Protein for Kids: How Much Protein Do Littles Need?

Last Updated on June 16, 2026 by Jordyn Koveleski Gorman

Protein for kids

Protein is one of the three macronutrients that make up your little one’s diet, along with carbohydrates and fat. It is essential for their growth and development, tissue repair, immune system function, metabolic health, hormone production, and more. (1) The importance of protein is a frequently discussed topic online, and all the attention around it may leave you wondering if your little one is getting enough.

Spoiler alert: kids need less protein than you might think.

Our team’s registered dietitian joined me for this blog to break down protein for kids, from infancy through toddlerhood!

How much protein for babies?

In the first six months of life, protein needs are satisfied through breast milk or formula. From 0–6 months old, babies need about 9 grams of protein per day. (2)

Infant formula has more protein per ounce compared to breast milk because the protein from formula is not absorbed and utilized as well as the protein from breast milk. (3)

Babies 7–12 months old need marginally more protein than in their earlier months. Generally, they need about 11 grams of protein per day, or 1.5 g protein per kilogram of body weight. (2)

For example, if your baby weighs 18 lbs (8.16 kg), their protein needs would be ~12 g protein per day. (2) Until 12 months, baby’s primary nutrition source is still breast milk or formula, which means the majority of their protein intake still comes from that milk. At this age, only a couple additional grams of protein are needed from solid food per day in order to meet your baby’s protein needs.

Protein for toddlers

From 1–3 years old, toddlers need around 10–20 grams of protein per day, or .5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. (2) So, if your toddler weighs 30 lbs, they will need about 15 grams of protein daily.

Before 18 months, give or take a few months, food refusal is not super common. (It totally happens though!) As a result, it probably seems fairly easy to keep a regular rotation of proteins in baby’s diet. But somewhere around 18 months, toddlers may start to show strong preferences toward foods and some form of “picky eating” may evolve. This is totally normal! But it can make getting protein, and other nutrients like iron, very difficult.

At the same time, it may seem like your toddler just wants to eat carbs all day every day, and this can leave you stressing about their protein intake. But you likely don’t need to worry. It is normal and appropriate for toddlers to eat ~50% of their calories as carbohydrates, ~10-15% as protein, and the rest (35-40%) as fat. (2)

For example, if your toddler eats about 1,000 calories per day, it is normal for them to consume:

• ~500 calories from carbs
• ~100 calories from protein
• ~400 calories from fat

Toddlers are able to meet their protein needs of 10-20 grams/day without consuming large portions of protein. Often, toddlers are able to passively consume enough protein without parents needing to count the exact number of grams or worry about hitting a certain amount daily.

Best sources of protein for kids

Protein can come from animal and/or plant-based sources. Although plant-based proteins have their benefits (like fiber and phytonutrients), the protein from animal sources is generally considered nutritionally superior. (4)

Animal proteins are considered complete proteins because they contain all the essential amino acids. By contrast, most plant proteins are incomplete proteins because they do not contain all essential amino acids. (4) Pea protein and soybeans are exceptions. Different plant based proteins can be combined (beans + rice) to make complete proteins.

Protein from animal sources is more easily digested and utilized by the body, and it is also rich in heme iron, which is absorbed and utilized better than the non-heme iron found in plant-based sources.

Animal-based protein sources

• Beef, lamb, pork, bison, venison: 1 oz, 7–9 g protein
• Chicken and turkey: 1 oz, 8 g protein
• Fish: 1 oz, 5–8 g protein
• Cheese: 1 oz, 7–9 g protein
• Beef and chicken liver: 1 oz, 5–7 g protein
• Eggs: 1 egg, 6–7 g protein
• Full fat cottage cheese: ¼ cup, 6 g protein
• Full fat greek yogurt: ¼ cup, 5 g protein
• Whole milk: 4 oz, 3.8 g protein

Plant-based protein sources

• Lentils: ¼ cup cooked, 8 g protein
• Quinoa: ¼ cup cooked, 6 g protein
• Peanut butter: 1 Tablespoon, 3.5 g protein
• Whole wheat pasta: ½ cup cooked, 3.5 g protein
• White beans: ¼ cup, 3 g protein
• Tofu: 1 oz, 3 g protein
• Hummus: 1 Tablespoon, 1 g protein

Protein-packed snack ideas

• Turkey and cheese roll up
• Cheese stick + fruit
• Hard boiled eggs + fruit
• Greek yogurt + fruit
• Cottage cheese mixed with applesauce
• Smoothie made with yogurt, fruit, and nut butter
• Canned fish and crackers
• Chicken sausage links cut up into rounds with fruit
• Hummus + veggie sticks or crackers
• Cheese and bean quesadilla

Psssst, if you’re a toddler parent and want more toddler meal and snack ideas, you can find that here.

What matters more than tracking protein for kids

Although protein is a vital piece of nutrition, there are a couple other things that parents should monitor more closely. Those are satiety/fullness after meals or snacks and iron intake.

Serving your little a balanced snack/meal with all 3 macronutrients present (carbs, fat, and protein) will help to ensure they are satiated after eating. For toddlers especially, this will help them make it to the next meal without needing a ton of snacks.

Another added bonus to balanced nutrition is that littles’ blood sugar and energy will be more stable, avoiding blood sugar spikes and crashes, which can translate to more stable moods! The key in this equation is the protein, as it takes longer to digest and contributes to prolonged fullness. So although you don’t need to count macros for your child, their fullness after meals/snacks is worth noting.

