How much does your 2 year old eat?

[lunavix]

My ds has just turned two. He has always seemed to be on the chubby side, I've never let him woof down unhealthy food, but he does get treats. We've never really worried as he's always matched his height centile with weight centile - I KNOW you aren't supposed to take the charts as gospel but now his height has significantly dropped so I'm thinking more in proportions. He was 91 on weight and around 97 on height so we weren't worried. However now he's just above 91 for weight.. and under 50 for height. I'd noticed that he wasn't growing much heightwise but hadn't really realised to what extent.

So now I think this does make his weight an issue... he's only just two and nearly 15kg. He doesn't LOOK fat, but he definately has a belly on him. However I'm not sure if I can even make cuts on his food intake!

For breakfast he will have a bowl of cereal, and semi skimmed milk. Usually cheerios, shreddies, or rice krispies. He will probably most mornings have a handful of cheerios first too (dry) as he can't have breakfast till my mindees arrive and they can be rather late. The bowls are plastic kids ikea ones, not too big, or ones the size of most novelty ones (bob builder etc) With this (when we remember) he usually has a kids carton of Innocent fruit smoothie too.

Midmorning he might have a biscuit (custard cream) or humzinger, if we're out he tends not to have anything.

Lunch is always sandwiches, two slices of white bread with crusts cut off. Fillings are either ham, hommus, coleslaw.... he's rather fussy at lunch. He liked croissants for a while but has gone off them too. With these he sometimes has a packet of crisps (skips etc, a max of 3 - 4 packs a week) a small apple, small satsuma, and a handful of grapes. Doesn't always eat the apple.

Most afternoons he will have another custard cream, simply cos my older mindees have biscuits and he will notice and ask for one.

Dinner time is a kids plate sized portion of whatever I've cooked. Usually a homemade meal - spag bol, shepherds pie, other pasta, spinach lasagne, anything and everything. Occasionally it's junkier - breaded chicken chips and peas, or spaghetti on toast, but I think my meals are fairly well rounded. After dinner he might try demanding a chip or mouthful of our dinner if he didn't finish his but we're rather strict on his and his sulking usually doesn't work. He might have a yoghurt (1 small kids fromage frais) or another satsuma after dinner, or strawberries if I have any in.

Then that's it for the day. He drinks no added sugar squash (usually 2 - 3 beakers a dat) and while I know it's not brilliant for teeth, it's not a worry calorie wise is it? As of tomorrow he's only getting water during the week and I was thinking juice on weekends.. but I can't see it making a huge difference.

What does everyone think? Am I stuffing him? He does swimming once a week, tumbletots once a week, and enjoys walking.

[lunavix]

I forgot to mention treats lol. On the weekend, he might get one or two sweeties, or maybe an extra yoghurt. Possibly once a fortnight he might have half an iced doughnut, or one of those 10p packs of haribo. He doesn't have a lot of junk, and I'm happy to cut it out completely.

[compo]

I think it sounds fine. Maybe get rid of the crisps altogether. Does he ask for them? Would he notice if they were gone? Also shouldn't he be having full fat milk on his cereal at this age?

[littlerach]

Sounds about the same as DD2, and she is only 20 months!
She doesn't get sweets or squash though.

Maybe he is just settling down into his natural shape?

If he runs about plenty, and isn't just sittng in front of the tv, then he'sprobably fine.

[lunavix]

compo - I know he should be having full fat milk but you can almost literally see him pile the weight on when he has it! Because he's quite big the health visitor said it was okay, although it has made me think about his calcium intake - if I cut out yoghurts, then he won't be getting much as he doesn't eat cheese. Maybe I'll change to full fat again.

As of today I've binned the crisps - to be honest last summer the kids had none because of the abundance of fruit but over winter it's harder. Today he had his sandwich, plus half a banana, a small apple, some raisins and strawberries. Left the strawberries (odd boy!) but didn't ask for crisps.

[littlerach]

Yes, DD2 doesn't have crisps either, as I'd eat them all!

I'm sure semi is oka over age of 2, as it has same amount(roughly) of calcium.

[NotQuiteCockney]

I really really really wouldn't worry about weight at this point. He's active, healthy and happy. He's eating a varied diet. Kids do sometimes plump up and then grow, plump up and then grow.

That being said, I am a diet nazi, a bit. I would only give water and milk (anything else is bad for the teeth, and generally nutritionally empty anyway), I wouldn't give skips etc or sweets on a regular basis. I also wouldn't give white bread. (Also wouldn't give these things to other adults and kids, it's not just about toddlers.) But I don't think his diet is ludicrous, and I am quite hardcore about diet.

I would give full-fat milk.

