Mom to Mom Nutrition

Katie Serbinski, M.S., R.D., is a registered dietitian and millennial mom, blogging about healthy recipes, child and mom nutrition, and motherhood.

  • Home
    • Free Resources (Free PDFs)
  • About
    • Media
  • Food & Recipes
    • 30 Minutes or Less
    • Appetizers
    • Main Dishes
    • Soups
    • Snacks
    • Breakfast
    • Sides
    • Dessert
    • Slow Cooker
    • Kitchen Tips
  • Nutrition
    • Basics
    • Meal Planning
    • 7 Disease-Fighting Foods to Shop For NOW
    • How To Nourish A Growing Baby
    • Nutrition Advice for Sleep Deprived Parents
  • Mom Life
    • Back to School COVID Style
    • Lessons Motherhood Has Taught Me…. So Far
    • 5 Self-Care Tips for Moms
  • Toddler Life
    • Picky Eating
    • How Toddlers Can Help in the Kitchen
    • 10 Family Mealtime Conversation Starters for Kids
  • Work with Me
    • For Brands
    • For Moms
Home » Nutrition » Toddler Serving Sizes [Visuals Included!]

Toddler Serving Sizes [Visuals Included!]

Feb 5, 2017 11 Comments

Get the scoop on what and how much your toddler should be eating with visuals of toddler serving sizes.

Get the scoop on what and how much your toddler should be eating with pictures of toddler serving sizes.

I’ve talked at length on this blog about what my toddler[s] eat every day. I’ve gone so far to tell you that they’d happily survive off dinosaur chicken nuggets or grilled cheese. While I’m comfortable eye-balling toddler serving sizes and the number of times I serve a food group during the day, I know many of you out there are not. Why? Because feeding kids is hard. It’s scary. And frustrating. BEYOND frustrating. And you, being the great parent that you are, want to make sure your little one is not only growing well, but grows a love and taste for healthy food.

So here’s a [visual] take on what and how much your toddler should be eating every day. But please, PLEASE, consider this information a rule of thumb for your toddler—- amounts vary on your toddler’s height and weight, personal food preferences, and yes, WHAT and HOW MUCH you can manage during the day. There’s a lot more to our days than just feeding kids. So make sure you cut yourself some slack.

Toddler Serving Sizes

Pictures and nutrition information adapted from HealthyChildren.org

Now how to put this into practice…. well, my first bite of advice is to remember this: toddler or not, we all have days where we don’t finish our veggies at dinner, or feel like drinking a glass of milk with breakfast. For me, the head chef of the house, I try and include 3-5 food groups at each meal, and 1 to 2 food groups for snacks [read more about toddler snacking here]. And if my toddlers decide to eat a few bites of each food group then I consider it a win.

If you want to see how I plate our toddler meals you can see many more visuals in this 50 free toddler meal ideas OR 50 no-recipe meal ideas for kids! You can also follow me on Instagram because I’m sharing at least one to two toddler plates each week [adapted from Mom and Dad’s plate!].

Again, this post is meant to be a benchmark for you to make sure you’re on the right track for exposing your toddlers to healthy foods— and maybe give yourself a push to add a new fruit or vegetable to your meal plan!

Learn what and how much your toddler should be eating with actual pictures of toddler serving sizes.

Related

Sign Up For Email Updates

slow cooking 101Subscribe to get email updates and my FREE Slow Cooking 101 printable. Use my basic formula to build healthy fix-it and forget-it meals the whole family will love!
I share special behind-the-scenes snapshots from our life, plus Mom to Mom tips, nutritional advice and much more. Plus, be the first to find out about upcoming events, new products and much more.

« Hummus Snack Plates
Skillet Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage »

Comments

  1. Gina says

    February 6, 2017 at 2:27 pm

    Thank you for these helpful visuals!! I have a really good eater (thank heavens) but this helps me realize I give her WAY more than I should expect her to eat most of the time.

    Reply
  2. annie31873 says

    February 15, 2017 at 3:04 am

    Feeding a toddler is SO frustrating. Thank you for this helpful guide!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      February 19, 2017 at 4:07 pm

      Thank you for stopping by and enjoying my posts!! Stay tuned I’m working on a feeding toddler course!

  3. Robin says

    March 15, 2017 at 11:38 am

    This is so helpful! Thank you so much!
    -clueless first time mom, here

    Reply
  4. Patricia Payne says

    July 27, 2018 at 4:32 am

    Hi Katie, these meals look so appealing and healthy. Lots of great ideas I can pass onto my daughter!
    However, I feel I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that whole grapes are a choking hazard to children under the age of four due to the size of their tracheas. (The children…not the grapes.) Please remind people to cut them up. I used to cut my girls’ grapes into fourths when they were tiny. Thanks for letting me mention it.
    (Former peds nurse.)

    Reply
  5. Daisy says

    March 28, 2019 at 5:37 pm

    Hi lovely guide. Just wanted to know if T is for teaspoon for tablespoon

    Reply
  6. Melissa Martin says

    April 7, 2019 at 12:59 pm

    Hi, in wondering your thoughts on milk. My toddler loves milk but I can’t let him have too much otherwise he won’t eat other foods. Is it okay to let him only have one portion of milk if he eats cheese and yogurt during the day? He is 17 months now. Also I am unsure with cracker portion sizes? Your one picture says 2-4 crackers but there are a lot more in the picture. Thanks.

    Reply
  7. Pilar says

    June 3, 2020 at 3:24 am

    Hello! What does T mean?

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Mix n' Match Toddler Meal Ideas - Mom to Mom Nutrition says:
    July 6, 2017 at 4:54 pm

    […] Wonder if your toddler is eating enough? Check out these toddler serving size visuals.  […]

    Reply
  2. 50+ Preschool Lunch Ideas [FREE PDF] - Mom to Mom Nutrition says:
    August 7, 2017 at 7:52 am

    […] it comes to serving sizes, I try to gauge what and how much I’m serving based on my children and their own individual […]

    Reply
  3. Episode 5: Navigating First Foods | Produce for Kids says:
    July 17, 2018 at 2:46 pm

    […] Toddler Serving Sizes […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Katie Serbinski at Mom to Mom Nutrition

WELCOME!

Hi, I’m Katie! Registered Dietitian, Mom, and Mealtime Negotiator. I’m on a mission to make mealtime happier, healthier, and easier with small children, despite what my 4 picky eaters have me believing. From family-friendly recipes to confessions about my unfiltered motherhood moments, I hope you grab a seat at my kitchen table!
Read more about me »

Connect With Me

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Mom to Mom Nutrition Slow Cooker 101 Freebee

Top Posts

This mushroom and ground beef skillet is an easy skillet dinner that is delicious as-is, or served on top of baked potatoes, brown rice, or quinoa.

Easy Mushroom and Ground Beef Skillet

Baked French Toast Cups

http://momtomomnutrition.com/motherhood/7-tips-for-handling-picky-eaters/

12 Picky Eater Tips from Real Moms

From marinara sauce to mozzarella cheese and pepperoni, if your family loves the flavors found in most pizza pies, then baked pizza chicken is a must-try!

Baked Pizza Chicken

Latest Posts

5 Tips for Healthier Meal Planning

Baby Foodie: Adding Herbs and Spices to Baby Food

Learn the basics to getting a healthy grilled meal on the table with these figure-friendly grilling tips!

Figure-Friendly Grilling

Taco pie covered in melted cheese and veggies on the side.

Easy Taco Pie

Copyright © 2023 · Mom to Mom Nutrition, LLC · Disclosure · Log in