What size food portions to serve your children is an important issue. You don’t want to provide too little food for your children’s growth needs, but servings that are too large tend to overwhelm them.

Serving small portions to young children is often the best way for them to learn to eat until they are satisfied, instead of overeating. So start your children off with less and encourage them to ask for more if they’re still hungry.

Experts suggest for each year of their age, you should give children one tablespoon of each food served at a meal. This means that three-year-olds would start with three tablespoons of each food. If they eat it all, they can ask for more.

Most importantly, don’t make the mistake of scolding children if they don’t finish all you serve them. If you view their inability to eat everything as a waste of food, serve them less, instead of forcing them to overeat. Respect your children’s ability to tell when they’ve had enough.

If your children are suddenly hungry an hour after a meal because they ate too little, refrain from handing out snacks. They will gradually learn to gauge their own appetites and eat enough at meal times.

Source:  “Nutrition Wise” by Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN, American Institute for Cancer Research, www.aicr.org.