Hola chicos, knowing what and how much to feed our kids is not easy. I know many of you might be asking yourself the same question, “How much food is too much food for toddlers?”. Since having my girls I’ve always worried if what they are eating is what they need. With Bella I always worried if she was eating enough as she was a fussy eater. She was and still is very difficult with food. She is getting better though but it has always been a rollercoaster journey for us. I have always worried about her weight as she is very slim buy thankfully she has never been unhealthy. On the other hand, I have Sienna who is totally the opposite to Bella – she will eat the whole house! If we have a little human bin, I promise it will be her, LOL! I know it sounds awful but it’s true, 😉
Sienna really likes her food so be careful if you want to take something from her plate as she will fight until she gets it back. She will eat until the last portion and will probably ask for more. I really feel that she could potentially explode one day, LOL!
Knowing what are the correct portions sizes for her age (almost 2 years old) are really important for me at the moment as I really don’t want her to be overweight and therefore unhealthy. When I heard about The Infant and Toddler Forum (ITF) and their Tot it Up Analysis challenge, I was really eager to take part and find out what Sienna’s results would be.
Firstly, so you know a little bit more about ITF, they promote best practice through reliable, clear, evidence-based advice and simple, practical resources aimed at healthcare professionals, families and a wider range of stakeholders in early years and child health. Its resources and published outputs undergo external peer review by national experts to ensure the information is accurate, balanced and consistent with health priorities, in the context of current and emerging policy.
Early nutrition and its implications for later health are a public health concern and everyone’s responsibility. The ITF aims to work in partnership with other organisations, professional groups, commercial organisations and policy makers that share its mission, to ensure that better advice informs and influences practice and ultimately behaviour, so that all can benefit from a body of impartial, evidence-based guidance and best practice about feeding, healthy eating and development.
The ITF is launching the #rethinktoddlerportionsizes campaign to help take the guesswork out of how much is enough including a guide to the correct portion size range for children aged 1 – 4. Parents are expected to have all the answers and when it comes to feeding toddlers, it can be hard to know how much food to offer. These guides are practical, visual, user-friendly and evidence based.
A survey of 1000 UK mums and dads revealed that 79% of parents routinely offer portions bigger than the recommended size range for toddlers when offering popular meals, drinks and treats. It’s clear that guidance and practical advice for parents is lacking.
See the video below:
The survey, which involved parents looking at images of portion sizes, also revealed that more than 10% of parents usually serve their child close to an adult-size portion of spaghetti bolognaise or cheese sandwiches.
However, 73% are more concerned that their child does not eat enough. There was a tendency for parents to use food or drink between meals to comfort their children, with 36% of parents using this method to calm children down when they are upset. I must admit that I’m very guilty of this too as I think food is the only thing that will distract and comfort my girls. I will need to be smarter and find different distractions.
Also, check these numbers:
- 71% of parents routinely offer their child a bigger portion of crisps than recommended for this age group. More than a third of parents usually offer their preschool child a whole bag of crisps: this is nearly twice the recommended amount
- 65% of parents routinely offer too much squash/fruit juice, with 31% often giving portions that are double the recommended amount for children of this age.
- 61% of parents routinely offer their child too many sweets, with 24% of parents giving their child a whole pack of jelly sweets as a treat: this is 3 times the recommended amount
When we took part in the challenge I realised that we were not doing that bad but we do need to improve in a lot of areas. Apparently Sienna needs to drink more fluids. I thought she was drinking a lot but I guess I was wrong, so I will be offering more fluids more often going forward. I also realised that I’m not giving her Vitamin D supplements which is something that I will amend asap.
I must admit that when I started checking the portion sizes for her age group (1 to 4) I was really surprised to see that those portions were really tiny! Sienna is capable of eating a whole pack of crisps and not just 6 or 8 that were suggested. The same with cereals and bread. She can eat a whole slice of toast but she should eat just half. I will need to do a serious amendment at home and change her actual portion sizes for the the ones suggested in the ITF website.
