a drink.
Eating schedule: Offer 3 meals and 2-3 snacks at regular times each day.
Self-feeding: Your toddler wants to use their hands and practice with utensils. Let them, even though it could get messy.
Picky eating is normal: Your toddler may refuse new foods or change their mind about favorites.
Prevent choking: Cut grapes and cherry tomatoes into quarters. Avoid nuts, hard candies, and spoonfuls of peanut butter.
Milk intake: Serve up to 16 ounces per day in a cup, not a bottle.
Eating varies: It’s normal for your toddler to eat more on some days and less on others.
Safe seating: Always use a highchair for meals and a rear-facing car seat for travel.
Doctor visits: Your toddler needs check-ups at 12, 15, 18, and 24 months.

Feeding Your Toddler

Your toddler can eat most foods the family eats. Serve moist, tender, soft foods that are easy to chew and swallow.

Ideas for what to serve:

Cooked vegetables (soft)
Soft fruits
Cut-up soft meats
Eggs
Cooked Beans

Remember to cut food into bite-sized pieces to prevent choking.

New foods to introduce after 12 months

Your toddler can now have:

Whole milk (instead of formula or in addition to breast milk)
Honey

Foods to avoid

The following foods pose a choking hazard for kids at this age:

🚫 Whole nuts and seeds (ground up or in small pieces)

🚫 Hard candies, jelly beans, gummy bears

🚫 Meat sticks or jerky

🚫 Spoonfuls of peanut butter

🚫 Carrots (raw, cooked and quartered, shredded, or thinly sliced)

🚫 Whole grapes (cut into quarters)

🚫 Cherry tomatoes (cut into quarters)

🚫 Hot dogs (quarter lengthwise, then slice small)

Foods that can make your toddler sick

🚫 Raw or rare meat

🚫 Raw or soft-cooked eggs

🚫 Raw (unpasteurized) milk

🚫 Deli meats (unless reheated to steaming hot)

🚫 Unpasteurized juice or cider

Meal and snack schedule

3 meals and 2-3 snacks at regular times each day help your toddler know what to expect and builds a healthy appetite.

Offer only water between meals and snacks. This keeps your toddler from feeling too full to eat the next meal.

How much food to give your toddler

Offer small servings of several different foods. Let your toddler decide:

Which foods to eat
How much of each food to eat

Let your toddler eat until they're full. Don't force them to eat more. Don't stop feeding them if they're still hungry.

Eating varies day to day. Some days your toddler will eat more, some days less. This is normal.

Self-feeding

At this age, your child’s independence is growing. They will want to feed themselves. Encourage this by providing:

Child-sized plates, bowls, and utensils
Foods they can pick up with their hands
A small plastic cup for drinks

This learning process is messy. Be patient and kind if spills happen.

Where to eat

Eat meals together as a family. Your toddler learns by watching you. This routine can help bring you closer and build healthy habits.

Always seat your toddler safely:

Use a highchair.
Make sure they're sitting upright and supported.
Buckle them in.
If possible, offer a stool or footrest so their feet and legs are supported.

Never leave your toddler alone while eating.

Food Group Servings

1 serving =
1/4-1/2 sliced bread
1/4 cup cold cereal
4 tablespoons cooked cereal, rice, or pasta
Tips:
Offer puffed or O-shaped cereal, as it’s easier to eat than other dry cereals.
Make sure at least half of their grain servings are whole grains.
1 serving =
1 tablespoon mashed, sliced, or chopped cooked or canned vegetables
1/4-1/3 cup 100% vegetable juice
Tips:
Serve cooked vegetables, not raw.
Offer different colors to make eating fun and help them try new foods: dark green, orange, red, yellow, and purple.
1 serving =
1/4 cup mashed, sliced, or chopped fruit (cooked or canned)
1/4-1/2 cup 100% fruit juice
1/3-1/2 cup of berries
1/2 piece of fresh fruit
Tips:
Cooked or soft raw fruit.
Offer different colors: red, yellow, orange, blue, and green.
Treat juice like a special treat, not a frequent drink. If you offer it, limit to 4 ounces (½ cup) or less per day.
Always serve juice in a cup, not a bottle.
1 serving =
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup yogurt
1/2 ounce cheese (1 inch cube)
Tips:
Offer whole milk, not low-fat or fat-free milk.
Serve milk in a cup, not a bottle.
16 ounces of milk per day is plenty. Too much can fill them up.
1 serving =
2 tablespoons beef, pork, chicken, turkey, or fish
1/2 egg
2 tablespoons cooked beans
1 tablespoon nut butter
Tips:
Cook meat well-done, but keep it moist.
Chop meat into small pieces.
Mash cooked beans.
Spread a thin layer of nut butter on bread, toast or a soft cracker. Avoid feeding spoonfuls of nut butter.

