Toddler portion sizes

[Maud]

Our LO is 16 months old and loves her food. I always think she eats lots, because the guide our HV gave us suggested she was eating the quantity a 2-3 year old needs before she even turned one! But her weight has always been consistently on the 50th centile and she isn't fat so I wondered how much other people's toddlers eat?

Breakfast is probably the easiest meal to compare. She will have either 1.5 weetabix or oatibix with milk (she would eat two if we let her but that's an adult portion...) or a piece of toast and nut butter. She often asks us for a piece of fruit afterwards too. On nursery days she has half/a whole banana and a handful of Ella's Kitchen hoops before we leave home and then her weetabix and more fruit when she gets to nursery!

Does that sound like a lot or is that normal at her age?

 

[MrsS143]

Kids are good
Some days they eat nothing. Other days theyre insatiable
But generally theyre good at regulating their intake
So long as what they eat is balanced
As you say shes not fat or thin so nothing to worry over
Kids also run about nuts which burns up lots of energy!

 

[Maud]

Ours is always insatiable, lol.

 

[kumber]

Bottomless pit is the phrase I would use to describe my 1 year old!

Last Thursday he had a bowl of Weetabix and a plateful of a fry up, then a huge lunch of chicken, potato and mixed veggies and pudding, then a dinner of fish fingers and waffles! Never stops eating, he eats more than his toddler cousins and frequently has 2 dinners.

On a typical day he has:

2 Weetabix or 30g portion of cornflakes
Lunch of meat, potatoes and veg and then an adult handful of fruit
Snack of rice cakes and more fruit
A light dinner of meat and potato product

And usually a few more snacks in between! He's staying on the 75th for weight so I don't know where he's putting the food!

 

[Ella1979]

My son is on 99.6th centile or whatever that top one is for weight. For breakfast he has milk plus cereal of some kind, small bowl (about half an adult portion). For lunch he has, for example, spag bol (roughly 2oz pasta with meat, although he doesn't eat much of the meat) and some fruit. For tea he'll have a sandwich (one slice of bread plus ham or whatever) and fruit. Milk before bed.

Kids are very good at taking in what they need. If your LO is on 50th centile, even less reason to be concerned about the amounts. My son's under the paediatrician for his weight, but he's never suggested that we restrict his food intake, just that he's going to be a tall chap! xx

 

[Mummybexee]

on the 50th centile...id let her carry on maud if shes starting to look podgey then look at ehr portion sizes,....HVs are good at scare mongering sometimes.

glad shes doing well though!!

 

[Maud]

Thanks for the replies. Good to know other people have good eaters too. So often you hear about toddlers that pick at their food and I'm worried mine is a greedy guts!

 

[Sharmon]

Our LO is 16 months old and loves her food. I always think she eats lots, because the guide our HV gave us suggested she was eating the quantity a 2-3 year old needs before she even turned one! But her weight has always been consistently on the 50th centile and she isn't fat so I wondered how much other people's toddlers eat?

Breakfast is probably the easiest meal to compare. She will have either 1.5 weetabix or oatibix with milk (she would eat two if we let her but that's an adult portion...) or a piece of toast and nut butter. She often asks us for a piece of fruit afterwards too. On nursery days she has half/a whole banana and a handful of Ella's Kitchen hoops before we leave home and then her weetabix and more fruit when she gets to nursery!

Does that sound like a lot or is that normal at her age?

Sounds very similar to what my 18month old eats, she is also on 50th centile

 

[clairebear22]

Leave her be I say. As long as she's not eating junk all the time which she obviously isn't then let her eat until she's full. I have a son with autism that is very fussy at times and has been known to go on food strikes! My youngest doesn't like dinner unless it contains mashed potato, pasta or sausages (I still offer what we're having lol) so let her eat while she's willing too! lol x

 

[Mrbump83]

Blimey, mines 17 months in the 20th percentile and for breakfast will eat

A bowl of cereal
A yogurt with fruit
Half a piece of toast
And normally more cereal after if she really really wants it

She's always been the same, runs around like mad alllllll day long though!