How small a toddler portion is
Think tablespoons, not plates. A common rule of thumb used by paediatric dietitians is one tablespoon of each food per year of age, and seconds if they ask. A two-year-old served an adult scoop of pasta and asked to finish it is set up to fail. Serve small, refill on request, and watch the week fill up on its own.
The weekly balance that matters
Across seven days, aim for the four groups the NHS names: fruit and vegetables; potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates; dairy or alternatives; and beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins. The WHO adds the same logic for young children: a diverse diet across the week, with animal-source or protein-rich foods regularly, and continued breastfeeding into year two where it is happening. WHO: infant and young child feeding Monday can be beige. The week is what counts.
Two safe foods, one rotating third
Every dinner in the book follows this plate: two things they already accept, one thing from the rotation. Nobody goes hungry, and the new food gets its tenth, twentieth, thirtieth exposure without a battle. The AAP reports acceptance can take ten or more tastings, so repetition without pressure is the whole strategy. AAP: 10 tips for parents of picky eaters
What to stop measuring
Stop counting bites, grams, or cleared plates. Keep meals and snacks on a loose schedule so hunger arrives on time, water between meals, milk with meals in small amounts, and no added-sugar drinks: the CDC advises against foods and drinks with added or low-calorie sweeteners for infants and young children. CDC: infant and toddler nutrition
Further reading
On this shelf
- 10 Ingredients, 30 Meals: the full book
- What to do when your child eats four foods
- The pressure-free table: responsive feeding that works
- The Twinkens shelf: all titles
From paediatricians
Sources: NHS Fussy eaters (nhs.uk); WHO Infant and young child feeding fact sheet (who.int); AAP 10 Tips for Parents of Picky Eaters (healthychildren.org); CDC Infant and Toddler Nutrition (cdc.gov). Original Twinkens text.