Portion sizes

[Abigailly]

How much do you feed you LO?

Niamh has a HUGE appetite all the time and is constantly wanting fed. She's always on a growth spurt (she wears 5-6 trousers and 6-7 tops).

But I struggle with it. The past 8 years have been plagued with eating disorders for myself so my view on food etc is severely distorted.

So how much do you give your LO for breakfast, Lunch and dinner?

Niamh will typically have (this was yesterday):

Breakfast: Porridge, blueberries, pecans and pomegranate seeds

Lunch: Bowl (roughly a tin but it's HM) of soup, 3 slices of bread

Dinner: Fist sized lump of mash, chicken breast and a carrot worth of carrot sticks, handful of mange tout and cabbage.

Snacks: 2 apples, bag of crisps, bowl of Granola, grapefruit and veg sticks.

I'm not at all concerned about what she's eating, it's how much. Do you think how much is cause for concern?

She never stops eating, and I feel like she's eating more than an adult's daily intake.

How much does you LO eat? When they have every day things like mash, bread etc how big are their portions?

 

[Rachel_C]

That sounds like quite a bit compared to what my kids usually eat (they're 2.5 and 4.5) but if she's tall as well as heavy for her age and she's healthy and happy, I wouldn't worry a bit. Is she roughly in proportion? It's quite normal for kids to have a bit of puppy fat so I wouldn't worry about that, but if she's looking fat rather than chubby I'd maybe just get her checked over by the GP or HV, but I still wouldn't worry too much. She's eating great food and she is growing, learning and developing so much - she probably just needs the energy!

 

[OmarsMum]

I dont control portion sizes, but Omar doesnt snack between meals & he only eats 2 proper meals.

For breakfast he gets leftovers on school day, usually rice with veggies stew with/without meat.

When we pick him up from school he's always starving as he doesn't touch food there, he eats 2 pots of fruits & some times a handful of cashews. If he eats cashews he refuses lunch.

If he eats lunch it's a stew with a grain with/without meat. He doesnt eat dinner if he eats lunch.

When he skips dinner he eats a 300 g pot of plain yoghurt & a pot of fruits. Or a smoothie with strawberries & veggies. Sometimes he gets a smoothie if he refuses lunch.

He's also in 5-6 trousers & 6-7 tops, but he doesnt look huge compared to kids his age. He is not small but his bones & muscles are big. He is also very active.

He also seems to be going through ongoing growth spurts, all his last year trousers that were too long are now short none of his summer outfits that we bought in May last year fitted him in september

Today he was wearing a 5-6 yrs jacket from Mothercare, I bought it last month only, it looked a bit short today although it looked fine last month & the next size was big

 

[aimee-lou]

Ask yourself is she in proportion, is she drinking enough water/fluids, is she active, does she eat all you give her or does she only eat half?

Earl (who is pretty much the same age as Niamh, he was 4 in October) is tall and has a big appetite. His daily intake though is very hit and miss and with him having 2 younger siblings I do tend to find he grazes more than having set meals.

Average day

Breakfast - slice of toast with topping or a bowl of cereal with milk, fromage frais tube, drink of fruit juice(diluted) or milk, sometimes some fruit or a cereal bar if he's still hungry.

Snack - fruit flakes, drink, grapes and a biscuit or 2

Lunch - 2 slices of bread or a wrap with ham, cheese or something like that, pack of crisps or snack like twiglets, a side snack like mini sausages, cheese cubes or something and a yoghurt.

Snack - apple, pear or banana, breadsticks

Tea - Side-plate sized portion of whatever we're having. If he likes it he'll eat the lot and ask for seconds. If he doesn't like it he'll try a bit then wait for afters lol. I always make sure there's some bread or potato going as I know he'll eat them. Pudding if we have it is things like a jelly, or rice pudding, or custard and fruit or I'll bake a cake at some point and there's a slice of that.

Supper - dry cereal or biscuit, milk

He asks for food constantly - and I have to make sure he is ok for his meal times as otherwise he would just graze all day.

