Eating well in the first five years of life is essential for growth, physical and mental development, as well as for a child’s future health. Encouraging good eating habits in the early years will contribute to a lifetime of good food choices.
Do you find yourself wondering if you are feeding your little one the correct portion size? We’ve created some handy picture guides to show you the AVERAGE portion size for a 1 to 4 year old (depending on their appetite on that day).
These portion sizes are average amounts and some children will want to eat more, and some less than this. You can be reassured that if your little one is eating within the range of portion sizes of a particular food, then he/she is eating enough of that food.
Don’t forget! Children aged 1-4 years don’t eat set portion sizes like many adults do. How much they eat varies widely from day to day and meal to meal. In general, if your 1-4 year old is taller or more active he/she will eat larger portions of some foods than if he/she is smaller or less active.
Please note that below, one plate does not equal one meal. The plates show example portion sizes of various elements to your little ones meals.
Little ones cannot obtain all their energy needs at mealtimes alone because their tummies are too small. Snacks play an important part in a little one’s daily routine.
At Kiddylicious we make it easy by ensuring our snacks come in portion controlled packs. We make it so that your little one is never overfed but has just the right amount to keep them topped up until their next meal. Our single serve packs make it simple – one pack represents one portion.
Did you know, a toddler’s tummy is a third of the size of an adults? Therefore they should not go more than 3 hours without eating. Our snacks are the ideal top-up, plus they’re perfect to pop in your bag when you’re out and about.
We have a range of delicious tasting snacks suitable for little ones from 6 months to pre-school. They are portion controlled and packed with developmental benefits such as helping little ones learn the pincer grip and self-feed, as well as learning to chew.