Food Storage and Children

Determining the appropriate quantities for food storage can be challenging for families with children of various ages. Because children are still growing, they need more food in proportion to their size than do adults. It’s helpful to add two years to a child’s current age when calculating adequate food storage amounts. Then, by knowing the number of children in a family and their ages, parents can estimate food needs as a percentage of an adult portion.

Age	Percentage of Adult Portion
3 and under	50 percent
4 to 6	70 percent
7 to 10	90 percent
11 and up	100 percent

Infants who are nursing share in their mother’s portion. Keep in mind that young children, as well as pregnant and nursing mothers, need more milk than other family members (see “Update on Milk Storage,” Ensign, Mar. 1997, 70).

Food storage needs for large families probably should be reassessed yearly.—Kay B. Franz, associate professor of nutrition at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah