Is my 15 mo. old eating enough?

United States
February 26, 2007 10:32am CST
My wife is a little worried that our 15 mo. old daughter isn't eating enough. She is only 20 lbs and hasn't really gained weight in a while. Though she is getting longer. Anyway, we feed her pasta and meatballs, deli meat and cheese, and whatever she will have off of our plates. Obviously not all of these at every meal, but hopefully you get the idea. She usually eats about a quarter to half a cup of anything we give her at any given meal. Maybe she is getting tired of eating the same stuff all the time. Anyway, what kind of food do you feed your toddlers? How much should they be able to eat?
12 people like this
26 responses
• Canada
26 Feb 07
a child's stomach is only as big as their fist. they don't need much to fill them up. they will never starve themselves. they will eat when they are hungry and don't over eat cause at this age they don't eat for pleasure. i think she is doing good. my daughter eats a lot and is super skinny too. she is 3 and in 6 months she's only gained 2 pounds. the doctor says she is still really healthy so i woulnd't worry too much. just start introducing some new foods and give her a big variety. good luck.
5 people like this
• United States
26 Feb 07
I was pretty sure that we were worrying for nothing. Then again, that is what happens with the first child, right? I knew that her stomach had to be pretty small, but that little bit of doubt creeps in when she doesn't grow much. We didn't want to stunt her growth and have to deal with that for the rest of her childhood. Thanks for the encouragement. Do you have any specific suggestions as to what we can do to widen the variety?
2 people like this
@tamanash (950)
• India
27 Feb 07
i dont think you should get worried about your toodler as she is in growing stage right now and whatever she will eat will not transform into weight.i dont think your focus should be on weight gainning just consult doctor and conform that wheteher she is fit or not.if she is fit then i think just relax and if she have some problem just consult dietian and make food chart for her.that will help.
• United States
27 Feb 07
I like the idea of a food chart. Simple, but sounds very useful. That way my wife and I can stop asking each other, "Wait, what did we give her for lunch yesterday?" Thanks for the input.
• United States
26 Feb 07
I'm sure your daughter is eating enough. When children reach 12 months of age, their growth slows down considerably. They don't grow as much therefore they do not need to eat the same amounts they did as an infant. As long as she is eating portionable amounts of food everyday, I'm sure she's eating enough. She will stop eating when she's no longer hungry. She knows when she's full.
2 people like this
• United States
26 Feb 07
I'm sure you are right, I just don't want her to say "All done" when she really means "I want to go watch elmo now." Thanks for your thoughts.
@foxyfire33 (10005)
• United States
26 Feb 07
A mom of 6 is going to weigh in on this one. Children grow at different rates and don't always grow in proportion. You said she's been getting taller, so all her "energy" is going into putting on inches not pounds, that's normal. My oldest daughter is my best example of that. She's never done height and weight at the same time. She's even been "at risk" of becoming overweight because the pounds would come on so much faster than height, but then a few months later she'd shoot up a few inches and balance out again. I'm sure you feed her more than you listed off but you should get more variety. With children that age, you have to consider their overall diet not just each individual day. If their diet over a week is balanced then that's good enough. My son is an example of that. One day he will eat only scrambled eggs, the next macaroni and cheese, the next maybe only fruits. It gets frustrating sometimes to feed them the same thing at every meal but as long as they're eating and getting enough of everything overall it's fine. You should also try 6 small meals plus snacks. Her stomach isn't that big so her meals need to be spread out more to make sure she gets enough. I'm trying to think what mine could eat at 15 months (my youngest two are 22 months and almost 4 months which is a big difference). Mac and cheese (add a little ground beef for an extra meat serving), yogurt (better option than pudding especially if you tell them it is pudding), vienna sausages (like hot dogs without the choking risk), soft veggies and fruit, fish sticks, cottage cheese, oatmeal (made with milk for extra calcium)...I think that covers the basics pretty well. Another thing to remember is how big you and your wife are now and at that age if you can find out. Smaller people usually have smaller children. But small children can also become big adults so it helps to know if you or your wife were small then. We have both extremes. I'm small now but was a really chubby baby(rolls everywhere). My s/o is average to big now but a very small child right into his teens (5'3 120lbs at 16. One of our son's is just like him, at age 4 he's 38 inches tall and 33 pounds (after he's eaten, with his clothes on) Our other son is like me, 22 months, 33 inches, 30 pounds. Two boys, same parents, same diet, different genes. It happens. If you're doing everything you're supposed to do, your daughter is probably just fine. Usually babies have a check up around 15-18 months so you can always ask your doctor then but s/he'll say the same thing. Yes she's smaller than "average" but she's probably supposed to be. If she's healthy, she's fine.