[PrettyCandles]

It doesn't sound an unreasonable diet for a 2yo.

IME, children often grow in two directions: first up, then out. My ds has always been fairly slender, but at the end of a period in which he has grown in height (not always a spurt, either) he looks positively scrawny. Then he fills out. Dd, OTOH, gets chubby before an upwards growth period (in her case, usually a spurt).

Give it a few months, I think, and see how he develops.

[TwiglettTheWereHedgehog]

I wouldn't worry about it

kids grow in spurts ... they're kind of like camels and take in lots of food .. then spurt up .. I've watched toddlers go wider and wider then suddenly shoot up

does he eat enough fruit and veg? .. just on a vitamin thing

the average 2 year old will eat approx 11 tablespoons of food a day (including all snacks) .. that is averaged across a week / 10 days as they tend to only eat one proper meal in 48 hours .. but that doesn't mean you should increase / reduce his food intake

[NotQuiteCockney]

The full-fat thing isn't about calcium, it's about the fat.

Oh, and I wouldn't give kid's fromage frais or yogurt. Mix fruit with plain yogurt, or mix nice flavoured yogurt with plain. Comes out cheaper, too.

For comparison, my 19-month-old is insanely active for his age (I'm pretty sure he walks about 4km per day). He eats:

• big bowl of cornflakes w. full-fat milk for breakfast.
  
• often a banana on the school run
  
• often a snack mid-morning - oat cake, half an orange or apple.
  
• lunch is a bit bitty, often toast and peanut butter or whatever.
  
• mid-afternoon snack, savoury biscuit or a bit of dried fruit.
  
• tea is normal adult food, although he only has a small portion.
  
• dessert is plain + flavoured yog mixed. Or fruit. Or similar.
  

No juice, except when eating out. Small amounts of cow's milk. 3 breastfeeds/day. Lots of water.

[lunavix]

Thanks everyone.

I'll change his morning milk to full fat (it's all he gets anyways so it shouldn't be a huge difference) and bin the crisps. He'll also be completely on biscuit and sweets ban from now on and I'll see what if any difference he makes (I don't really believe in any extremes but then again I don't want an obese child.)

However I understand what you are saying NQC about drinks and teeth - but NAS squash SHOULDN'T make him fat should it? Teeth aside (and I'll get mummy guilt for that later) and nutritionally lacking, sure, but it can't be high in calories can it? I do not want to give him milk during the day. When he has a beaker of it he tends to want it consistently the rest of the day and will not take no for an answer, and I simply don't think he will need it. On the other hand, he won't drink much water so I do worry that he may mildly dehydrate and I wouldn't mind him just having squash on the weekends.....

[lunavix]

twiglett - lol he eats loads. He eats more than my mindees who are nearly three - simply because he finishes his meals. They pick at them.

NQC - fair enough, it's quite similar although lunch would have to be backed up with lots of fruit as a slice or two of bread simply doesn't fill him up. What do you mean mixing flavoured and plain yoghurt? As in ski or something?

And isn't there something about kids having too much fruit? As they are high in sugars or something? He'd eat an entire bunch of grapes and a bag of satsumas in a day if allowed!

[NotQuiteCockney]

lunavix, I'm not sure what NAS squash is - does it have fake sugar in it? Or what? (I realise it's no-added-sugar.)

Whatever it is, if it's got fruit juice in it, it may have more calories than you realise. If you want to make sure he's getting enough fluid, why not just keep watering it down more and more until he's on straight water?

I wouldn't necessarily have out-and-out bans on things. Just don't make them part of his regular diet. If at all possible, please don't try to keep him from having foods everyone is having. (Not least because it will be very hard and stressful for you all.)

I know I already said it, but I really wouldn't worry about obesity at 2. If he's still consistently pudgy at 4, then it starts to be worth noticing (maybe), but by then, you fix heaviness by adding more exercise, not taking away food.

[lunavix]

lol I have no idea what's in the NAS squash (runs and hides) it's just a lazy parenting thing... as we've always watched his weight due to sudden weight gain when he was around 6 months old, it seemed a rather obvious choice.

I know I'm probably worrying over nothing, but I just remember being a tad on the chubby side when younger (not fat but definately not skinny) and it really affected me. Always said would have lettuce-munching kids, but he won't touch salad

[NotQuiteCockney]

I normally buy Rachel's or Yeo Valley yogurt, the big tubs, and a tub of plain yogurt. And then mix the two, before serving, 50/50. Ski would work, whatever. I'd stay away from anything with artificial colours, or fake sugar, but then I generally do.

That way, you can change the fat content of the flavoured yogurt, by mixing it with higher or lower fat plain yogurt. You reduce the sugar content of the final product, while still having a quite smooth mix of yogurt and fruit.