Picky Eating

Your toddler's eating habits may be changing. They might be choosy about what they eat or refuse to try new foods, and that’s completely normal.

What picky eating looks like:

Won't try new foods
Refuses foods based on color or texture
Likes a food one day but not the next
Gets upset when new foods are offered

This phase won't last forever. Keep offering a variety of foods without pressure. Your toddler will eventually try new things.

Remember your roles:

Your job: Offer healthy foods at regular times.
Your toddler's job: Decide if and how much to eat.

Sample Meal Plan for Your Toddler

Breakfast

Scrambled egg (cut up)
Toasted whole-grain bread (cut up)
Diced kiwi
Whole milk or breast milk

Morning snack

WIC-approved, dry cereal
Water

Lunch

Cooked pasta with a cut-up meatball and tomato sauce
Cooked broccoli
Whole milk or breast milk

Afternoon snack

Crackers
Cheese cubes
Water

Dinner

Baked chicken or turkey, chopped
Rice
Mashed peas
Applesauce
Whole milk or breast milk

Evening snack

Graham crackers
Water

Development

Watching your toddler learn new skills is exciting. Between 12 and 18 months, you'll see big changes in how they move, communicate, and interact with the world.

12 to 18 Months

What your toddler can do:

Walk or learning to walk.
Starting to run (with lots of falls).
Climb onto furniture.
Drink from a cup.
Use a spoon (with lots of spills).
Stack 2-3 blocks.
Throw a ball.
Push and pull toys.
Open doors and drawers.
Point at things.
Say a few words (typically 3-10 words by 18 months).
Understand much of what you say.
Copy what you do.
Shake head "no".
Wave bye-bye.
Let them practice self-feeding with a cup and spoon.
Play actively together.
Talk about what you're doing throughout the day.
Read books and sing songs.
Encourage them and tell them they're doing a good job.
Toddler-proof your home so they can explore safely.

19 to 24 Months

What your toddler can do:

Walk confidently.
Run (still falls sometimes).
Kick a ball.
Walk up and down stairs while holding on to something.
Jump with both feet.
Climb.
Use a spoon and fork with more control, but still messy.
Drink from a cup without spilling as much.
Stack 4-6 blocks.
Turn pages in a book.
Scribble with crayons.
Help undress themselves.
Wash and dry hands with help.
Say 50+ words by age 2.
Start putting 2 words together ("more milk," "my ball").
Follow simple instructions ("get your shoes").
Name familiar objects and people.
Ask "what's that?"
Play pretend (e.g., feed a doll, talk on a toy phone).
Sort shapes and colors.
Show affection to familiar people.
Get excited around other children.
Show independence ("me do it!").
May start having tantrums.
Keep letting them practice self-feeding.
Provide safe spaces to run, jump, and climb.
Offer crayons, blocks, and simple puzzles.
Read together every day.
Talk about everything. For example, you can name objects or describe what you're doing to your child.
Let them help with simple tasks (e.g., putting toys away, wiping the table).
Be patient with tantrums — they're learning to handle big feelings.
Encourage independence while keeping them safe.

Safety and Health

Doctor visits

Your toddler needs check-ups and shots at:

12 months
15 months
18 months
24 months

Dental care

Brush your toddler's teeth twice a day with a small, soft toothbrush and water. Ask the dentist if they need fluoride.

Car safety

Always buckle your toddler into a car seat before driving. Use a rear-facing car seat that's the right size for your toddler's weight and height.

Do not feed your toddler in a car seat. They could choke.

You can find free car seat inspections and installation classes online, including REMSA Health.

Creating a safe environment

Keep your toddler away from tobacco, vaping, and marijuana smoke.
Make sure play areas are safe.
Never leave your toddler alone during meals, on the changing table, or in the bath.