2 people like this
• United States
26 Feb 07
6!?! Wow you must have your hands full. Thank you so much for all the suggestions. That is definitely the variety we are looking for. It is also reassuring to hear from everyone that if she is healthy she is fine. You also made a good point that I really didn't think about, which is that my wife and I are not very big people. I don't know why we would expect her to be. I guess most of all we just want to make sure that we are doing the best we can, and there is no way to know other than having people with experience weigh in (pun intended). Thanks for sharing your experience with us, we appreciate it.
1 person likes this
@Ellecee (102)
• United States
26 Feb 07
My son (25 months) does not eat very well at all. He won't eat most of the foods we eat. He only wants to eat apples, raisins, toast and cereal. If you're worried about her growth, speak with your pediatrician. To me, it sounds like she's eating enough. After the first year, weight gain drops dramatically.
2 people like this
• United States
26 Feb 07
Yeah, the more stories I hear, the more I feel like it is just us being overly concerned for no good reason. I'm sure that weight gain drops off after the first year, but she was premature and it seemed like she was just starting to catch up to where she was supposed to be. I know she is healthy, and should just accept that she is going to be a little smaller than others for a while. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
1 person likes this
@Blazing15 (333)
• United States
26 Feb 07
My 3 year old is the pickest eater. I feel a lot of times that she is not eating enough. I have brought this up to the doctor and they have told me that she will eat when she is hungry. Her favorites are chicken nuggets, chicken noodles, and pizza. I don't like to feed her the same stuff over and over. She doesn't like bread or vegetables. Sometimes I just give her fruits which she loves and as long as she gets something in her system the doctors say that she is fine. There have been times where she will eat a whole can of peaches. Hey peaches are good for you. I try and try to get her to eat other foods. We tell her to try stuff and she is getting better. Your little one sounds to be doing ok. If she will eat more off your plates let her that way you know she is eating. Plus I'm guessing that with her age she is very active so give her a little time and she will soon gain some weight.
2 people like this
• United States
26 Feb 07
That is a good point about her being more active. She is always running around and doesn't really stop until it is time for nap or bed time. I'm sure that has something to do with it. We completely forgot about chicken nuggets. I'm sure she would love those, what kid doesn't? Anyway, thanks for the input.
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
26 Feb 07
All kids go through growth sperts. That is atime when they eat a lot. Pretty soon they stop growing for a while and do as I call resting from growing. She knows how much her body needs. don't push her too much or you will have her develop bad eating habits and she could become over weight when she is older. She may rest for a couple of months then really take off again. as long as she is eating you have nothing to worry about. You should feed her more vegetable and fruit though. Delie meats have a lot of sodium in them and really are not good for her. I have raised 4 kids and 2 grandchildren.
• United States
26 Feb 07
I didn't know that about deli meats, thanks for the tip. I did forget to mention that she does eat peaches, apple sauce, green beans, and peas. But then again in the fruit/vegetable category we don't offer much variety. Thanks again for the tips, I'm sure it will put my wife at ease.
1 person likes this
@rubypatson (1841)
• India
27 Feb 07
I have a similar problem with my son, I had even talked about it in mylot earlier, he hates food, he will drink little juice or milk but even that is little, i keep trying new recipes to attract him, sometimes he takes little or not at all, i even gave him a multivit to improve his appettite, now i have given up , dont know what to do
1 person likes this
• United States
27 Feb 07
Hang in there ruby. From what I have heard on this discussion, as long as they are drinking (milk and juice) that they are probably fine. The only time to worry is if they are lethargic or lifeless. If that is the case, then you need to take him to the doctor. Good luck, I will be thinking about you.
