How much protein do toddlers need?

[Pinky]

My 1 year old is not a fan of meat and I'm trying to find other ways to make sure she is getting enough protein. Does anyone know how much protein a 1 year old really needs? (I've been trying to pay attention to this on the labels)

I read something that said 0.55g per pound so that would be only around 10g of protein per day for my LO. I could be WAY off on this, but I was thinking a cup of greek yogurt had 18g in one cup. I may have misread the label.

[lizzywednesday]

I thought a cup of Greek yogurt had something like 4-6g of protein in it ... maybe that varies by the brand?

Anyway, other options to explore for protein are:

* quinoa (rinse well & cook it like rice; I substitute chicken broth for water)
* beans & rice
* tofu (assumes no soy allergy)
* seitan (assumes no gluten allergy)

Hope this helps!

[Pinky]

Thanks for the suggestions... I've tried beans and rice and so far no luck.

I checked our greek yogurt and it does in fact have 18g of protein in 1 cup. That is a lot!

If the 0.55 number is right, she gets nearly enough protein in just the milk she drinks.

[PMJ]

I got this info from Wholesome baby food.

Protein: 2 servings per day
2 servings of proteins - meat, beans, eggs, tofu, or peanut butter. A good serving of protein should be served at every meal. One serving equals 1/2 ounce.

[soontobe]

the .55 number is correct and our greek yogurt also has about 15g/serving in it-so you are right on both things:)

toddlers need a lot less food than we think they do. i try not to stress it and let ds listen to his body....

[wellyes]

Greek yogurt rocks. Try eggs too - maybe hard boiled?
Remember that even veggies have some protien.

[Pinky]

Thanks everybody! She's only ~18lbs at 1 year old so I stress a little over making sure she eats enough... I know I'll eventually figure out to just let it go and find something else to worry over, right?

The greek yogurt we buy is in a blue container and is made by Cabot... this is good stuff and she loves it! We even mix in whole grain oatmeal and she gobbles it down.

[PGTB]

Thanks everybody! She's only ~18lbs at 1 year old so I stress a little over making sure she eats enough... I know I'll eventually figure out to just let it go and find something else to worry over, right?

The greek yogurt we buy is in a blue container and is made by Cabot... this is good stuff and she loves it! We even mix in whole grain oatmeal and she gobbles it down.

DS is the same weight as your DD and our Ped got us concerned over his weight. So, we've been feeding him A LOT. DS loves meat of all kinds and screams for it, he was eating probably at least 3 oz a day of meat, and poor thing was not gaining any weight. So, if you are stressing over introducing more protein to help your DD gain weight, maybe this is not the way to go. DS eats more than enough protein - meat, yogurt - and had always been from the get-go a meat loving baby. He hadn't gained until we started to put olive oil and butter into everything he eats. And even that, he gained barely a few oz.

The GI doctor we went to for underweight issue recommended adding fat to everything and also recommended Duocal supplement that adds calories from fat/carbs. He didn't recommend to concentrate on protein.

[Pinky]

DS is the same weight as your DD and our Ped got us concerned over his weight. So, we've been feeding him A LOT. DS loves meat of all kinds and screams for it, he was eating probably at least 3 oz a day of meat, and poor thing was not gaining any weight. So, if you are stressing over introducing more protein to help your DD gain weight, maybe this is not the way to go. DS eats more than enough protein - meat, yogurt - and had always been from the get-go a meat loving baby. He hadn't gained until we started to put olive oil and butter into everything he eats. And even that, he gained barely a few oz.

The GI doctor we went to for underweight issue recommended adding fat to everything and also recommended Duocal supplement that adds calories from fat/carbs. He didn't recommend to concentrate on protein.


Thanks for the post... so, has your son been on the same curve since birth or did he drop weight at some point? Our ped keeps reassuring us that since she has been on the same "tiny" curve since birth that she isn't concerned with her weight and that we need to just keep doing what we are doing. With that being said she gained less than a pound between her 9 month and 12 month visits so I find myself worrying a little over that.

How do you add olive oil to his food? and how much?