He's very active, drinks plenty of fluids and has a balanced diet. You can't really ask more than that!

 

[messica]

My kids are 9 1/2 and nearly 11.

Breakfast - two eggs, banana, one slice of toast and a glass of infused water or milk

Lunch - Protein (deck of cards sized), cup of veg, half cup of fruit, minimal carbs (whole grained bread, past and rices) and glass of infused water or milk

Dinner - Same as lunch

They get 2-3 snacks a day that typically consist of *one* of the following at each snack:
a piece of fruit
cup of raw veg with various dips
granola bar
yogurt
nuts/seeds/granola

IMO - it does sound like she's eating too much, and her clothing sizes indicate that as well but what does her doctor say? How active is she daily? Can she run for some time without becoming winded or pained?


Eating smaller portions but frequently is actually healthier and aids in keeping metabolism in tip top order. I'd definitely keep feeding her as often as you already do in any event, just tweak your food group portions, the carbs in particular - three slices of bread for a kiddo that age is more than recommended for her entire daily intake, that many in one meal is way too much even if her weight is fine - replace with more veg and fruit if she's still hungry after finishing her plate to help her fill up. All fruit and veg is considered "free" in our house, the kids can eat as much of them as they want

 

[Abigailly]

Her weight is perfect for her height. Or so her doctor says. I sometimes worry that she maybe has a bit too much on her, but as I said, I am going through a particularly bad episode just now, so my judgement is completely clouded. (I should also add, I'd never vent any worries about her weight to anyone but on here)

Do you think she looks okay? I know she's not dainty, but I sometimes wonder. I know it's not a great pic to judge, it's the only full length I could find.

Do you think it could boredom? It can't be thirst as she drinks 2 sports bottles of juice or infused water and usually has 'mint tea' when I do a day.

Messica - You're definitely right about the bread. It wasn't until I read that I realised quite how much that was. Any suggestion on what else I could give her with soup as she likes to 'dip'?

Aimee-lou - She'd usually eat it all. Her least favourite meal is definitely dinner which I'm fine abut as I consider it to be the least important, and after how much she eats during the day. So she doesn't always all of that, always the veg and carbs.

 

[OmarsMum]

I have those moments

If you're worried about the bread I'd give her a smaller portion of soup with 2 pieces of bread instead of 3, I wouldnt buy crisps & I'd leave it as a treat when going out, I know apples are good but 2 apples for her age is too much, a portion is 1/2 apple at this age. I'd go for 1 apple instead of 2.

At this age they shouldn't get more than 2 snacks per day if they are eating 3 full meals, even if the choices are healthy, now she's young you have control over what she eats, but when she's older & she has access to food outside home you wouldnt be able to control what she's eating.

She looks perfect, Omar looks the same although he eats less than half of what she's having per day.

What does she do all day? How's her schedule? Omar tends to skip main meals when he's busy, he's always occupied, he goes to school full time, he goes to 3 classes, at home he's always doing something, he doesnt even have time to watch tv. He doesn't have time to think about food.

I was overweight so I know how you feel, it took me 20 yrs (since I was 15) to finally get over my anxiety when it comes to eating. I'm studying to be a health coach now, & my main target is to educate mums on healthy eating for their families & how to change their lifestyles to live healthy.

For now stop worrying about her current weight, she looks healthy & perfect, try to occupy her with more activites, omar was filling envelops with "letters" today, & he was cutting vouchers from an old discount book, it kept him occupied for 2 hours, he also went to a piano class for 30 mins, & he rode his bike after his class. He had his smoothie at 2.30 then he ate lunch at 3.30 pm, he didnt ask for any food before he went to bed, & I honestly dont ask him if he wants to eat unless he skips a main meal. Snacks are not part of his daily routine.

 

[aimee-lou]

She looks perfect.

For comparison - Earl is still following the 90th for weight and 75th for height, same as he was when he was a baby.

This is him on his 4th birthday.

