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How much of meal should toddler eat?



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amother
OP


 

Post Sun, Mar 14 2021, 5:17 pm
How much should I expect my 18 month old to eat? I never know and always hope for the best. But I am nervous sometimes that he’s hungry. His weight is pretty average, but he’s tall.
How much cereal and milk should I put in his bowl?
How many waffles before he gets full?
How big should his sandwich be?
How much pasta? Pizza?
If I put a chicken drumstick on his plate with a few French fries, how much should he finish?
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tichellady




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Mar 14 2021, 5:21 pm
Toddlers can eat very little and then a lot. Look at how much he eats during a month, not per day. I like ellyn sater’s books on feeding children if you need more guidance
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amother
OP


 

Post Sun, Mar 14 2021, 5:22 pm
tichellady wrote:
Toddlers can eat very little and then a lot. Look at how much he eats during a month, not per day. I like ellyn sater’s books on feeding children if you need more guidance


Thanks!
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amother
Mauve


 

Post Sun, Mar 14 2021, 5:24 pm
We look at it a) by the day (is he eating over the course of the day a normal amount of food) and b) by the week (is it balanced over the course of the week).

My kid will eat a sandwich from 1 slice of bread cut in half, most of a slice of pizza, but 1-2 chicken nuggets or 2 bites of chicken.
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amother
OP


 

Post Sun, Mar 14 2021, 5:35 pm
amother [ Mauve ] wrote:
We look at it a) by the day (is he eating over the course of the day a normal amount of food) and b) by the week (is it balanced over the course of the week).

My kid will eat a sandwich from 1 slice of bread cut in half, most of a slice of pizza, but 1-2 chicken nuggets or 2 bites of chicken.


He’s at the babysitter from 9-3. Before he goes, he has about half a cup of cereal with milk. I don’t know what he’s eating at the babysitter. He for sure has a 4oz yogurt for snack and some pasta for lunch, with some random fruit throughout the day. That’s what she gives all the kids. But I don’t know how much he’s eating. For supper, he doesn’t eat a lot, but I’m not sure if he’s eating the appropriate amount or not. He also has 2 bottles a day.
Some days when he’s home, he refuses to eat lunch. Yesterday he absolutely refused anything for lunch, but then he ate a ton for supper. He did the same on Friday. Today he ate 3 normal meals + 2 snacks. Half a cup of cereal with milk, 4oz yogurt, some cookies and crackers, pasta for lunch, fruit, an entire hot dog and a French fry. So he really is all over the place sometimes.
I’ll try that book. I hope he’s getting enough nutrition.
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LovesHashem




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Mar 14 2021, 5:43 pm
It's the humans body natural instinct to not starve itself. If your child is hungry they will eat. Just offer the food and try to encourage your children to eat when hungry.
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amother
OP


 

Post Sun, Mar 14 2021, 5:47 pm
LovesHashem wrote:
It's the humans body natural instinct to not starve itself. If your child is hungry they will eat. Just offer the food and try to encourage your children to eat when hungry.


I definitely do that, thanks! I’m just never sure, that’s why I’m asking. You’re right, he’s not going hungry Smile
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amother
Mauve


 

Post Sun, Mar 14 2021, 6:04 pm
LovesHashem wrote:
It's the humans body natural instinct to not starve itself. If your child is hungry they will eat. Just offer the food and try to encourage your children to eat when hungry.


This. I offer food at reasonable meal/ snack times. I also allow a healthy snack or serve her a meal early if she asks for food at a different time. I figure she'll let us know if she's hungry, and I make sure that "I'm hungry"= real food, not just snack junk. (I'll generally offer: yogurt, cheese, pretzels and peanut butter, crackers and peanut butter or cream cheese, fruit, apple sauce, a sandwich etc. Real food in small amounts)
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amother
OP


 

Post Sun, Mar 14 2021, 6:06 pm
amother [ Mauve ] wrote:
This. I offer food at reasonable meal/ snack times. I also allow a healthy snack or serve her a meal early if she asks for food at a different time. I figure she'll let us know if she's hungry, and I make sure that "I'm hungry"= real food, not just snack junk. (I'll generally offer: yogurt, cheese, pretzels and peanut butter, crackers and peanut butter or cream cheese, fruit, apple sauce, a sandwich etc. Real food in small amounts)


You offer all this for one meal?
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amother
Mauve


 

Post Sun, Mar 14 2021, 6:13 pm
amother [ OP ] wrote:
You offer all this for one meal?


No. Over the course of the day. Every meal starts with the offer of cheese, but most of the time she wanders to the location of the food she wants and asks specifically out of these choices she knows are her choices. She's a pretty independent kid and we leave most of the protein choices where she can find them. "sometimes foods" like Bamba, applesauce, and pretzels are positioned so she doesn't see them and can't access them alone.
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amother
Silver


 

Post Sun, Mar 14 2021, 9:50 pm
Toddlers are all over the place with their meals. Some days they can eat a ton and some days almost nothing. As long as they eat a normal amount over a week, you don't have to worry at all.
My 15 month old has eaten 9 whole meatballs plus some spaghetti for dinner one night. Another night he will eat 2 bites of chicken. Really don't stress about it. Offer what you think he will eat. If he wants more give him more. If he doesn't finish it's okay.
On average my 15 month old will eat:
Breakfast- 1 whole banana plus any of these: 1/2 waffle, 1/2 piece of bread with spread, 1 scrambled egg, 1 small muffin, 1 pancake, 1 yogurt pouch...
Lunch - 1 cup of pasta, 4 fish sticks, 1 pizza bagel or 1 sandwich (full piece of bread cut into 4 with avacado, creamcheese etc) plus cut up fruit or veggies
Supper - I give him a small portion of whatever we eat. He eats more earlier in the day so supper is hit or miss. Usually he eats a small portion but sometimes he can eat a ton.
Follow @feedinglittles and @chikidsfeeding on Instagram
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zigi




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Mar 14 2021, 9:56 pm
kids eat in color is a great instagram account to follow for feeding, it is better to offer smaller amounts and then give more if the child is hungry. also bottles can be filling
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lucky14




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Mar 14 2021, 11:12 pm
amother [ OP ] wrote:
He’s at the babysitter from 9-3. Before he goes, he has about half a cup of cereal with milk. I don’t know what he’s eating at the babysitter. He for sure has a 4oz yogurt for snack and some pasta for lunch, with some random fruit throughout the day. That’s what she gives all the kids. But I don’t know how much he’s eating. For supper, he doesn’t eat a lot, but I’m not sure if he’s eating the appropriate amount or not. He also has 2 bottles a day.
Some days when he’s home, he refuses to eat lunch. Yesterday he absolutely refused anything for lunch, but then he ate a ton for supper. He did the same on Friday. Today he ate 3 normal meals + 2 snacks. Half a cup of cereal with milk, 4oz yogurt, some cookies and crackers, pasta for lunch, fruit, an entire hot dog and a French fry. So he really is all over the place sometimes.
I’ll try that book. I hope he’s getting enough nutrition.


Sounds so so normal!
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