The 10 tips for healthy toddlers below are suggested by the ITF:
- Eat together as a family and make mealtimes relaxed, happy occasions
- You decide which nutritious foods to offer but let your toddler decide how much to eat
- Offer foods from all five food groups each day
- Have a routine and offer three meals and two to three snacks each day
- Offer six to eight drinks a day
- Give vitamins A & D each day
- Respect your toddlers’ tastes and preferences – don’t force feed
- Reward your toddler with your attention – never give food and drink as a reward, treat or for comfort
- Limit: fried food, crisps, packet snacks, pastries, cakes and biscuits to very small amounts and sweet foods to four times a day and avoid sweetened fruit squashes, fizzy drinks, tea and coffee, undiluted fruit juices , whole nuts
- Encourage physical activity for at least three hours every day and about 12 hours sleep
I think we should be more careful of the portion sizes that we give to our kids. We need to try to avoid any tendency towards obesity and if for any reason we think we are going towards that direction we should stop. We need to encourage healthy eating for our kids. I highly recommend you to browse around their guide of portion sizes and if possible do the challenge. Get the most of this free service. You can find more about them on Facebook and Twitter and search for #rethinktoddlerportionsizes.
What do you think of this survey? Do you think you might be having this problem too? Could it be possible that you are feeding your child too much? What do you think about the portion sizes? Will you be keen to also register and take part of the challenge? Please leave me a comment below as I would love to read what you think.
*Disclaimer: I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not been paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity. I have received a voucher in return for writing this post.
Thanks for stopping by,
Love you all ❤️
Franca 💋
Linking up with:
Qué rica mi chanchi!, se come toda la casa y se pelea si le quitas su plato !, jajjaja
Muy Vaccarella salió por lo visto!
Mientras haga deporte estará Santa y en su peso
I too have a human dustbin child but I think this is really important. At home it’s not so bad but when we are out and order kid’s meals they can be huge! Now I just tend to get a sandwich and split it between the kids. #KCACOLS
What a great post! I think I am definitely feeding mine too much I need to look into it…. #KCACOLS
Wow, I always thought my boy didn’t eat enough but looking at this he seems to be eating top much! I’m definitely going to look at this in more detail as what Leo is and isn’t eating really does worry me. Thanks for sharing xx#KCACOLS
This is a subject close to my heart. I still struggle with correct portion sizes – for all my family. Everything now is ‘super size’. A bag of crisps, a chocolate bar…all come in huge sizes now. A metre of jaffa cakes and so on. All of this really annoys me, as it is teaching our kids nothing about healthy portion sizes. A very interesting and informative post. Alison x #KCACOLS
Oh I saw this myself and I was quite shocked by some of it, I definitely overfeed my children I think – I’ve been making a conscious effort to give smaller portions since! Very informative post Franca! #KCACOLS
This is so helpful thank you! I think we are all a bit lost as to how much they should eat. My husband dishes up massive portions – think we need to have a look at our meal time servings! #kcacols
I know that we need to make sure not to feed too much our children but the portions are tiny! We don’t want to make them feel guilty about food either. It could be a cause of future problems like bulimia. A balanced diet and some sport is the key I think. #KCACOLS
This is soooo useful and perfectly timed. We’ve had a rough week, with little one playing up at meal times. I don’t think we’ve handled it brilliantly. This has really reassured me that we can offer the food and let her choose how much she eats. Thank you! Really helpful blog xx #KCACOLS
Oh, I wish I had a little one who would eat a lot because all of my kids are so picky. I’ve always worried more that they’re not eating enough! Thankfully, though, from looking at what you’ve reported here, my kids are actually closer to what would be the recommended portion sizes, so that makes me feel better! #KCACOLS
Interesting post. I never had this problem when my daughter was that age as she hardly ate anything! I do think though that it’s all in moderation – giving your child more than 2 sweets in 1 go isn’t really that bad if it’s not every day! #KCACOLS
Knowing what to eat and how much is important at any age, a really useful article and interesting statistics. #KCACOLS
That is a really interesting article! Our little one can be a bit all over the place – some days he’ll eat everything and want more and some days he barely touches it! He definitely doesn’t drink enough though by the looks of things so will try to fix that! Thanks for hosting #KCACOLS
