Healthy portion sizes, decoded
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.
Portion control and babies
It’s worth mentioning that portion sizes are tricker with babies under 1. There are lots of things to take into account – babies have different metabolic rates, making their appetites difficult to pin down. Teething and illness will also affect a baby’s appetite. When you start to wean, don’t be surprised if your baby’s appetite seems unpredictable – from day to day and week to week.
Portion control sorted
If you find yourself wondering if you are feeding your little one the correct portion size, here’s some helpful guides showing the average portion size for a 1 to 4 year old (depending on their appetite on that day):
| Brown pasta spirals | 80 g |
| Salmon fillet | 40 g |
| Medium apple | 1/2 sliced |
| Rice pudding | 3 tbsp |
| Garden peas | 40 g |
| Chicken breast | 45 g |
| Boiled egg | medium, sliced |
| Mini Cheese | 30 g |
Remember these portion sizes are average amounts: some children will want to eat more and some less. 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. Plus, children aged 1-4 years don’t eat set portion sizes like many adults do. 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.
Did you know?
A toddler’s tummy is a third of the size of an adult’s.
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.
Little ones cannot obtain all their energy needs at mealtimes alone.
As their tummies are so small, snacks play an important part in a little one’s daily routine.
Finger foods aid development
As soon as your little one starts solids, introduce different types and textures of food and encourage them to have fun touching, holding and exploring it. Let them experiment by feeding themselves with their fingers, this helps them to develop fine motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination. Offering your baby finger foods is also a great way to help them learn to self-feed.
By the time your little one is 12 months it is recommended that, on average, they should be consuming 3 meals and 2 healthy snacks over the course of a day, in line with NHS guidance.
Top tips
- Encourage at least 5 different fruits and vegetables each day. Snack time is a good opportunity to have them eat a portion (one portion = 40g), to make reaching that goal easier.
- Starchy carbohydrate foods (e.g., bread, rice, oats) make a good snack, especially wholegrain varieties as they provide energy and fibre.
- Consider the time you offer a snack to your little one. Don’t offer it too close to a mealtime – so they are hungry enough to eat their next meal. Also be mindful of portion size; the nutrition information on Kiddylicious snacks represents the amount in the pack which can be consumed in one sitting, so you don’t need to worry about your little one having multiple servings by mistake.
- Carry ambient food and snacks that won’t deteriorate in the heat. Then you won’t be caught short if you’re out in hot weather (unless you’ve got a cool bag!). All Kiddylicious snacks are ambient.
- We have a range of delicious tasting snacks suitable for little ones from 6 months to 3 years and beyond. They are packed with developmental benefits such as helping little ones develop their pincer grip and learn to self-feed.
In line with UK public health guidance encouraging healthier snacking for children, all Kiddylicious snacks are developed to be less than 100 calories per serving.
If you have any concerns regarding your little ones diet, we recommend you consult your doctor or healthcare professional.