Please please please try not to worry about her. As long as you're presenting her with a good balanced diet and the opportunity to run off any excess energy, she'll be absolutely fine!

 

[messica]

She looks pretty typical to me so maybe she's just hit a growth spurt? Adorable as all get out to boot! Love those curls!!!

As far as dipping goes whole grain tortillas are great. You can cut them into strips so it seems like she's getting quite a bit more than she actually is and they're chewier than a slice of bread so it'll take her more time to eat them all. Same would go for whole grain pita's.

You can also make super simple baked veg crisps in the oven. Sweet potatoes and zucchini works well for that. They come out looking exactly like chips, or breadsticks, and she can dip/scoop them to her hearts content without her realizing she's even getting extra veg.

https://www.dinner-mom.com/sweet-potato-chips/
https://vittlesandbits.blogspot.com/2012/03/baked-zucchini-chips.html


If you look on pinterest there are loads of baked veg chip recipes. The sweet potato and zucchini are just favorites here

Small meals and frequent snacking is important for growing bodies. I'd try to shoot for smaller portions during the day so she eats well at dinner (as well as offering a bedtime snack). That fasting in the night while she's sleeping can actually affect her sleep quality if there's too big of a gap between a healthy lunch and breakfast the next morning. Don't push it of course, but encouraging dinner by taking the emphasis off of earlier meals will help her body not be as ravenous to play catch up during breakfast and lunch the next day


For what it's worth your concern sounds pretty typical to me. You might be a bit more sensitive because of your personal experiences but many moms are as invested in what and how much their kids are eating. It's not a bad thing to be conscientious about!

 

[Abigailly]

I have those moments

If you're worried about the bread I'd give her a smaller portion of soup with 2 pieces of bread instead of 3, I wouldnt buy crisps & I'd leave it as a treat when going out, I know apples are good but 2 apples for her age is too much, a portion is 1/2 apple at this age. I'd go for 1 apple instead of 2.

At this age they shouldn't get more than 2 snacks per day if they are eating 3 full meals, even if the choices are healthy, now she's young you have control over what she eats, but when she's older & she has access to food outside home you wouldnt be able to control what she's eating.

She looks perfect, Omar looks the same although he eats less than half of what she's having per day.

What does she do all day? How's her schedule? Omar tends to skip main meals when he's busy, he's always occupied, he goes to school full time, he goes to 3 classes, at home he's always doing something, he doesnt even have time to watch tv. He doesn't have time to think about food.

I was overweight so I know how you feel, it took me 20 yrs (since I was 15) to finally get over my anxiety when it comes to eating. I'm studying to be a health coach now, & my main target is to educate mums on healthy eating for their families & how to change their lifestyles to live healthy.

For now stop worrying about her current weight, she looks healthy & perfect, try to occupy her with more activites, omar was filling envelops with "letters" today, & he was cutting vouchers from an old discount book, it kept him occupied for 2 hours, he also went to a piano class for 30 mins, & he rode his bike after his class. He had his smoothie at 2.30 then he ate lunch at 3.30 pm, he didnt ask for any food before he went to bed, & I honestly dont ask him if he wants to eat unless he skips a main meal. Snacks are not part of his daily routine.

Any help is appreciated. It's the one area of mothering that I have no faith in myself with.

Yesterday (which is a typical day for us, just to put in the food she ate):

Up at 7am-ish. Went down and had breakfast (wheat-a-bix), got dressed then walked the dog. About 2 miles. Then when we got in she asked for a snack (granola) which I've always put down to having walked so far.

Then we sat down and made cards, while I half got some work done and made the soup and bread (which I don't know if it makes any difference, but it's vegan buckwheat bread).

Then she had swimming lesson, after that she had grape fruit and veg sticks that I'd brought with me.

We went home finished the soup, had lunch (about 12.15pm) and then we walked to nursery for 2.5 hours. Where she had the 2 apples.

My mum picked her up and walked her home while I was at a meeting and she had the bag of crisps (we don't keep crisps in the house as they're a bit of a trigger for me) They walked the dog and played hospitals.