I am through the toddler stage, but found this so interesting, I think this will really help parents out there with toddlers as it can be so overwhelming when making the right choices. My battle is my 6 year old hates fruit, he would eat a piece of broccoli over any fruit. It makes lunch boxes trickier as with my girls they take a variety of fruit in their snack each day, I wish I could do that with Adam too. #Kcacols
Very interesting read! I usually put a small portion on my kids plate and tell them to ask for seconds if they are still hungry. Luckily my kids love fruit and veg so they nibble on that during the day! Or I offer a glass of water. #KCACOLS
Brilliant post, I had no idea about the guidelines, it isn’t something I’ve thought much about but will be very helpful in the future, thanks for sharing. #KCACOLS
This is really useful, lots of helpful info. My toddler eats about one mouthful of any meal so I’m always worrying about her not eating enough! 🙁 x #KCACOLS
This is really interesting and it’s easy to overfeed kids I suppose as we encourage them to eat well. I remember watching a programme a few years ago about portion sizes and how we tend to give much bigger portion sizes. #kcacols
It’s really interesting to see the correct portions sizes vs what we give them – there is a big difference! I do think sometimes it can be down to how active your child is. If you have a really active child they may naturally consume more food for energy and for me, as with anything it good to be mindful of portion sizes but if my boys want to eat more I won’t limit them.#KCACOLS
#KCACOLS I’ve been reading these eand found it really interesting. My youngest can also demolish crisps and sweets and at times will eat loads for dinner. I spent far too long worrying about my eldest eating that i have tried to be more realxed with this little man. Its really interesting how they can differ so greatly.
Thank you Franca. This is REALLY useful! I must admit, I am a bit geeky when it comes to nutritional info so some of this I knew or suspected anyway, but some of it was still quite surprising. And just because we know what is right, it is sometimes difficult to put it into practise consistently isn’t it?! I’ve always worried my little man doesn’t eat enough because he isn’t particularly interested in food so then when he does go for it I tend not to limit his portions because I think ‘let him eat as much as he wants whilst he is interested’! But this probably still isn’t the best method! Thank you for the information and for hosting. x #KCACOLS
Really interesting! I find Marianna changes from day to day with what and how much she will eat. One day she will finish her plate and ask for more, and the next we struggle to get her to take one spoonful! x #KCACOLS
I think my son definitely eats too much for his age! Which doesn’t seem to be a problem at the moment – but I fear it may in the future so I’ll definitely be looking into this further. Thanks for raising my awareness! #KCACOLS
My oldest has always been great with different types of food but he always seems to be hungry too. Straight after dinner he will be looking for something else! Good info. Thanks for sharing! #KCACOLS
Wow this is really fascinating! I need to work on how much Chloe eats for sure x #KCACOLS
I find it so difficult to know how much to give my son. He still has bottles of milk too so I don’t know how he would manage from breakfast to lunchtime if I gave him a smaller breakfast and no bottle! #KCACOLS
Looking at this, I definitely overfed my boys when they were little! No wonder most kids these days are overweight!
#KCACOLS
I think I overfeed Olivia, possibly always have done. I didn’t realise how small their portions should be either, really interesting to see that I think. #kcacols
Very informative post! My little girl is also a human bin, she eats a lot, more than his big brother can consume. I too am worried with her as I think she’s getting too much. I’m glad to read this post, I need to be more aware now of the type and portion of food I need to give to my kids. #KCACOLS
This is such a helpful post. I’ve only just started weaning so have a way to go before considering toddler sizes, but it’s such a valid point and one I (shamefully) hadn’t considered before. I know I’ll certainly be referring back to this post hun, Really helpful xx #KCACOLS
This is really interesting. We’ve just started weaning in the last few weeks so I’m only starting to find my way in this area #KCACOLS
This is so interesting as I have no idea what I should or should not be giving Mia! I know I give her too much pasta on her plate and have actively tried to reduce the amount. She also has 4 small snacks a day but I’m lucky that she doesn’t like sweets or chocolate so her snacks are normally fruit or a biscuit. Its so difficult as a parent to know what to do and to try and do the right thing. We are lucky that Mia is healthy and happy but these guidelines are so important in ensuring our children stay healthy!
