Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months

how much food for 18 month old

DD weighed 30.12 oz at her 18 month check-up last week. She is 33.5 inches. While the Doctor wasn't overly concerned with the weight because her height is proportionate and said we would re-evaluate at her 2 year check-up, she did recommend switching to 2% milk. Naturally I left the appointment thinking I am doing something wrong, possibly overfeeding her, but not sure and looking for advice.

She is getting 15 ounces of milk per day, 3 meals per day plus an afternoon snack. She has a very good appetite.

For portion size, I usually go by the size of my fist. What does everyone else do? I want to make sure I am feeding her the appropriate amount per meal period, but not overfeeding her if that makes sense.

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Re: how much food for 18 month old

  • My DS (17 1/2 months old) eats 3 meals a day, 2 snacks a day and 24 ounces of milk (He loves milk).  For breakfast, he eats oatmeal, cereal, waffles, or pancakes.  His lunch is usually some whole grain bread/tortilla, vegetable (corn, etc.) and meat.  His dinner is whatever we are eating. 

    His snacks are always either fruits, vegetables or yogurt.  We don't give crackers, mum-mums, etc. unless we are out of the home on the weekends.    

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  • I forgot to mention that the pedi has never been concerned about the consumption of his food or his size.  Although, he is 70% in height and 50% in weight. 
  • DS is 16 months. 30 lbs and 33 inches. We eat extremely clean. He drinks unpasteurized milk which is more like cream compared to store bought wcm. Pedi said he is not concerned because he's proportionate also DH is 6'5" and 250 lbs so that's also a factor. DS will probably always be big. On an average day he eats first breakfast(yogurt & banana) at 8. Second breakfast(eggs & pear) at 11. Nap noon until 2. Lunch (left overs steak/chicken & vegetable) then dinner (meat & vegetable) at 6:30. Then bed at 7:30 usually and up at 7. I don't think you can over feed if they are hungry and eating healthy.
  • I would not change too much, let her dictate how much she eats but make sure to offer her good choices. If she is a good eater, I would push the veggies!
  • DawnLilly said:
    DS is 16 months. 30 lbs and 33 inches. We eat extremely clean. He drinks unpasteurized milk which is more like cream compared to store bought wcm. Pedi said he is not concerned because he's proportionate also DH is 6'5" and 250 lbs so that's also a factor. DS will probably always be big. On an average day he eats first breakfast(yogurt & banana) at 8. Second breakfast(eggs & pear) at 11. Nap noon until 2. Lunch (left overs steak/chicken & vegetable) then dinner (meat & vegetable) at 6:30. Then bed at 7:30 usually and up at 7. I don't think you can over feed if they are hungry and eating healthy.

    I'm curious about clean eating; I think it's ideal. Do you feed him any type of grains? Bread, pasta, etc?
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  • It's been a slow process for us, we didn't jump all in but changed one thing a month. We do eat some grain. We had spaghetti last night but we don't eat a lot. I shop at Meijer and they have a good naturals line. The ingredients listed in the back of their pasta says "grain" and that's it. Also, it was just spaghetti and steamed carrots; no dinner breads and my MIL canned the sauce.

    For sandwich bread we eat SaraLee 100% whole grain. Bread is tricky. Most breads that say whole grain contain bleached flower and caramel(to make it brown) or it contains high fructose corn syrup. The kind I buy is more expensive and a smaller package. Which, is fine for us because it takes us about 3 weeks to eat a loaf.

    We raise our own beef and pork. Chicken comes from a local supplier (EXPENSIVE I'm looking at possibly raising them in the future) Good side dishes to transition away from grains are red potatoes, portabella mushrooms and asparagus.

    I have known people that throw out everything in their house and go out and buy everything new and "healthy" and it lasts two months tops. It's a process to learn what's okay and what isn't and to adjust to different products.
  • I offer my DD as much food as she wants...I think it's healthy for them to learn to control their own appetites, so if your LO is hungry, let her eat -- but offer healthy foods like lots of veggies and fruit, which is good for all kids but more important if you're concerned about healthy weight gain.
    This is what I do. I serve her what I think would be appropriate amount but if she still wants to eat I give her more healthy options. I notice she slows her pace and plays rather than eats when she's done. I just look for those clues then we clean up. Some days I'm shocked how much she eats, others I feel like it was nothing.
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