Knowing how much food your child should be eating isn’t as easy as it sounds. Their individual metabolisms, activity, and other factors have to be considered in order to get it right – event then you might not have a clear idea.
In the days before snack foods were a common household item, you could let your child eat as many snacks of carrots sticks or celery and peanut butter as he wanted. Today’s child is more likely to grab chips or commercially prepared cookies.
Kids do need snacks – their metabolisms run very high, but how do you know if you are overfeeding your child?
Lots of Leftovers
Pushing your child to eat a little more is probably not a healthy thing to do, even if your child is very thin. If your child often leaves a lot of food on his plate, it may simply mean that you are giving him more than he needs.
Not Hungry
If your child isn’t hungry at mealtimes or isn’t interested in a snacks, you might want to rethink how much food they are getting. Children tend to metabolize food very quickly and most kids need snacks between meals.
He’s “Chubby”
Chubby used to be considered cute, but no more. Take a good look at your child compared to other children his age. Be as unbiased as you can. If your child is chubbier than other children his age, you might want to cut back on portions.
You Use Food to Soothe
If you are one of those moms that offer ice cream or cookies to soothe an unhappy child, then stop it! Learning to depend on food as comfort during times of stress is a ticket to obesity.
How do you decide on portion sizes?