#KCACOLS
IVe always went with shes eating (maybe not as much as id like) and she is still extremaly active. She isnt Ill or lying about the house lathargic. So she must be intaking enough food to run about and stay up like she does.
Great post though!!
Lx
http://workingmumy.blogspot.com
#KCACOLS
Franca, such a great post and initative to get involved in! Ive seen some things around childrens portion sizes on twitter recently and have become really interested in this area, as like your Sienna my little lady is easily able to eat quite a bit at times. Although she doesnt constantly eat and is more of a snacker, I have started to worry recently that the portion sizes I have been giving her may be too much. After reading this post I think I will need to make a few amendments too! Also, really good to know about the vit D as I wasnt aware of that either. Thanks for sharing this, really useful! Emily #KCACOLS
Thanks for providing such an informative post. I’m surprised that they suggest vitamin A and D supplements. My son’s dr told us not to give him any vitamins even though he’s a very particular eater. I also didn’t realize that the portions should be so small. My son could eat a whole brick of cheese if it was sitting in front of him! #KCACOLS
This is really informative – most days at nursery my eldest will pack away seconds or thirds of her main meal yet at home she barely clears a plate. I wonder if their portions are super tiny and mine are huge. I’ve recently started cutting them right down to eliminate waste but she would protest quite a bit if I only gave her 6-8 chocolate buttons or half a biscuit! I personally think there’s quite a big leap between the ages of 1 and 4 so a 4 year old will eat far more than a 1 year old. But still, this is an excellent guide, thank you. #KCACOLS
As the author of a book about toddlers this is my specialist subject! The main thing you have to remember is that your toddler’s stomach is about the same size as their fist. So if you look at their fist, you’ll see that’s pretty small. However, toddlers are very energetic so they will need feeding little and often to keep them going. Also bear in mind that their growth rate isn’t constant and will come in fits and starts – hence it feels like sometimes they will exist on fresh air, whereas at other times you can’t fill them up.
Try not to worry about it too much – it sounds like you’re a mother who cares about nutrition so I’m sure you’re doing fine. #KCACOLS
Wow this is so interesting, I reckon I’m feeding my two year old about the right amount which is reassuring! My six year old is another matter, he seems to want to eat non stop, and just toast! must try harder #kcacols
Really interesting to read what the recommended portion sizes actually are. I must admit, this is an area I struggle with. In Piglet’s case, getting him to eat at all can be a challenge, especially eating healthy foods as he is a very fussy eater, so I’m not so concerned with his portion sizes but more with what he is eating. When we were on holiday last week he basically lived on garlic bread, chips and ice cream. However, I have been trying to get him back into a routine of eating more healthily since we’ve been back. #KCACOLS
This is a great post! So many times I worried my children were not eating enough and we are not heavy on sweets and junk. Add in food sensitivities and it is a never ending battle. Thanks for these images to help us see the portions 🙂 #KCACOLS
Yeah both mine are human dustbins and would eat all the time if I let them. They are also huge snackers so I really have to be careful what they eat. Looking at this I def give them both too much but I don’t think they eat it all…oh no…now I’m not sure…#KCACOLS
I’ve been struggling lately to get Emma to eat her meals, she’s become more and more fussy. Funny how she’s always willing to eat biscuits and sweet things, though! Normally she doesn’t eat huge portions anyway, so maybe her portions are okay, but at the moment she’ll barely eat a mouthful or two of whatever dish I serve her. And vegetables are even more difficult. I heard portion sizes should be the size of a child’s fist, so that’s quite a useful guide. She does need to drink more, I think, and eat more often. We don’t manage to fit in all of the 3 full meals plus 2 snacks every day. #KCACOLS
This is really informative. I think my girls have a balanced diet but the portion sizes, especially for Tin Box Baby, are probably too big. Thanks for making me think Franca! #KCACOLS
I would definitely be the group that worries about my toddler not eating enough. This was really enlightening, I will be trying out the tips you mentioned. Thanks #KCACOLS
This has given me real food for thought (pun intended). My daughter has always been a difficult eater (refusing baby food, limited diet, very small quantities etc) but for the last year (she’s 2.5 now) we’ve just gone by the she either eats what’s offered or nothing. She is getting better slowly and sometimes surprises us in what she tries but still quite often she’ll eat nothing which is always a worry but she’s healthy and just naturally petite. These results are actually a relief because I think most of the time now she is eating an appropriate sized portion. I just need to be careful that when she does eat something she loves (cheese sandwich, red pasta etc.) I’m not so relieved I over feed her. #kcacols
Hi there. I often wondered myself what the appropriate portion size for a couple of nearly 5 year old boys would be. Apart from portion sizes it can vary immensely if they actually eat any of it. Even when it is their favourites. Sometimes they are complete gannets and sometimes they eat two mouth fulls and they are done. We always say: Look at them, do they look like they don’t eat enough? Do they not thrive and grow appropriately for their age? Yes they do. So what if they eat very little one and are complete gannets the next day. The worst thing you can do is force them to eat when they don’t want to or don’t need to. No healthy, normal child their age will starve themselves on purpose.
