Kidspot Health

An ideal food day for a toddler

Susie Burrell |

Leading Australian nutritionist Susie Burrell gives us the low-down on the ideal foods and portion sizes for your toddler.

How much food should a toddler eat each day?00:08:36

Toddler nutrition: this video outlines the amount of food that is healthy for a toddler to consume.

Any parent of a demanding toddler will likely tell you about their erratic, fussy and unpredictable eating habits. One day they eat eggs and broccoli and then the next only white rice and bananas. It can be very easy to be drawn into their powerful food web and end up making several meals in an attempt to see one being consumed.

The most important thing for any parent of a toddler to know is that they actually need very small amounts of food. Unlike babies who need a significant number of calories to cater for rapid growth and development, growth during the toddler years slows considerably, which means they simply do not need as much to eat.

The most common scenario in current times is that toddlers stock up on milk and high calorie ‘extra foods’ (25-30 percent of all calories our toddlers are consuming are coming from extra foods or treats), which means they are just not all that hungry for their meat, fish and vegetables.

Toddlers also tend to regulate their food intake over the course of several days which means while they may eat a lot one day, they may not eat much the next and it generally balances out. So if you are constantly worried about what your toddler is or is not eating, here is an example of a toddler day on a plate.


While it is tempting to offer your toddler their milk first, remember this is what often fills then up so always offer solid food first. Good breakfast options for a one-to-three-year-old include a single sugar-free breakfast biscuit such as Vita Brits or two tablespoons of oats served with milk or natural yoghurt. Particular hungry toddlers may add ½ -1 piece of fresh fruit or ½ - 1 slice of wholemeal or wholegrain toast with avocado or 100 percent nut spread (provided they are not allergic). An egg on toast is another nutritious breakfast option.

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There are a number of good breakfast options for toddlers but they should be kept very low in sugar. Source: iStock


While small children do require snacks to get all the calories they do need, try and leave at least two hours in between eating occasions to help them learn that there is a time to eat and a time not to, and to allow enough time for them to actually feel hungry. Good snack options include a cheese slice or stick, 100g plain yoghurt, a small container of chopped fruit and a small (150ml) serve of infant formula or cow's milk.


Lunch is a good meal to introduce the regular intake of salad or vegetables keeping in mind that children attending long day care or pre-school will most likely to be served a hot meal which will contain vegetables. One or half a sandwich with a protein-rich filling such as tuna, chicken breast, egg or turkey will work well here, as will serving it with some chopped up vegetables. Another option is to serve a small, bar of soap sized hot meal or leftovers from the night before. Again aim to offer a small serve of milk after the meal and be prepared to keep any leftover lunch options for afternoon tea. Historically a dessert or sweet food may be served after lunch but this is not necessary for young children.

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A small sandwich with some fruit to nibble on is enough for lunch. Source: iStock


It is crucial that any foods consumed through the afternoon do not fill small children up so they do not eat their dinner, especially if dinner will be served at 5pm. Aim for the last snack of the day to be consumed by 3pm and keep it light - a couple of crackers, a  piece of cheese, half or quarter of a sandwich from lunch or some chopped up vegetables with a little hummus or cream cheese. Indeed slipping some vegetables in at this snack is a good way to make sure they are consuming some of the one-to-two cups of salad and/or vegetables they need every day.

Looking for some extra toddler recipe inspiration? Look no further than our favourite Toddler Recipe ideas here at Kidspot.


Often well-meaning parents take toddler meal time way too seriously, preparing elaborate meals that a toddler has no interest in. Young children like plain, simple food - spaghetti bolognese, a cutlet and cut up vegetables, a couple of small sausages and vegetables or a piece of crumbed chicken and salad.

A toddler only needs 50-70g of cooked protein and half to one cup of salad or vegetables. It is also important to keep in mind that they may not need a lot of dinners if they have already consumed a hot meal at preschool. In this case, a slice of toast with some baked beans or an egg may be all they need or feel like. Again try and wait to offer milk after dinner and if you do choose to serve dessert, aim to do so on set days each week as opposed to negotiating for kids to eat dinner first which can promote overeating. Low calorie, nutritious dessert options for small children include a couple of tablespoons of plain yoghurt and chopped fruit, a small frozen yoghurt stick or a hot milk drink.

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Keep in mind how much your toddler has eaten through the day when preparing dinner to save on food waste. Source: iStock

What to drink?

Aside from the recommended 500-600ml of cows or toddler milk per day, water is the only suggested drink for young children. Cordial, fruit drinks and smoothies are all high sugar, high calorie drinks not suitable for small children.

What's the best yoghurt?

The yoghurt aisle in the supermarket can be completely overwhelming, even for a  nutritionist! With Greek, natural, diet, kids and low-fat varieties all sprouting their many health benefits, it is confusing at best. So what is the best type of yoghurt for small children? Well, those ‘kids’ yoghurts may not be as healthy as you think they are.

Yoghurt in its natural, unsweetened state is a calcium and protein-rich food, and a source of the naturally occurring sugar lactose. Natural yoghurt has a distinct tangy flavour and contains 5-10g of naturally occurring sugars per serve.

The most common yoghurt we see in supermarkets and the type of yoghurt most commonly packaged as a  ‘kids’ yoghurt is a sweetened version. Sweetened with either sweeteners, fruit or sugars, sweet fruit yoghurts can contain as much as 30g of sugars per serve and even up to 20g of sugars in popular kids' yoghurts - far too much. As a general rule of thumb if you see sugar written on the label of your kid’s yoghurt put it back on the shelf.

The next question that relates to yoghurts is whether low fat and/or diet yoghurts are appropriate. As a general rule of thumb, low-fat yoghurts tend to be higher in sugars while diet yoghurts generally contain artificial sweeteners. As such these products are best left to adults, if at all.

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It's important to remember that low-fat yoghurts often contain more sugar and should be avoided. Source: iStock

Another popular yoghurt is the growing range of Greek-style yoghurts. Greek style yoghurts are higher in protein, thanks to the straining process which sees excess whey removed, and results in thicker, stronger tasting yoghurt.

While these are nutritionally superior for adults, they may be a little high in protein for small children and as such natural yoghurt with fresh fruits added is the best choice nutritionally.

So where does this leave you? The good news is that there are so many poor quality yoghurt choices for kids that it leaves very few good ones! For small children, the only yoghurt I favour is the Barambah baby yoghurt. With nothing but whole milk on the ingredient list, you will be offering your baby or toddler all the good stuff and none of the bad and that is what a natural food like yoghurt should be about.

Barambah Whole Milk Yoghurt - Per 100g 350kJ / 5.0g protein / 4.7g carbs / 3.6g sugars / 4.0g fat / 170mg calcium

5AM Organic Yoghurt Tubes -With sugar listed on the ingredient list and 14g of sugars or more than 3 teaspoons in a 120g pouch there are much better yoghurts available for children. 421kJ / 4.9g protein / 12.2g carbs / 11.8g sugars / 4.9g fat / 101mg calcium

Yoplait Petit Miam Squeezie Yoghurt - 360kJ / 3.4g protein / 13.9g carbs / 12.1g sugars / 1.8g fat / 350mg calcium. With sugar as the second ingredient and 12g of sugar per 70g tube, the negatives of this product for small children outweigh any potential nutritional benefits.

Vaalia Kids Yoghurt - 378kJ / 4.7g protein / 12.2g carbs / 11.7g sugars / 2.5g fat / 150mg calcium. Sugar is another core ingredient in this yoghurt which contains 15g or more than 3 teaspoons of sugar per 140g serve.