I don't think kids can eat too much fresh fruit. From my knowledge, only bananas can actually cause weight gain - the others are high in water and fibre, giving you a nice sensation of fullness. The only real problem with kids eating too much fruit is the resulting (natural, not harmful) diarrhea.

Essentially, if you move him to a diet that is less processed (brown bread, not white, fresh fruit, not crisps, water, not squash), he'll be getting more nutrients, and fewer empty calories.

(I should note: I am not a dietician. I just have strong opinions about food.)

[NotQuiteCockney]

I think salad is an unpopular food with little ones. My DS1 wouldn't touch salad until recently, at about the age of 4. I changed his rules for food - he now has to try everything he's served, and can't make a big fuss about not liking things. And now he eats leafy salads.

(That being said, there's a lebanese salad I do that's super-healthy, that both kids always ate. And there are lots of things to add to a leafy salad to encourage kids to eat it, particularly dressings with fresh homemade croutons, roasted seeds, or lardons.)

[lunavix]

I know he eats enough fruit anyways.... and the cutting out of junk isn't going to be a major issue. I always thought I was very strong on healthy eating but I think it's mostly since I became pg that I've become very lax but hey everyone needs a reminder of why they do things the way they do!

Thanks NQC.... advice much appreciated :)

[lunavix]

Yes I do think he's just at the wrong age for salad. And soup, sadly, he just makes a mess lol!

Having said that he does love cous cous salad.

[saadia]

His diet seems fine to me, the only thing I would suggest is to increase the variety of protein - would he have eggs, cheese, fish?

[NotQuiteCockney]

No problem. I understand your worries - I probably would be the same way. But my DS1 is (and always has been) rake-thin. He eats reasonably well, but runs about a lot. I don't limit fat in his diet (he's still on full-fat milk), but do limit processed food and sugar.

DS2 is slightly more pudgy, but as he's insanely active, and will happily do the 2km or so school trip on foot (at 19 months), he will probably also not be fat, although he is a bit pudgy at the moment. Probably only by comparison to DS1, who I swear has a six-pack, at the age of 4, thanks to nearly no fat.

From what I know of childhood obesity and weight loss efforts, the best methods seem to involve exercise more than diet, anyway. Just limiting sedentary activities like television and video games is often enough to solve the problem - without even prescribing more lively activities!

[lunavix]

saadia - that's probably the thing he's lacking mostly. He loves an egg sandwich, or scrambled eggs on toast, but won't eat cheese or fish at all. Have tried him on everything but he's quite firm with his tastes! Will obviously repeatedly try as he gets older, but for now...

He doesn't eat a lot of meat either, has never been a fan of it.

[robin3]

Sorry to sound flipant but I wish DS showed as much interest in food...we have an ongoing nightmare to get him to eat but simply because he's not very interested in food. Thankfully he loves avocado, tomato, cucumber, carrots and things like fish pie. Having lovingly weaned him on porridge and puree fruits for breakfast I now have to resort to giving him maltloaf for breakfast because his blood-sugar gets low and he gets tired and grumpy.

At this age their tummies do protrude because their vital organs are too big to be fully contained IYSWIM.

[saadia]

As long as he's having some I'm sure it's OK and eggs do contain a lot of protein and other nutrients.

[zubin]

Is a complete ban not a bit extreme, my 2 year old eats healthily and I am quite careful about what he eats, but I wouldn't put a complete ban on sweets and crisps, do you not think that that is making it into a massive issue, I give them occasionally as a treat and my little one doesn't really bother. My friend banned sweets etc (and TV!!!) and when her son was old enough to buy his own things he literally lived on junk food. Am I a terrible mother for letting my son eat sweets (and have the occasional McDonalds!!)

[mojomummy]

Sounds like he's having a varied diet - difficult without actually seeing him in the flesh

I would give semi-skimmed milk though. COmpletely drop the No Added Sugar drinks - I consider them poison. I prefet to give very diluted fruit juice or plain water.

Any reason why you give white bread ? Asda's organic wholemeal is very nice & even my friends white-bread-only daughter will eat it (64p a loaf).

Not a fan of kids fromage frais - too much sweetness & unnecessary ingredients, yogurt is better - there are organic noddy ones, also Tumble tots - have sugar but are much nicer tasty ( my DD loves the 'dragonfly' one)

Also, I would lost the biscuits - why do the mindees have them? & why does he have to eat breakfast with them - can he have it with you ?

[beckybrastraps]

dd (2.2) weighs quite a lot more than your ds and could eat for England. But she's also v. tall, runs everywhere and nobody is bothered about her size.