Portion Sizes

for Young
Children

Your free fact sheet by

Introduction

Knowing how much food to give young

children can be difficult to judge. In
fact, one of the most common
questions I receive is "How much
should my child be eating?"
Now, I know there is a lot of confusion
over this topic. So, based on my
experience as both a nutritionist and a
mum, I thought it would be useful to
share a factsheet on portion sizes.
Portion sizes for babies and toddlers
Disclaimer:
The information and advice provided in this
document is of a general nature and should
never replace individual health or medical
advice provided by your healthcare
professional team. For any individual
concerns related to your family’s nutritional
needs, please consult a qualified healthcare
professional. The information included is
based on the latest scientific research at the
time (February 2022), which can change as
research is updated.

can be a tricky topic. On the one hand,

some parents prefer and benefit from
having a clear or structured guide
when it comes to feeding little ones –
Toddlers also have HUGELY variable
which can help with confidence.
appetites, depending on a number of
However, children are actually pretty
factors from how tired they are, to whether
good at regulating their own appetites
they are growing or unwell or teething.
if we let them, and don’t often need
Additionally, children tend to be very
our help with exactly how much they
different when it comes to appetites and
should be eating.
how much they need to eat – so you can
see that a one size fits all portion size guide
might not work.

The aim of this factsheet is to provide

parents and carers with a very general and
quick guide to portions for children aged 1
to 4 years. It will provide approximate
RANGES and portion size IDEAS for each of
the main food groups.

It's important to note that these portions act simply as a guide for
serving sizes, BUT, you should always follow your child's appetite
cues. Younger children will usually eat a bit less (so the lower figure
ranges) and older and very active children possibly a bit more (so the
higher figure ranges).

What about babies under 1?

When it comes to babies under 12 months of age, there are no specific
recommendations or guidelines for portion sizes. This is because all
babies are different, and their appetites vary hugely. Babies are also
learning about and experimenting with foods at this time. Some babies
take to solids straight away, gobbling up foods from day one. But other
babies may take longer to accept and enjoy solid foods.

Both scenarios are completely normal, so it's not helpful to recommend

specific portion sizes to young babies and it’s important to practise
Responsive Feeding with them from the start. If you're a parent of a baby,
you can keep this guide to refer to once your little one reaches 12
months and check out my blog “portion sizes for babies” as well as my
factsheet 'My Baby Isn’t Taking to Weaning: Help!' for more support.

Portion sizes for toddlers

When your little one gets to 1 year of age, they are often established
on solid foods. They are likely to be having less milk (see my free
factsheet on milk recommendations!) with more consistency around
mealtimes. Therefore, it may be useful to have a portion size guide -
a range - that can meet your child's energy and nutrient needs each
day.

Really importantly, this “range” is not going to be normal for every

child. It’s simply a range of food portion sizes that should be enough
for children between 1 and 4 to get more or less all the nutrients they
need from their solid food. Some children will eat MORE and others
will eat LESS than these portions. My advice is always to use them as
ideas of how much to serve, but ultimately let your little one decide
HOW MUCH they actually eat at a sitting.
Responsive Feeding

Responsively feeding your baby or toddler is about recognising and

following their hunger and fullness signals. The aim of this is to help
little ones learn to follow their own appetites and to support them in
learning to eat healthily with autonomy. It takes time to learn skills
such as walking and talking, and learning to eat and respond to our
own hunger and fullness is the same.

We often see a lot of 'encouragement' for children to eat up at

mealtimes, but this can be interpreted by children as pressure. “Finish
your peas” or “just one more spoonful” are common and quite natural
reactions to children eating.

However, these gentle pressures may actually STOP them from

responding and listening to their own body signals; may stop them
enjoying their food and may even teach them to overeat. Pressure (in
any form) to eat rarely helps in the long run and this is supported by
lots of research too.

How to feed responsively It’s all very new

and for some
Responsive feeding encourages a two way communication at
mealtimes where a parent/carer: babies it can be
overwhelming.
Sets up a mealtime structure for a child that is predictable
and appropriate for their age/stage and offers a range of
balanced food options
Ensures that mealtimes are pressure free and instead
offers engagement and nurturing
Looks and listens out for signs that toddlers want MORE or
LESS at mealtimes and respond appropriately e.g. by
offering more if it’s available or stopping the mealtime
when the child has shown they’ve had enough
Gets to know their own child’s eating patterns and
responses in a predictable way each time so that the
toddler learns there is always the same response to their
own cue/reactions at mealtimes.
The parent models healthy eating themselves.
Responsive Feeding

It can be hard to follow these principles as many parents are worried that their
little ones might go hungry, eat to excess or end up wasting lots of food.
Sometimes little ones respond in strange ways and give off mixed signals.

Factors that affect appetite

It’s important to also think about factors that may affect your child's
appetite day to day, too. For example:

Teething
Distractions
Meal environments
Illness
Individual differences e.g. some children are simply grazers, some are
adventurous eaters and some are more likely to be a little picky over
their foods.
Activity levels
Growth spurts

“You decide what food

to offer, let them decide
how much to eat”
Ellyn Satter
Your child's hunger cues

Signs they may want more food Signs they may want to stop the meal

Asking for more Crying during the meal

Opening their mouth for Asking to stop or saying “no”
more food Clamping their mouth shut
Crying when you take the plate
Pushing the plate/spoon away
away
Getting distracted
Pointing to food
Wanting to get down and play
Hanger!
Throwing food


Rejecting the food 2-3 times

NB: It's’s SO important not to only look at what your child eats at ONE
meal or even a couple of meals. Rather, looking at what your child eats
over a few days or a week is a better indicator of children’s eating
behaviours and how much they are consuming.

