My daughter has consistenly been 50-75th percentile in both height and weight, but lately I've been wondering if I'm feeding her too much. I did some quick research on the internet and found that the rule of thumb for a portion size is 1 tablespoon for every year of age. So, with the recommended portions of 1 serving protein, 1 serving carbs, 2 servings veggies, she should be getting about 8 tablespoons of food per "meal." 8 tablespoons sounds so small to me!
Last night for dinner she had a 4 oz container of cottage cheese, half of a "large" banana, and one slice of deli ham. Would you consider that "too much" for one meal? I mean, the cottage cheese alone is 8 tablespoons.
She's always been a good eater, and I know I should be thankful for that. However, I don't want to set her up for bad eating habits (like eating until you're "stuffed") either. So, how much did/do you feed your toddler at a meal?
Thanks mamas! I don't force her to eat (I hardly ever need to!) and she eats pretty healthy, wholesome food for the most part. I was mostly just wondering if I was "over doing" it since the recommended portion sizes seem so small. Glad to know other mamas feel the same.
Here's the cool thing about kids: they eat when they are hungry and they stop eating wen they are full! Only kids will walk away from a full plate KNOWING they are not hungry. My philosophy has always been--put a decent amount in front if them and they'll eat until they are full.
As long as it's healthy food, let her decide when she's full. Just as a child won't starve themselves, neither will they typically "over-eat".
I've got one that ate like a horse at age 2 and one that ate like a bird - both are perfectly healthy in terms of their weight now at ages 4 and 3.
I've never measured DD's portions. I give her what she'll eat, with reasonable limits. I find some days she eats very little and some she'll eat tons. I think she's in a growth spurt now because she's eating cereal like there's no tomorrow. I try to keep snacks to the healthy side - encourage fruit vs candy or multigrain cheerios vs fruit loops. My DD can easily put down half a container of yogurt, a slice of meat, and a banana at a sitting and she's of normal weight. If she doesn't eat her meat, we might encourage her a trade - one bite of meat for a blueberry. We also try to teach her to slow down, enjoy her food, and recognize when she is full. We never make her clean her plate when she's really done.
My DD is in the same percentiles. I don't measure what she eats but make sure to provide her with only healthy options (cookies and ice cream are only available AFTER she has eaten a healthy dinner). And I let her tell me when she is full. Once she's full -- no matter how much is still on her plate -- she can be done. Sometimes she eats what seems like an enormous amount of food (growth spurt), sometimes she eats barely anything. Since I know she is getting healthy food options I don't worry about how much she eats. Unless your pediatrician has said something about her weight or health, don't worry about it.
Unless you're forcing her to eat more she's eating just the right amount for herself. If she's allowed to stop eating she'll stop when she's full.
Wow...my two year old eats WAY more then that at dinner!! All very healthy stuff, but way more. He eats and stops when he is full. He is only the 40th percentile, so he's fine. Your daughter is doing great, she won't overeat at this age :)
Oh my gosh, she is eating great.
It's funny you always worry, too much too little. It's never just right.
Kids eat till they are full, don't measure her food she is 2. You are not giving her a bag of cheetos & malted milk balls for dinner, she is getting great healthy stuff.
However much she wants, if she asks for more we give her more. If she says she's done then we don't force her to finish her plate.. As long as your kid isn't huge then I think you're probably okay.
I've always been told that young children will stop eating when they are full because they haven't learned the bad habits of adults (like eating too fast and ignoring our bodies signals). If you are offering your child healthy choices and she is eating what you give her, then she's probably doing fine.
As long as her height and weight stay reasonably proportional I wouldn't worry about it. Sounds perfect.
I've never heard that rule of thumb, and it sounds wrong to me. You can't use the same portion size for every food; a tablespoon of ice cream and a tablespoon of applesauce are just not comparable. The toddler feeding portion size guide I've heard is either 1/4 or 1/3 of an adult portion, I'm not sure which.
I don't think its a good idea to restrict food at this age. If you are concerned then cut out or limmit refined foods (crackers, white bread, pancakes, cookies, desserts.....) which are easy to overeat. go to smaller portions of meat and dairy, and introduce more whole foods, like grains, beans, fruits, vegitables.
I have some visual guides to portion sizes, shows actual pictures of the food to show you how much is a serving per age. Your TB per year is WRONG but you may be feeding her too much. A serving for under 5 yrs old for bread is 1/2 a slice - this means that 1/4 of a sandwich is a serving. If you email me (anyone is welcome to) at ____@____.com I can forward the visual guides I have.
