What and how much does your 2 1/2 year old girl eats? (meal, picky eater)

[syracusa]

I need some advice from parents of 2 1/2 yo girls or those whose little girls are not too far past this age for the parents to remember some details.

Basically, my daughter seems to have a huge appetite.
She will eat literally ANYTHING in sight, cleans off her plate better than a dishwasher and always asks for seconds, pitching a major fit if refused. Her first thought when she wakes up is food. This is not just a growth spurt but has been going on since pretty much birth. At 1 she was feeding herself completely with major gusto, soups included. When she eats, food becomes her absolute focus and she goes to town like no tomorrow.

This whole affair is starting to bother me despite the fact that I only serve high-quality food, cooked-from scratch, low fat, high in nutrients, with a large proportion of vegetables and fruits. I try to limit portions but if I give her too little she finishes in seconds and wants ...seconds.

Another trouble is she is not a high-energy, active child. She prefers very slow walking, often dragging, to running; and there are only so many hours that we can spend at the park. Even there, she prefers the swing to the slide.

She is certainly not fat but I can see how she could go towards the slightly full side as a young woman. At her 2 1/2 yo check up the ped said she is a little below 50% in weight. I was quite shocked granted my daughter's cheeks and all around fluffiness but I also couldn't help wondering "50% of what?", given this country's high obesity rate.
On the other hand, I know for sure that if I gave her "mainstream" food (or what I see many moms routinely feeding their kids), she would be officially fat. I worry that when she escapes out there, at school, later on - I will no longer be there with my cooked-from-scratch vegetable soups, low-fat salads and spinach/kale meals to "save her". She'll have to face junk food dragons from all directions, every day - and that's not going to be funny with her appetite.

The ped says she is fine and my husband tells me it's just in my head and that she is perfectly OK the way she is, but I can't help being bothered by the huge appetite she has. I sometimes wonder whether I lost perspective as to what is a normal portion for a 2 1/2 yo girl.
I don't even know how much to serve anymore.

"However much she needs/wants" is not an acceptable answer because she could eat an elephant if I let her do it.

I attached a pic of her body.
Any advice? How much does your 2 1/2 yo girl eats (quantity)?
What about content? What do you feed your little girls?

Thank you so much!

[SuzyQ123]

My dd with be 3 in April. She is very active all day long. She will eat a ton one day but the next eat like a bird. But on just an average day..

Breakfast 1/2 cup of oatmeal, 2 strawberries, 1-2 bites of toast, 1/2 cup of milk

snack 1/4 of a small apple and about 5 olives

Lunch- 5 small bites of a pork chop, 3 little pieces of broccoli, 1/4 of a baked potato some juice that is 1/2 water

snack the top 1/2 of an english muffin with cheese

Dinner a couple of bites of pasta salad milk

snack 1 graham cracker (the whole 4 squares to make 1 cracker) with peanut butter and sliced bananas on it

Lunch is our main meal of the day. That's good for her because she has never been a big eater at dinner. I would say my dd is average size.

[Spazkat9696]

Just be glad it's not the other way. I have a 7 year old son who never has eaten a whole meal in his life unless it's a peanut-butter sandwich. He's what you call an extreme picky eater, and we're now having to take him to occupational therapy to work on eating. He'll be 8 in a few months, and is yet to reach 50 lbs.

[imcurious]

Are you giving her any carbs? Carbs will fill her up and aren't all "bad." Good breads, potatoes, that kind of thing. If she is at 50% she is not fat and maybe is just hungry.

[imcurious]

I personally would hate to have a mom, who is supposed to be nurturing, limiting my portions or overly concerned about "fat grams."

[Hopes]

OMG! My children ate more than me when they were 2-1/2 years old! I remember wondering where they put it all. They were never fat. Growing children need lots of food!

Your daughter isn't fat, not even close. Don't give her food hangups at such a young age. You could cause eating disorders later in life.

[Penguin_ie]

I think your daughter looks fine, but it is difficult to say in that dress.

My girl is 2 years 9 months and as of 2.5 years, she was in the 60% for height, 55% for weight; her portion or what she eats hasn't really changed in the last few months. Here is what she has on a typical day:
- Breakfast: 200ml whole milk, one piece of toast with a little butter or a waffle
- Snack: 10 grapes, or 1/2 small apple
- Lunch: 3 chicken nuggets or a hot dog, one cheese string, small cup of veggies, 1/2 banana or slice of watermelon
- Snack: 10 chips or small cup of cheerios, small pack of vitamin fruit-gummies
- Dinner: 2-4 tablespoons of whatever is for dinner (homemade, often pasta bake or stew or similar).
- Milk before bed, usually about 100ml.
- She has watered down juice and water always available- her dinner portion varies widely depending on how much she likes what we are having (she doesn't have to eat it, but gets nothing else).

[jasper12]

My daughter at that age ate...
Breakfast: A banana, Orange, or Apple, usually a half of a fruit. A bowl of cereal, usually oatmeal with milk.
Lunch: Cheese sandwich, or Peanut butter and jam, carrots, applie slices, milk, she will usually tear this apart, not eat the crusts, a few slices of apples, a few baby carrots.
Snack: Teddy Grahams, yogurt
DinnerL Chicken, 1 drumstick, 1/2 potato, peas,
Dessert: Hot chocolate, or ice cream bar.

She would eat a ton of food one day, then the next day, pick at things. It was not always consistant. She was tall for her age, and a bit overwieght. She is now a teen, and very slim.

[Hopes]

You're going to starve your child if she's under 50th percentile in weight and you limit food!

Round full cheeks do not mean that a child is fat! Some children have round faces even when they are thin!



Hint: The bigger the deal you make about food, the more you are going to make your daughter have food issues.

[121804]

syracusa- what do they do in Europe?