Daily Food intake...how Much Is Too Much?

I've always had problems with weight and compulsive overeating, was teased a lot about being fat as a kid, and I felt a little nervous about my daughter. At 9 months she looked like a cross between Winston Churchill and Pugsley Addams. By 13 months all that chub had dissolved into muscle, she'd grown several inches and she had a six-pack tummy because she loved to hang upside down off my lap or arm, and pull herself up by sheer strength and will. There were days when she'd eat everything in sight (I never brought chocolate into the house!). She'd look a little puppyfattish for a couple of ... hours... and then boing! the next morning she'd be taller again. After growth spurts it seemed like she barely ate, lived on air and strawberries. Then suddenly she'd be hungry all the time again and I'd just clean up after lunch before she wanted a snack! With research and support from my friends, I learned to really relax about it - your stomach is naturally about the size of your fist, and if you pay attention to its signals and eat healthy food, you'll do great. For exercise, I recommend rolling around on the grass, dancing around the living room, and exploring the neighborhood on foot. Weight will take care of itself.

I read something once about a professional dancer who followed a small child around for an entire day and did everything the kid did. By the end of the day, the dancer was utterly exhausted. I don't know if it's an urban legend, but I believe it!

best of luck!
A.

1 mom found this helpful

First of all, babies are supposed to be fat. Unless your doctor tells you that your child is obese, why would you restrict her calories? DOn't worry, walking turned my chubby little infant into a bean pole toddler and he eats TONS!!!

I have often thought that my child may eat too much at times. the good news is... she has no food issues. she has no body image issues. she is eating what her body wants. if she over eats she will 'spit up'. even at one year my youngest has done just that. when she is full she stops eating. sometimes she does not want vegetables but will eat protien. the other night she refused to eat protein and ate around 1 cup of green beans. as long as you don't see her being sick i wouldn't worry.

Little ones are growing and developing so much and need lots of energy to do it. I wouldn't worry about her food intake, as long as it's healthy stuff.

I would first try drop back to a 6 oz bottle, especially if she's falling asleep with it. Also, try adding a little baby cereal to the apple sauce, AFTER she's had the chicken. As long as you are not introducing unhealthy options such as cookies, fries, chips, or such, then she should be fine. My ped, who's also my doc, says "No one EVER got too fat from eatting too much fresh fruit and vegetables. It's the cooked food and hiden calories and fat of our beverages that we have to be careful about."

I don't recall if the MAX that should be allowed for a child that eats solids is 24 or 32 oz of milk/ formula. If she's drinking more than this, its time to taper it down. If she really screams because it's not enough formula, try adding an extra 1-2 oz water to the formula at the next feeding. This way she gets 8 oz liquid, but only nutrients and calories of 6 oz. of formula.

One other Idea- my ped put my son on whole milk at 10 1/2 months because he was the size of an 18 month old. If she is a big girl (as in height/weight are 90% or greater; my son was off the charts) then talk to her ped to see if she might be ready for whole milk.

Just some ideas to try, ~J

i have a friend who has a daughter that would eat until she was sick. so she started feeding her and then playing with her at various intervals while she was eating. if she still wanted food she would point to it and ask. and when she was more interested in playing than eating, she was done. i don't know if that helps, but it all i have on this. good luck!

I would say if she ever gets sick from eating too much, that would be a sign that you might want to monitor her intake closely. From your example the only thing I would suggest is that you give her protein first because proteins are filling and saticfy hunger, then cereal(breads, pastas, grains, etc) and last her milk. Our stomachs register as full after 15 minutes from the first bites. If 15 minutes into eating she still wants more, it may be a growth spurt. Hope this helps.

I think it's more of making sure what she eats is healthy. We as adults tend to get over weight when we eat unhealthy things which are high in calories and fat and have no nutritial value. At her age you control what she eats which puts you at an advantage. I think so long as she's eating healthy veggies and fruit and things that are good for her she'll know when she's full.

wow i thought my 11 mo son ate a lot its ok they will eat like this till they hit 20 years old it goes in a cycle they will eat a lot when they are growing or need to intake more food for energy or for growing so dont be worried when it switches from lots of food to just a little they will let you know what they need and as far as a fat baby as long as he or she is 7 pounds or less over the average weight do worry if it becomes more then that dr time.

It is sad and unfortunate that your concern is a "fat" infant. It is essential that children are nourished sufficiently, even including fat. This is why we are supposed to give children whole fat milk until the age of five. So many parents are mislead by this fear of fat kids that they miss the importance of fat and nourishment in a child's diet. A child's healthy brain development is dependent upon fat. The fat is necessary for it to build up around the brain cells in order to facilitate neurological synapses. This process ONLY happens in the first 5 years. After that, that's it. These fat cells form by the age of 5. Be thankful your child is an eater. Children need nourishment. They are growing so rapidly and are so active. They need all they can get. I work in preschool, and my brightest children are the ones who eat the best!! Just make sure it is nutritious and your child will be perfectly FINE!!! I specifically asked this in a child nutrition class because so many of my parents want to have their kids on diets!! I knew this wasn't right, I just wanted to find out why. Brain Development. It's all about the brain. Not the fat. good luck.

11 mos and still eating healthy? You are amazing. In my line of work I see so many moms cave into the "junk food fix". I honour you and your committment to the health of your child.

Bodies require food every 2-4 hours. It is the healthiest for the metobolism. As long as she is eating healthy choices (please check what is in the applesauce, sometimes the sugar along causes a spike in hunger) there are no worries.

Enjoy the fact that she is eating. Give her the healthy eating habits now that will last a lifetime.

B.
www.HeyYouGetReal.com

I think if you ask her doctor they will tell you, but if she is just starting to walk and climb, then she probably needs more than before and gets hungry faster. My daughters doctor told me that at this age they don't eat for fun and taste like we do they just eat until they are full, so if your daughter is still hungry i'd keep feeding her until she is full. I think because of the media and so many other things we get a little too worried about weight in our children when we should just worry about nutrition.

Give it to her!!! And thank your lucky stars that she is a good eater!!! She's hungry because she's busy - she doesn't have an "overeating" problem - yet - unless you make food an issue. give her a huge variety, too (within guidelines of advisable foods, of course) like tofu, avocados, and other stuff that you might not even eat yourself (all healthy choices only). It is a beautiful thing to be able to eat as much as you want, and if she enjoys healthy foods at this age, maybe you can keep her away from the french fries and oreos for a little bit longer that most kids!

I would say give her some more solid food. This will keep her satisfied longer. Try the stage 3 greber foods or start her on toddler foods. Then you should be able to cut her formula to 3 times a day.