How Often Does Your Toddler Wait Between Meals?

Nutritionists recommend that ALL of us eat 5-6 small meals a day. If a child is getting the standard 12ish-14 hours of sleep that means that they're eating aprox every 2-3 hours.

Feeding on demand worked so well as an infant that we just continued it. Fascinatingly enough, our son settled into 5-6 small meals a day.

With ours, I also gave him his own shelf in the fridge (for leftovers and his milk cup and yogurts/cheeses/etc.) and his own drawer for nonperishable things (apple sauce cups, goldfish, etc.).

I think as long as your toddler is in good health, offering small snacks throughout the day is a wonderful way of supplementing her diet.

If your goal is to get her to eat more at meal time, then maybe cut back on one or two of the offerings, but if you are happy with her eating habits, then continue with your schedule, after all, it is your child!

Every child is different. If she's eating healthy foods and eating well at her regular meal times then I wouldn't worry too much. My daughters at that age ate around every 2 hours, but never very much in one sitting. One of their 'meals' would be a couple of pieces of cheese and some grapes, or a baby yogurt, or something like that.

She may just be going through a phase where she's not growing much right now and therefore doesn't need the 'extra' food. I'm sure in a week or two (at most) you'll notice her pick up her intake again :)

We are pretty consistant here and have beenf or years, eat around 8 am snack at 10 am lunch at noon, snack then again at 3 dinner around 6 snack before bed. If I forget odds are they are begging for a snack at almost the exact time stated. If they ask again at any other time they are hungry and I give it to them unless it is just a few minutes before the main meal.

My daughter is 3 and she eats yogurt and 1 piece of toast for breakfast at around 7. Then around 9:30 or so she has some raisins and cheese (or other small snack). Lunch around 12/1 or so, then naps. If she asks for a snack when she gets up I give it to her but more often than not she doesn't. If she doesn't, we eat dinner around 5/5:30, if she does have a snack we eat dinner closer to 6/6:30 and then start the bed routine around 7:30. She has access to milk/juice/water, etc. constantly during the day!

We don't do a lot of snacks for our 2.5 yr old. If we allow them, it's generally a fruit (it doesn't fill him as much as a protein or crackers do) and it's between lunch and dinner.

Our son eats a 'meal' every 4 or 5 hours same as your daughter (bkfast at 9ish, lunch 12 or 1ish, dinner 5 or 6ish.) If we plan to eat dinner late, that's the day I'll give him a snack around 4 or 5 to tide him over till dinner.

If you d is rejecting the snack, then she's probably just not hungry. If you eat breakfast at the same time she does, then judge her hunger by your own hunger. If you're hungry, she probably is too. This is the best way I have judged my son's hunger. I'll think "We both ate the same lunch and he ate a good amount. We ate closer to 1:00. I'm not hungry yet, so he probably won't eat dinner at 5 either. We'll eat closer to 6:30 or 7 instead."

No, they are wrong or either don't have kids themselves.

Kids, get hungry.
Especially during growth-spurts.
My daughter for example, gets honestly hungry, every 2 hours. She burns it off. She eats healthy. We don't have junk in the house.
My son, grazes also, throughout the day.
Normal for kids.
It is better, than having them starve for 4 hours between meals and then gorging on food. Which is what many adults do. This is actually an unhealthy way to eat.

If my kids are hungry, I feed them. Be it regular meals or snacks in between.

Bear in mind that at growth-spurts, a child can eat and eat and eat and get hungry and hungry and hungry.

The best way to eat and feed, is to eat when hungry, and not having to eat if not hungry.
That way, a child and adult... KNOWS their body cues. Not eating just for emotion or 'having to' just because a clock says so.

all the best,
Susan