The added sugar included cane sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and honey.
Daily recommended limits for added sugar are 6 teaspoons or less a day for children 2 to 19 years old and for adult women, and 9 teaspoons or less a day for adult men.
But most Americans exceed those limits.
The study findings are scheduled for presentation Sunday at the American Society for Nutrition annual meeting, in Boston.
"This is the first time we have looked at added sugar consumption among children less than 2 years old," said lead study author Kirsten Herrick, a nutritional epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Our results show that added sugar consumption begins early in life and exceeds current recommendations. These data may be relevant to the upcoming 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans," she said in a society news release.
"The easiest way to reduce added sugars in your own diet and your kids' diet is to choose foods that you know don't have them, like fresh fruits and vegetables," Herrick suggested.
Research presented at meetings is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
