How much children should eat depends on their age, size, growth and how active they are, and a child’s appetite can change a lot from one day to the next. As the NHS puts it, the amount of food a child needs varies with age, body size and activity. Rather than counting calories, most parents do best by offering regular meals and snacks, serving child-sized portions, and letting children decide how much to eat from what’s offered. Children’s hands make a handy guide: the British Nutrition Foundation suggests a portion of cooked pasta or rice about the size of their two cupped hands, and chicken or fish about the size of their hand. If you’re worried about your child’s growth, weight or eating, talk to your doctor or health visitor.
Why portion sizes matter
Children, like adults, tend to eat more when they’re given more. The British Nutrition Foundation notes that when both children and adults are presented with bigger portions of food, they tend to eat more, so starting with a smaller serving and offering more if they’re still hungry helps children learn to listen to their own hunger. Serving adult-sized portions to young children, or expecting them to finish a full plate, can override those signals.
Portion guide using your child’s hands
These hand measures, from the British Nutrition Foundation, grow with your child, so they work at any age:
| Food | Portion |
|---|---|
| Breakfast cereal (flakes, puffs) | About 3 of their medium handfuls |
| Cooked pasta, rice or noodles | About the amount that fits in their two cupped hands |
| Baked potato | About the size of their fist |
| Cooked chicken breast or fish fillet | About the size of their hand |
| Cooked red meat | About the size of their palm |
| Hard cheese | About the size of two of their thumbs |
| Fruit and vegetables | About what fits in the palm of their hand, per portion |
The NHS also uses the palm guide for fruit and vegetables, and children should have at least 5 portions a day, just like adults.
A daily pattern by age
Toddlers and preschoolers (1 to 4 years)
Young children have small stomachs and high energy needs for their size, so they do best with three meals and two or three small snacks a day. The NHS suggests offering a variety of foods from each food group, at least 350 ml of milk a day or two servings of dairy foods, and at least one portion of oily fish a week. Whole or semi-skimmed cow’s milk can be a main drink from age 1, but skimmed and 1% milk don’t contain enough fat for children under 5. Our guide to calcium for kids explains how much they need.
School-age children (5 to 12 years)
Children in this age group still benefit from three meals and one or two snacks. Breakfast matters for concentration at school, and a packed lunch with a starchy food, a protein, vegetables or fruit, and a drink of water or milk covers the basics. Our healthy lunchbox ideas make it easier.
Teenagers
Growth spurts in the teenage years mean appetites can rise sharply, especially in active teens. Teens need more energy, protein, calcium and iron than younger children; girls need more iron once their periods start. The NHS has advice on eating well at this age, and our guide to healthy eating for teenagers covers the details.
Drinks
Water and milk are the best everyday drinks for children. Fruit juice is high in free sugars and easy to overdo. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises no juice before age 1 and limits juice to small amounts after that, rising with age. Sugary soft drinks, energy drinks and sweetened milks are best kept for occasional treats or avoided. Too much milk or juice can also fill children up so they eat less at meals.
Signs of hunger and fullness
Children are usually good at knowing when they’ve had enough, if they’re allowed to stop.
- Hungry: asking for food, getting irritable before meals, eating quickly at the start of a meal.
- Full: slowing down, playing with food, pushing the plate away, turning their head, wanting to get down from the table.
Let children stop when they say they’re full, even if food is left. Our guide to mindful eating explains why listening to these signals helps at any age.
The division of roles at mealtimes
Many feeding specialists suggest sharing the job. Parents decide what food is offered, when and where. Children decide whether to eat and how much. This takes pressure off both sides:
- Offer regular meals and planned snacks rather than letting children graze all day.
- Include at least one food your child usually eats alongside new foods.
- Serve small portions and let them ask for more.
- Avoid bribes, rewards or punishments with food, such as “finish your vegetables and you can have dessert”.
- Eat together when you can, so children see you eating a variety of foods. Our guide to family meals has tips.
Fussy eating
Fussy eating is common in toddlers and young children, and most grow out of it. Keep offering new foods without pressure; it can take many tries before a child accepts one. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the NHS both have practical advice, and our guide to getting kids to eat vegetables has ideas that work. Getting children involved in shopping and cooking helps too, as our guide to cooking with kids explains.
Snacks
Snacks are an important part of a young child’s diet, but they work best when they’re planned. Fruit, vegetable sticks with hummus, yogurt, cheese, whole grain crackers, oatcakes and boiled eggs are good options. Keep sugary and salty snacks such as biscuits, sweets and crisps for occasional treats. Our healthy snack ideas list more.
Vitamins
The NHS recommends that children aged 6 months to 5 years are given a daily supplement containing vitamins A, C and D, unless they’re drinking more than 500 ml of infant formula a day. The NHS guide to vitamins for children explains the details. Advice in other countries may differ, so check with your doctor.
When to get advice
Talk to your doctor, health visitor or a registered dietitian if your child:
- Isn’t growing or gaining weight as expected, or is losing weight
- Eats a very limited range of foods, or cuts out whole food groups
- Gags, chokes or has pain when eating
- Seems very anxious or upset about food
- Is gaining weight much faster than expected for their height
Common questions
Should I make my child finish their plate?
No. Encouraging children to clean their plate can teach them to ignore fullness. Serve smaller portions and let them ask for more.
How many calories does a child need?
It varies widely with age, size and activity. As a rough guide, a toddler may need about half of what an adult needs, while active teenagers can need as much as or more than an adult. Growth checks with your doctor are a better guide than counting calories.
Is it normal for my child to eat a lot one day and very little the next?
Yes. Children’s appetites vary with growth spurts, activity and illness. Look at what they eat over a week rather than a single day.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before making big changes to how you eat, especially if you have a health condition, take regular medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.