@wmaharper (2316)
• United States
27 Feb 07
It's true what they say that a toddlers belly is about the same size as his/her fist. She can eat whatever you want to feed her (within reason of course, no rum balls please) (: My son ate spaghetti, chicken, pork, steak, veggies,pasta, all of those things at that age. He has been gaining weight pretty consistently. I do believe he plateaued around that age though, and I do believe that that is quite common. As long as your doctor isn't worried, I wouldn't worry. (I know, easier said than done). My oldest would go through phases where he would eat really well for a couple of weeks and then barely take a nibble for a while. It's normal. Don't worry. (:
1 person likes this
• United States
27 Feb 07
No rum balls, duly noted ;) Thanks for the encouraging words.
• United States
27 Feb 07
a toddler's tummy is about the size of her fist. quarter to half a cup of food is fine, and if her doctor says she's fine, you just have a slender, petite girl who knows when she's hungry and when she's full. i'd keep healthy snacks, like fruit, veggies, whole grain cerials accessable, as toddlers often 'graze'.
• United States
27 Feb 07
Good point about the grazing. My wife and I talked about it and we thought that maybe we are being silly to make her eat three meals at the table. If she is going to be so active we should just let her eat as she goes.
• United States
27 Feb 07
Try not to worry about her too much. My doctor told me that your baby will eat when they are hungry. That really didn't help much at the time with the worry, but he was right. Mine were all eating just what we ate...table food at that age. I know with the first child, I worried about so much more than the other two...poor girls. But you just don't know these things. I still believe they should hand out instruction booklets before sending new parents home with a new baby. I partly did rely on a book I had been given called What to Expect ....I can't remember the name. But there are sites you can visit that will tell you approximately what ideal weights, food intake, wet/dirty diapers, etc. Try looking at one of them. Hope this helps some. My doctor also told me that as long as the baby is drinking plenty, not to worry about the eating so much.
• United States
27 Feb 07
That part about the instruction booklet made me laugh. Yeah, I know it's natural to worry, but I always thought of myself as the "tough love, whatever doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger" kinda person. Then I have this precious little girl and everything worries me. I'm sure it will pass with the new one coming. It's good to know that she will be fine if she is drinking enough, because she drinks plenty of milk and is sucking down juice like it's nobodies business. Thanks for your insight, friend, it is much appreciated.
@Joey322 (272)
• United States
27 Feb 07
here are some good toddler foods and as for her weight and height...you will need to talk to your pediatrician, which i'm sure you will...b/c no one on here will be able to really tell you if she is gaining properly. -pasta pick-ups (gerber makes them, give em whole or cut in half) -peel the skin off hot dogs or the gerber meat sticks and cut into bite sized pieces -buy the small cans of veggies like green beans...get out a decent portion and microwave for a few seconds and cut into bite sized pieces. cover the can with tin foil and refrigerate til next meal. -frozen pancakes and heat in microwave and cut into pieces -cheese, lunch meats, cheerios, gerber fruit and veggie puffs -baked beans -macaroni & cheese noodles -tater tots, bite size pieces -get fruit cups and cut into bite pieces -small yogurts are good, but you'll probably want to help by feeding it to her -of course juice is good and milk by 15 months she should be eating pretty much anything you guys eat as long as it's easy for her to mash up in her mouth, which is surprisingly more than you think! hope this helps with some more ideas.. take care!
• United States
27 Feb 07
Thanks for the list, a lot of good stuff there. We do try to give her most anything we eat, but she is really behind on the teeth thing. She didn't have any teeth until she was 12 mo. and now she only has three on the bottom and four on top. Darned if they aren't the cutest little things though. Even with those, like you said, she can mash up more that we think. Thanks again for the list, these are definitely getting on the grocery list :)
@Caila611 (992)
• United States
27 Feb 07
my son is two and he weighs 20lbs. (three weeks ago) To get him to gain some weight i have been giving him Pediasure twice a day on top of feeding him fattening foods. He loves the stuff! So far he has gained 3 pounds and has a little belly on him. It is a tad expensive (6pck is $12.00 or so). If you don't want to go that route have you tried slipping some avacado in her food? not enough for her to notice but just enogh that she gets the fat content. Yobaby is good too. It has cereal in it so it has more calories. You can even add the avocado in it just a tiny bit to add more fat. Hope this helps!!!