Then at about 5.30 we had dinner where she had the carrots, mange tout, cabbage and mash.

Before bed she had mint tea which is just hot water infused with mint leaves and a drop of honey and a glass of milk.



Often after nursery she'll have a fruit and veg juice (I juice a lot) with me.

Your second paragraph is what worries me the most. That I'm not creating healthy habits for the future. That she won't know how to control food impulses.

Messica - I didn't know that about missing dinner not being great for them. Because my mum did her studying in Brazil and lived there a while we've always followed that. With breakfast and lunch being the 2 more elaborate meals. I will take that on board thank you.


Thank you for all your support and reassurance too. I'ts great to know I can come on here and voice my concerns without being judged for talking about her weight etc.

 

[Natasha2605]

I know how you feel worrying about this as I do the same with Summer. I do worry she eats whenever her hands are not occupied. Yesterday Summer had :

B - 2 mini pancakes with jam, 7 blackberries, 7 raspberries, handful of blueberries and a yogurt

S - A little cake she'd made the day before and a banana

L - Ham sandwich, beetroot, cucumber and tomato on the side. Some crisps

S at nursery - Some strawberries and a biscuit

S at home - A plum and some raisins

D - Homemade Chicken Dippers, Potato and some Peppa Spagetti. Dinner is usually consisted of homemade and plenty of veggies so yest was a change.

I think after dinner she had an apple.

Summer NEVER stops eating. Although she's tall for her age and always active so I try not to worry.

Like I said though, I do worry about it in the sense I feel she eats whenever unoccupied. I also worry that it's setting up bad habits for the future to jsut eat constantly but I dunno.

The eating out of 'boredom' is a worry, do you think your LO could be similar?

She is absolutely stunning btw!

 

[aimee-lou]

Other thing I always consider - calories. While they're smaller, they're growing and a lot more active. For 4yo girls the recommended calorie intake is 1200 a day! For boys it's 1400. We're as adults only supposed to have 2000! And also those 'recommendations' are based on people who have a sedentary lifestyle so children running around burn off a lot as they play.

Calories need to come from healthy source and provide enough energy for them to grow, develop and enjoy themselves. To be perfectly honest, my 2 boys are 2.5 years apart, and I think my younger one eats more than my eldest, but he's growing and developing like the clappers at the moment (language in particular).

Messica - fruit and veg are always available in our house too. As well as milk or water to drink.

 

[Lucasmum]

She looks perfect to me and is beautiful

So long as you are all happy and healthy isnt that all that matters in the end?

I dont think she is over eating at all

Lucas is 7 and is a runt, he still wears clothes aged 5-6 and some 4-5

We have a very relaxed attitude to food in our home, Lucas didnt eat a whole lot during his toddler years, which caused a lot of tension stress and drama and tbh we probably made the food issue much worse, he is better now, but sometimes he can go weeks with out eating a meal, then spend 3 months wanting food all the time, he has been to the doctors and dieticians countless times, but he is happy healthy and extremely active.

I knows its hard not to worry but really try not to

I

 

[RachA]

If she's in proportion you don't really need to worry.

My son is 6 1/2 and on a typical day can eat:

Breakfast: bowl of porridge made with semi skimmed milk, raspberries and maple syrup.

Lunch: ham or beef sandwich with humus rather than butter, 2-3 pieces of fruit, 1 'treat'

Dinner: a big bowl of pasta with a creamy tomato sauce. Then a yoghurt and a piece of fruit.

Snacks: 2 x piece fruit at school, small chocolate on the way home from school, as much fruit as he can get away with!!!! On a bad day he will get through-an apple, 2 small oranges/satsumas, a whole punnet of grapes and a couple of plums.
He will still eat his dinner too!!


In response to what she can have instead of bread with her soup-what about crackers? My daughter loves crackers with her soup.

It is possible that she eats out of boredom-my son tends to eat more on days when he comes home from school and watches tv for a little while. On days that he's doing homework or playing in his room he doesn't eat anywhere near as much.

