How to Use Child Serving Sizes

While most people are somewhat familiar with the FDA's food pyramid, not many parents are aware that the serving sizes shown refer only to adults. For a child, serving sizes are not only completely different, but they also differ depending on age, sex and environmental and developmental issues. Learning to address the child's needs from early on helps to ensure healthy lifestyle and development.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Make sure your child is eating portions adjusted according to his age. While everybody requires between five and 12 servings of carbohydrates/grains a day, a child's portion of grains is equivalent to one fourth of a baseball. The same applies to dairy (1/2 cup of milk is a serving) and fruits (1/4 cup of juice). Older children may require larger portions.
2. Use everyday objects to remind yourself what a portion looks like. A serving of cheese for a toddler is the size of a 9-volt battery, but you need two of them to equal a serving for children 6 to 12 years old. Dairy portion sizes also go up to match requirements of growth and development, and a full cup of milk is considered one serving at that age.
3. Teach your children to recognize portion sizes through the use of objects they see in everyday life. If your child plays hockey, for example, you may mention that one hockey puck equals one serving of grains (as in half a bagel or a slice of bread).
4. Use the official FDA food pyramid for kids, available at the FDA website, to plan your children's meals (see Resources below). Aside from nutritional recommendations, the website also offers ideas on how to deal with picky eaters, how to replace unhealthy foods with better choices and how to get kids involved in their own nutritional development.
5. Visit the Baylor College of Medicine website to access specific information on child serving sizes, including charts, diagrams and tables (see Resources below). The website offers a special section on fruits and vegetables and recommendations for toddler nutrition.
6. Do not forget that kids need less protein than adults do. A child's serving of meat, poultry, fish, beans and eggs is about 2 oz. or half a deck of cards. For soft foods, such as peanut butter, this equals 2 tbsp.

Tips & Warnings

• You may need to adjust serving sizes if a child has allergies or deficiencies of a particular nutrient.
• Keep in mind that there are no serving sizes for sugary foods. Use them sparingly rather than making them part of the everyday diet.