Child's Diet

Maybe if she ate some "real" food (actual fruit-not pureed like applesauce, vegetables, protein...) she would stay satiated longer. If she wants whatever you are snacking on... then snack on something you want her to have: Peanut Butter on celery. Apple SLICES with peanut butter to dip it in. A handful of peanuts. A slice of cheddar or colby or monteray jack cheese (not a slice of Kraft American!!). A cup of yogurt. Some carrot sticks with ranch dressing.
A bunch of liquids and carbs just make her hungrier... Cereal is the one of the biggest wastes of "food" on the planet.. except for maybe some of the Kashi line, and Special K.

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None of that is really filling.

Also, kids at that age do eat a lot. Mine (2 and 4) do and sometimes I get so tired of spending so much time in the kitchen preparing meals and snacks that I have a designated shelf in the pantry and fridge of snacks so they can help them selves.

In the pantry-raisins, granola, nuts, dried fruit, crackers
In fridge-washed grapes, washed strawberries with tops cut off, California cuties, Laughing Cow and Babybel cheese, string cheese, cut up cucumbers, grape tomatoes.

That way they can snack all they want/need to and it's healthy and I don't spend all my time fixing stuff!

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Where is the protein in her diet? She may be hungry because what she is eating is not satisfying to her body.

Can you try to start her day with scrambled eggs and possible incorporate meat into her lunch and dinner? Also, when is she eating fresh fruit and veggies (applesauce and juice don't count)?

My response is just an observation from what you typed as meals and not meant to be critical.

Good luck!

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my daughter (only 2 and a half so maybe different) goes though phases like this. I make sure to offer really healthy snacks with protein and veggie or fruit so that I at least know she is getting good nourishment. I think she does it when she is going through growth spirt. Just try to offer healthy things and I think she will be fine.

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My 4 year old boy doesn't even eat that much. I would do as others suggest and put some more healthy options in the mix, fruit, veggies, some protein-chix breast, turkey burgers. Maybe even some pasta which fills you up longer. The above is also saturated with sodium, which is bad as well. You and your boyfriend are going to have model healthy eating habits as well if you want to change the way she is eating, she may be following dads eating habits, since that sounds like more what my husband would eat :)

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It doesn't sound like she's getting a lot of really good healthy foods. Cereal doesn't keep you full for long, especially if it's sugary cereal. Chicken noodle soup isn't going to tide her over either. And frozen pizza has little to no nutritional value. Almost everything you listed is over processes and not healthy foods. Set good examples. Make a balanced meal. Protein, vegetable and a carb. Make sure she eats the right sized portion of the healthy food. Then offer her some fruit, fresh or frozen is best. If you don't have access to those, get the LIGHT version of the canned fruit. Then give her a drink to go with it all. IF she eats that and she's still hungry, she can have more fruit or more vegetables.
Make sure she's adequately hydrated. Sometimes we can think we're hungry when we're really thirsty. Have her drink some water and if she's still hungry, she can have a HEALTHY snack.
You're not doing her any favors by letting her eat junk food.

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Poor kid. She's starting a long set of bad habits. I've been plauged with this kind of need to eat most of my life too and I've tried all kinds of programs, self-help books, prayer, and not much ever helps. I struggle with my weight, obviously.

If I were you guys I would at least work on making sure she's getting all the food groups. It sounds like she got way too much white, nutritient void bread products in a short amount of time. Improving the quality of her diet may help.

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My son was like this at 4, he still is a little bit. Some days he will eat normally, but often he will want something else to eat every hour. As long as she is eating healthy food and not getting overweight, then it may just be she is going through a growth spurt or something. Do you live with them? If so, just make sure that the available food is healthy food.

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FRUIT! We always have a ton of fresh fruit, I keep a big fruit bowl out on the counter, and we have easy to peel clementines that my 3 and 4 year olds can peel themselves. And apples, and bananas, and plums and nectarines usually. Melons and mangoes, which of course, I have to cut for them and that's fine. Then in the fridge we have seedless red grapes, and strawberries usually. In the summer, we buy alot of watermelon.
Don't make a 4 year old feel bad about eating - you will give her issues. It sounds like you're annoyed about it already which is definitely coming across to the kid. And like the other people said, that is not alot of filling healthy food. Cereal - carbs. Apple sauce - sugar. Noodles - carbs. Chicken soup possibly good if it's homemade, but likely mostly broth and noodles and high sodium. So none of that is yummy protein she should have like eggs, yogurt, meat, avocado, fish, etc etc. Please work with her, and also talk to her ped. Her daddy is half right - she should not eat "whatever she wants" - but I would not stop a child from eating ever. If they're hungry, give them something good and healthy.