My son is proper skinny too even though he eats as much as he does so I'm bit worried about his intake. He us 6 1/2 and is in age 7-8 and 8-9 clothes. But the trousers are a nightmare as he has to have the waist pulled right in because he is skinny but needs the length. I tend to wear a lot if shorts because he can get them based on his waist size-so his shorts tend to be age 4-5!

 

[Noo]

Yesterday my 9 year old ate:

Breakfast
Bowl of porridge
handful of grapes
Glass of orange juice

Lunch
Sandwich (2 x small loaf size slices bread, ham & cucumber)
Apple
Penguin biscuit
Water

After School Snack
Crackers & Cheese (4 x Jacobs)
Apple juice

Tea
1 x ladle of Plain pasta (no butter)
half a chicken breast
2 x table spoons of sweetcorn
2 x table spoons of peas
Water

Milk before bed & water bottle filled to take to bed.

He uses a child's size plate/larger side plate and cereal is in a shallower bowl than a soup bowl. Water or milk only between set meal times and only 1 set snack.

 

[Abigailly]

The past few days I've been keeping an eye on her. Her habits, how much she actually eats. When etc.

And I think I've come to the conclusion she's just a big eater who is on a constant growth spurt. To the point my GP has asked if he can monitor her as she's very tall for her age but is 'underweight' for her centile. Although we are both aware she doesn't look it.

She eats it all and it's not out of boredom. Twice we've been at the park when she told me she's hungry. Once was just as she came out of swimming.

Instead of bread, with her soup I gave her more soup (as it's straight vegetables) and gave her 2 oat cakes with it. She ate it all. I have moved dinner to slightly earlier, and have cut down on the carbs and increased her veg and protein intake. She's not keen on meat so we're cutting that right down/

Thank you for all y

our reassurance and advice.

 

[Noo]

You could try adding a tin of sweetcorn to the soup to bulk it out

 

[joeyjo]

Sounds reasonable to me, DS1 is 4.5 on the 9th percentile for weight and just over it for height so a lot smaller. In the uk he wears age 3 or 3-4 clothes her in Spain clothes tend to be smaller and he can sometimes wear age 4-5!

His standard meals:
Breakfast at home 8am: 2 or 3 weetabix, half a banana and another small bowl of cereal. Diluted fruit juice.
Breakfast 2 at school 10:30am: yogurt & a piece of fruit or occasionally a home made biscuit/cake

Lunch (school dinner)1pm: 3 courses aim to provide 600-670 calories. Today he had cream of courgette soup with bread, lemon roast chicken with potato and carrot & an orange. He apparently eats very well at school.

Merienda (afternoon school provided snack) 4:20 pm: a drinking yogurt like actimel or milkshake, a banana, croissant or a sandwich.

Car snack 5pm - fruit pouch, apple, breadsticks or similar & squash to drink.

Dinner 6:30/7pm- yesterday he had pasta carbonara (about 2/3rds of my portion) with extra sweet corn followed by a large bowl of Greek yogurt, banana & strawberries. Today he had a large piece of home made tuna, olive & sweet corn quiche, home made oven chips (I forgot to check school menu) and beans, he didn't want dessert.

Supper 8pm: cup of milk and some fruit or carrots, weetabix or porridge. Or homemade low sugar cake/biscuit

He eats LOTS always has done, 4 weetabix isn't unheard of! Yet he's tiny!

 

[DonnaBallona]

firstly, I just want to say that your little girl is beautiful!

and secondly; I'm stressing slightly that I don't actually feed my two big ones enough now! my daughter is teeny tiny, at 5 she is still wearing 2-3 trousers on her waist (pulled to the smallest setting!) and 3-4 on top. she was really diddy- 2lb- at birth though so I'm sure she's catching up.

OP, I think your little girl looks fabulous and her diet sounds really healthy! well done you! (and I'm getting loads of 'good dinner' ideas from this thread!)