Portion sizes guide

Now let's get to the portion size guidelines!

The following guidelines are adapted from the British Nutrition Foundation
(BNF), Infant & Toddler Forum and NHS Choices. Adapted by Charlotte Stirling-
Reed for use in this factsheet"
 Fruit and veg

banana - quarter to 1 peas - half to dried sultanas*- half to 2

medium banana 2 tablespoons tablespoons
*serve with other foods

Fruit and Vegetables Portion range

Apple (thinly sliced) quarter to half medium apple

Avocado half to 2 tablespoons

Banana quarter to 1 medium banana

Blackberries, blueberries (squashed),

3 to 10 berries
raspberries, strawberries

Broccoli/cauliflower 1 to 4 florets

Brussel sprouts half to 3 sprouts

Cabbage 1 to 3 tablespoons

Carrot (cooked, not raw) 2 to 6 carrot sticks

Celery, cucumber,
radishes and other salad veg 2 to 8 sticks
 Fruit and veg

Fruit and Vegetables Portion range

Cherry tomatoes (quartered) 1 to 4

Tangerines, mandarins,
half to 1 fruit
clementines
Dried raisins,sultanas
half to 2 tablespoons
(serve w/ other foods)
Dried apricots, prunes
(serve w/ other foods)
1 to 4 pieces

Fruit salad half to small bowl

Grapes (quartered lengthways) 3 to 10 sliced grapes

Green beans, leeks, onions half to 2 tablespoons

Kiwis, plums, apricots half to 1 fruit

Mangetout 2 to 8

Mango quarter to half a mango

Mushrooms 1 to 4 button mushrooms

Orange quarter to half

Peaches, nectarines quarter to 1 fruit

Peas, spinach, swede, sweetcorn half to 2 tablespoons

Fruit puree, stewed fruit 2 to 4 tablespoons

Starchy carbohydrates

half to 1 medium potatoes - rice -2-5 tablespoons

slice of bread 1 to 4 tablespoons

Starchy carbohydrates Portion range

Bagel quarter to half bagel

Bread slice half to 1 medium slice

Breakfast cereals 3 to 6 tablespoons

Cous Cous 2 to 4 tablespoons

Crumpet quarter to 1 crumpet

Dry porridge, Ready Brek 2 to 4 tablespoons

Maltloaf half to 1 slice

Malfloaf
 Starchy carbohydrates

Starchy carbohydrates Portion range

Mashed potatoes 1 to 4 tablespoons

Muesli 2 to 4 tablespoons

Oatcakes 1 to 2 oatcakes

Pasta (cooked) 2 to 5 tablespoons

Potato wedges 2 to 4 medium medium wedges

Rice (boiled) 2 to 5 tablespoons

Roast potatoes half to 1 small potato

Scone half to 1 scone

Dairy and Alternatives

grated cheese - 2 to 4 yoghurt - 1 pot (125 mls) milk, or milk alternative

tablespoons 100 to 125 mils

Dairy Portion range

Cow's milk, soya milk,

100 to 120 mls
milk alternative

Custard (ideally sugar free) 5 to 7 tablespoons

Fromage frais 2 small pots

Grated cheese 2 to 4 tablespoons

Rice pudding 2 to 5 tablespoons

Tzatziki, other yoghurt dips 1 to 3 tablespoons

Yoghurt (ideally plain) 1 pot (125 mls/3 tablespoons)

Cheese triangles, Babybel 1 slice / small triangle/ 1 babybel

 Protein

canned tuna - half to 1 and a tofu - 2 to 4 tablespoons chicken breast - half to two
half tablespoons small slices

Protein Portion range

Baked beans 2 to 4 tablespoons

Beef half to 1 slice

Beef/lamb burger quarter to 1 small burger

Chickpeas / hummus 1 to 2 tablespoons

Chicken drumsticks half to 1

Chicken nuggets 2 to 4

Egg - poached, boiled, fried half to 1 egg

Fish cakes half to 1 fishcake

 Protein

mince meat - 2 to 5 tablespoons kidney beans* - 2-4 tablespoons

(*squashed for younger babies)

Protein Portion range

Fish fingers 1 to 2 fishfingers

Meatballs in tomato sauce 1 to 3 meatballs

Minced meat (cooked) 2 to 5 tablespoons

Sausage - large quarter to 1

Scrambled egg 2 to 4 tablespoons

Shell fish, prawns, mussels half to 2 tablespoons

Tofu 2 to 4 tablespoons

White/oily fish quarter to 1 fillet

Canned fish half to 1 and a half tablespoons

 Thank you for reading!

I really hope you've found this guide helpful.

If you need more in-depth support in navigating the tricky

toddler years, then my book How To Feed Your Toddler has
everything you need to know. It's your complete guide to
overcoming the common hurdles to help your child develop
a positive relationship with food.
Happy feeding!

@sr_nutrition