How much does your toddler eat?

[SleepForTheWeak]

I've just read an article from the BBC about over feeding toddlers, and it's got me worried that perhaps I feed my DD (almost 20 months) too much. I'm a ftm so really not sure what's normal. She's quite a good eater, not perfect by any means and she has good days and bad days, but typically our day would look like this:

Awake 6/6.30 - bf

Breakfast - 7am - 1-2 slices of toast and a cup of milky tea

Snack 10.30/11am - 2 slices of crackerbread and philadelphia, fruit/cucumber, cheese cubes

Naps over lunchtime

Lunch - 2pm usually a sandwich with chicken/ham/cheese/Philadelphia etc plus fruit/cucumber or tomatoes

Snack - 3.30pm (not all the time, depends what we are doing) usually something like an apple or babybel or small packet or crisps

Dinner - 5.30pm - she can eat a good portion of Mac and cheese (she LOVES pasta), or a one egg omelette with cheese and tomatoe, or a couple sausages with chips and peas, or breaded fish with potatoes etc

6.30pm - cup of milk and small bowl of cereal before bed

She'll have days she'll eat everything and ask for more, there are days she'll not want much, but mostly she'll have a good go at it.

It seems a lot now I've written it down.

I've not had her weighed since Jan but she was on the 75th percentile which she has been on or around since she was about 3 months old (born on the 50th)

She's active and we get out of the house doing something every day - although admittedly she loves a bit of tele time too especially when tired.

How does your toddler eat?

[JacquelineChan]

6am get up
6.30 bowl of cereal (weetabix or shreddies ) or porridge
8am toast or croissant or crumpet
9am beaker of milk
Nap 11-12
12 lunch - fish fingers and waffles and salad or pasta pesto with fish cakes or chicken olives pitta and houmous. Banana or yoghurt
Goes to nursery at 1
Snack at 2.30 - always fruit
4.30 tea at nursery is ham wraps and scones / soup and toast / chicken sandwiches and fruit loaf
Home at 6. Snack - usually a treat . Biscuit or fairy cake. Beaker of milk

Only drinks water or milk

Ds is 26 months

[SleepForTheWeak]

Your DS sounds like he has a healthy appetite too - He's like me and loves food in the morning!

[JacquelineChan]

He is not a big veg eater but I always offer cherry tomatoes, grapes and tangerine with his meals which he will eat

[JacquelineChan]

Yes he eats loads and he is Diddy , I don't know where he puts it ! I would love him to eat cheese but he was sick after eating it once (on holiday ) and now won't touch it! They burn lots of energy they need fuel !

[SleepForTheWeak]

DD loves cheese, crisps, chips and everything savoury!

People always remark on how 'sturdy' she is which I think is code for chubby

I think she's perfect with rounded cheeks and a cute belly - but that's a mothers bias for you!

DD loves cold salad veg but won't won't tolerate any cooked veg but I still try every day

[JacquelineChan]

I think toddlers are supposed to have a little belly anyway ! As long as she has a balanced diet don't worry. And I assume she is active ?
I think the problem is 'juice' non stop and when things like McDonald's becomes the norm rather than the treat.
And my problem is I polish off his leftovers all the time = my belly not so cute haha

[JacquelineChan]

Oh by the way my brother was a sturdy toddler he's now a 6ft1 bean pole running marathons!

[Flacidunicorn]

Our DD is 3yo so a bit older but she has much less.
Breakfast of porrige or cereals, sometimes toast.
Sandwhich of some sort at lunch with a bag of quavers or other crisps
Tea which will be a small portion of what ever I'm cooking for my gf and I.
If she has a snack then its yogurt or a biscuit.
Drinks wise she has squash and milk with the odd beaker of water too.

[ohidoliketobe]

My DS (23 m) will eat anything and everything at his two days at nursery but kicks up a fuss with me!
Typical good day. Up at 7:15. Milk, 1 weetabix or small portion porridge (plus a slice of toast or crumpet if a hungry day) at 8 ish . Lunch 11:30-12 ish just before his nap. Has 2/3 cheddars / crackers, cheese, bit of ham, or dippy egg and a slice of toast, or a few fish fingers and try with some veg, or sandwich (1 slice, soft cheese or paste, cutnibto soldiers) or soup (about 1/3 tine. Usually followed by a mini yogurt. Mid afternoon he might snack on some fruit (1/2 banana, bit of apple), or a yogurt if he didn't have one at lunch, or sometimes a little cake or chocolate treat. Evening meal 5:30 - 6, something picky like lunchtime, or a mini version of what we're having, he likes chicken and fish and potato croquettes at the moment.
Last drink of milk 7 and bed 7:30-8. Has water throughout the day.
I'd like to get more fruit and veg down him. Used to love carrots, peas and broccoli but can't get him to try them at the moment. I've started back on pureed fruit which he thinks is a treat and at least I know he's gettig something decent down him. Follow health visitor and nursery advice and just keep on offering little and often and he'll get used to it. He's 9th percentile for height and 40th weight and has been since about 4 months, so pretty consistent. He's freakishly strong and has plenty of energy so must be taking on enought.
My parents and grandparents worry about how little he eats but a lot of the kids in my family are obese so it's probably a case of them over estimating the food he should be eating. I'd be grateful of a link to show them please?