[lmr1101]

Not sure about the protein amounts, but wanted to chime in regarding having a small baby. My dd was also about 18lbs at 1 year. My dr was not at all concerned because she's been on the same curve since she started crawling.
I think it is more of an issue if there is a big change from their curve, but if your dd has always been on the small side I just wouldn't worry about it.
I just offer her to food and let her decide how much she wants to try at each meal :) Some meals she'll take 2 bites and be done, then at another one I can't seem to put enough food in front of her.

[eh613c]

According to Toddler 411, kids 1-2 y/o should have 1/4 of an adult serving size. For protein, about 4 marble size.

[wellyes]

18 lbs is not underweight, at all, as long as the baby's on the right curve. It only becomes a concern if your child stops gaining weight or starts LOSING weight.

Whole wheat bread is another way to get a little protien in.

[Pinky]

Thanks ladies! She has a really healthy appetite and eats pretty big servings of grains, fruit and dairy... its the veggies/meat/pasta that she doesn't want anything to do with. Fortunately she'll eat pureed veggies so I've been giving her a jar of "something green" with her supper.

[PGTB]

Thanks for the post... so, has your son been on the same curve since birth or did he drop weight at some point? Our ped keeps reassuring us that since she has been on the same "tiny" curve since birth that she isn't concerned with her weight and that we need to just keep doing what we are doing. With that being said she gained less than a pound between her 9 month and 12 month visits so I find myself worrying a little over that.

How do you add olive oil to his food? and how much?

DS dropped from 30th percentile to 3rd, he was disappearing from the general growth chart. His weight stalled around 6-7 months when we introduced solids. We tried BLW approach where he would self-feed finger foods. Things didn't really go easy with him and solids at first and he stopped drinking EBM from the bottle at around 7 months. Basically, the doctor said DS doesn't have enough calories especially with the increased level of physical activity (crawling, learning to stand up and walk).

His weight is still ok according to the breastfed baby chart on kellymom.com, he is not in such a low percentile according to that chart.

As the PP noted, the pediatricians are not concerned if your baby has always been following the same curve even if it is a low percentile, they start ringing alarms when the baby drops percentages significantly.

It is easy to add anything to the baby's diet when they still eat purees.

We add olive oil to one of the Earth's Best organic purees DS likes.

We make our own purees packed with protein from either chicken thighs, salmon or beef, one kind of veggie and starch (rice or potato) and adding olive oil or butter. We also give him farina cereal in the morning and add butter to it, add butter to his pasta. Yogurts, cheese and other whole fat dairy products are all good for weight gain, plus they have protein.

If your baby is already only eating finger foods then it might be a bit more difficult to make her eat meat, she has to get used to the texture and she will need to be able to chew it. If she takes purees, then it should be easier to add meat with the homemade purees as you can mix it with the stuff she likes. The best foods for weight gain are pretty much carbs with fats (macaroni and cheese, macaroni and butter, cereals with butter, breads, oil, etc). This is what the GI doctor said.

[PGTB]

Thanks ladies! She has a really healthy appetite and eats pretty big servings of grains, fruit and dairy... its the veggies/meat/pasta that she doesn't want anything to do with. Fortunately she'll eat pureed veggies so I've been giving her a jar of "something green" with her supper.

You can try making a homemade puree adding her favorite grain, veggie and meat. See if she likes the taste of meat in the puree. Like, chicken with rice and broccoli, usually a pretty popular combo. DS is not a big fan of pasta either, unless it is mixed with meat or butter. He isn't much into red sauces or cheese with his pasta. Maybe your DD would like pasta with some other sauce, topping, like macaroni and cheese if she likes dairy?

[mikala]

Beyond protein you may also want to watch to make sure your child is getting enough iron-rich foods. Meat is one of the best sources of iron so you should watch for other sources if she isn't eating much meat.

You may also want to ask your ped whether an iron test is a good idea for your child.

This site has a lot of info on iron and the Baby or Toddler 411 book also had a mention of it.
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t043100.asp

There's a sticky on the board with tips for feeding underweight babes. It's basically focusing on a high fat diet and adding oil or cream to a lot of common foods. It doesn't sound like you're at that point now but it could be useful reading.