To think this isn’t really enough food for a 13 year old?

[ChocolateCrepe]

DS has been given 2 slices of a supermarket pizza, 4 chicken nuggets, a handful of fries (literally about 12) and a few cucumber chunks for his dinner

I think this is nowhere near enough food for a growing teen
The adult who gave him the food thinks it’s plenty and I’m being silly

DS is far too polite to ever comment if he didn’t think it was enough but I’ve made him a sandwich and he is now eating it happily

WIBU?

That's a tiny amount of food compared to what my DS ate at 13 for his main meal. Average height, at the bottom of the weight scale.

My 11 year old is the size of the 13 year old, she’d only eat half a pizza, maybe a couple of pieces of garlic bread.
The dinner you described would definitely be more than enough for her and more than enough for me personally but surely this depends on each individual? I was honestly shocked at how much my dd’s friends can eat and had to nip to the shops for a restock when we had a sleep over! 😂

My skinny 7 year old can eat a whole supermarket pizza to himself.

Mumsnet isn't really a great place to ask. People here make a small supermarket roast chicken last a family of five for four meals.

With due respect to those with daughters, by 13 boys need quite a few more calories than girls.

Honestly that would only just about do my 6 year old on a busy day with after school activities etc. She is particularly sporty though. Usually does 2 hours of structured sport and movement a day before any play/school physical activity.

Who eats a sandwich 'happily'

groceries.asda.com/product/boxed-pizza/asda-thin-stonebaked-pepperoni-pizza/1000225889853

Randomly selected supermarket pizza. Half contains 335 calories, so a quarter will be 168calories. A 13yo boy needs 2000 calories. So that's only 8.4%.

A whole pizza would be a third of the daily calorie requirements, not excessive on one meal.

Ignoring the fat, salt etc... obviously a pizza isn't the best overall nutritionally before I'm jumped on.

@MossGrowsFat someone who is hungry?

I'm the height of the average 11-12 year old girl. I can eat a whole supermarket pizza, salad and have desert.

His Dad is seriously out of order providing so little at every meal

My nephew used to eat a whole pizza aged 7 at pizza express - two slices? Who eats only 2 slices of pizza ! Blimey …

It depends on the child. If he's 13 but nearly 6ft tall and built like a rugby player, then probably not. On the other hand, if he's the size of my 13 year old (barely 5ft and skinny), then it would be plenty (assuming that 'slices of a supermarket pizza' are about 1/6 pizza per slice, not a tiny slither). 12 chips is a healthy size portion for an adult.

It's not enough, either nutrionally or to fill him up, but the weirdest thing is that he gets the same portion as the 4 year old. Obviously the different children should have different sized meals, and a 13 year old should have basically an adult portion with some extra calcium.

The OP has already clarified that the slices are 1/8 of a pizza.

That's far too much food for a preschooler. 1 slice of pizza, 1-2 nuggets and a few (6?) chips is more than enough for a 4 year old!

I would, if it were a good sandwich. Can't beat a good sandwich.

@Fink yes that’s my problem, they shouldn’t be getting the same portion sizes
I think Dad is very hung up on things being ‘fair’ so gives them equal portion sizes, instead of catering to their different ages

Competitive undereaters are out in force OP - 2 adults sharing a crappy 10 inch supermarket pizza

DS is 10 and, most of the time, he'd be hungry if that's all he was given. Sometimes, he'd be ok and leave some of the chips.

Kids are usually good at regulating their own intake so I always cook more then leave people to help themselves to more if they want it.

Can't Dad cook more pizza (or whatever) trust DS to eat his fill and then keep it for lunch if not eaten?? It is a risk of developing disordered eating if not fed enough as he could find the then over compensates / always finished beyind hunger as an adult

My 12 yo is a bottomless pit. His friend came for tea and eats way less.

Being fair with portion sizes is bonkers! We're not robots and what we need varies hugely depending on so many factors.

Yeah that's not enough. My 9 year old son gets a frozen pizza to himself if having one as does my 13 year old daughter. Tonight they both left a quarter each, some weeks they will eat the whole thing. They are both very lean, my daughter is really petite.

Pizza is one of those things that if your husband is worried about waste, he shouldn't be. Left over pizza is great for lunch the next day! I would reccomend cooking an extra pizza and if there's any left then it can just be packed away in the fridge. I would say at least half a pizza and some chips on the side is a better friday dinner for a 13 yr old.

@Thehawki agreed! I would much rather have some leftover in the fridge than DS not be given enough!
The 4 year old usually leaves some anyway (but annoyingly picks all the toppings off first 🙄)

One slice of pizza, 1-2 nuggets and a few chips is not enough food for a four year old for goodness sake. Children burn so many calories thats literally like 300 calories or less. Girls of that age should be eating 1200 and boys 1400 calories a day. A growing 13 year old boy needs about 2000-2300 a day.

Yanbu op. That's the portion size for a P1 yo

This is because he's blurring the boundaries between treats and food.
Treats are something that should be shared fairly. Food should be given in accordance with need.
Ideally food shouldn't be a treat. But where it is, it probably does need sharing equally, with additional ordinary food offered to those who need more to eat.