Focusing on iron in your toddler’s diet is important because babies and toddlers are more likely to be iron deficient than protein deficient. The highest prevalence of iron deficiency anemia is in children, with 1–2% of children ages 1–5 having iron deficiency anemia. (5) The best sources of iron are also sources of protein, so by focusing on adequate iron intake, you will also be checking the box on protein.

Now that you have a picture in your mind about protein needs, you might be wondering how to incorporate it into meals. The example meal schedules below can help!

Example meal schedule for 9-month-old

• Early AM: Breastmilk or formula
• Midmorning: Breastmilk or formula + 2 Tbsp. scrambled eggs, 2 Tbsp. avocado chunks, ¼ banana
• Midday: 1-2 Tbsp. chicken liver pate, 1 kiwi cut into chunks
• Afternoon: Breastmilk or formula
• Evening: 1-2 Tbsp. sardines, soft chunks of mango, and soft cooked chunks of carrots
• Nighttime: Breastmilk or formula

Total protein from solid food (not milk) is 8–13 grams, depending on serving sizes.

Total iron from solid food (not milk) is 2–3 mg of heme-iron, depending on serving sizes.

Example meal schedule for 18-month-old

• Breakfast: 1 scrambled egg, 3 Tbsp mango chunks, 1 chicken sausage link, 1 Tbsp avocado chunks, 3 oz whole milk
• Snack: ¼ cup plain whole milk greek yogurt + ½ Tbsp cashew butter stirred in, ¼ cup mixed berries
• Lunch: 2 Tbsp. chicken liver pate spread on crackers, 1 Tbsp. hummus + cucumber slices
• Snack: 1 oz sliced cheddar cheese + apple slices
• Dinner: ¼ can of oysters, mashed sweet potato + butter, 1 oz peas
• Snack: 3 oz whole milk

Total protein from food (not counting protein in breastmilk if baby is still nursing) is 43 grams.

Total iron from food (not counting iron in breastmilk if baby is still nursing) is 9.5 mg.

Example meal schedule for 3-year-old

• Breakfast: 4 oz whole milk, 1 boiled egg, 1 chicken sausage link, 1 pear
• Lunch: 2 slices turkey breast rolled up with avocado slice inside, cucumber + carrot sticks with 2 Tbsp. hummus, ¼ cup blueberries
• Snack: 1 cheese stick, ½ cup grapes
• Dinner: ½ cup Jovial einkorn pasta, 1 Tbsp. butter, ¼ cup beef bolognese sauce made with chopped liver, 1 Tbsp grated parmesan
• Snack: 4 oz whole milk, 1 small banana, 1 Tbsp cashew butter

Total protein amount: ~46 grams

Total iron amount: ~7 mg 

Is there such a thing as too much protein for kids?

Although protein is important, more is not always better, especially for babies and toddlers. Overdoing protein can put unnecessary stress on the kidneys and liver, and it has the potential to displace other important nutrients. If you increase one of the macronutrients too much (protein), then the balance of nutrients from carbohydrates and fat could be inadequate.

Additionally, there is an association between high protein intake in infants and toddlers and a higher BMI in childhood. A literature review found that higher total protein intake in the first 2 years of life was associated with a higher BMI in childhood. (6, 7) This means that there is the potential for excessive weight gain later on if protein is overconsumed in the first 2 years of life. This is why focusing on macronutrient balanced plates is so important!

So, in summary: skip the protein powders, bars, and shakes and focus on appropriate serving sizes of protein from real foods instead.

More feeding resources

Wherever you are in your feeding journey, we have you covered! For expert-backed guidance, check out our best-selling resources, from the Starting Solids Handbook to the Weaning Guide and toddler-approved 15 Minute Family Meals.

Sources

1. Carbone JW, Pasiakos SM. Dietary Protein and Muscle Mass: Translating Science to Application and Health Benefit. Nutrients. 2019 May 22;11(5):1136. doi: 10.3390/nu11051136. PMID: 31121843; PMCID: PMC6566799.
2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025. USDA. 
3. Meyer R, Foong RX, Thapar N, Kritas S, Shah N. Systematic review of the impact of feed protein type and degree of hydrolysis on gastric emptying in children. BMC Gastroenterol. 2015 Oct 15;15:137. doi: 10.1186/s12876-015-0369-0. PMID: 26472544; PMCID: PMC4608328.
4. Arentson-Lantz E, Von Ruff Z, Harvey M, Wacher A, Paddon-Jones D. A Moderate Serving of a Lower-Quality, Incomplete Protein Does Not Stimulate Skeletal Muscle Protein Synthesis. Curr Dev Nutr. 2021 Jun 7;5(Suppl 2):487. doi: 10.1093/cdn/nzab041_002. PMCID: PMC8181714.
5. Wang M. Iron Deficiency and Other Types of Anemia in Infants and Children. Am Fam Physician. 2016 Feb 15;93(4):270-8. PMID: 26926814.
6. Stokes A, Campbell KJ, Yu HJ, Szymlek-Gay EA, Abbott G, He QQ, Zheng M. Protein Intake from Birth to 2 Years and Obesity Outcomes in Later Childhood and Adolescence: A Systematic Review of Prospective Cohort Studies. Adv Nutr. 2021 Oct
7. Tang M. Protein Intake during the First Two Years of Life and Its Association with Growth and Risk of Overweight. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Aug 14;15(8):1742. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081742. PMID: 30110887; PMCID: PMC6121580.