Portion sizes for a pre school child

When at Granny’s it’s food on the table and help yourself to the bowls or dishes on the table. They can have more when needed.
We do this at our home and the children like the good table manners. Perhaps have napkins to add to the appeal cups and saucers “Please pass the potatoes or vegetables or ???
The children love the formality. Worth a try.

Frankly, I think you're worrying too much. You are unlikely to change the parents' behaviour. I agree that it does sound as though the parents are putting too much on plates, but the children are not overweight and it will not have cost you all that much over a week. I do think it's better to let the children serve themselves at the table, but be prepared for eyes to be bigger than tummies! It is an irritation, but not worth risking falling out IMO.

I still remember hearing the instructions to an auntie I was going to stay with.
“ She doesn’t like the skin on blancmange or rice pudding. If you give her something she says she doesn’t like then believe her. Any 6yr old who loves brussels, winkles and those Indian curries, is certainly not going to be a fussy eater”
That was 70yrs ago.
Though 76 yrs later my great grandchildren have never been given Brussels or winkles. Curries however, which were hardly heard of in those days, are just common everyday food.
How fashions change!

On your phone/search engine look at 5532 - British Nutrition. Org guidelines for Preschoolers

My son don’t pile up my youngest grandson plate he gets a little bit of this and that but if he eats it then he gets more he’s nearly 3 but he goes through phases one day he will eat loads following day not as much. Step grandson he’s 10 and eats loads but my oldest granddaughter is 10 and she is fussy never used to be but this last year she as and her daddy my oldest son loves to waste food. But she laughs when I say if I went to my nannas and I left food she wouldn’t let me leave table till I cleaned my plate and she used to say food cost money lol.

This is the best (non-food industry linked) evidence based info:

www.firststepsnutrition.org/eating-well-early-years

Two crumpets each for children that age is ridiculous!

Scrape all the wasted food into a container on the table so all can see it build up! Keep it in the fridge between meals. Suggest they do the shopping? Food waste is a huge issue, these days.

Or is that all a tad confrontational? ???

They must waste a similar, huge amount of food when they're at home.

They are spoiled. I lived with a man for 12 awful years who had twin daughters. Would pile their plate high, let them choose whatever they wanted, then they wouldn’t like it then he’d let them have sweets to compensate. If they came to stay for a week we threw out so much it was disgusting. And they were obese. This even happened at restaurants where they didn’t like what arrived and he’d order something else for both and pay twice x 2! They were playing him and he couldn’t (and 20 years on) still can’t see it.

A big thank you to both Grans who included the very useful links. I look after my 18 month old grandson and portions have been my worry. Am I giving him too much or too little?
These simple guides are excellent.

Talk quietly to your son. Point out that you do not grudge the children or their parents as much as they can eat, but that you dislike waste, both on environmental grounds and on account of your purse!

There is no reason why food that was not eaten could not have been kept for later- okay, perhaps not cornflakes and milk, although my mother would have been quite capable of keeping it until mid-morning when we got hungry!

Portion control is a massive problem these days and causes a lot of obesity. You seem to be appalling a realistic approach h to your GCs eating. Would stick with it.

Marilla

A big thank you to both Grans who included the very useful links. I look after my 18 month old grandson and portions have been my worry. Am I giving him too much or too little?
These simple guides are excellent.

Yes, it is useful but would not have worked with a couple of mine - one would have demolished the recommended portion of dinner in the blink of an eye and be asking for more and another would have to be encouraged to eat it!

Ditto my GC feeding time too (when I saw them last) uneaten cereal every day, uneaten dinners, massive bowls of slow cooked casseroles etc all ending up binned, yet healthy bonkers lively and bright! I used to prep a lunchbowl for GD at 2- some cherry Toms cheese, grandma toast (!) And usually a grandma cheesy omlette one egg bit cheese butter to cook, she gobbled it all up then a satsuma, strawbs or fridge cold apple sliced in a bowl(even though mummy says she doesn't like apples...!) I'm a grazer as is she, big meals overface and bits and bobs delight!