Your handy guide to toddler portion sizes

Not all children have a hearty appetite and sometimes it can be difficult for parents to know whether or not their child is eating enough food and getting the nutritional requirements they need.

The amount of food your toddler eats will vary from meal to meal, and while fixating on portion sizes and daily servings is never healthy, it is essential to ensure that your toddler eats a healthy balanced diet most of the time. That’s because good nutrition gives your child what he or she needs for growth, health, and energy for playing, moving, and learning.

The Infant and Toddler Forum in the United Kingdom recommends that infants should eat several portions of food each day from the following food groups:

• Starchy foods (such as bread, cereals, potatoes, and pasta)
• Fresh fruits and vegetables (such as tomatoes, broccoli, oranges, and strawberries)
• Dairy foods (such as milk, yogurt and cheese)
• Protein (such as meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and legumes)

Fussy eaters

Is your toddler a fussy eater? If so, the best thing you can do is offer your toddler a variety of foods from each food group with different tastes, textures, and colours.

Recommended portion sizes for toddlers

High-sugar snacks

As a general rule of thumb, foods high in sugars are not recommended for children but avoiding sugar entirely in your child’s diet is often not possible.

Toddlers under the age of two don’t have huge energy requirements and shouldn’t be offered these foods. Toddlers older than two shouldn’t be offered these foods more than once a day, with chips, chocolate, and ice-cream only offered once a week.

• Chocolate – 2-4 small squares
• Chocolate buttons – 6-8 small buttons
• Chocolate-covered biscuit – ½-1 biscuit
• Cupcake – ½-1 small
• Ice cream – 2-3 heaped tbsp
• Muffin – 1/8  –¼ large
• Digestive biscuit – ½-1 biscuit
• Popcorn – ½-1 small cup
• Sorbet – 2-3 heaped tbsp
• Chips (tortilla or crisps) – 4-6

Meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and pulses

• Bacon – ¼-1 rasher
• Chicken drumstick – ½-1 drumstick
• Chickpeas or hummus – 1-2 tbsp
• Egg – ½-1
• Fresh fish – ¼-1 small fillet
• Ham – 1½-4 wafer-thin slices
• Lamb – ½-1 slice
• Lentils – 2-4 tbsp
• Mince – 2-5 tbsp
• Nut butter (opt for sugar-free) – ½-1 tbsp
• Nuts (ground, chopped, crushed) – 1-2 tbsp
• Sausage – ¼-1 medium

Top tip: Always cut up foods into small pieces and watch your toddler while he or she is eating to prevent choking.

Starchy foods

• Bread (always opt for wholegrain) – ½-1 medium slice
• Bread roll – ¼-¾ roll
• Cornflakes – 3 heaped tbsp
• Couscous – 2-4 heaped tbsp
• Muesli – 1-4 tbsp
• Naan bread – 1/8  –1/3 naan
• Oatcakes- 1-2
• Pasta – 2-5 tbsp
• Potato chips – 4-8 thick-cut chips
• Rice (always opt for brown) – 2-5 tbsp
• Rice cakes – 1-3 medium cakes
• Weet-Bix – ½-1½ biscuits

Top tip: Don’t push your toddler to eat more than he or she wants.

Dairy foods

• Cheese – 1 slice or triangle
• Cow’s milk – 100-120ml
• Grated cheese – 2-4 tbsp
• Yoghurt (opt for plain) – 125ml

Top tip: Milk should be given in a cup, mug, or glass.

Fruits and vegetables

• Apple – ¼-½ medium apple
• Avocado – ½-2 tbsp
• Banana – ¼-1 medium
• Broccoli – 1-4 small florets
• Carrots –  2-6 carrot sticks
• Clementine – ½-1 fruit
• Cucumber – 2-8 small sticks
• Grapes and berries – 3-10
• Orange – ¼-½ orange
• Peas – ½-2 tbsp
• Raisins – ½-2 tbsp
• Spinach – ½-2 tbsp
• Sweetcorn – ½-2 tbsp
• Tomato – ¼-1 small

Top tip: Offer new foods such as vegetables one at a time, and remember that children may need to try a new food 10 or more times before they accept it.

Foods containing more than one food group

• Stews or casseroles – 2-5 tbsp
• Lasagne – 2-5 tbsp
• Macaroni cheese – 2-5 tbsp
• Pizza – 1-2 small slices

Top tip: Whenever possible, make food simple and recognisable. Some kids don’t like food that is mixed (such as stews or casseroles).