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I agree, it sounds like her diet needs to be bumped up to more healthy foods, with less sodium,and more protein.

She also will go through growing spurts, that is also a time to make sure her diet is super healthy with lots of protein follow her lead during those times, but make sure the snacks are whole types of food. Instead of applesauce, apple slices, cheese and whole wheat crackers or toast.

For breakfast an egg, a cheese quesadilla on a whole wheat tortilla and some fruit, with a glass of whole milk.

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Who is in charge of feeding this child? Maybe a breakfast like cereal, toast, an egg would "hold" her longer. And then she should get a snack between breakfast & lunch. Maybe a cup of applesauce and some whole wheat crackers. Then lunch needs some protein...soup AND some meat: chicken salad or tuna salad sandwich (a half). Snack in the afternoon. Maybe veggies and dip. Then pizza and a salad for dinner.
She sounds like she's hungry and it doesn't sound like she's eating junk...

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That sounds like a lot of food. But I would have to have more info before making a guess. First of all, is she generally in good health? Does she see a healthcare provider on a regular basis? Does she live with you full-time? Is there a biol. mother in the picture and, if so, what does she say? For instance, does she eat this way at her mother's house? Does she eat more or less there? If the mother is out of the picture, does the girl miss her? Is she eating for some other reason, like she's bored or lonely? If she sees a doctor/nurse/well child clinic, do they find any signs of anything physically wrong? Is she meeting growth expectations? I hope this gives you some "food for thought."

no this is not good. over eating can lead to childhood obesity and diabetes. furthermore, kids will eat lots then little as they grow. when they are eating a ton, encourage ONE healthy snack between meals, applesauce, grapes, carrots, you get the idea. and she can indulge in the snacks, ya know, a twinkie or some ice cream but they should not be regularly offered. as parents, its up to us to encourage healthy eating habits (and eat healthily also). our kids, for example are on a system. we have breakfast, about two hours later they get a snack, about 2 hrs later, we have lunch, you get the idea. I understand kids will need to eat more as they are more active and thats fine, but eating all day long can lead to serious health issues.

Kids go through growth spurts where they are hungry all the time. It is okay to let them eat as frequently as they want to IF everything they are eating is healthy food. Is this cereal whole grain and unsweetened? Is the soup filled with vegetables and without added MSG? If so let her eat till she is full. If she is being fed a lot of junk food though, she will be hungry for more calories than her body needs because her body is trying to get sufficient nutrients from very nutrient lacking foods. Don't let her eat an entire frozen pizza. This is not good or normal for an adult let alone a child. Give her fruits and veggies, whole grains, low fat dairy, and out of these foods let her eat the quantity she desires.

She should be okay. My children, when going through a growth spurt, will constantly eat and constantly say they are hungry. This may last for a week it may last longer. As long as she is growing let her eat. We have our 4 year old daughter in Ballet and that has caused her to eat more than she used to.

I agree with other posters. Sounds like she's not eating foods that would fill her up. I'm always hungry an hour or two later when I have cereal for breakfast. And if the soup is from a can it's probably mostly broth and noodles with a few bits of chicken. Noodles and applesauce are straight up carbs. breakfast could be egg (scrambled, fried, poached), whole grain toast, homemade french toast, yogurt, toast with melted cheese, oatmeal etc...Lunch could be a peanut butter sandwich, quesadilla (plain cheese or with chicken inside), tuna, hard-boiled or deviled eggs. Snacks could be fruit, vegetables (with some dip or salad dressing), crackers and cheese, edamame, popcorn. Make sure you're giving her some protein with each meal and get her on a schedule, like three meals and two snacks a day. If she is really hungry inbetween, offer her something very plain, like plain carrot sticks. If she's really hungry, she'll eat them. If not, she's not really hungry.

Her hypothalamus may be off. That is the part of the brain that tells us when we've had enough food. Normally children are not overweight because their hypothalamus tells them when to stop eating.

That is not a normal appetite for a 4 year old, she may have diabetes. She needs to see a doctor ASAP! Does she also drink a lot of water or other fluids? That is another symptom of diabetes. Get it checked out, you may save her life.