We have quite the relaxed attitude when it comes to meal times and food in general. Which probably is the reason why they will eat broccoli, they will eat carrots, they even eat black olives? #KCACOLS
I worry that my daughter doesn’t eat enough, but reading this I actually feel better. She probably eats about right most days though I do offer her a bit much of some things #KCACOLS
This is something I worry about a lot! Arthur is a very fussy eater – but not just that, one day he will eat LOADS and the next day he might eat a mouthful or two and that’s it. The one thing he will always have is cheese – in fact he won’t even entertain the idea of sitting down for lunch/dinner unless there is a babybel and a cheese triangle on offer. We def don’t get enough veg down him – I’ve even taken to blending carrots and cauliflower into cheese sauce with his pasta just to get some eaten!! #KCACOLS
What a great post, and SO interesting to see it laid out there like that! I have always let the children eat as much as they would like when it comes to healthy, home cooked food. When it’s a treat or something a little less wholesome, there are restrictions! But if my kids are asking for another round of broccoli I wouldn’t hesitate to give it them! #KCACOLS
I’m happy if my children eat anything – although I’m lucky that my youngest loves fruit and vegetables. Particularly broccoli. Weirdo! #KCACOLS
Great post! It’s so easy to forget that they have tiny little stomachs compared to us and that they don’t need the smart level of nutrients as a full grown adult. Guidelines like this are so importation especially where junk food is concerned. #KCACOLS
My boys are eating more and more as they get older, they are slim and active and if anything I worry that they need even more food. The big struggle is not to have too many sweets, I don’t like it when we go to the kids parties and they come away with massive party bags full of rubbish food. It never turns out well!
mainy
#KCACOLS
This is so interesting! My 3 year old can eat whole packets of crisps at a time and has no problem eating full sandwiches. I can try and cut this down but will probably get told off! I’m guilty of giving bigger portions at dinner because I’m worried about under eating and of giving out sweets to calm certain situations! Definitely worth thinking about especially in light of the growing obesity problems. #KCACOLS X
This is really interesting… I too seem to giving toddler W portions that are too big… But then I figure he burns it all off (doesn’t stop! Moving!!) and also there are days when he doesn’t eat much, so hoping it all balances out :0
#KCACOLS
What a gorgeous pic! when Leo was small I was always trying to get him to eat more and panicking that he would be hungry, he ate constantly but was still always slim on the 25th percentile..I think this offers positive guidance especially i.e with one biscuit being enough or the amount of crisps. Vitamins are fab too Leo still takes them as as much as we try get fruit and veg down him…it gives me reassurance his body is getting what it needs 🙂 Fab post #KCACOLS
I have mixed feelings about this. While I think that guidance is generally good and some awareness of portion sizes is good, I don’t like one-fits-all generic advice like this. There is going to be a massive range in size, activity level and metabolism between any two 4 year olds, let alone 1 year olds and 4 year olds – just like there are with adults. My eldest eats much larger meals than suggested, and a mixture of healthy stuff and treats – but he is not overweight. Some kids genuinely do need more than that. Having said that, it is something to bear in mind. #KCACOLS
This is a really interesting post Franca. I am also so worried that my daughter doesn’t eat enough food, some days she eats loads and other days only a little. I can’t actually look at the picture at the moment as I have a little bit of a stomach bug, but it’s great that you now know the areas that you need to improve on. Fluids particularly, this is always such a worry for me, some days I think my daughter might only drink 1oz! Claire x #KCACOLS
