OBJECTIVE: To study food consumption and nutrient intake in Finnish children aged 1-6 years and to assess the effect of age and sex on food consumption and nutrient intake. DESIGN: Cross-sectional samples of children participating in the Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention (DIPP) birth cohort study in Finland. SUBJECTS: The study population comprised healthy children recruited in the nutrition study within the DIPP study in 1998-2003. Three-day food records (2535 in total) from 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 6-year-old children were kept between the years 2003 and 2005. RESULTS: The energy-adjusted consumption of fruits and berries, cereal products, infant formulas and meat dishes was higher and the consumption of vegetables, salads, breads, dairy products, fat spreads, drinks, sweets and sugar was lower among 1-year-old children than older age groups (P for all