Food and Toddlers

aethompson5507

I have a 2 year old girl (she will be 3 in feb) and a 3 year old boy (he will be 4 in dec) They are constantly hungry and im curious if others with kids this age experience the same thing. They eat breakfast around 9, lunch around 12, and dinner around 6. and a snack in between each meal usually. i would like to keep them to this schedule, but they are constantly saying they are hungry and want more to eat. they will just finish a meal and 10 min. later say they are hungry again. i dont wanna sound bad, but do i stick to my schedule and not give them food everytime they ask for it, or do i let them eat when they say they are hungry? ...i know this sounds bad, but i was a fat child, and i dont want my kids to go through that so im just trying to keep them healthy. and any snacks they do have are healthy ones! with the exception of fruit snacks lol....but anyways, whats your opinions, experiences, etc. Thanks guys!

AlsDonkBoxSquat

My 2 year old eats constantly all day long, with nap breaks in between. I just make sure that what I'm giving him is healthy and trust him to know that he's hungry.

LizC26

I have the same question. My 5 year old is already on the chunky side and I was a large child/teenager. He seems to always be hungry but I feel so bad telling him he has to wait or can't eat yet...I'd love to see some advice...

cessnaholly

I let my kids eat as much as they want - of healthy stuff. Carrots. Fruit. Water. If they are really hungry they'll eat the good stuff. They ARE always hungry. Holy moly!

sarah44254

Perhaps try to offer them very low calorie foods when they are so so hungry. Like a few carrot or celery sticks (no dip though). Or other vegetables that are low sugar would be great. A bit of fresh spinach, a tomato with a tiny sprinkle of salt?

Sometimes they will refuse what you offer simply because they 'want' candy or what-not. But feel good that you have offered it to them. They will eat when they need to, regardless of if they like the food or not.

I can't speak on experience because I have no children, but I hope this helps!

leynak

Same problem with my 4 & 6 year olds. I usually just try to give them healthy food. Mainly fruits or veggies. I keep a fruit basket they can go to for snacks. Although there have been a few times when they have eaten SO much that I just tell them to wait for 15 or 20 minutes & if they are still hungry they can have something else. They don't usually ask again for while when I do that.

I can usually tell when they are just wanting to eat from boredom & I don't give them food then. It's better to find something to keep them distracted. I know all too well about boredom eating.

mill1295

Give them all the raw fruits and veggies (no dip) that they can eat in between. If they're really hungry they'll eat healthy things, if not they just wanted cookies..

vim_n_vigor

Mine eat all day (3 and 5) and they are very thin kids. We make sure to have a wide variety of healthy stuff for them.

SugarBabii

My 2 and 3 year olds both eat constantly! I try and give them more fluids and it seems to help a little! I always give them milk with their meals...

AlyRoseNYC

Has this been going on forever or just recently? If it has only been a few weeks, it might be a growth spurt. My toddler grew a size and a half in shoes during the summer. She also shot up an inch but has maintained the same weight. She has been eating a lot more over the past two weeks, and I assume it has to do with her growth.

adamsonam

My 3 yo daughter pretty much snacks all day or eats nothing. She is soooo weird about eatting. I've even had her daycare bring it to my attn a couple times. Had to tell them to just let it run its course. The more you try to force her the less she will eat. I try to keep berries of any sort around the house and yogurt because those are 2 things I can almost always get her to eat. I can't wait til she is old enough to get past this stage!!

fteale

My children complain they are hungry most of the time. They are 4 and 6. I think that's just boys. Neither of them are fat at all, so I tend to let them eat when they are hungry.

radicalreader

When my kids were preschoolers, I had a shelf on the fridge with nibble foods ... lots of cut up fruits and vegetables and sometimes a little bit of cheese or cut up chicken breast if I thought their meals had been light on calcium and/or protein.
They could have "snacks" and water anytime they were hungry.

They were very active, but had tiny little tummies. I made sure they ate healthy meals, but they just couldn't eat much at a time so I let them graze on fruits and veggies.

adamsonam

My 2 and 3 year olds both eat constantly! I try and give them more fluids and it seems to help a little! I always give them milk with their meals...

Be careful with too much milk, apparently it can make them anemic. My daughter was put on an iron supplement and they told me that was probably the reason, she used to only drink milk. (This came from her doctor as well as a doc at children's hospital).

mermx

As a retired childrens psychologist I would say that they are most likely not hungry. Maybe give them a glass of milk or juice. An in between meal snack of fruit or a yoghurt?

Distract them with an activity. Children will say they are hungry as they know you are going to engage in a debate with them, it is giving them some attention.

If they have eaten all the meal you provided then they are just fine. If they havent eaten it all and are after treats then this is a definite no go.

