Children need less food at a time and more times a day than adults: three main meals and two or three snacks, with two to three hours in between. A portion for a four-year-old is about a third of an adult's. What matters most is not how much is eaten at each meal, but that meals come regularly, that the food is varied and that the table is calm.
How much should my child eat? It is the question BVC (the child health clinic every family is enrolled in) gets asked most often, and the answer is almost always: less than you think, more often than you do. Here is a portion guide by age, a daily rhythm that works for most families, and the routines that make food something you do together rather than something you argue about.
Portions by age
| Age | Share of an adult portion | Example: pasta with meat sauce |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 years | A quarter | Half a decilitre of pasta, two tablespoons of sauce |
| 3 to 4 years | A third | A decilitre of pasta, half a decilitre of sauce |
| 5 to 7 years | Half | One and a half decilitres of pasta, a decilitre of sauce |
| 8 to 10 years | Two thirds | Two decilitres of pasta, one and a half decilitres of sauce |
| 11 to 12 years | Almost a full one | Like an adult, often more during growth spurts |
The figures apply to an average day, and average days are rare. A growing child eats like an adult one week and like a bird the next. That is why it is the week you should look at, not the meal. The growth curve at BVC is the only measure that says anything, and you see it at every visit.
The day's meals
| Meal | Approximate time | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 7 | Porridge or fil (Swedish soured milk) with cereal, a sandwich, milk |
| Snack | 9.30 | Fruit, usually at förskola (municipal preschool, from age one) |
| Lunch | 11.30 | A cooked meal, at förskola |
| Snack | 14.30 | Sandwich, yoghurt, fruit |
| Dinner | 17.30 | A cooked meal, the whole family |
| Supper if needed | 19 | Porridge, fil or a sandwich for children who eat a small dinner |
On förskola days the child eats three of these meals away from home, and what you control is breakfast, the snack after pick-up and dinner. Ask the förskola what your child ate for lunch. A child who ate little there needs a substantial snack, one who ate a lot needs a small one, and there is no way of knowing without asking.
The plate
The plate model for children from Livsmedelsverket (the Swedish Food Agency): roughly a third vegetables and fruit, a third potatoes, pasta, rice or bread, a third meat, fish, eggs or pulses. Small children need a little more fat than adults, so butter on the sandwich and oil in the food are good. Fish two or three times a week, one of them an oily fish such as salmon or mackerel.
The snack that decides the evening
The snack at half past two or three is the meal most families misjudge. Too small, and the child is inconsolable at five and eats nothing at half past five because they are too hungry to sit still. Too big or too late, and the child is full at dinner. A good snack is a proper sandwich with something green beside it, or a bowl of fil with cereal and fruit, and water to drink. More ideas in the guide to Snacks for children.
Routines that make a difference
- The same times every day. Children who know when food is coming pester less between meals.
- Everyone sits down. No screens at the table, and that includes your phone.
- Water with meals. Milk with breakfast and supper, water with the rest.
- No snacks outside the schedule. A child who had biscuits at four eats no dinner.
- Twenty minutes. Then the meal is over. Nobody has to clear their plate.
- The child decides how much, you decide what is on offer. That is the whole division of labour.
Children who eat little, and children who eat a lot
The child who eats little is the most common worry, and it is usually unfounded. A child who is lively, plays, sleeps and follows their growth curve is getting what they need, even if dinner consists of three pieces of pasta and a slice of cucumber. What helps is serving without comment, letting the child help themselves and stopping after twenty minutes. What makes it worse is nagging, rewarding and offering something else. More on that in the guides to Fussy eaters and Child not eating.
The child who eats a lot worries fewer parents, but deserves the same calm. Children who move a lot and are growing eat a lot. Keep to the times, serve vegetables first when the child is hungriest, and don't keep biscuits and squash in the house to fill up on between meals. If you are worried about weight, it is BVC or the school nurse you should talk to, not the child.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | Do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Too big a portion on the plate | The child sees the mountain and gives up | Serve a little, keep more on the table |
| Squash or milk all day | Full of drink, no room for food | Water between meals |
| Dinner at half past six | The child is too tired and too hungry | Dinner at half past five, a substantial snack at three |
| Something else when dinner is rejected | The child learns to wait for the alternative | The same food, without comment, supper later |
| Dessert as a reward | Food becomes an obstacle on the way to the ice cream | Dessert sometimes, regardless of how much was eaten |
How we do it with our families
The snack after förskola is the meal we influence most: the nanny makes a proper sandwich with something green beside it at three, so the child lasts until dinner without being inconsolable at five. And she serves water, not squash. They sound like small things, but they are what decide the evening. With a family in Sundbyberg, Doaa has also got into the habit of peeling and chopping vegetables for dinner while the three-year-old eats her snack at the kitchen table, so a bowl of cucumber and pepper is out on the side when the parents get home. That bowl is often empty before dinner is ready, and that is exactly the idea.
Would you like a nanny who comes on the same days every week and whom the children know? Book a free first meeting with the nanny in your home, and we will work out a quote for your hours.
Read more: Food children actually like · Fussy eaters · Packed lunch for children · Prices
Frequently asked questions
How big is a portion for a child?
Roughly: a two-year-old a quarter of an adult portion, a four-year-old a third, a seven-year-old half. But it varies enormously between days, and between children. Serve a little and let the child take more. The growth curve at BVC says more about whether your child is getting enough than any plate does.
How many meals should children eat?
Three main meals and two or three snacks, two to three hours apart. Small children have small stomachs and need to eat often. A child who is hungry at four needs a snack, not an early dinner, and a child who won't eat dinner at half past five has usually had something too late.
Do children need vitamins?
Vitamin D drops for all children up to the age of two, and for some beyond that, according to BVC. Otherwise ordinary varied food is enough. Multivitamins are rarely needed and are no substitute for food. If you are worried that your child's diet is too narrow, raise it at BVC rather than buying supplements.
How much milk should children drink?
About half a litre a day from the age of one, including fil, yoghurt and milk on porridge. More than that crowds out other food and can cause iron deficiency and constipation. Water with meals and between them, milk with breakfast and supper.
What do we do if our child eats very little?
Look at a week, not a day. Children eat in phases, a lot when they are growing and almost nothing in between. As long as the child is lively, plays and follows their curve at BVC, it is normal. Keep meals regular, serve without comment, and take the plate away after twenty minutes.