Your child is not a soldier!

Don't feed him/her like one!  The RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) on your nutrition labels does not apply to your child and may not even apply to you.  This system was developed during World War II by a committee that was supposed to look into nutrition as a matter of national defense.  They came up with RDA's and even the 2,000 calorie diet for soldiers at war!  The whole purpose of the program was to insure that the government was giving their men at war everything their bodies needed for fuel!  So when you look at nutrition labels to try to give your child 100% of the RDA you may be seriously over-feeding or under-feeding your child, depending on which part of the nutrition label you are reading.  This is why it is important to throw out calorie counting and only focus on the QUALITY of your calories instead of the QUANTITY.  If you are only serving healthy foods you can encourage your child to eat until he is full; don't push him to "finish his plate" though.