Baby-fat looks cute on a baby but being overweight is no fun. Raisingkids.co.uk's paediatric dietitian, David Swain, has some suggestions for a safe, healthy diet for a chunky toddler.

Raisingkids member's query
My 19 month-old is overweight by 5lbs, not that I mind too much as she looks cute being chubby! However, I want to make sure she doesn't keep increasing her weight. She doesn't eat very much fatty food nor titbits but she eats three substantial meals a day. Please can you let me know which foods I should restrict her intake of, and how much should I be feeding her? She doesn't drink juice at all and milk is limited to twice daily (around 16 oz a day).

David's advice
It sounds as if you are being extremely sensible. Limiting your daughter's milk intake to 16oz per day is ideal although you may wish to change from full-fat milk to semi-skimmed when she reaches two years of age if she remains overweight. It also sounds as if she has a good routine having three meals per day and it is good that you limit her snacks.

With regards as to what you should be giving her, firstly try to provide 4-5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Ways in which to incorporate these into her diet include:

• using fruit in puddings such as fruit salad, crumbles etc.
• serve sliced salad vegetables with sandwiches
• offer sticks of salad vegetables with a sauce to dip into

With each of her meals, be sure to include some starchy foods such as jacket potatoes, bread (wholemeal and granary breads are generally better than white as they are higher in fibre), iron-enriched breakfast cereals such as Weetabix, Shreddies or Rice Krispies (try and avoid varieties coated with or high in sugar), pasta shapes served with meat, tomato or cheese sauce. Protein foods are also important and should be given approximately twice per day. Examples of these include:

• boiled, poached or scrambled eggs on toast or on sandwiches
• mashed sardines, tuna, cold meat as a sandwich filler
• pulse vegetables like lentils, chick peas and baked beans make good casseroles
• grilled sausages, fish fingers (avoid using cooking methods such as frying and roasting too often as they tend to use a lot of fat)

Try and limit the amount of sugar and sweets that your daughter eats. Ideas for healthy snacks include:

• fresh fruit e.g. banana, satsumas seedless grapes
• cheese cubes and crackers
• yoghurts -toasted wholemeal fingers/breadsticks
• raisins

With regards to portion sizes a serving is approximately a slice of bread, a small bowl of cereal, or a small baked potato; an apple, pear or a banana, carrot or couple of broccoli or cauliflower florets; 25g meat or fish or 50g lentils or baked beans.

To conclude, although I understand your concerns it sounds as if your daughter just has a healthy appetite and enjoys her food. It should be remembered that most babies who are allowed to eat according to their appetites usually eat what they need and no more.

I am sure with time and as she starts to be more active her weight will come into line with her height. If this continues to be a problem however remember you can always seek advice from your health visitor or GP, who may refer your daughter to a dietitian.

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