Overeating

[kris10]

Do you ever wonder if your child is overeating or just growing? Sometimes i sorta wonder because dd seems to eat a lot lately.

She's 5 and a half and 41 lbs which i am guessing is pretty average (since they have to be 4 and 40 lbs to ride in booster) but sometimes i really wonder because she eats more then I do,lol.

Today for lunch she had a lunchmate, a yogurt , blackberries ,grapes and i think that's it but i can't keep track and if she likes dinner she always seems to have seconds or more.

[Darth Penguin]

I've found with my 3 that it evens out pretty quickly. one day, they eat aeverything and the next it's next to nothing..

As long as you provide suitable quantities of healthy food and snacks as well as a small amount of unhealthy treats, and she's not jumping in weight or fitness levels I doubt there's much cause for concern.

[Chantel]

I agree with Darth, as long as she isn't gaining a lot of weight too quickly and is eating good food, I wouldn't worry.

If you're worried about her basically binge eating (I did this as a kid, I was competitive with my younger sister and would 'defensively eat'), shoveling in as much as she can before she realizes how full she is, portion her meals smaller. That way she can go back for seconds or thirds if she still wants to, but has time between the plates to digest a little, she might not shove down food she's not actually hungry for. It's that "20 minutes before your body knows it's full" rule. At 5 she should be able to start cutting some of her own foods with a plastic knife, open her own yogurt, etc. Let her do that to slow her down a little. Offer her water a bit before her meal so her stomach isn't totally empty and have her stop to take sips between bites.


There is this disorder where a child can't tell if they're full or not and will literally eat themselves right into an ER. I can't remember what it's called but I have a little cousin who has it. They have to portion his food and put locks on the fridge because of it. I highly highly doubt that's the case, but if she eats enough to satisfy you at a meal and then asks for more or is constantly complaining of being hungry, then maybe take a look at those as red FL A Gs.

Otherwise, seems perfectly fine, especially if she's a pretty active kid. Just try to slow down mealtimes a little and see if that registers with her and she eats less.

[Natalka]

I agree with Darth - as long as it evens out over a few days, and it's a variety of good foods, it's okay.

Maybe give her something more substantial for lunch - a sandwich or wrap or something.

[Zonny]

I agree with the comments here. Mine eats a lot too, sometimes more than normal for him, but I think that's just occasional growth spurts. We supply lots of healthy food, if he says he's hungry and needs a snack, it's fruit or veggies usually. He's on the very big side (he hit 40 pounds at age two), but he's never been a fat guy, he's just tall and big.

[glowworm2k]

I am remembering days past as my kiddo isn't big enough for this worry yet , but I am once again an insanely voracious eater as I'm breastfeeding.

Both my sister and I were big eaters who always cleaned our plates, with her being rail thin and me being chunky. What my mom did for us was to always have baggies of celery, carrots and broccoli cut up in the fridge and plates of these on the table for each meal. These were always the first snacks we got when we said we were hungry. At meals, after we had eaten whatever she was serving and when she thought we had had enough, we moved on to the veg plate and were allowed to eat our fill. The high fibre of the veggies really helped to fill us up.

[Jina]

I will echo what everyone said.

My son eats a lot too but his weight is average. I guess the fact that he is very active and does not sit in front of the TV all day helps to keep a good weight. I never say no to fruits or any other healthy alternatives. I do not think you can eat too much fruit .

[Ciel]

Prader-Willi Syndrome is the medical diagnosis for people who have a genetic basis for their insatiable eating, thus the locks on the fridge, etc. http://www.fpwr.ca/about-prader-willi-syndrome/

[Midnightly]

thats about similar with my girl (5 and a half about 45lbs) and she's a twig (tall and skinny) with todays society and eating disorders happening at such a young age(hearing that half of all girls have gone on a diet by the age of 11) i worry alot about giving food too much power, and too much negativity (me personally i have a bad relationship with food and i dont want her to have that).. i try not to deny food..but instead i tell her "eat something healthy" and make sure healthy foods are always within reach (i keep mini carrots on the bottom shelf in the fridge so she can reach them, same with apples and celery, and bananas) i also try to make cucumber exciting, frozen yogurt popcicles... frozen juice boxes..

so unless she's putting on weight rather quickly i wouldn't make an issue out of it.. they are growing food goes through them faster then it does adults and they often need to eat more often because of this

[Zonny]

thats about similar with my girl (5 and a half about 45lbs) and she's a twig (tall and skinny) with todays society and eating disorders happening at such a young age(hearing that half of all girls have gone on a diet by the age of 11) i worry alot about giving food too much power, and too much negativity (me personally i have a bad relationship with food and i dont want her to have that).. i try not to deny food..but instead i tell her "eat something healthy" and make sure healthy foods are always within reach (i keep mini carrots on the bottom shelf in the fridge so she can reach them, same with apples and celery, and bananas) i also try to make cucumber exciting, frozen yogurt popcicles... frozen juice boxes..

so unless she's putting on weight rather quickly i wouldn't make an issue out of it.. they are growing food goes through them faster then it does adults and they often need to eat more often because of this

I have a boy but totally hear what you're saying about not teaching our kids the bad relationships we have with food. I have trouble leaving food behind on my plate (which is a big reason why I stay away from buffets), sometimes I catch myself telling him to finish what's on his. DS is able to have any healthy snacks he wants, even if it's right after supper.

Right now, DS is eating LESS than what is normal for him. I'm OK with that, as long as what's going in his body is good stuff. There's no, "I'm full" after supper if he's asking for ice cream right after. Sorry, you said you were full, no treats for you! Still hungry? Have some more chicken or veggies!

[nadiabreckon]

Absolutely normal if you keep an eye on it, and don't just feed him junk.

We let our son have healthy snacks if he wants. When it comes to sugary snacks (fruit snacks, etc...) we limit those.
He can have fruit, veggies, as much as he wants.

[vesper]

My Mother limited the amount of fruit I ate. I know it sounds weird, but she saw fruit as being sugar. If I wanted seconds of anything, I had to have an equal serving of veggies. And when I did have a fruit snack, it was Banana because she said it burned fat and killed hunger. I think she was right. But what do I know... I had a secret stash hidden away. Ha ha!

[Zonny]

My DS is seven, currently eating his THIRD slice of pizza for supper. Fortunately he doesn't eat this way all the time! I suspect another growth spurt.

[Jackaroo]

Probably just a growth spurt! Don't worry.

[GeorgiaK]

DS is 4 yrs old. There are days that he eats us out of house and home and other days when he eats next to nothing. I have asked the doctor many times about that and have been told that this is normal. DS is average in weight and height, he is growing at a steady rate and has an abundance of stamina and energy. It all balances out in the long run.