Food Diary for Kids: How to Keep One for Your Pediatrician or Dietitian

A food diary for kids is a record of everything your child eats and drinks over a few ordinary days: the time, the food, how much you offered and how much they actually ate. Many clinics ask for 3 days with one weekend day (Kingston and Richmond NHS), but some ask for 4 days or more, so follow what your pediatrician or dietitian asked for.

A faster way to keep it: Sito

Sito keeps a meal record on your phone. Take a photo of the plate, scan a barcode, search, or say or type what your child ate. When you describe a meal, we split it into ingredients and fill in the portions. Voice input is set to US English.

• Each meal keeps its time, and its photo if you took one. You can log a meal for an earlier time.
• Mark how much came back, for the whole meal or per food, and it comes off the totals.
• We total each day (calories, protein, fiber, iron, calcium, vitamins and more) and write a weekly report from whatever you logged.
• A calendar opens any past day, with that day's meals and totals.
• Log for several children, and a second parent can join your household with a code and log too.

At the visit, open the day or the weekly report in the app. Sito does not export or print the diary, and meals have no notes or symptoms field. If your clinic wants its own form, copy the numbers across or bring your phone, and keep symptom notes on paper.

Prefer paper? Printable food diary (one day)

Print one page per day. The filled-in first row shows the kind of detail that helps; the printout leaves it off, so every row is blank.

Print the diary

Why your doctor or dietitian asks for one

One NHS dietetics team says, "Your dietitian will use it as part of your child's assessment" (Kingston and Richmond NHS). One pediatric nutrition center may use a 24-hour recall or ask for a three-day food record (Boston Children's Hospital).

It helps the dietitian tell whether your child is getting enough energy and nutrition (Kids With Food Allergies; SLaM NHS). See also is my toddler getting enough nutrients.

How many days, and which days

There is no single right number:

• 3 days, one a weekend day, in the days before the appointment (Kingston and Richmond NHS).
• At least 3 days, ideally two weekdays and one weekend day (South London and Maudsley NHS eating-disorder service).
• 4 days, two weekdays and two weekend days, with portion sizes (Nationwide Children's Hospital).
• At least a week or two in a picky-eating program for young children with developmental conditions, before working on new foods (UConn OPT-In-Early).

Follow what your clinician asked for. Pick typical days, which do not have to be back to back. One Canadian health authority suggests you "avoid recording on days when your child is sick, travelling, or attending a birthday party," and if your child goes to daycare, include at least one weekend day (Island Health).

What to write down

Write down everything eaten or drunk, including snacks (South London and Maudsley NHS). For each entry:

• Time and place, such as the dining table or school hall (SLaM NHS).
• Food type, brand and how it was cooked, for example baked or fried, and which bread (SLaM NHS; Island Health).
• Amount offered and amount eaten. Write down what was actually eaten (SLaM NHS).
• Drinks in ml or oz, with the cup size (Leicester NHS).
• Condiments, like ketchup, butter or dips (Island Health).
• Vitamins, supplements and medicines (Leicester NHS).
• Refused foods, which help show patterns (UConn).
• Hunger, thirst or mood, and anything about the mealtime (SLaM NHS).

Measuring amounts for a small child

You do not need a scale. One NHS children's team says, "You do not have to weigh food," just describe it using household measures and the weights on packets (Nottingham University Hospitals NHS).

• Use cups and spoons, for example "¼ cup of noodles or 1 cup of milk" (Island Health).
• Measure their favorite cup once. Record how much it holds, then use that measure throughout (SLaM NHS).
• Split mixed dishes. A sandwich becomes bread, spread and cheese, each with its own amount (SLaM NHS).

Daycare, school and meals out

These meals count too. One NHS form includes meals at friends' or relatives' homes, takeout and restaurants, with school rows in its example (SLaM NHS). For daycare lunch, ask staff what was served and roughly how much your child ate.

When the diary has a specific job

A possible food allergy

An allergy diary is "a record of what your child eats and what symptoms they feel," and it is most helpful when the cause is unknown (Kids With Food Allergies). Write the symptoms, the time they started and what your child was doing, and photograph ingredient labels. The NHS notes you may be asked to keep a food and symptoms diary (NHS). A diary alone is not enough to diagnose a food allergy, and it is usually not needed after anaphylaxis or when symptoms clearly follow a certain food. If your child has symptoms of anaphylaxis, give epinephrine if you have it and call 911 (Kids With Food Allergies).

Slow weight gain

For faltering growth, NICE advises clinicians to consider asking parents to keep a diary of food types, amounts and mealtime issues, to help plan care and assess progress (NICE). Ideas for adding energy are in high-calorie foods for toddlers. When the slow gain itself is the worry, start with toddler not gaining weight.

Picky eating

Writing down what your child eats, about how much, and what they refuse can "help your child's doctor or a nutritionist get a clear picture of your child's diet" (UConn). See toddler refuses vegetables and iron-rich foods for picky eaters. If low iron has come up, read iron deficiency in children.

Constipation

Your doctor may ask about diet and fluids, and may suggest a bowel diary. NICE advises against using diet changes alone as first-line treatment (NICE). Background on fiber is in toddler fiber needs.

Keep it honest and low-pressure

Nothing needs to change on diary days, which should be typical ones (Island Health). "It is important not to alter your child's eating habits, otherwise the results will be incorrect" (NUH NHS). Children's food records tend to under-report energy intake (Forrestal), by 19% to 41% across five studies in one review (Burrows et al.), so an ordinary, honest record is the most useful kind.

Providing food is the parent's job and eating it is the child's decision, and pressure, punishment or treats as bribes can backfire (HealthyChildren.org). If you are concerned about your child's diet, talk with your pediatrician.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need to weigh your child's food?

No. Describe the food and use household measures or the weights on packets (NUH NHS; Leicester NHS).

Does it count if they left half?

Yes. Write both the amount offered and the amount actually eaten (SLaM NHS).

Should milk and other drinks go in the diary?

Yes. Record every drink in ml or oz, or a daily total, and measure your child's usual cup once (SLaM NHS; Island Health).

Sources

• Kingston and Richmond NHS FT: Food diary and questionnaire (children)
• Island Health: Pediatric three-day food record
• Nationwide Children's Hospital: Clinical Nutrition pre-visit instructions
• Boston Children's Hospital: Nutrition Center FAQ
• South London and Maudsley NHS FT: Food diary
• Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust: Children's food diary
• University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust: Food diary
• Kids With Food Allergies (AAFA): Food diary
• NHS: Food allergy
• NICE NG75: Faltering growth
• NICE CG99: Constipation in children and young people
• UConn OPT-In-Early: Keep a food diary
• Burrows et al., J Am Diet Assoc 2010
• Forrestal, Maternal and Child Nutrition 2011
• HealthyChildren.org (AAP): Picky eaters