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Can I ask about toddler portion sizes?

13 replies

whatthefoxsaid · 14/03/2019 18:17

DD is 18m and just recently is like a bottomless pit with food!
She's been on or above the 99th centile from 6 weeks old and I do keep an eye on her weight (although not sure what I could do about it?!). She is dairy free and I do worry about calcium.
Typical food examples:
6am- Cup of alpro
7.30: slice of toast or hot x bun, 2 strawberries
11: snack, mini rice cakes or banana or oat bar
1.30: mushroom 1 egg omlette, dairy free yoghurt, 7 raspberries or other fruit. Or French toast and fruit and yoghurt.
4.30: dinner, whatever we're having. Tonight it was one turkey burger, homemade wedges and steamed cauliflower (she's not a salad fan). Couple of berries after. Or handful of pasta and big spoon of bolognese sauce and fruit pot.
7: cup of alpro.
She's not interested in sweet things yet but the portions I'm giving her seem big. She eats it all and since I've started feeding her what she wants rather than my idea of what she should have, her sleep has improved Blush could be a coincidence of course.
Sometimes ill give her some toast after dinner as she's still eating so eagerly. Her diet is good and varied but I want to know if her portions are too big?

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HalfBloodPrincess · 14/03/2019 18:22

Sounds normal to me. Ds is 2 months older and has a similar sized appetite, depending on the day. He sometimes eats more, sometimes less, but I’m of the thinking that he wouldn’t eat it if he wasn’t hungry.

Does she drink a lot of water/juice during the day?

whatthefoxsaid · 14/03/2019 18:34

Thanks HalfBloodPrincess that's reassuring. Yes plenty of water during the day, won't touch squash though. She had a nasty virus followed by tonsillitis a few weeks ago and refused most food and all but the tiniest sips of water so I think her appetite has just come back but its such a contrast! A gp was once a bit mean about her weight so the paranoia creeps in now and again too.

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HalfBloodPrincess · 14/03/2019 19:13

Then I think it’s fine. If she’s drinking plenty then she’s not confusing thirst with hunger. Diet seems varied and healthy. I’d just carry on doing what your doing (and keep your fingers crossed she skips the fussy stage🤣)

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NuffSaidSam · 14/03/2019 19:18

Portion size looks fine to me.

Based on that example though she's having too many empty carbs and not enough protein.

Also, you say she's not into sweet things, but she's having sweet fruit with every meal and snack. Maybe switch in some veggies.

whatthefoxsaid · 14/03/2019 19:26

Thanks both. I agree re protein Sam it's something I'm working on.
Generally I do usual breakfast type food, carb/protein/fruit lunch and carb/protein/veg for dinner but it doesn't always work out like that!
Sorry I meant cakes/biscuits etc when I was talking about sweet stuff. I'll see if I can persuade her to have some cucumber or something instead of fruit for a snack!

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Mumao · 14/03/2019 19:33

Op I think that's a ver normal toddler diet.

Empty carbs!? Her lunch is practically all protein. I get that fruits are carbs but not empty.

Op maybe as she moves around more the 'extra' weight will come off

NuffSaidSam · 14/03/2019 19:36

I'd definitely try for protein at breakfast. I don't think a hot cross bun is a good breakfast really (and it's quite sweet). I would do porridge or eggs plus fruit and toast (with peanut butter if she'll eat it). You might find she eats less through the day if she has a good breakfast.

I'd switch rice cakes/oat bar for cucumber sticks and houmous or apple and peanut butter or bread sticks and houmous/peanut butter. Or maybe offer her little sandwich with some protein in it (chicken/tuna etc.)

Lunch looks good, but I'd avoid french toast as she already having toast at breakfast and then supper. I'd put more veg in the omelette, maybe add beans.

Dinner looks good too. I would try and cook enough so she can have seconds though rather than giving her toast if she's still hungry.

As long as she's eating healthily and running around lots, I wouldn't worry about weight at this age.

NuffSaidSam · 14/03/2019 19:39

'Empty carbs!? Her lunch is practically all protein. I get that fruits are carbs but not empty'

I was thinking more of the hot cross bun for breakfast, rice cake for snack, french toast for lunch and then toast again for supper. It's quite a lot of bread.

