For these reasons, they eat less. From age 2 to age 5, appetites and food needs also vary. Respect these changes. A preschooler needs small amounts of food frequently throughout the day. This need is usually best met by three meals and in-between snacks.
Children know best how much to eat - they'll eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full.
Your job as a parent is to give them a choice of a variety of healthy, good tasting foods. By sharing in the enjoyment of eating a variety of foods, in a relaxed and trusting way, you are well on your way to healthy eating. In fact, you can't force a child to do anything. If you try, you will create unhappy scenes and cause unpleasant feelings about certain foods. Worse, your child may realize that food can be used as a weapon for getting his or her way.