Right Sized Portions for Preschool-Age Children

It is not unusual for parents to be concerned that their active preschooler-age is not eating enough. What may seem like a small amount to an adult may be the right amount for a child. Children are capable of “listening” to their body cues and stop eating when they are full. It is important for parents to offer foods from each of the five food groups in child size portions. Being patient instead of forceful at meal time will help your child develop healthful eating habits.

Children need the same nutrients as adults for growth and development but in different amounts. The following chart can help you plan the total amount of food your 3 to 5 year old child may need for a day.

+The specific amount recommended for an individual child depends on his or her age, gender and activity level. To learn about the amount that is right for your child visit the MyPyramid for Kids webpage at http://www.mypyramid.gov/preschoolers/index.html. You will also find example menu plans for preschoolers illustrating how to spread the amount across meals and snacks throughout the day. For example, the fruit and vegetable recommendation for a 3 year old, moderately active female is 1 cup fruits and 1½ cup vegetables. Spread over the day, this might include ½ cup fruit at breakfast, ½ cup fruit at morning snack, ½ cup vegetable at lunch, ½ cup vegetable at afternoon snack, and ½ cup vegetable at the evening meal.

An important developmental task for preschool age children is learning to eat a variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Consider offering your child small amounts of a variety of fruits and vegetables to meet the total meal/snack serving recommendations. As a guide, start with serving sizes that are about 1 tablespoon per year of age for each type of food offered. For example, for a 3 year old child, ½ cup of fruit at breakfast might consist of offering 3 to 4 tablespoons of sliced banana and 3 to 4 tablespoons of blueberries. Let your child decide how much to eat. If he or she is still hungry, they can ask for more.

As they get older, let your child serve them self. Encourage small servings, explaining that they may have more food if they are still hungry. Below are examples of preschool age serving sizes.

• A ½ ounce serving of bread is about ½ slice.
• A serving of fruit, vegetable or beans is about 1 tablespoon for each year of his or her age. An approximate serving size for a 4 to 5 year old is ¼ to ⅓ cup. Offering two or three types of fruits and vegetables at each meal will help them meet the daily recommendations.
• A serving of milk is about ½ to ¾ cup, ½ cup of yogurt or ½ slice of cheese.
• A 1 ounce serving from the meat group is about ½ chicken leg, ½ small hamburger patty, 1 egg or about 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.
  

Children’s appetites change from day to day. It is okay if your child does not eat a whole serving or asks for more food. Don’t force more food or stop your hungry child from eating. You will be most successful in feeding your child when you provide meals and snacks at the same time every day and offer a variety of foods in child size servings. Then, trust your child to eat the amount that is right for him or her.

References:
Blake JS, Munoz KD, Volpe S. Nutrition: From Science to You. San Francisco CA: Pearson Education, Inc. 2010.

Satter E. Child of Mine. Feeding with Love and Good Sense. Palo Alto CA: Bull Publishing Company. 2000.

United States Department of Agriculture. MyPyramid for Preschoolers. Available at http://www.mypyramid.gov/preschoolers/index.html. Accessed November 20, 2009

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