How Much Should I Let My 2 Year Old Eat?

I would not worry about your 2 year old getting obese if she eats healthy foods. I think most of our generation's obesity issues comes from all the high fructose and partially hydrogenated ingredients in most pre-made store bought items...not to mention fast food items.
I doubt there's many people that ever got fat from eating fruits and vegetables (reguardless of the amount). It's all the stuff we like on our fruits and veggies that put the pounds on. It's the butter, gravies, sour cream and things that put the fat in us.
Every good diet should say you can have your fill of fruits and veggies. Of course with kids you do have to limit the fruit a bit. Encourage her to eat healthy but be sure you don't put the fear of being fat in her at an early age! That's an entirely new set of issues that diets don't fix! lol
Congratulations on such being blessed with such a healthy eater! I hope she continues loving healthy food!

Hi! I'm a school cafeteria manager and mom of three teens. In general, I'd let her eat as much as she wants of veggies without butter, salt or cheese, a fairly large amount of fruit without added sugar, and a more reasonable amount of meat, cheese, and wholegrain bread. You might try the book Feed Me I'm Yours, which is an excellent guide to feeding a toddler. Most children will quit eating when they're full unless they're bored or eating while watching TV. As long as she's growing and her weight is staying in about the same proportion to her height, she's okay and probably eats because she needs it.

Congrats on getting her to eat a variety!

instead of limiting her, you could try giving her just one serving, then tell her that she can go play for 10 min. if she is still hungry she may have another plate. this will give her body time to decide if she is still hungry. she may just get so into playing that she never comes back for more food, but if she is really hungry she will be back. you may also try to introduce a snack in the afternoon. around 2 or 3. something small and healthy. then she wont be so famished at meal time. snacks are important for toddlers because they have little tummies that cant hold enough food to keep them going.

You are so lucky to have a veggie eater!!!! I only have one out of three kids. I go through this with my kids when it's mac and cheese or pizza,etc. I tell them that they can have 2nd helping of their "growing foods" (fruits and vegtable) , but one slice of pizza is enough, especially if you didn't finish your carrots. I have also been known to lie and say, "The mac n cheese is all gone. Do you want some more watermelon?" I also try to picture the size of their stomach in my head. Like, how much food can really fit into something the size of a tennis ball? That's when I offer a whole juice popcicle for dessert, or a sugar free one, and that ends the meal right away
God bless.

I was lucky too. My children always loved vegies and would pretty much eat anything. I would try to have a regular 3 meal day with a couple of healthy snacks and not just let her eat anytime of the day. Many authorities say that eating all day does not give the stomach a chance to empty and the body to burn up the calories. If she wants a snack between meals, I would encourage carrots, apples or other fruits and or maybe some cheese and crackers. Since she is not obese and is doing ok, it probably is a growth spurt and children to tend to eat more during that time. Try to keep her doing a lot of activities that keep her active, maybe a mom/child exercise class or if she would like to do gymnastics/dance. Think about those types of things since some children eat from boredom. Best of luck to you.

Someone else mentioned the wait 10 min and then come back......It's what we do too. We tell the kids they need to give their brain time to tell their bellies if it is full or not. then if they do ask for more we'll ask them "well, what's your belly say?" it's so funny when my 3 yr old leans over, put her hands on her stomach and says in a cookie monster voice "I still hungry. Need bananas!" She is a grazer.....every hour or so she is asking for food...guess she figured out the "eat a small meal/snack every 2 hrs" on her own! We're like you....lucky that our kids love veggies and fruits. I just figure as long as it's good for them with no added sugars and as natural as can be then I will let their bodies decide. :)

I've always read not to limit quantity of wholesome nutritios food children eat. Focus only on quality of the food (no junk food, no soda, no chips, etc) and on their activity level (exercise/active play, walking, biking, etc).

Children are growing. And unless they have an eating disorder or eat junk food, it is supposed to be natural to eat what they need and no more no less. It is the adults with the problems (like me after hormonal changes), and the children eating junk food) with limiting food.

Well I totally understand your issues. My daughter will be 3 this month and she is one that is very picky and half the time will only eat a small portion of food, but later on wants nothing but junk. But then there are times she eats and eats continue to ask for more food. I asked the doctor about this and She stated that this is normal for children to go through these stages. Most of the time when they eat and eat is a sign of growth. Just try to feed the healthy foods to your daughter. My daughter loves no sugared ceral and so when we get home I always fix her a small bowl if she hungery. Of course this hard when she sometimes has her mind set of Junk food. But it has gotten better over the past year...I think it comes with every stage..there is always going to be something different. Thank goodness this is a small issure compared to the ones to come later in life. Hope that helps.