The survey, conducted by the Infant & Toddler Forum, showed that 79% routinely offer bigger portions than recommended, with 10% regularly offering full adult portions.
The findings also show that 65% of parents routinely offer too much squash and fruit juice, with 31% frequently giving double the recommended amount, while more than a third usually offer a whole bag of crisps rather than the recommended handful.
Despite these findings, 73% of parents were more concerned about underfeeding than overfeeding, and only 25% worried that their toddler might become overweight in the future.
In response to the survey, the Infant & Toddler Forum have launched a #rethinktoddlerportionsizes Twitter campaign to encourage parents to stick to the recommended portion sizes. They provide simple advice with pictures of appropriate portion sizes for children aged 1–4 years.
The full survey results can be found here.
