Portion Sizes for a 2.7 year old

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I keep coming across people on Instagram (I know, bad place to make a judgement), who seem to serve a full plate (kids size) to 2.5 year olds. I’m talking a roast dinner 6-8 cubes of chicken, multiple potatoes and what I’d say it probably over half a chunky carrot etc.

my DD eats constantly throughout the day, but her portions are tiny in comparison. Just wanted to come on here and get a more realistic idea of what other toddlers are eating.

An average day for DD:

• 8-9oz milk in a bottle some time between 6-7:30am
• Breakfasty snack like a biscotti, half a Belvita soft cake or handful of dry cereal before 10am
• between 10-11am she’ll have actual breakfast, could vary from a fried egg, to 7/8 mini frankfurters, handful of cheerios with milk or half a slice of toast. (She does love a cheese and roasted tomato toastie from Costa though, will eat one whole “sandwich” of that)
• snacks on and off between breakfast and lunch - packet of crisps, cucumbers, grapes, olives, half a banana etc
• 5-6oz milk in a bottle around 12:30 when she has a nap
• Lunch is usually a proper meal, rice & curry, chapatti, pasta, a mini wrap or 2-3 chicken tenders etc, portion wise half an Ikea kids bowl
• will snack again between lunch and dinner, things like popcorn, crisps, ice cream, cookies
• Dinner will again be a proper meal, whatever I’ve cooked, but I’d say portion wise again it’s half a bowl
• 8-9oz milk again at bedtime (she’ll usually finish it, but sometimes leave 2-3oz if she’s had a heavy dinner)

Sorry, I know that super long, but that’s roughly her. I can’t get her to snack less and eat bigger meals. She will have a bigger meal herself, out of choice if it’s something she really enjoys. But never a portion the size of what I’ve seen online.

Is he tall? My DS 3.5 and is 50th centile height and weighs 15kg which is under the 50th centile in weight. If your DS has dropped height centiles from birth and is also only 13kg then I’d probably be making an appointment to check it out.

My almost 3 year old certainly eats like the instagram post. He’s still being breastfed before bed (cure weaning), but this is his average day.

Approx. 7am: cup of milk followed by porridge or home made muesli with whole milk.

Approx. 10am. Fruit snack. Half of a banana, blueberries, pomegranate, etc.

Approx. 12pm: Substantial lunch. Chicken curry and rice, cottage pie, fish pie, etc. lots of veg too.

Approx. 3:30pm: Savoury snack. E.g. tomato, cheese, crackers, etc.

Approx. 6pm: Beans on toast, savoury pancake, pasta bake, bolognaise, omelette. This is the lighter meal.

If he’s complaining about being hungry after that, he gets a cup of milk, a rice cake, cracker or a sugar free yogurt. He snacks, but it’s all reasonably healthy.

My son also isn’t hungry when he wakes, but he eats his breakfast appropriately an hour after he gets up. We’re rigid about the timing of meals because he still naps, but we do find that if he has too much milk, he won’t eat well and will beg for snacks. I would advise you to cut back on the milk in the morning and cut out the breakfast snack. She will be hungry and eat a normal breakfast early. It must put so much pressure on you to have to deal with regular snacking.

@AnIndianWoman - he’s been checked out as under paediatrician for allergy here. They say he’s perfectly healthy and within range. It’s just he was a very large baby born. He’s 99cm tall I think ( was a month ago). He doesn’t stop moving since he walked at 8months, so just burns it off.

Also you can give food, but whatever size you give, if they won’t eat it what do you do? Mine doesn’t eat even the small portions sometimes. In fact I’m sitting at the table having served chicken, rice, green beans and toddler has run off to hide, demanding toast.

@MurkyGloom Oh wow, still breastfeeding! Salute to you!

Your son seems to have a similar mealtime routine to my daughter, aside from the morning “breakfast snack”. Not sure how to change that one, as even if she’s super hungry in the morning (had a bad night and maybe ended up having a morning bottle earlier), she still won’t want a proper breakfast first. I quite like her starting and ending the day with milk, but could cut back on nap time bottle, which she doesn’t always finish anyway.

I know she likes to graze throughout the day, so always have plenty of options available. We tend to be out most of the day as well, so always have a little bento box with us for when she wants gets peckish. She does eat 3 meals, but as mentioned, they’re not very big portions, and it’s not cause she’s picky. Unless it’s a bbq, then she’ll have like 4 chops, 2-3 chicken tikka pieces and a kebab 😅

Mine didn't snack anywhere near as much, they had 3 proper meals with a cup of milk then a cup of milk at bedtime. Snacks if given would be fruit or vegetables.

Perhaps the insta photos were like my kids, no snacks and less milk?

As for the bottle, mine went from breastfeeding to cup around 18 months.

Mine is 2.9 months and is big. 98th percentile for height and weight (always has been since birth).

A typical day for him is:

Cup of milk when he wakes up. Maybe half a banana.

Porridge with raspberries

Apple mid morning (occasionally a cupcake)

Lunch is a cheese sandwich, pom bears, blueberries. Or French bread with cheese and apple slices if no mid morning apple.

Afternoon - he may have a biscuit or some fruit but not always.

Dinner - usually a portion of meat or fish, vegetables and mash potato or sweet potato. Sometimes a homemade crepe with cheese and spinach. Yoghurt for pudding.

I dont think mine would drink 3 bottles of milk a day but if he did, I don't think he'd eat much. He often doesn't finish his cup in the morning so I use it in the porridge.

The bottle itself is neither here nor there, but the amount of milk is huge for her age and will be filling her up, and it doesn't need to as she has a good enough diet. If you still want 3 bottles i would reduce the amount, and try to ensure the 3 meaps are proper meals with then the snacks in between. My DD has always snacked, but has proper meals

I think it sounds like she eats quite a lot to be honest. My son only had a bit of milk before bed at that age.

The portions do sound small. I've got kids ikea bowls and half a bowl would by tiny if they are the ones I am thinking of!