Is this too much food??

[Nightgardenisodd]

Toddler Dd, 3, her dinner today. Very hot where we are, lots of salads etc. We made bread today, so possibly a bit more than normal here, with the bread included.
My mum says I feed her too much food and no wonder she doesn’t eat it all. I don’t expect her to eat it all, but like to give her a varied choice in the hope she chooses parts and eats something, which she does.
Dd is a normal weight etc.
Aibu or is this an okay amount of food for her for dinner?

I think it looks great too, often my DC would have finished this much as toddlers, at other times just picked at it.
I've always understood that it's good to offer a wide choice of food, I'd be more worried if it was just a couple of chunks of cucumber and a bit of ham which is what I've often seen offered to toddlers for lunch. Some people regard cheese as a "bad" food but it really isn't and growing children need a lot of calcium.
Don't let your DM's eating habits affect your good choices!

Never mind a 3yr old, in a grown adult of 53 and there's very little on that (very cute) plate that I could/would eat, definitely the egg, maybe the cheese and a little of the bread (with some butter) and I'd likely be completely stuffed. As for weetabix, on a good day I can just about manage 1.5, definitely not 2 😊

Really Harmonypuss?

Never mind a 3yr old, in a grown adult of 53 and there's very little on that (very cute) plate that I could/would eat, definitely the egg, maybe the cheese and a little of the bread (with some butter) and I'd likely be completely stuffed.

If you're genuinely completely stuffed after a small piece of bread one egg and a tiny helping of cheese you should probably seek pretty urgent medical attention.

Looks varied and healthy to me.If you're happy and so is your child then smile sweetly and carry on!

@FuckingFlumps

Never mind a 3yr old, in a grown adult of 53 and there's very little on that (very cute) plate that I could/would eat, definitely the egg, maybe the cheese and a little of the bread (with some butter) and I'd likely be completely stuffed.

If you're genuinely completely stuffed after a small piece of bread one egg and a tiny helping of cheese you should probably seek pretty urgent medical attention.

Maybe the 53yo has had a gastric band fitted?

Or is very small?

Tbf middle aged women only need to eat as much as toddlers as they are no longer growing. But yes, most unhelpful post. People in here are sooo competitive about eating

I think we’ve hit peak competitive under-eating.

@Harmonypuss

Never mind a 3yr old, in a grown adult of 53 and there's very little on that (very cute) plate that I could/would eat, definitely the egg, maybe the cheese and a little of the bread (with some butter) and I'd likely be completely stuffed. As for weetabix, on a good day I can just about manage 1.5, definitely not 2 😊

Just looking at the picture and I’m FULL. Thanks OP, saved me buying lunch today.

In answer to everyone commenting on how little I eat ....

I'm 6ft tall and size 14/16, so definitely not small.

I've not had a gastric band but did have a bypass a few years ago and really struggle to eat even "toddler portions".

I'm definitely not competing with anyone for the title of "smallest portions", but I think you'll find my grocery bill of less than £60/month (feeding me and the dog) hard to beat! 🤪

Looks great, maybe a bit less cheese? That is cheese isn’t it, too left side if plate. Nice selection, protein and good fats. Ignore your mum but if she doesn’t eat it all and you want to waste less food put less on plate and she can ask for more

I agree with regarding picking and choosing what fascinated me when travelling was in Brazil where children literally just eat what they are given you never saw tantrums or food been thrown these children literally knew that was all they were gettjng. Back in the UK on my return I saw children screaming and throwing food across buses and dinner tables and I thought that spoilt for choice option and how my partner is an only child and very picky about food whereas growing up with a larger family it was grab it before its gone. I cannot stand food waste but this lady is wrapping it up for next time but I wonder which is best get what your given or pick and choose it also depends on your character grazer or otherwise but looks lovely food maybe too much bread ?? But I think this is such healthy balanced food that she is just very lucky to be so well looked after and cared for . I think have your style of catering for your child and stay committed to that as you are her mother and doing a great job x

Hi! If you’ve just joined us, there IS a photo posted by the OP. News just in:

🙀 Please read the whole thread
🙀 It’s bread; not tuna
🙀 It’s a thin slice of cheese, folded in half…
🙀 … with a dollop of mayonnaise
🙀 If you’re a grown adult and couldn’t manage to eat this plateful, seek help
🙀 The cutlery is kids’ cutlery from Ikea
🙀 Cheese is not poison; kids need fat calories
🙀 ‘Portuguese cheese’ is cheese from Portugal; ‘Wensleydale’ is from Wensleydale; ‘Orkney Cheddar’ is from Orkney; ‘Caerphilly’ is from Caerphilly, etc

And here’s some eating advice for toddlers from the NHS.

www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/underweight-children-2-5-advice-for-parents/

I love your reply and totally agree with you!

