Regular toddler "meals"?

[Beauchamp]

My husband often gets at me if our DD hasn't eaten her three "meals" per day. He often says things like "Geez, it's almost 4 o'clock and she hasn't even eaten *lunch* yet?!?"

I have been going with the flow, BFing as much as I can during the day, hopefully to lessen the night feedings naturally if possible, and feeding her at least two "meals" (i.e. she sits in her booster and I put stuff on her tray...now how much she ingests is up to her I would like to give her three real meals, but it seems like the timing doesn't usually work out, or we've just had a long nurse, etc, and it would be a waste of food to sit her down for a meal she won't eat. Or else she wants her water cup and nothing else.

How many meals does your toddler eat? Do you let them have free access to the water cup while sitting to eat? Or do you help them graze? Just curious. Thanks!

[treeoflife3]

mine is three months older but she does get three meals a day as well as two or so snacks and access to a sippy of water and my boobs all day. We've been doing it this way for a few months now.

However, that is based specifically on her own needs. She loves having water in addition to breast milk and it makes her feel like a big girl (plus she gives drinks to all her toys and books ahhaha) and she just so happens to want three meals and a few snacks as well. She doesn't eat much but she sure gets cranky if she doesn't get them.

[Chamomile Girl]

I give my kid three meals a day too...plus snacks and unlimited boob...when I remember LOL! He never asks for anything but boobie. For me its more about trying to establish a schedule then because I think he is starving. I actually forget to feed him "real meals" all the time. Your DH needs to chill about it. Besides if your DD is hungry a snack is the same amount of food as a "real" meal to a 13 month old. And since she is still breastfed her nutritional needs are being met.

In regards to water my kid drinks quite a bit during a normal day. Probably...30oz?

ETA: I think this is my first post in the Toddler forum! Squeeeee!

[crunchy_mommy]

As that age we usually only did dinner, though sometimes we'd do breakfast/lunch if it worked out that way. Now (he's just about 18mo) we have moved toward more regular meals, though he still usually won't touch lunch (or he'll ignore his breakfast & then eat lunch) but as he is eating more solid food now I do think I should at least offer the meals to him. He is very verbal so I always just gave him snacks when he asked for it (or when he kept nursing for 2 hours straight & I needed a break ) but if he wasn't so upfront about it I would have offered snacks regularly throughout the day. We also encouraged him to mostly nurse when thirsty but now we're moving more toward giving water (I seem to have a lot of friends whose 18mo's have failure to thrive so I wanted to make sure he got lots of milk & calorie-dense food for the first 18mos or so & now we're moving more toward water, food, etc. though he still nurses A TON & I'm not worried about his weight anymore) but we did try to have a water cup at the table with dinner (& now with all meals) just so he could get used to water & drinking from a cup etc.

Sorry, got a little long-winded...

[mamazee]

At that age, my first was hardly having any solid food at all. She just wasn't ready for much. So maybe a little nibble of something I was having but no meals per se. Mostly just breastmilk still.

But my second one was probably eating two or three mini meals at that age. And a lot of breastmilk, but certainly more solids than the first.

It's really individual and you have to follow the child's lead. If you're not limiting breastfeeding, I'm sure your little one is fine.

[lifeguard]

At that age meals were still pretty touch & go. Around 15 months ds became much more interested in food & it was no longer possible to skip a meal or just use breastmilk instead of a full meal.

[not_telling]

I agree that at that age, DS wasn't eating very much. Now, at 2 yrs old, he'll eat what I call a "meal" at breakfast time and at lunch time (both of which tend to be on the later side....like, breakfast at 10:30-11:00 and lunch either before nap around 1:30 -2:30 or after nap around 4:00 or something), but he's not consistently interested in dinner at this point. There also might be some snacks throughout the day, too. He's no longer nursing and does have little cups of milk or water or water with some juice throughout the day.

Just know that it really varies by kid, too. We know one little boy DS's age who has just always been a ravenous eater (and he's a VERY active kid), and I always felt like DS was falling short somehow...but they're all just eating what they need to eat, I guess.

[MommaKitten21]

ds just turned 2.... and he still has days where he is interested in eating and days where he just isn't. I serve him the same amount of stuff throughout the day, (3 meals and usually 2 snacks or so) and he will either gobble it up and ask for more, or not be interested at all.


We do have a sippy available constantly as well... but we do mostly water. with milk just in the early am and before bed. It's worked out fairly well.

[swd12422]

At that age, DS wasn't eating enough solids to constitute a meal yet. He'd sit with us at dinner and with me at lunch, and I'd share my food with him if he wanted it. I didn't bother making him a separate meal though.... It wasn't worth it. But he did sit with us at meals even though he wasn't going to eat, just to get him used to it.

[alfabetsoup]

We do (and did, when mine were that young) 3 sit down meals because it makes it easier to establish a routine for naps and bedtime. With DD2, even when she wasn't going to eat, she sat with DD1 & I (and DH for dinner) either in my lap or her highchair. I found it gave a nice structure to the day.

[jammomma]

We do three meals and two to three snacks per day, with our 13 month old. He usually eats his biggest meal of the day at breakfast near 8 am, then maybe a small snack an hour or two later prior to his morning nap. He will eat a lunch around noon and then another snack around 2 and then nap and then dinner at 5. And sometimes he'll have a snack around 7 before bed, especially if we go swimming after dinner. The kid loves to eat and has rarely ever refused food. He still nurses a lot too.

[Honey693]

I don't even do 3 sit down meals a day. DD and I graze all day then eat dinner with DH and have a snack or two before bed. DD has full access to water all day. If she wants 2 cups of water at dinner, fine. We're just not big meal people around here until dinner time.

[korintherin]

We do 3 sit-down meals with my 19mo son (started around 12mo? hard to say, he's always sat with one or both of us when we eat dinner at least). That being said, he eats breakfast sometime between 8 and 9, "lunch" between 3 and 4:30, and dinner at 6 or 6:30. The reason for the huge gap in the middle of the day is b/c he nurses to sleep at 11 or 11:30, and sleeps until 3 or 3:30. And when he wakes up he wants to play, not eat.

It feels funny to call it lunch that late in the day, and he doesn't always eat a lot then (or if he does, he just picks at dinner). But he's doing what his body needs at this stage, so we roll with it. When he was a year old, his appetite for solid foods was even more erratic. They know when they're hungry. (Though sometimes I can only tell by the general whininess level and a glance at the clock!)

Snacks at home are rare, usually only given on the road, if we have to go somewhere and he's slept through a meal or I know he'll be getting hungry before we get home again. But he has milk or water anytime he wants.

[StoriesInTheSoil]

Mine didn't even start solids till 14 months and didn't eat "meals" till recently. Now, he still eats cut up cheese and some pb crackers and that is a lunch, kwim? Or he will eat a tomato, some berries, and pb and j on toast for a meal. They aren't big productions by any means.

[blumom2boyz]

My dd is only a few days older than yours and she sits at the table whenever my boys do to "eat". I also nurse on demand, which varies from day to day (some days it seems like 20 times, other days it is about 6). We are a Waldorf family, so our eating occurs pretty much the same time everyday...3 meals and 2 snacks (am and pm). I used to let my kids graze, but now I have 3 growing boys and they would eat me out of house and home I think what you are doing is fine...just like nap routines, she will settle into something as she gets older.