I know from reading requests on this website that many mothers are concerned because their children will not eat and refuse many foods. I have what seems to be an unusual problem. My children, ages 4 years and 15 months, don't want to stop eating. They do not get bored of sitting in their chairs. They just want more and more food. I am happy that they are not picky eaters and they are eating healthy foods, for the most part, but I just feel it is not normal for a child to want to eat and eat and eat and it stresses me. Whenever they see food, they want it. Even if they have just finished a meal. I have heard from my pediatrician and others that babies are born knowing when they are full, but with my kids, I have a hard time believing this. I don't limit their intake at meals because I was warned by a nutritionist that this could lead to "hoarding." My four year old is overweight and my pediatrician says he is not worried because both me and my husband are thin, but I am worried because if he continues to eat like he does, he will surely be overweight. My 15 month old is chunking up now just as other babies are starting to slim down, move more and eat less.
I am most interested in hearing from others who have children who love to eat/won't stop and to hear how they are handling it and whether their children "grew out of this." I have spoken with a nutritionist and pediatrician about how and what to feed my children, so I am less interested in that kind of advice.
My granddaughter is 2 1/2 yrs old and is a bottomless pit when it comes to food. My daughter kept mentioning it so I told her to keep track of what Anna was eatting. When my daughter looked at the list after a couple days it was 75% fruits and veggies. She booted up the amount of good fats, whole grain, and lean meats and it seemed to help a lot.
Make sure they are drinking a lot too.. drinking .. fills up the stomach. make sure they are taking sips during the meals. also cut up things small.. so they feel like they are eating more. like grapes.. cut into 3 pieces. Make their meals smaller.. and then it's ok to have healthy snacks.. don't make a big meal and then a big snack. Also keep them occupied.. go outside, let them run and play. play games indoors, watch a long movie.. keeping them occupied will keep them off the food. good luck..
They might have a vitamin deficiency and are eating to give their body what it needs. Try giving them a vitamin/mineral supplement. Even though you are feeding them healthy foods, different people process their food in different ways. Otherwise its up to you to limit the amount they eat and distract them with something else. "Hoarding"?? How is a 15 month old going to hoard?
Hi A.,
Maybe you can have them tested. Maybe the thyrode, I am sorry I do not know how to spell well. I hope you understand. Maybe something is off a little. Are they test you could ask the doctor about or a nutritionist. I have heard of children eating to much, and they had a scientific name for it. Sorry I was not much of a big help. I hope someone can give you more light. :)
Hi There,
I just responded to the previous inquiry as well, as it was similar in nature to your issue. Obviously your are a concerned parent who has tried many avenues to solve this "over-eating". I am an Occupational Therapist who has worked with young children with a variety of special needs. I have worked with sevral children who have a condition called Prader Willi Syndrome. People with this condition do not have the same sensation of fullness that a typical person has, they may overeat to the point of scavenging for food, eating food of the ground etc. Some people with Prader Willi's are over wieght (but not always) and often have low muscle tone. Learning disabilities and Behavioral issues my also be an issue. I don't want to alarm you, as there are many other things that may be involved with your children always wanting to eat, ie. growth spurts, boredom, vitamin deficiency. However, if you are truly concerned that it is more than that, you may want to get a second opinion just to ease your mind. Best of luck finding a solution.
Are your kids eating enough good fats? Fat satiates us so we no longer feel hungry...just a thought.
Hi A.,
This is indeed an unusual problem, but if your sons are starting to chunk up, it might indeed not be a good sign.
Babies and small children do indeed know when to stop, unless one or two things happen: They are fed with a bottle, and forced to finish even when they don't want to, so they unlearn the satiety (full) signals. Or there is something biological that interferes with that signal. In your place, I'd listen to my instinct that something is not right, and try to figure out if they were overfed as babies, were always eating and eating, if it started suddenly at one point (when they started to eat solid foods, for instance) - play the detective to find out when this started, if it was at the same time for both kids, etc.
I wouldn't limit how much they eat at one meal, but I would say no to food less than 2-3 hours after a meal, and see what happens.
Hope this helps,
K.
Hey! My son is 23 months and eats and eats and eats. He pretty much always has and has been off the charts for most of his life (for weight, head circumfrance,and sometimes height). The doctors always tell me not to worry and that his fine. That he is just going to be a "big" guy so I try not to worry too much. However, I do cut him off when it seems that he clearly has had enouph. If he really insists he is hungry then I always will give him rice cakes (plus of course water). So, I can't really tell you what will happen but I do feel like I have the same situation!
Are thy eating any prepackaged foods at all? If so you need to check the ingredients for anything containing MSG as it causes food addiction and is used in obesity studies for rats to plump them up. There are many names it is hidden under. Check on naturalnews .com for articles on this. This is a major cause of obesity and food addiction in both adults and children.
Salad dressings, sauces, frozen packaged foods, desserts, etc.
If they are getting overweight you may need to supplement with amino acids or whole food supplements. They might be missing something in their diet and trying to get it from their food. The Diet Cure talks about food addiction and amino acids.
I know you don't prefer this kind of advice about what to feed, but in my opinion, just how many apple slices can a child eat? I do tell my children after they obviously have had enough that "that's all we have for now". I'm sure you feed your children healthy food...but perhaps you could feed them more veggies, rice and foods that help them to feel full. You're right, it's hard to imagine a child that just won't stop eating plain carrot sticks. Your question BEGS to question in return what you are feeding. But if you are confident that you are feeding healthy foods, then I would turn to taking out empty calories like juice. Replace juice with water or mostly water with a splash of juice. Also, less cheese...keep the milk for for calcium and vit D, but switch to skim. Also, scrap peanut butter and just give plain celery. Also, cut out butter and give toast with small amount of jam. There are a lot of ways to cut out empty calories that a child perhaps wouldn't miss. Believe it or not my two year old loves a berry balsamic dressing which is a much healthier choice than ranch. My advise would be to get the book "Feeding Your Child for Lifelong Health" written by Susan B. Roberts, Ph.D. and Melvin B. Heyman, M.D. You may have to get a copy from the library as it is hard to find from a book store. Also one last note: my pediatricianS (all three that I have had) tell me they prefer to see kids on the lean side of the scale rather than the heavy side. You may want to get a second opinion from another ped. I think your concerns are valid, but do look into the nutrition side too, I bet you could take a lot of steps to reduce caloric intake...another example is sweet potoes coated with olive oil baked in the oven in place of other potato offerings. Steamed fresh veggies much better than the frozen variety that are in a sauce... ok, one last thing... I am a health nut... have been for years....recently learned that I had a wheat intolerance (celiac) and I have learned through much revamping of my diet that even though I used to think I was eating "healthy", my previous food choices were not as healthy as I thought they were. What a blow to the ego, so maybe be open to learning all that you can about nutrition... it's a BIG endeavor. My sister has great advise that I try to live by now... eat live foods, meaning if the food source is just one step away from living then it has more to offer (if it's out of a box, it's dead... if it doesn't need to be refrigerated, it better be a veggi.) Well, I hope that all helps. Good luck and don't give up :)
