Am I overfeeding my 2.5y old?

[Sigh2020]

Just having a bit of a panic. I feel like my toddler is getting chubbier and I have realised that I should have been limiting his portion sizes but have no idea what portion size he should have. It sounds stupid but I was still stuck in the "let baby lead you" from the breastfeeding days, and only just realised that he may now be asking for food out of greediness rather than hunger so I should really be in charge!

I feel like I have let him down. My DH and I generally eat a lot (we're very active) so I think our idea of a portion is off and we have already taught him to overeat :(.

For example if we have a picnic he can have a whole bagel with avocado and goats cheese for lunch. After googling I saw he should really only have half. I now give him half with perhaps soup on the side but he'll often have seconds of the soup.
If we have corn on the cob I give him half an ear but as there are only 3 of us there is always a half left and I do give it to him if he asks for it. If we have new potatoes he may eat 5 of them. Is that a lot?
On the flip side he doesn't really snack and only has occasional treats (usually homemade and not too sugary)

I have googled portion size for toddlers but it really hasn't helped. 1/2 cup or 40 grms means nothing to me. Do you weigh your toddler's food? Help...

I don’t have a toddler but very much remember learning that child portion sizes relates to the size of their hand Eg. 1 portion of chicken = chicken that fits in their palm. 1 portion of a carb is the size of their closed fist. Helps me visualise portions if I’m ever serving food to little ones.

Have a google and see if it helps x

All kids are different. When mine were that age they ate loads compared to their friends. I remember going for dinner and she made shepherds pie in ramekins- I would give them about 3 times the amount she portioned. But......her kids drank a lot of milk, and had more snack breaks a day than mine. All kids were healthy we just had different approaches.

If your 2 year old is really overweight you do need to ensure he eats well and exercises well.

This might be useful, it contains photos of portion sizes for toddlers
www.cwt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/CHEW-1-4YearsPracticalGuide3rd-Edition.pdf

Thank you @PinkPlantcase and @mooncakes that's really going to help me visualise!

@Mumdiva99 your post is reassuring I can exactly relate. He would eat a large portion of shepherds pie but doesnt drink loads of milk or have snacks inbetween. So hopefully it's OK, I'll just watch out a bit more from now. He isn't actually overweight, just feels a bit chubbier this week. This occasionally happens and then he seems to shoot up overnight and get slender again but I definitely want to prevent rather than cure! Hopefully its just one of those!

They do tend to do that....bulk a bit ready for a growth spurt. You are watching it so I'm sure it will be fine.

(I sometimes offer mine things they don't really love when they tell me they are still hungry - if they say yes then I know they are genuinely hungry - if they say no they were just looking for pudding or a treat!)

DS eats a lot, and did at 2.5.

But then he's just shot up in height (6cm in 3 mo, 3 years 5 mo)

ANd is in proportion, BMI on 50th centile (I checked out of curiosity)

I recently found this online if you find this abit more helpful? I thought my dd hardly ate anything but going by this chart I was giving her a little bit too much at meal times so she actually eats about the right amount for her age

My DS is coming up 4 and he often eats like a bottomless pit and gets a bit of a tummy just before he shoots up and his trousers are suddenly showing an inch of skin round the ankle. One thing I try very hard to do is if he tells me he’s full, I never encourage one more bite, clean your plate etc. He’s a good eater, he doesn’t need the encouragement and I want him to recognise when he’s full. He could easily have eaten a full bagel and more at 2.5. He is a very tall boy, 98th centimetres and always has been but he’s not chubby - if he was I would be a bit more careful.

98th centile

www.swft.nhs.uk/application/files/4314/7929/4203/Recommended_intake_and_portion_sizes_for_children_-_all_appendices_2016_FINAL.pdf

This is helpful and shows sizes in pics

@Sigh2020 please don’t panic. All kids are different. I think you have a good idea of what is healthy.

DC1 is a snacker. He probably has very small portions at meal time. But he eats all day long.

DC2 likes big meals that fills her up. She eats huge portions at lunch specially. Then she is happy not to eat anything until dinner.

Both are active.

If kids start getting chubby, watch out on unhealthy food before cutting down on the good stuff. What is their sugar intake like? Also, milk is a big thing for toddlers. When they start eating properly, offer water as a drink with meals instead of milk.

Have you dug the red book out and weighed and measured him and plotted it on the graph to what centiles he’s on? I thought mine was getting too chubby but according to the red book he’s exactly where he should be.

@Charlottejade89 @OverTheRainbow88 thank you I have saved those. A bit of a reality check really, he has at least twice these portion sizes. If he has an apple he has a whole one, when he has weetabix he has two, tonight we had pasta and spinach and I served it in his little bowl and I'd say it was about three times the portion shown. He only has his 3 meals and no snacks, and does eat less some days but I think I need to be careful.

I dug out the red book and he is on the 9th centile for height and just above the 25th for weight, so that's not great is it?