[ObiWanCannoli]

Mine is older - also 3

Breakfast 9-10am - porridge big bowl with sprinkles, honey or chocolate drops and red berries - 3 cups of milk usually

Snack 12pm - apple or rice cakes and peanut butter

Lunch 3pm - Dall and a popadom or some other pulse based dish and a side of vegetables usually 3 types brocolli, peas and spinach tonight

Snack 5pm - an orange or roasted nuts and chickpeas

Supper 8pm - tostadas or toast with cucumber and cheese, sometimes chips or nachos topped with cheese, cucumber and tomatoes. A glass of milk.

Snack dishes served on ramekins, meals in denby rice bowls or IKEA side plates - just for an idea of portion size. Water through the day, milk at breakfast and supper.

He eats the same as the family I change portion size as eldest is 9 all active kids all skinny. He doesn't always finish meals or ask for snacks.

[lornathewizzard]

My DD is 23 months and I think eats a lot.

Wake up - banana and a waffle
8am - slice of toast - usually only eats half, sometimes all
Cup of milk

Between lunch and nap
Apple
Grapes
Bag of dried fruit sweet things

Lunch
Cheese on toast with a cherry tomato
Shares a bag of crisps with me

Afternoon snacks
Ice lolly
A biscuit or mini bag of biscuits normally

Dinner
Either a smaller version of what we're having, pasta with cheese (she'll happily eat a full adult size of pasta, or a potato waffle and fish fingers etc. Not great with side veg, although does like peas.

Sometimes a petit filous depending how she's eaten the rest of the day.

Cup of milk before bed.

She is 75th/9 1st centile, and has been pretty much since first measurements. Some days I think she would eat all day.

[SleepForTheWeak]

Thanks everyone

Here's the link to the article I read:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-36444984

She only has water or milk during the day (plus her milky tea in the morning), doesn't know what a MacDonalds is (we are 3 hours away from the closest one!!) and although she has some crisps and chips etc I would say she has an over all healthy diet - she just eats quite frequently but maybe that's because I offer frequently? You don't see your baby growing in front of your eyes and so the issues we had with bf and weaning and trying to get her to try new things have kind of stuck with me.

It's interesting to hear what everyone else's toddlers eat, keep it coming!

[GetOutOfMySpace]

I have a 2.5 year old and a 3.5 year old and they have the same size portions as each other.
For breakfast 2 slices of toast and a piece of fruit, or a bowl of cereal and fruit.
Mid morning snack of baby bel/Pom bears/what ever I can convince them to eat.
Lunch is usually pasta/sandwich/omelette with cheese and salad bits on the side and a couple of yoghurts afterwards
Afternoon snack is usually fruit or veg sticks
Dinner is usually fish fingers/chicken, potatoes and lots of veg.

They eat huge portions. My 2 year old eats more than my 3 year old yet she's literally half her size!

[Kim82]

My dd is 23 months and hardly eats a bloody thing! She is only 20lb but has always been tiny and has a milk allergy so we have to stay away from dairy. I do worry about how little she eats but I can't force it down her. Today she had:

7.30am - 1 weetabix with almond milk (ate half)

8am - 5oz formula (prescription stuff)

10am - offered a banana, refused it.

10.45am - two bites of a goodies cereal bar whilst out shopping.

12pm - offered bowl of pasta bolognese, ate three small spoonfuls. Offered some chopped grapes, refused them.

1pm - half a "nice" biscuit

3pm - about 4 or 5 strawberries

6pm - offered sausage, chips and peas. She ate about 3/4 of a chipolata sausage, one or two chips and maybe a few peas

7pm - 6oz formula

That is a good day, food wise, for her. It's not unusual for her to have 1/4 of a weetabix for breakfast, refuse all snacks, no lunch, one or two mouthfuls of her dinner and that's it. She has vitamins daily as I know she doesn't get enough through her diet. It does worry me. Severe acid reflux for her first 8 months has given her a feeding aversion and she just doesn't enjoy food/eating. I'm hoping she'll grow out of it eventually...

[SleepForTheWeak]

Kim, if your DD is eating a few spoonfuls here and there j wouldn't worry. If she was hungry then I'm sure she would eat more.

Well done on getting her to take vitamins. I tried to give DD some and she just runs away shouting YUCK! (Than an Peppa bloody pig )