What Exactly Is a Child Size Serving???

Hi E.! Both my sons went through this stage what I did was put them on gummy vitamins to help create the appetite and made lots of finger foods like chicken nuggets, french fries, fruits and veggies. If you have snack tray out with goodies on it they will eat when they are ready both my sons are healthier now and have good eating habits but the 7 year old I decided to make him stay on vitamins for he is skinny even though he eats more than I do and it also makes me feel better knowing if there are days he dont eat much hes still getting what he needs from the vitamin! Hope this helps

The best way to describe a serving for this age is to give an example dinner:
4-5 cut pieces of chicken
1 tablespoon of veggies
1 tablespoon of fruit
1/2 cup of milk
Their stomach is about the same size as their fist at this age. Also, grazing throughout the day is not uncommon. Your son will eat when he is hungry. Some days it will feel like he is pigging out, others like he's a bird. The best thing to do is to sit down with him and have family meals so he can see you eating too.

My daughter is exactly like this as well, infact she always has been. She is three now and here is what I've come up with. I make a meal, we sit down, she nibbles and asks to be excused. I make her put her plate in the fridge and she knows than when she gets hungry she has food waiting for her. Sometimes a half an hour or so after dinner she runs to the kitchen gets her plate, sits down, and finishes the whole thing! Other times she nibbles all night long. Kids don't have big tummies, they also aren't really worried about finishing everything that is set out infront of them. They eat until their tummies are satisfied (which takes very little) and then they are done. They just don't see any point in continuing to eat after they are full....it's just us adults who have been conditioned to this. I wouldn't worry too much about your son, even if he is picky. Our ped. told us that kids are good at getting what they need. They may not get it all in one day, but over the course of several days they should. Also watch for what he asks for. My daughter absolutly dislikes milk. But about once a week she will ask me for milk. At first I ignored her request, because I knew that she didn't like it and I didn't want to waste it. And then it dawned on me! She's asking for it because she wants it, maybe she doesn't want it every night for dinner or morning for breakfast, but she obviously wants it now. So I started giving it to her when she'd ask for it and sure enough she would drink an entire glass...toddler size glass of course. Just be sure to offer him a good variety of healthy foods and snacks along with his favorites and listen when he asks for something. Another thing that I don't do is make a seperate meal for my daughter (unless of course it isn't kid friendly) She eats what we eat and if she doesn't want it now, I'm sure later when she is super hungry she will. Just my thoughts, hope they helped :) Mel~

At your son's age, it's perfectly normal to eat like a little bird. His appetite will pick up with time. As long as you are offering a good variety of healthy foods, at least you can be sure what little he eats is good. If you want to start a vitamin, just make sure to check dosage. Most vitamins are labeled for children older than your son. I would think a half of a vitamin a day would be the most he should have.

Hi E.,
Toddlers stomachs are very small so if he isn't eating very much I wouldn't worry to much. There will be stages that it seems he is eating all the time. My three year old eats all the time. I would make sure what he is eating is healthy though. I have a friend that lets her 16 month old eat chips whenever he wants because she says "at least he is eating something". That is not the way to think. I am very lucky that my son likes all kinds of food. He loves vegetables. Good luck
Chris

Hi E.-
A toddlers stomach is only about the size of his fist, pretty small huh? Just as long as you are giving him a varity of healthy foods and letting him try new things you are doing the right thing! A friend of mine told me that her daughter wasn't eating any of her food at dinner time, ever. So she started giving her smaller portions so her plate didn't look so overwhelming and her daughter started eating all of her food and asking for more! Maybe you can make a game out of it. I used to play games with my son; eating one color at a time, counting each food we put in our mouth, and racing who could finish first with each bite (I always let him win he loved that) now he is a wonderful eater. I hope I helped. Good Luck!

i use to just fill there bellys but kids will eat when they get hungry get fruits try them

The rule of thumb I was given for child size portions is that a serving is approximately the size of their fist, which isn't much. My son is also a VERY pick eater. Some days he won't want lunch at all and others he cleans his plate and asks for more, though that is rare. One thing I did for my own piece of mind is to keep some Pediasure in the fridge for him and start him on vitamins. He likes the pediasure and I know it gives him nutrition when he doesn't eat. It's even handy when we're out and about and meal times may be off schedule a little. Good luck, and don't worry to much. My doctor keeps telling me it's normal... Though very frustrating.

~ V.

My son had sporatic eating habits at that age. Somedays he would eat non-stop and others hardly anything. Try to give him healthy food and snacks and make eating fun (airplane spoons, etc). I suggest contacting your doctor before giving him any vitamins, etc. I called to see if I could give my 2 1/2 year vitamins and my doctor said no-- that if they kids are eating healthy they are getting all the nutrients they need and vitamins can actually cause an imbalance at this age.

Make sure you are feeding him a variety of finger foods to peak his interest. As long as he is growing and seems healthy, let him regulate his own food intake. This will benefit him later in life and guard against overeating as he gets older. Every bite counts, so make sure every bite is healthy. Also, young children form taste for foods, so if he eats healthy as a child then he is more likely to eat healthy as an adult.