WhatIsHerName · 14/03/2019 19:40

I find this website hugely reassuring when it comes to portion sizes:
www.infantandtoddlerforum.org/portion-sizes-table-2015

Oh and babies & toddlers moderate their food intake over a week, not a day, so some days they’ll eat more or less which is completely normal.

whatthefoxsaid · 14/03/2019 20:48

Thanks all, I appreciate the pointers!
The hot cross buns are a 'new' thing (I actually got them for me but she really liked it!) but I know they wouldn't be great every day. I wish she would eat porridge but she gags on it every time. Same with mashed potato. I'm a bit reluctant to do eggs for breakfast, because they're my go-to lunch when we're at home and I don't want to upset her stomach with too many.
I'll have a think about other options though. She's coming round to peanut butter and loves to dip in hummus so I'll try that thank you.
No sandwiches (not keen on bread texture, hence so much toast!) but I don't mind her having seconds instead of toast if that's the right way to do it. Sometimes her appetite is hard to gauge til she gets going, which is why I revert to emergency toast/rice cake/fruit. With her not being able to have dairy it's not always as easy to give her seconds if I've put cream/cheese etc in after fishing hers up!
Lastly the oat bars are a bit non-negotiable because it's part of a milk reintroction thing but I'll see if I can tweak the recipe to make it a bit healthier,bearibg in mind the protein thing.
Thanks again! I'll check out that link now What it'll be good to have a point of reference!

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NuffSaidSam · 14/03/2019 21:23

I can see where she's coming from with the mash and porridge, it can be a bit of a weird texture!

You could try pitta bread or wraps if she doesn't like the texture of normal bread. Maybe toasted and cut into fingers for dipping. Or you can cut wraps into small triangles, spray with a little oil and put in the oven for 4 mins or so to make little tortillas for dipping.

Can also do 'deconstructed' sandwich for lunch/snack. Chicken or tuna or salmon or other tasty filling, few bread sticks, dollop of houmous, sweetcorn and cucumber just on a plate like a tiny buffet!

There's nothing wrong with oat bars (especially home made ones), but maybe for pudding rather than snack. Or alongside something a bit more filling maybe, if she's hungry a lot.

user1496701154 · 15/03/2019 00:43

This looks great to me honestly my son's a bottomless pit eats all day. Thought his teatime is with me and dad. And he just shares all meals with him that works for us. My fussy little eater has loads of recipes for none dairy. Here's some calcium rich foods that are not dairy 😙

Can I ask about toddler portion sizes?
sleepycat13 · 15/03/2019 06:59

sounds very similar to my 18 month old. he is smaller. typically around the 25th centile now used to be 9th.
that comment about regulating food over the week makes sense actually as some days I feel like all he does is eat and then other days it's a more manageable amount.
I have often worried about how much he has but then I do think toddlers are pretty good at self regulating as he will turn food away when he doesn't want it.
we also struggle with salad items and veg on its own which leaves me a bit stumped at snack time sometimes and also revert to toast and carbs more than i would like but I guess they are still exploring foods and it will take time to work up to a full varied diet so I just try to keep offering and not get too stressy over it.
typical day for us for comparison looks a bit like this.

6.30am breastfeed

6.45 am ready brek about 25-30g, followed by banana and either toast or yogurt (at about 8.15am at nursery)

11am - snack either fruit, yogurt, toast or crumpet depending on what he had in the morning
at weekends he might have a brunch with us for his snack so will have things like scrambled egg, smoked salmon, mushrooms and toast (trying to sneak spinach in there too)

2pm - lunch typically leftovers of our food from freezer. something like cottage pie or pasta with veg mixed in and finely chopped. so mix of protein, carbs and veg. all homemade
usually followed by yogurt or fruit.
(on nursery days times for lunch and snack are swapped round)

4.30pm - dinner tends to be leftovers from freezer too but something different from lunch.

6pm - breastfeed and banana, crumpet, or yogurt. sometimes two from above.

some days he will have more breastfeeds throughout the day and additional snacks. as I said I struggle a bit with what to give for snack and rely far to much on fruit, yogurt and bread type foods.

water is on constant hand and he will drink regularly throughout the day too.

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