One of the MOST common questions I get is “how much food should my toddler have?” Whether it’s too much, or too little, parents are often worried or confused around how much is “normal” for their child to be eating.
As with most things when it comes to babies, the answer is that is totally varies from child to child. For babies, the range of what’s normal is so big, that there are no portion size recommendations for babies under 12 months. For babies over 12 months, there is a little more guidance around what to expect and what to offer.
To help break down that guidance and hopefully clear up some confusion around portion sizes for little ones, I’ve created a new factsheet all about this topic! It covers:
- All about responsive feeding and toddler appetites
- Fullness and hunger cues
- Portion size guide for the main food groups (fruits and vegetables, carbohydrates, protein and dairy & alternatives)
What is Responsive Feeding?
Responsively feeding your baby or toddler is all about recognising and following their hunger and fullness signals. This to help children learn to follow their own appetites and to support them in learning to eat healthily with autonomy. Just as it takes time to learn skills such as walking and talking, learning to eat and follow our own hunger and fullness is the same.
This factsheet will cover responsive feeding in more detail and HOW to be aware of, and respond to your little ones cues.
What if my toddler isn’t eating the recommended portion sizes?
It’s really important to remember that appetite is HUGELY variable and can be affected by so many different things. Check out my post on changes to toddler appetites for more on this. This factsheet is intended as a guide for the majority of children aged between 1 to 4. However, some children will eat MORE, and other will eat LESS. Use this guide as an idea of how much to serve, but follow your little one’s lead for how much they actually eat.
Download the factsheet here now and follow the links below for more of my free factsheets!