The greatest concern we have as parents is “am I doing enough for my child?” This can range from spending enough quality time with them to disciplining them properly. What I’ve noticed most parents question is “Is my toddler eating enough?”. I know this has been my biggest worry raising my son.
My guy is definitely on the small end of the scale but to be fair neither his father or I are large people. He is most likely not going to grow up to be 6’5″ and 220lbs and that’s totally okay with me as long as he’s healthy.
At one point he was in the 2nd percentile for weight. Obviously this concerned me greatly. The doctors tried to tell me that he had something wrong and that we needed to go get him tested for hormone imbalances and genetic defects, but no part of me thought that was right.
I didn’t have that little voice in my head telling me there was something wrong. I kept trying to get him up to weight on my own by trying my hardest to make every calorie count and give him a variety of foods to eat. Now here we are, looking at the 15th percentile. I’m relieved now and stress way less about if my toddler is eating enough. He sure is!
He never looked unhealthy but he was obviously smaller than a lot of other babies his age. A huge part of me was and is still convinced that this “ideal” weight they use is too high. It goes off of a national average and we all know the majority of us Americans are overweight.
For any other parents out there facing a similar situation, I’ve out together some tips and tricks I’ve picked up to help his weight gain.
I am not a medical professional and nothing here should replace advice by your medical provider. If you’re concerned about your child’s growth talk to your pediatrician.
Make Every Calorie Count
You want to be mindful of what kind of calories you’re giving you child. Remember calories = energy/mood. If you give them crummy calories you’ll get a kid with a crummy mood. Focus on nutrient dense foods like fresh fruits and veggies, legumes and healthy proteins.
Although it might be tempting to pack in calories in unhealthy forms because those make people gain weight, this is not what your goal is. You goal here is to give their little bodies good building blocks for muscle formation.
For my toddler, my go to healthy calorie rich foods are fatty fish (like salmon and trout) shrimp, beans, peanut butter, yogurt, avocado and bananas.
He can’t seem to get enough of these and no matter what he’ll eat them. Find what works best for your little one and offer those healthy fat options regularly.
Add Extra Calories Where You Can
When you’re having difficulty getting your child to eat a substantial meal, making every calorie count is very important. So, if you know they’re only going to eat 1/4 of a plate, load them up with veggies and protein instead of empty carbs.
Be creative how you add extra calories:
- Add a tablespoon or two of heavy cream to their milk
- Toss their pasta in olive oil before adding sauce
- Mix in a spoonful of peanut butter to their oatmeal or smoothie in the morning
- Spread mayo on the outside of their grilled cheese before you brown it
- Offer homemade sauces for dipping (going homemade lessens the amount of sugar, sodium and preservatives)
Portion Sizes for Toddlers
Figuring out the proper portion size to ensure that your toddler is eating enough can be tricky. The most popular answer youre going to find is “1/4 to 1/2 of an adult sized portion.” What exactly does that mean? Seeing as the majority of Americans are overweight or obese, this is NOT a good indication of portion size.
A good rule of thumb is that toddlers need about 1,000 calories a day, spread over all food groups. A fast and easy way to estimate serving sizes is 1TBS per year of age
A good thing to keep in mind is that an empty stomach is the size of your fist, whether you’re a toddler or an adult. As adults we’ve generally taught our bodies to overeat (I’m a classic over eater) but children haven’t learned this “skill” just yet. They’ll stop eating when their stomach fills up.
| Food Group | Servings per Day | Serving Size (2yr old) | Serving Examples |
| Veggies | 2-3 | 1/4 C | |
| Fruits | 2-3 | 1/4C | 1/2 Apple 1/2-1 Med Banana |
| Dairy | 2 Cups | 1/2C Milk 1oz Cheese | |
| Protien | 0.5g/lb | ~5g per meal | 1Lg Egg 2TBS Ground Beef |
| Whole Grains | 2-3 oz | 2TBS | 1/2 Slice Bread 1/4 C Rice |
Next time you find yourself asking “is my toddler eating enough?” look back to this chart to see if there’re meeting their daily intake.
Give Them Some Options
In toddlerhood, these little humans just want their independence. They want to be able to do everything for themselves that we can. Especially when it comes to food.