This is something that I needed to read today as I’ve been so worried about how little my two, especially my son, have been eating. I knew their portion sizes were tiny but this is going to be so helpful in going forward with feeding my littles, thanks lovely #kcacols
I found this such an interesting read. Taylor is just like Sienna and loves her food! I’ve always seen it as a good thing and encouraged it, and to be honest I do think I much prefer it that way over having a fussy eater. But I have got a little relaxed with treat recently and she will have a whole packet of chocolate buttons or crisps, so I think I need to limit the treats. I also wasn’t aware that they should have vitamin D supplements either – shouldn’t the health visitors tell us that?! I need to get some! xx #KCACOLS
I think it’s so hard to strike the right balance! I agree that portion sizes are something we really need to be aware of, but I think you can be too restrictive and children become scared of food or see it as a bad thing, which can cause bigger problems in the long term. I think encouraging them to choose the right foods and to move about as much as possible is just as important as portion sizes! (Although some of those portions seem genuinely tiny, I’d have a really cranky toddler on my hands if I tried those!). #KCACOLS
This is so useful. I just had a booklet like this given to me by the dietician (as my boy is very slight and borderline underwent) yet he eats like a trooper. It’s really quite surprising how much they don’t need isn’t it! #kcacols
This was really interesting Franca and probably a shocker to many with little ones. I guess none of us have a benchmark when we start out so we adapt portion sizes according to what they seem to need and want. Even now, I notice how different children’s appetites vary enormously. Always generally room for sweets though! #KCACOLS
Probably the best post ever 🙂 I stress so much about how much my little ones eat. I will most definitely be reading this again and again – thank you! #KCACOLS
Such an interesting read. Caspian isn’t a fussy eater and pretty much on track with sizes (I think after reading this), but he does have a healthy appetite. He’s got a habit of throwing his food on the food as soon as he’s had enough, which is a little annoying especially if it’s spag bol lol #KCACOLS
Nadia – ScandiMummy x
I think getting out of the habit of snaking is good for both toddler and parents. Like this a lot. #KCACOLS
I saw this too and was a bit troubled by in in that yes, it’s very informative, but H has so many different days. Some days she eats everything in the house and the next is much more picky and not hungry. Many friends have said similar, and I think there is so much going on with little ones between teething affecting appetite and growth spurts I think to an extent it averages out. What is useful is the ‘treat’ sizes. #kcacols
Ooh I’ve always wondered about whether I give the right portion sizes & also worry I give too many snacks. &, like you, I have one child who does not eat a lot & one who will eat constantly if allowed. However, this is actually quite reassuring (smug alert) – my portion sizes are mostly in line & so are my snack sizes. In fact, I don’t actually give a lot of the snacks. I’ve never given them any crisps or sweets as I assumed they shouldn’t have them! I give them buttons occasionally, but only 2. I’m now thinking I’ve actually been a bit strict & mean about snacks for toddlers! Must crack out the wotsits! 😀 Very interesting! #KCACOLS
I’ve never really thought about portion sizes and have always let my two eat until they’re full…they’re not overweight and we eat fairly healthily so I’ve never really worried about it, but maybe I should give it a bit more thought!! #KCACOLS
So interesting! The thing I find with both my children is that their appetites seem to vary loads from one day to the next. I’ve learnt to just trust them and follow their lead as far as the amount they eat goes, rather than fussing around trying to get them to eat more. x #KCACOLS
This is a very interesting and helpful article, there is so many people around the world that only focus on giving their children anything they want and as much as they want, this behavior is responsable of many bad habits that we as in adults after they grow up.