How Much Should My Kid Eat? An Age-By-Age Guide

When it comes to our children, we want the best—i.e., we want them to have stable relationships and build healthy friendships. We want them to be cared for (mentally, socially, and emotionally), and we want them to be happy. Every parent wants their child to "be well,"—and a major part of being well is living well. We want to ensure our kids are physically fit. So, how do you know if your child is nutritionally cared for? How can you ensure your baby or kid is getting enough to eat?

To cut through the confusion, nutrition experts helped compile this guide of just how much food children need at each age, plus tips on how to stay on track.

How Many Calories Does a Baby or Toddler Need?

Unless instructed by your family doctor, it is unlikely that you would need to count your infant or toddler's calories. If your baby or child is hungry, feed them. That said, the general guidelines for what a healthy infant needs to eat in a day roughly translates to 100cal/kg/day, which means multiply 100 by your baby's weight, and that gives you a rough estimate of adequate calories for one day. Naturally, that number will increase as your baby grows.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), toddlers need roughly 1,000 calories a day, split between three meals and two snacks. The AAP notes that kids won't eat everything you serve them, though. Some days, kids will want to eat everything in sight and other days, they may pick at their food or show no interest in eating at all—these are all normal eating patterns—the important thing is that your child is healthy and growing.

How Much Should a Baby or Toddler Eat?

Remember that baby of yours who happily ate chicken, squash, and most anything else that landed on their high chair tray? Well, they've likely been replaced by someone who is a lot less agreeable at mealtime. After baby's first year, growth slows down—and so to does their appetite. So how do you know if your child is getting enough food?

Trust your toddler's instincts

It's natural for a 2-year-old's appetite to be erratic from day to day. "Keeping you child aware of their hunger may go a long way," advises Tanja Kral, PhD Kids are often too busy to eat; after a few bites, they're hopping down from the table to play.

Serve most meals and snacks at the table so eating there becomes a habit, adds Dina Rose, PhD, a sociologist in Hoboken, New Jersey, who specializes in children's eating habits.

Stick to a schedule

Serve meals and snacks about three hours apart. "This helps keep your child at a healthy weight by 'normalizing' hunger," says Jill Castle, RD, author of Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters From High Chair to High School. A child who's always nibbling will never feel hungry. Plus, if your child skimps at one meal, you'll both know there's another opportunity to eat in a few hours.

Avoid food bribes

Yes, you'll get the short-term gain of a few bites of peas or chicken, but telling your child to eat more than they want can set them up for a pattern of overeating. You're also sending the wrong message about food. "If kids think that vegetables are just the yucky stuff you have to eat to get to the good stuff, they'll never learn to really like them," says Rose.

How Much Should a Preschooler or Kindergartener Eat?

While you were able to keep tabs on what your toddler ate, kids this age might consume about 40 percent or more of their food intake away from home, usually having snacks and lunch at school or on after-school playdates. "Keep snack portions on the small side and boost the amount of food by about one third at the main meals," suggests Sarah Krieger, RD Here are some other tips for feeding kids around this age.

Schedule a lunch date

Some schools allow parents to drop by and have lunch with their child once in a while, or at least volunteer in the lunchroom. "Most kids this age are slow eaters, and end up throwing out a lot of their lunch," says Liz Weiss, RD, coauthor of No Whine With Dinner. "So don't count on your child getting all the calories in her lunch box. Adjust their lunch size accordingly, and plan for a bigger breakfast or dinner."

Watch out for emotional eating

If your child is constantly asking for snacks, they may be eating out of boredom or even anxiety. Use a "hunger scale" with your kids: 0 is totally empty, 10 is totally full, and 5 is neither hungry nor full. "If he's above a 5 and asking for food, he's probably eating for emotional reasons," says Susan M. Kosharek, RD, author of If Your Child Is Overweight: A Guide for Parents. Children this age are old enough to understand emotions, so help give words to their feelings by asking, "Are you angry? Are you worried?" Then help them problem-solve or distract them from the situation without using food.

Serve meals in family style

Allow your child to serve themself—without any prompting or pressuring from you—and they'll likely take a portion that's just the right size. "Some parents unknowingly over-feed by giving adult-size portions, and kids get used to eating those larger amounts," says Castle.

How Much Should a School-Aged Child Eat?

Your child's growth slows down more during this time—kids gain about four to seven pounds each year until puberty—but calorie needs rise because many kids are more active. "Sports and after-school activities like dance and karate are increasingly intense at this age," says Weiss. "So kids end up burning more calories." These pre-tweens often get to make a lot of their own food choices too, from deciding what to have in the cafeteria to how much to eat when at a friend's house. Make sure they fuel up right with these tips.

Plan for sports

Give your child a healthy meal or snack containing carbohydrates (such as whole-grain cereal or bread) and protein (such as lean meat, yogurt, or milk) before games. They don't need anything except water to drink during and after exercise. Offer sports drinks only if they're playing hard on a hot day for more than an hour, with back-to-back soccer games, for example.

Serve (some) favorites but don't be a short-order cook

Be sure there is always foods on the table that your child likes—such as fruit, whole-grain bread, or a favorite grain side dish—so they can still be nourished even if they don't love the entrée.

The Bottom Line

It's important to keep in mind that all kids are different, and therefore their needs will be different as well. As with anything else, if you have concerns about your child's eating patterns, weight, or nutritional levels, be sure to reach out to a pediatrician or health care provider.