@Harmonypuss

In answer to everyone commenting on how little I eat ....

I'm 6ft tall and size 14/16, so definitely not small.

I've not had a gastric band but did have a bypass a few years ago and really struggle to eat even "toddler portions".

I'm definitely not competing with anyone for the title of "smallest portions", but I think you'll find my grocery bill of less than £60/month (feeding me and the dog) hard to beat! 🤪

The opinion of a woman who has had her stomach surgically reduced to a pouch roughly the size of her thumb and holding about 3 ounces when full and the absorption of any nutrients deliberately hindered, compared to the normal stomach capacity of a normal toddler (in excess of 7 ounces from the age of 12 months) isn't a particularly useful comparison.

@IReadTheWholeThread 🤣🤣🤣

Thanks, agree about the cheese too, never crossed my mind cheese is bad for kids in any way, they need the good fat etc, surely? I give her whole milk too 🤷🏻‍♀️

That all looks delicious @Nightgardenisodd, as well as nutritious. I'm impressed your child will eat avocado (it looks like at the bottom of the very cute plate?). Lots of variety for them to choose from. 🌹

@Newestname001 She chops and changes with avocado, used to be able to get away with it spread on toast. When it’s on it’s own she sometimes says ‘I don’t like avocado anymore’ 🙄but then sometimes forgets she doesn’t like it (reckon she does really) and eats it 🤣

Aha... now I know they are kiddy sized knife and fork, and using them to estimate the size of the portion, that helps me decide that the meal is not as huge as it first appeared. It looks perfect for a growing 3 year old with plenty of variety that includes fruit, veg, protein, carbs etc. Some 3-year olds might eat more and some less, but let's not forget that the lettuce and other veg are composed mainly of water, so its not too much at all... in my opinion.

[quote IReadTheWholeThread]Hi! If you’ve just joined us, there IS a photo posted by the OP. News just in:

🙀 Please read the whole thread
🙀 It’s bread; not tuna
🙀 It’s a thin slice of cheese, folded in half…
🙀 … with a dollop of mayonnaise
🙀 If you’re a grown adult and couldn’t manage to eat this plateful, seek help
🙀 The cutlery is kids’ cutlery from Ikea
🙀 Cheese is not poison; kids need fat calories
🙀 ‘Portuguese cheese’ is cheese from Portugal; ‘Wensleydale’ is from Wensleydale; ‘Orkney Cheddar’ is from Orkney; ‘Caerphilly’ is from Caerphilly, etc

And here’s some eating advice for toddlers from the NHS.

www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/underweight-children-2-5-advice-for-parents/[/quote]
Outstanding!!!! :)

In answer to everyone commenting on how little I eat ....I'm 6ft tall and size 14/16, so definitely not small. I've not had a gastric band but did have a bypass a few years ago and really struggle to eat even "toddler portions".

Well, posting on a thread about portion size without declaring that at the outset was a pretty silly, if not deliberately misleading, thing to do then!

[quote Nightgardenisodd]@IReadTheWholeThread 🤣🤣🤣

Thanks, agree about the cheese too, never crossed my mind cheese is bad for kids in any way, they need the good fat etc, surely? I give her whole milk too 🤷🏻‍♀️[/quote]
Yes, growing children need good fat.

I was also thinking: you said when you were younger you put weight on easily. Did your DM have the same issue? She seems to constantly weight-watch. Also, tell her to cut out the huge glasses of fruit juice for Dd. It’s easy to overdose on vitamin C and Dd gets plenty from the fruit and veg she eats. Plenty water keeps the digestive tract working properly. Huge OJs can cause diarrhoea 😢

[quote Benjispruce5]@BastardMonkfish it’s bread.[/quote]
FFS I know!

Well, all DC are different. Does she tend to eat that sort of amount? At 3 mine would maybe eat the egg or the cheese with about a third of the salad. Not sure what the other thing is? As long as you let her only eat to her appetite it should be ok. But are you wasting a lot and that is why she said that? Especially when it is hot people tend to eat less.

Just saw she eats two Weetabix with fruit for breakfast so definitely a bigger appetite than mine. They were still on half a Weetabix and fruit at that age! Sounds like you know the sort of amount she likes to eat so I wouldn't worry!

Oh and just to add mine were very active just tiny appetites! My teen makes up for it now, though!