"Demand Feeding"

I think what my doctor would say to me was always helpful and that is if she is a healthy weight and height, a healthy child and a happy child then you are doing a good job. You might have to adjust when she starts preschool or kindergarden but children are sooo resillient especially when they are motivated. And they are certainly motivated by school, atleast in the beginning:). I was overweight as a child, struggling with it now, and it is something I worry about. Not so much that they will be overweight but that I might be teaching them food habbits that will hurt them later on as adults. But as I am loosing weight right now with the help of my doctor I have found I do much better when I eat like your daughter. It keeps me from over eating. Every person, child or adult, are different.

Hi J.,

On her eating the only thing I could say is that you have to feel like you are constantly feeding, preparing her food.
My kids and daycare kids go about 3 hours in between meals snacks. We have breakfast at 7:30, am snack at 10:00 (usually crackers and water), lunch at 12:30 and snack at 4:00 pm. Nap time is 1:00 - 4:00.
As far as the way you ate and your weight it could of been the what you were eating or just your metabolism, at that age.
For my kids and my daycare kids for each meal they are served a main course, s vegetable and a fruit with a glass of milk. For snack they have juice and a cracker, or cereal bar.

Overall I don't think the way she is eating is bad at all, W. B.

Hi J.! Feeding children for me has been a concern from breast right on up. My daughter will be 3 in Dec. and my son is 5 months old. My thought is, based on what I have read and what my kids' doctor tells me, they will eat when they are hungry, typically will not overeat, and won't eat when they are not hungry. As difficult as that is for me sometimes, I try to follow that philosophy. My daughter rarely ever eats very much for dinner. Generally, she eats a good breakfast and lunch with healthy snacks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. So I try not to worry that she doesn't eat much at the evening meal. As far as when she starts preschool, I'll bet she is going to fall in with a good eating routine in no time. As she expends more energy and calories, then she will want to eat more at one time. Until she gets adjusted, maybe you could have a small snack for her when you pick her up from preschool. Good luck finding a routine you are comfortable with. I definitely empathize with you!!

J., I think I worried about this with my daughter as well. I wanted to share with you a program that I started with about 11 months ago that has changes my family's lives. The company is called Isagenix. Isagenix has amazing shakes with over 242 organic nutrients and also at the heart of the product is a cellular cleanse. So for my daughter, I give her one shake a day, which gives her all the nutrition she needs in a day, because our foods are devoid nutrition due to overprocessed farmlands, sprayed foods, etc. She also takes their amazing vitamins that help prevent ear infections and cavities. As for my husband and I, we take the delicious shakes, along with the cleanse portion to cleanse harmul toxins we get in the air, water, food, factories, etc. Since being on the product, I have been able to sleep better, have amazing energy, and have kept weight off easily, as well as kept my cholesterol in the normal range. Isagenix is just food, but it's live food made with the best organic ingredients. As for my daughter, since being on the product, she has not been to the doctors once. So now that I have studied the lack of nutrition our foods offer, and understand the importance of needing live food without the harmful toxins, I know Isagenix is what every family needs. I too never say the "fat" word to my daughter, because Hollywood wants to make it seem like everybody is fat if they aren't a bean pole and I want her to know no matter what size she will end up, she is beautiful. I tell her things like, that's not healthy for our bodies, or we need to take care of ourselves by eating this or that. So I think that's great on what you are or aren't telling her. I think we worry too much about our kids too. So if you want to check out two amazing videos that are quick and powerful, they are www.drdrgivemethetruth.com and www.cleansedforlife.com. You can call me if you have any other questions at ###-###-#### or email me at ____@____.com
I also want to add that my daughter has cried and thrown fits since a baby if she doesn't like what it looks like and it wears me out, so I know if I get her shake in her every day, she at least got the nutrition she needed for the day. I'm not working on not letting her fits persuade me and just walking away.
Hope this helps,
S.

J., there is nothing wrong with your daughter's eating habit. In fact we are told we are to eat three meals a day for a healthy diet when any nutritionist will tell you to eat six small meals a day to maintain normal matabolism and wieght or to lose weight. I think what you are doing is great. You are not forcing her to eat more than her stomach can hold and when she is hungry again your are letting her eat a little more to satisfy her again. She probably has a very high motabolism. Fortunately preschools give snacks, usually midmorning and mid-afternoon. She may have to adjust a little, but by the time she starts preschool she'll be old enough to understand and have a little more control. Don't fret and tell your she is healthy and that is all that matters. Kudos to you for not bringing the negativity you had earlier in life into your daughters life. If you keep that up, your daughter will have a very good self esteem no matter what size she is. Good luck and God Bless.