How Much to Feed Toddlers
Angela Oswalt, MSWAs in all major decisions that affect the health and well-being of a baby or toddler, be sure to discuss all nutrition questions and concerns with the pediatrician to make sure your child's nutritional needs are met. As discussed previously, by the time babies are preparing to transition into solid foods, between the ages of 4 to 6 months, they are taking approximately 32 ounces of breast milk or formula in a day. Around age 6 months, babies should be taking in that same amount of milk plus one to two servings each of cereal and of fruit, to supplement their daily menu. Between the ages of 6 and 9 months, babies should be taking in 24 to 32 ounces of milk and two servings of cereal, one to two servings of fruit, two servings of vegetables, and two servings of meat. They can also begin drinking juice or water from a cup at this time. It's best for young children to drink water and learn to enjoy it, without developing a taste for only sweet drinks.
Doctors and nutritionists recommend that toddlers drink about 1.5 ounces of fluid per pound of body weight each day. Between the ages of 9 and 12 months, babies continue to decrease the amount of breast milk or formula they take as solid foods are providing them with more and more of their nutritional needs. At this age stage, they need 16 to 24 ounces of milk, two servings each of cereal, fruit, vegetables, and meat, and either ½ slice of bread or ¼ cup soft pasta per day. After their first birthday, toddlers continue to transition from breast milk and formula to adult foods, as they take fewer milk feedings and begin to eat more mashed family foods in addition to their baby foods. The average 18-month-old needs 1,000 to 1,300 calories daily, which could come from three cups whole milk or equivalent breast milk, three to four servings of grains, two to three servings each of fruits and vegetables, one serving of a legume, one serving of meat or protein, and three to four ounces of healthy snacks.
Resources
-
Articles
-
Infant Development: How Your Baby Grows and Matures
- Infancy Introduction
- Infancy Physical Development
- Infancy Physical Development: Motor Development
- Infancy Physical Development: Gross Motor Skills
- Infancy Physical Development: Fine Motor Skills
- Infancy Physical Development: Average Growth
- Infancy Cognitive Development
- Infancy Cognitive Development Continued
- Infancy Cognitive Development: Language Development
- Cognitive Development: Language Development Continued
- Infancy Emotional/Social Development: Emotional Expression and Understanding
- Infancy Emotional/Social Development: Temperament
- Infancy Emotional and Social Development: Social Connections
- Infancy Sexuality and Body Awareness Development
- Infancy Conclusion
-
Infant Parenting: Keeping Your Baby Healthy and Happy
- Infancy Parenting Introduction
- Holding and Physical Support
- Facilitating Growth and Movement
- Feeding and Nutrition
- How Much to Feed
- Breastfeeding
- Selecting and Preparing Bottles
- How to Feed
- Burping and Spitting Up
- When and What Solid Foods to Introduce
- How to Feed Solid Foods
- How Much to Feed Toddlers
- Weaning
- Elimination and How to Diaper
- Penis and Cord Care
- Sleeping
- Bathing
- Other Baby Hygiene
- Dressing Baby
- Soothing a Crying Baby
- Well-Baby Checks and Immunizations
- Common Baby Medical Concerns
- Common Baby Medical Concerns - Teething
- Common Baby Medical Concerns - Colic
- Common Baby Medical Concerns - Coughs and Colds
- Common Baby Medical Concerns - Fever
- Common Baby Medical Concerns - Diarrhea and Vomiting
- Nurturing children
- Discipline
- Baby Safety
- Baby Safety Continued
- Conclusion
- Infant Safety: Keeping Your Baby Safe
- Infant Enrichment: Stimulating Your Baby
-
Infant Development: How Your Baby Grows and Matures
-
Questions and Answers
-
Links
-
Videos
- What Your Baby Sees
- Safe Sleep for Babies
- Safe Sleep for Infants
- Button Batteries Sending Kids to the ER
- Uncovering Top Causes of Diaper Rash
- Holiday Travel - Child Safety Away from Home
- Safe Seats for Baby
- Vaccination: A Key Piece of the Puzzle
- Babies on the Move: Protecting Babies with Vaccination
- The Breast Feeding Boost
-
12 more
- Skin to Skin with your Newborn
- How to Get Your Baby to Sleep
- Diaper Rash Dos & Don’ts
- Sunscreen Guidelines for Infants and Toddlers
- When Breastfeeding Doesn’t Come Naturally
- Diaper Dilemma: Baby Powders & Wipes
- Breast Feeding and Gluten Introduction: What Research Tells Us
- Dealing with Diaper Rash
- Strategies for Encouraging Your Child's Speech and Language Development
- Is it Baby Babble or a Sign of Speech Problems?
- Infant Hearing Loss
- Household Poisonings and Childhood Dangers
-
More Information
Topics
-
Related Topic Centers
-
Addictions
-
Aging & Elder Care
-
Assessments & Interventions
-
Career & Workplace
-
Emotional Well-Being
-
Life Issues
-
Parenting & Child Care
-
Abuse
-
ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
-
Adoption
-
Autism
-
Child & Adolescent Development: Overview
-
Child & Adolescent Development: Puberty
-
Child Development & Parenting: Early (3-7)
-
Child Development & Parenting: Infants (0-2)
-
Child Development & Parenting: Middle (8-11)
-
Child Development & Parenting:Adolescence (12-24)
-
Child Development Theory: Adolescence (12-24)
-
Child Development Theory: Middle Childhood (8-11)
-
Childhood Mental Disorders and Illnesses
-
Childhood Special Education
-
Divorce
-
Family & Relationship Issues
-
Intellectual Disabilities
-
Learning Disorders
-
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
-
Parenting
-
Self Esteem
-
-
Psychological Disorders
-
Anxiety Disorders
-
Bipolar Disorder
-
Conversion Disorders
-
Depression: Depression & Related Conditions
-
Dissociative Disorders
-
Domestic Violence and Rape
-
Eating Disorders
-
Impulse Control Disorders
-
Intellectual Disabilities
-
Mental Disorders
-
Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
-
Personality Disorders
-
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
-
Schizophrenia
-
Sexual Disorders
-
Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders
-
Suicide
-
Tourettes and other Tic Disorders
-