Mine wants to choose what he eats and then feed it to himself…. very messily. This is a normal part of him getting older and I’m so happy that he’s taking this initiative. I know it can be hard to watch but it’s so beneficial for them to learn.
Give them a couple options and let them choose what they want. I usually give mine 2 or 3 options and most of the time it does the trick. Sometimes he wants none of his choices and that’s a whole other conversation.
Find What Form Works Best
If your asking yourself “is my toddler eating enough?” try different forms of food. Some will work far better than others, even if you’re using the same ingredients.
No matter what, my toddler will eat a burrito. It doesn’t matter if it’s a veggie wrap, a bean and cheese burrito or a tuna wrap he’ll eat it if it’s wrapped in a tortilla…. He also eats them from the middle so that can be difficult but he eats it just the same.
Second to burritos are smoothies and shakes. I looove making this kid smoothies! They’re quick, easy and portable. This is also a great chance to sneak some added protien/fat into their diet. I’ll share some of my favorite recipes below. I absolutely love my NutriBullet blender. I’ve had it for years and it has never let me down!
Use caution when adding heavy cream for extra fat. I keep making the mistake of blending it in with everything. Add heavy cream after it is smooth! If you blend it from the beginning it makes whipped cream…like you would put on a pie. It turns out this is hands down the quickest way to make whipped cream. So if that’s your goal, use a blender!
Another favorite of his are squeeze packs. I usually make my own so I know what’s in them. It surprised me how many large brands knowingly have dangerous amounts of heavy metals in their food and do nothing about it. I’ll be writing another post on this soon and share some of our favorite blends for you to try.
Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
1 Medium Banana
1/2 C Old Fashioned Oats (Uncooked)
3/4 C Milk of Choice
1 TBS Peanut Butter
2 tsp Hemp seeds
- Add the dry oats and hemp seeds to a blender and blend into a powder.
- Then add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth
very Berry
3/4 C Greek Yogurt
1/2 C Mixed Berries
1 TBS Raw Honey (children over 1 year)
baby Bahama
1 Orange
3/4 C Pineapple
1/2 C Raspberries
1/2 C Coconut Yogurt
peanut butter cup
1/2 C Milk of Choice
1/2 Banana
2 TBS Peanut Butter
1 TBS Raw Honey
2 tsp Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Offer a Variety of Foods Each Day
Aim for your child to eat 15 different foods each day to ensure they’re getting a balanced diet. This sounds a lot harder than it actually is. If you break down each meal and snack during the day, you’re probably already close if not over that number. Let’s look at some common kids foods:
Egg and Veggie Scramble – eggs, potatoes, onions, bell peppers, broccoli, spinach and cheese with a side of toast and a fresh orange.
You’re already looking at 9 different foods. That’s over half of the daily goal in only one meal.
Peanut Butter and Jelly – whole wheat bread, peanut butter, jelly and sliced bananas.
Tuna Wrap – tuna salad with onions and celery, sliced cucumbers, avocado, green onions on a whole wheat tortilla.
Veggie Quesadilla – pepperjack and cream cheeses, sliced mushrooms, spinach, bell peppers and onions.
With just these 4 meals you’re looking at 20 different foods. That’s well over your daily goal without even factoring in dinnertime. This is an easy way to ensure your toddler is eating enough of a well balanced, nutrient dense diet.
Don’t Offer Food Constantly
It may seem like a good idea to constantly offer your toddler food, but it’s actually counterproductive. I tried this method and let me tell you, it did NOT help. By doing this they don’t have time to build an appetite.
You want to aim for offering food every 2 to 3 hours during toddlerhood. This ensures that they have time to actually get hungry and will more likely eat more in one sitting.
If you think about it from a weight loss perspective it makes sense. Eating smaller more frequent meals instead of fewer, large ones is recommended for losing weight. To me, this means that the opposite holds true for gaining weight.
This doesn’t mean feed them only 3 large meals a day. In addition to the normal breakfast, lunch and dinner, they need smaller meals/snacks in between. This is not the same as constantly offering them food.
I hope some of these tips can help you feel better about whether or not your toddler is eating enough. I know how stressful it can be but there are things you can do to help them. Just remember to do your best and do what you feel is right for your child. You are their biggest advocate and in the end what you say goes.