What do you think of this portion size for 15mo?

[DerekDoodles]

Is this too big? Just right? Not enough? Interested in opinions!

I'd give 2 fishfingers because he'll eat them. I would give less potato because that's the sort of thing he likes to throw at me. He's a tricky eater.

It looks fine, if he'll eat that much then give him it.

My 13mo twins would eat 3 fish fingers and the same mash and peas between the two of them but they were prem and both on

Too much in my opinion

My 11 month old would eat that but shes a food mad baby anyways prefers food over drinks (unless its the boooobbb) 😂😂😂

I think that's about double the size I would have given my kids.

I would always offer that much - DD tends to eat two decent meals a day but I never know which. She would clear that if she hadn't had much lunch. Alternatively she might only eat the fish fingers and leave the rest.

If she ate evenly distributed, balanced 3 meals a day that might be a little bit too much but I don't know any toddlers who do that!

It doesnt matter!!!!
Kids will eat until they are satisfied! Unless they are obese then why worry?? My 8 and a half yr old girl will eat full man size portions these days and shes tall and slim. No use comparing as all kids are different.

My 15 mo has just eaten 2 large new potatoes, 3/4 of a salmon fillet, 6 green beans and half a mini corn on the cob. She then ate about 10 grapes for pud.
Last night she ate a similar quantity.
This wasn't all put on her plate btw, we give her a little at a time and give her more when she points for more.
However, many days she eats a lot less than that, and she isn't a big breakfast eater, she just picks at anything offered before lunchtime, so I guess she just prefers to take on her calories for tea.
She's a bit of a pudding but she was even chubbier at 6 months on breastmilk alone so I'm not worried.

Depends on age of person eating it

I don't agree that it depends on the age of a person... my DS1 (20 months) eats more at breakfast than my Dad who is 61!!

End of day we don't all eat the same portions and kids are the same... every child is different and it's best to let your child lead and decide how much they want to eat.

OP you are right to increase your DC's portions if he was still whiney after eating... main thing is your DC continued to eat and is happier for it.

Carry on doing what you are doing.

That's more than my nearly 5 year old eats. And he is overweight. However if LO is not a ball of lard carry on!

Slightly large, I'd give that to a child a year older, plus my DD only got veg portions the size of her fist (she was veg averse and would freak at that amount of peas).

I'd have said too big - my 7 year old would manage it, but my four year old wouldn't.

My 2 yr old wouldn't eat that much x

I think it really depends on what attitude to a plate of food your 15mo has - and yes, they already vary. Someone upthread said kids self-regulate till 2; I think it's more accurate to say they self- regulate till they learn not to. If you can be confident your child will stop eating when they've had enough (not "when they're full") then the worst consequence of giving them too much is a bit of waste. Do switch over as soon as you can to talking about whether one is hungry, do you feel like one or two fish fingers, model eating for hunger and thinking about how hungry one is, though.

Mine would have easily eaten that at 15 months, if not an extra fish finger, plus some fruit/yogurt. A lot of his peers were eating machines at that age too - they're growing fast and doing lots of physical learning in that second year. Now he's two and a bit he probably eats less overall and sometimes goes for days on what seems like a couple of licks of pasta and fresh air. Has remained around 91st centile for height and 75th for weight, FWIW.

I don't think it's too much unless all of their meals are this size and they have a sedentary lifestyle.

When I look at the guidance for portion sizes for toddlers, they seem too small for my son. He is 3 and very slim and active. Perhaps for some toddlers who spend all day sitting on the sofa watching Paw Patrol this would be an unhealthy amount of food but for one who is on their feet all day they easily burn off the calories!