Portion Sizes

Ok, I honestly think my boys are going to eat me out of house & home! They eat such huge portions that it shocks everyone! They're only the 50-75th percentile for weight (same for height), so they're fine in that regard, but it amazes me how much they can consume in one meal!

Sometimes, we chalk it up to growth spurts. But it hasn't stopped in weeks; do spurts last that long? Other people just say "they're growing boys" & to get used to it!

So, when they eat a ton & still ask for more, do I keep feeding them? They do push food away & say 'all done', so I think they have an idea when they're full. We always limit the amount of fruit & sweets they get (or they'd eat ALL that), but will always replenish anything else they want (veggies, bread, pasta, etc).

Just an example of how much they eat...this is what they've had today:

Breakfast: EACH had 2 frozen waffles, a banana, an applesauce cup, & a handful of blueberries, along with some milk

Lunch: EACH had a double cheeseburger, 2 chicken nuggets, a handful of fries, 1/2 a fruit/yogurt parfait, & some milk (yes, we ate McDonalds, we were in a hurry & they love it)

I took away their morning snack months ago, so all they had in between there was some water.

Is that crazy or normal toddler portions? The other night we had dinner with my SIL & my nieces and everyone was amazed that my two EACH pounded 2 full pieces of pizza (plus other stuff)!

I'm doome for my grocery bill, aren't I?

 

This is the info that I recently got from the nutritionist for 1-3 Year Olds.

Normal Pediatric Diet:

Dairy- 3 servings (6 oz. each)
Meat, Egg, Fish, Poultry- 2 servings (1oz. each)
Vegetables/ Fruit- 4 servings (3 Tbsp. each) 2 fruit, 2 vegetable (Choose 1 high vitamin C daily, Choose 1 high vitamin A 3-4 x a week).
Bread, Cereal, Pasta- 3 servings (serving is 1 slice of Bread, 1/2 cup Pasta, 3/4 cup dry cereal)

These are just guidlines, hope this helps!

 

What I've seen my two go through first hand in a day:

1 large pancake and an egg and two strips of bacon
1/2 cup of dried fruit
a cup of pasta with 1/2 cup of veggies plus 1/4 cup cheese, banana and 1/4 c of dried fruit
one cup of yogurt
1 1/2 slice of papa john's pizza
1/2 cup goldfish
plus water and 12 oz milk

Piggies! All of them!!

 

I am so impressed! I very clearly have small eaters. In fact, I don't know that even I could polish off a double cheeseburger, two nuggets, fries and some yogurt. Perhaps you guys could introduce your kids to mine and explain to mine that they need to eat more!

 

My DD is a good eater, but her brother doesn't eat enough to keep a bird alive!
I've thought about asking for a referral to a pedi to talk about thier eating.

 

i have no idea what the right portion size is. i just feed them till they shake their heads and say "all done" lol

 

It doesn't sound too crazy to me, since you don't give them snacks. Mine would probably eat more at meals if I didn't give them snacks. I let my boys eat as much as they like (within reason), but it's mostly vegetables, fruits, healthy proteins and whole grains, so I'm not worried. Plus you have never seen a more energetic pair - I'm sure they burn off a lot of calories tearing around all day long! My boys are 25 months old (almost) and I'd say one is 33 lbs and the other is probably 35 lbs. They are both well over 3 feet tall - they're really, really tall.

 

I love the Wholesome Toddler Food website because it talks about portions, food pyramid, picky eaters, etc.


ETA: Here is the nutritional needs for the growing toddler from that site, along with portion recommendations.

And here's another pretty good one Keep Kids Healthy - feeding your toddler.

 

I also want to mention that our ped. always says that the parents job is to offer a variety of nutritious foods and it's the child's job to decide how much thye are going to eat. Bascially, most healthy children (those without medical, developmental or emotional issues) will not starve themselves or over-eat to the point of it being unhealthy.

It sounds like your little boys are healhty, active little guys. Good luck with that grocery bill! (Can't imagine what they'll be like as teenagers!).

 

It sounds like you have healthy boys with healthy appetites! Mine are decent eaters, I will feed them until they are done and they are pretty good about letting us know when they've had enough. Normally they have one big meal a day (usually lunch or dinner) and then the other meals seem to be lighter for them.

 

QUOTE(ddancerd1 @ Mar 26 2009, 03:34 PM) [snapback]1246052[/snapback]
i have no idea what the right portion size is. i just feed them till they shake their heads and say "all done" lol

Me Too!! :lol:

 

QUOTE(Mel G @ Mar 26 2009, 08:09 PM) [snapback]1246297[/snapback]
I also want to mention that our ped. always says that the parents job is to offer a variety of nutritious foods and it's the child's job to decide how much thye are going to eat. Bascially, most healthy children (those without medical, developmental or emotional issues) will not starve themselves or over-eat to the point of it being unhealthy.



That's exactly what our ped said. I give them more as long as they are eating. When they start throwing food on the floor or feeding the dog, they are done.

 

Holy wow. That is a LOT of food! I have a friend who has twin boys like yours -- they can just eat and eat and eat -- and they're both on the small side.

My two have decent appetites, but they don't eat nearly that amount. And they're really big kids, too. I think it just varies so much per kid.

For example, I make sandwiches with two slices of the Nature's Own "light" wheat bread, light mayo, two slices of ham, and one slice of cheddar. Then, I cut the crusts off. Some days, K&K will split the sandwich, and then split a banana, and perhaps eat a small amount of cheese or crackers or something else. Other days they're hungrier, and I'll have to make two sandwiches -- but rarely has either of them eaten a whole one, even with the crusts cut off.

What's funny is they can both easily out-eat their older sister -- she has always had a dainty appetite. I often wonder what sustains her...

Anyhow. I can't imagine refusing to give a toddler food if he's asking for it...but at some point, I imagine you gotta start offering broccoli and carrots in hopes that they'll slow down.