To ask what your 2 year old eats in a day?

[UterusesBeforeDuderuses]

Sorry posting here for traffic, but I feel like I may have lost sight of normal portions with my 2 year old DS and wondered what everyone else's eats during the day? My DS has always been big, he was 11lbs at birth and has stayed right at the top of the percentiles since then, which we've always been happy with as his weight was consistent and he seemed big and chunky rather than overweight. My DH was also a big baby and eventually slimmed out, which we assumed DS would, but he seems to be getting chunkier so I think we need to cut back on his food.
In a typical day he'll have half a bowl of whole grain Cheerios or other non-sugary cereal for breakfast with a pro biotic yoghurt drink. He'll have a mid morning snack of some fruit normally, lunch is usually either a sandwich with maybe some nuts or a bit of soreen and some fruit, or something like a cheese and spinach omelette. After his afternoon nap he has a little bowl of grapes or some strawberries. Dinner is varied, he usually just has a smaller portion of what we're having, with a yoghurt for pudding if he's eaten his dinner. Is that way too much?

It sounds fine and balanced, the portions sound good too. I wouldn't worry too much as he's probably active enough during the day. FWIW my ds who is now 5, was a chunky baby and toddler. Not chubby just big boned and heavy, always top percentile for weight and 50% for height. He's since slimmed down, very average size.

That seems about right?

My DS is 2.5 he will eat a huge breakfast, either an adult sized portion of porridge or two weetabix with an extra glass of milk and a banana.

He will have a small mid morning snack, maybe a little apple or some raisins.

Lunch is varied, usually leftovers or a picky lunch. He does t eat loads for lunch. Sandwich is made from 1 slice of bread not two. But he'll have some cucumber and tomato with it or something similar.

He will have an afternoon snack of a muffin or something.

Then dinner if whatever we are having and a yoghurt pudding. He usually has Greek yoghurt and granola, those kids yoghurts wouldn't touch the sides!

Oh and my 2 year old tends to have small portion of cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, 1 cookie for snack and whatever we're having for dinner, usually a second helping as well.

I think there may be quite a lot of hidden sugar in the breakfast in particular op - worth totting it up if you're concerned.

Today ds (2 in june) had:

Breakfast: a (toddler) bowl of cheerios (I usually give him porridge or weetabix but dh is a soft touch!); 2 very little easy peelers and most of a banana.

Snack:A handful of raspberries.

Lunch: chickpea and sweet potato curry with rice; 2 petite filous yoghurts, a slice of soreen with butter.

Snack: a chocolate digestive (but only because I was eating one and he saw, normally would be a toddler snack); cup of milk.

Dinner: ham sandwich; handful of blue berries, handful of blackberries and a pear. He is a fruit fiend.

I find a big lunch and smaller tea works well. Ds is up on 98th centile but tall and pretty in proportion.

Doesn't sound like that much to me - but my DC have always eaten a lot.

It sounds fine, but for an optimal diet maybe up the protein and have less sugar? You could give a boiled egg instead of soreen, give plain yoghurt if you don't already rather than flavoured. It also sounds quite low in good fats, and you don't mention any drinks?

Sounds fine. Is he active?

My son (19 months) usually has :

8am : bottle of milk (120ml) and a biscuit while I have my coffee

12am : rice and chicken or similar. Yoghurt if he's eaten well.

16pm : yoghurt and/or fruit and/or biscuit. Sometimes cake if I've been baking.

20h : vegetable (zuchini puree or spinach and fish or carrots and meat or similar). Fruit or yoghurt if still hungry.

I should add - if he refuses to eat then he doesn't have to, I never force him to finish his plate. But obviously he gets nothing else until next meal.

My DD is 2 next month, today she had:

Breakfast - toddler bowl of multi grain hops & an apple

Snack - some sultanas and half a piece of toast and peanut butter (that she stole from my plate)

Lunch - a fish cake, corn on the cob and some crisps

Snack- half a banana and some melon

Dinner - spaghetti carbonara and a small piece of garlic bread. We offered her a yoghurt but she refused it.

Supper - 1 wheatabix with milk.

She eats loads and some days theres just no filling her, but she makes up for it as shes constantly on the go. My friends have boys the same age and they eat bigger portions but less often...it all depends on the child I think

Sounds exactly the same as what my 21 month old has.

He has his main meal at lunch time as we found he was eating better that way.

He’s also still having 2 x 9oz bottles of milk a day

Is your DS active?

Personally if his weight is consistent with his percentile and he’s active etc I wouldn’t worry

@malysh without meaning to criticize, that doesnt seem a lot for a 19 month old. A typical child of that age should be having 3 meals a day plus snacks, are they not hungry?

My nearly 19mo has the same as your son OP, he doesn't really have an afternoon snack though tbf. Only because he gets up from his nap at 3 and dinner is at 5/5:30 so he wouldn't eat dinner if he had a snack. I reckon you've got it spot on👍

Everything.. costing me a fortune in lockdown

DN was always on the 10-25th centile for weight and is around the 50th now. At 2 she would eat 2 weetabix in 300ml of milk; or two boiled eggs with toast and 300ml milk. Then lunch would be an assortment of steamed veg, babybel, and fresh fruit / veg with water. If she snacked in the afternoon it would be on cucumber or carrot sticks with hummus / boiled eggs / breadsticks. Evening meal would be roti with a bit of curry and a little rice and dal.

Thank you for your replies, it's good to hear that DS isn't eating too much compared to others his age. I think I will monitor his sugar levels though. Maybe he just needs to be more active, lockdown with a baby means we probably are watching a bit too much tv, more running around needed!

@UterusesBeforeDuderuses I play ‘ready, steady, go’ with my DS. He just runs around the house doing it and loves it! Good way to burn off some energy while you have a cup of tea

@Willow4987 definitely trying that one

Sounds absolutely normal however I would be aware that even the whole grain Cheerios are packed with sugar, as are the yoghurt drinks

That all sounds ok to me although Cheerios are much higher in sugar than you might expect. I stopped buying them when I realised.

Sounds just right to me, my DD (3 next month) eats very similarly x

I think that sounds fine OP. Mine was a right little barrel at 2.5, he's 5 now and has grown a lot in the last year and has totally slimmed down

What does my 2.5 year old eat? Everything! So far today a bowl of malt wheat shreddies with a little milk, 2 plain crackers that she stole from the larder and a mini yoghurt. She will have a sandwich for lunch with about 5 cherry tomatoes, a babybel and half an apple. Then a nap, and awake declaring she is STARVING, have a little pack of breadsticks or veg sticks of cucumber and carrots, and then have a toddler plate of pasta and spaghetti bolognaise (it’s quite well packed with veg) with a slice of garlic bread for tea with maybe a satsuma or mini rice pudding if she is still hungry.
She is fit and healthy, very active, tall and slim. My friends little girl probably eats half of this at best, but is much more petite generally, and is not really interested in food at all, thinks mealtimes are a chore, but is also fit and well. I think it just depends on the child and activity level but it sounds fine to me

Sounds fine to me. My ds has a small amount of cereal (about 3 tablespoons, trying to get him to eat more) and two small yoghurts. He will then have some fruit or a cup of milk. Lunch is usually some soup and one piece of bread, a sandwich, or a one egg omlette, beans on toast or spaghetti, sometimes a waffle and two fish fingers. He then usually has another cup of milk. Dinner is a small portion of whatever we have, I use kids plates for the kids. Before bed he will have another cup of milk and water or apple juice throughout the day.