Children like to manipulate, to see how far they can go not just with food but with everything.

mermx

My 2 and 3 year olds both eat constantly! I try and give them more fluids and it seems to help a little! I always give them milk with their meals...

Be careful with too much milk, apparently it can make them anemic. My daughter was put on an iron supplement and they told me that was probably the reason, she used to only drink milk. (This came from her doctor as well as a doc at children's hospital).

I agree do not give them milk with the meal, but maybe as a mid meal snack. Water or diluted sugar free cordial with the meal.

clarech82

I find my three only act like that if they are having a growth spurt. Well my six year old has started bugging me for food when she's noted so I just get her doing somethin else and she soon forgets

MrsSpratt

I think it's important for them to learn to eat when they are hungry as opposed to just eating because someone says it's time to eat. However, they may not actually be hungry when they say they are. Particularly if they are used to nibbling a lot. It just became clear that when my daughter (three and a half) says she's hungry she means she wants to munch. When she says her tummy hurts, she's actually feeling hunger.

bzmom

I have a two year old daughter she will be 3 in May. Her eating habbits vary but I can tell you most of her snacks consist of applesauce, cheeze its, yogurt, grapes, watermelon, apples, oranges, etc. She is not a heavy veggie eater but that is my fault I should have gotten her started like I did with the fruit. She usually eats 3 meals a day and about 3 to 4 snacks. However she is not over weight at all my dad thinks she is too skinny my doctor says she is healthy. I think just controlling healthy snacks and the portion you give them in one serving should suffice.

As for the mom with the 5yr old that is a bit chunky my boys were on the heavy side too. They are now 14 and soon to be 11. My recommendation Sports!!! they are a blessing in disguise my boys have lost soooooo much weight due to sports and they love it!!

bethdris

My boys are almost 17 months, 29 months and 4.5 yrs old. They eat breakfast, snack,lunch,snack, dinner and at times a snack before bed. None of them are overweight or even chubby. I'm scared to see my grocery bill when they are older. I give them healthy options."junk food" are for only special treats, definitely not am every day thing here.

karengroovy

Mine is only 19m but I give him "real" meals at about 6,11 and 4. Between meals, I leave snacks on a table in his playroom, so he can walk over and get something any time he feels hungry. Usually it's fruits, cereals (cheerios, Kix, chex, etc - not the sugar-encrusted marshmallow nugget ones), or cheese (he doesn't do so well with veggies). Sometimes a cup of milk. My son is almost always content with milk, or a piece of banana or avocado, and any kind of berries are a reliable homerun. His weight percentile is lower than his height percentile, so I trust that this is working for him.

rossi02

I have two boys, ages 4 & 2. I hear I'm hungry all the time... I control the food choices they have and they can control when and how much they eat. Within reason of course. So between meals, or usual snack times their options are fruits/veggies and they get water to drink. I figure with how small they are and how on the go they are.. they need to eat more often than I do, but it will only be good fuel for them.

BrewerGeorge

We have 4 daughters, and though three are long past your stage the youngest is ten and I'M still young enough to remember. Kids have little stomachs - the size of THEIR fists, roughly. We always let them eat just about whenever they wanted with a few exceptions: no eating something else while I'm cooking dinner or for about the hour before, and no eating right before bed (most of that one is manipulation to stay up anyway, IMO.)

Little tiny ones like yours are less likely to eat from boredom, I think. They're probably having a growth spurt which can crank appetites WAY up. Wait till you see 'em suddenly start eating at the 10-11 yr spurt, or Dear God the 15 yr spurt! It was not unusual for a 100 lb 15 yr old girl to out eat ME - before I was dieting and weighed 250+.

rockieschick

Well I can tell you that kids in my dayhome are ALWAYS hungry. Now I give them meals and in between I offer snacks. If they are still hungry in between I offer them vegetable or fruits. Usually as soon as they hear that they change their minds.
Running a dayhome is also different, I offer meals that the kids will eat (I dont necessary agree with) but I try to make it healthier as possible. (I always offer whole wheat and I add veggies to everything lol)

Its funny cause my 13 months daughter wont even accept any of it.
She only eats veggies, fruits, chicken & turkey, whole wheat pasta and bread.
I am begging she keeps eating that way

baisleac

My two year old has been known to go through a loaf of bread in two days (made into peanut butter sandwiches) in addition to eating lots of fruits and veggies and drinking milk. Sometimes I think she eats as much as we do... but she's an active little bugger.

aethompson5507

Thanks for everyone opinions!!!!!! i totally loved everyones answers! we shall see what happens

maremare312

When we were hungry in between meals, mom would ask if we wanted an apple. If we said no, she would say "If you aren't hungry enough to eat an apple, you're not hungry" lol!