• United States
27 Feb 07
We haven't tried slipping avocado on her, but that sounds like a good idea. We have tried slipping her stuff when she eats stuff she likes. It's really funny because she gives us a confused look like, "that bite was a little different." Man, she makes me laugh.
@yuliahar (18)
• Indonesia
27 Feb 07
my toddler's too. she'd eating very little. every time she ate, she's got only a half of spoon of rice. so, we're (the family) manipilates her by taking eating one person by another. so, when my husband's eating, she's got a half of spoon of rice. when i am eating, she;s getting a half too. a quarter hour later, my mom's eating, so my baby girl eating too.. And.. when she's getting to sleep, just when she's dalling asleep, we give her milk. so she's got almost 750ml of milk in entire day. and she's get in good health and have very strong power. :))
• United States
27 Feb 07
That is very creative. I am glad to hear she is doing well. I have also noticed that it is easier to feed her while she is distracted, like watching a movie. However, I don't want to instill a bad habit of eating in front of the tv.
@Stiletto (4579)
27 Feb 07
All children are different and develop in their own time. My daughter was the pickiest, fussiest eater in the world and she was really skinny! I was driven almost to despair with the whole thing because she just would not eat!! I would say just make sure she is getting a varied and balanced, healthy diet, try to avoid offering her the same foods all the time. If you're worried about her growth or appetite then it's only sensible to take her to the doctor for a check up just to put your mind at rest but I'm sure everything will be ok.
1 person likes this
• United States
27 Feb 07
A Dr. once told me that a child will eat what they need. I was worried about my daughter becasue she slept alot and did not eat 3 meals a day. The Dr. said she was perfectly healthy and would eat when she needed food. My son ate allt eh time, he needed it as he grew to a large boy, not fat but big. Don't worry. Feed her what she will eat. Let he try new foods. All will be well.
1 person likes this
• United States
27 Feb 07
I've heard similar stories on this discussion. It just goes to show you that every child is different and unique.
@Rahleah (187)
• United States
26 Feb 07
The best advice my pediatrician ever gave me was, "They don't starve quietly." And I found this to be true. any time she felt she had't had enough, she found a way to let me know ... at high volume. I only wish they had discovered the baby sign language when mine were little so we could actually have had better direct communication about eating.
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Feb 07
Let me tell you though that baby sign language doesn't stop them from using their voice to it's full potential. Our daughter uses it and knows "more", "eat", "all done", "please", and "thank you". But at the same time she shouts the parts of the words that she can actually enunciate. However, she is quiet about pain. Just recently we had her at the doctor for some goop in her eye, only to find out that she had a double ear infection. She never even let on. Well anyway, thanks for the tidbit.
• Canada
26 Feb 07
She is getting enough to eat as 20 pounds is a good weight for a 15 months old . I try to feed my little one's the same meals as we would eat , I just make sure that if we have meat or something that it is cut up really small so she won't choke on it . We have meat and potatoes and vegetables for supper , or spaghetti (meals like that ) and for lunch we have soup or sandwiches or whatever . By the way if that is her picture she is a little cutie .
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Feb 07
We try to feed her what we are having. Some things she likes (i.e. french fries and ranch dressing) and other things she refuses. It sounds like we were a little hypersensitive (that's an oxymoron, but I'll leave it). Thanks for your insight. Oh, and yes that is her and thanks for the compliment :)
26 Feb 07
The only time you should worry about your childs food intake is if she is refusing it, acting differently to normal... i.e... lethargic, lifeless or generally unhappy... children eat when they are hungry, it is natural to worry tho.
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Feb 07
Yeah, we just want to do the best we can for her. But people here are helping us realize that we are worrying for nothing. Thanks for the validation.
@Chele2k2 (241)
26 Feb 07
Your daughter is probably very active at the age she is and therefore burning up more calories then she did when she was younger and less active. You have probably noticed less chubby areas, to her arms and legs, I did when my children got more active and mobile. There is probably nothing to worry about but if you can't put your mind to rest, see the advice of a health practitioner. I wish you all a happy healthy growing family :o)
• United States
26 Feb 07
Thanks for your well wishes, we will most certainly ask the doctor again the next time we are in. However, the wonderful people on this board really helped me put it into perspective. Thanks again.