My two year old daughter recently started wanting to eat constantly, and I mean constantly when we are at home. I am very strict about the types of food that she is allowed to eat. We eat almost exclusively whole, seasonal, organic foods and I am a vegetarian, although my DH is not and my little one refuses meat about 75% of the time. A day of eating lately for my daughter might be, Breakfast: heritage grains in kefir and some berries; Snack 1: carrots and hummus; Lunch: almond butter and sprouted grain sandwich with some kind of green veggie; Snack 2: more berries, or a tomato; Snack 3: Yo Baby; Dinner: black bean, brown rice and mushrooms with broccli. I also give her whole milk and water throughout the day, usually an egg fits in there somewhere, and she gets a "treat" most days that consists of a piece of chocolate or a fruit and nut bar that she thinks is chocolate! I also breastfeed her before bed. So, she is constantly hungry so I am giving her SO MUCH FOOD and I wondered if any other moms had experience with a voracious appetite like this in their 2 year old child. I am totally willing to give her more food, and I know I shouldn't be complaining since my kid eats like a yoga instructor, the thing is that she only does this at home. I am wondering if maybe she is bored and is emotional eating, which is something I continue to struggle with. Is she too young to do this? Is she just more aware of her hunger when she is at home? Should I ever refuse healthy food when she asks? My doctor says she needs a little bit of most things, but not a lot of anything to be healthy. She is in the 25% for weight and 75% for height, she is actually relatively thin. Maybe she needs this much food, but sometimes she eats as much as me and still seems hungry. Any thoughts would be welcome. Thanks
I want to thank everyone for the words of comfort. I think, as someone mentioned, that I am trying to protect her from having a negative relationship with food to the point that I am totally overthinking the whole thing! Anyway, thanks to everyone who took the time to give me some support.
L. -
As someone who requires a lot of protein, have you tried giving her more protein or healthy carbs? It sounds like she gets lots of veggies and fruit . . . but perhaps she is hungry because she needs a little more substance for energy. Kids require a lot more than adults. Just an idea!
S.
To be honest, I think you are really over thinking this one. She's two!
She could be going through a growth spurt which would account for a bigger appetite. She sounds like she's well fed and isn't lacking anything. I would offer another snack when she says she hungry or fruit smoothie or something like that. She's not going to have food issues if that's what you're thinking. She's way too young for that.
I wanted to add: Are you worried that she's going to get fat if you feed her more? I hope that you can seperate your own emotional eating from hers. A two year old needs a lot of food--healthy or otherwise. I think that Renee L. offered some very sound advice.
Isn't being a mommy hard? We analyze everything, wanting what is best for our children. I'm glad you sought an outside perspective, because hopefully we fellow mommies can help you be at ease with your daughter's voracious appetite!
In my humble opinion, it sounds like the girl simply wants to eat more...and it would be fine to let her. You feed her wholesome foods - it's not as though she is binging on potato chips and soda. A toddler "wild child" burns a lot of energy in a day, plus her little body is still growing at a tremendous rate. She could be going through a growth spurt and feeling a constant rumbly in the tummy! Considering she is two years old and 25% weight, 75% height, she is far from any need to be concerned that she is eating for emotional reasons.
I understand your fear, as you said you struggled with an emotional eating issue. Please be careful to remember that is YOUR issue, not hers. With the predominance of eating disorders hurting our daughters today, steer clear of implanting that idea in her head - especially at such a young, unassuming age.
Coming from a parent of "picky" eaters, be thankful she is a healthy eater!!! Indulge her requests for a while and see how it goes. She will let you know when she is full. I am not a vegetarian, therefore don't know too much about it, but it sounds like her daily diet provides her with the protein she needs (I know when I personally feel insatiable hunger, I need some protein to sustain me).
I hope this helps. Best of luck with your little girl. You seem like a wonderfully conscientious mom and she is lucky to have you looking out for her :)
Small children need MUCH more protein. With extensive nutrition education I can tell you that based on the menu - there is virtually no protein source to feed the brain, the muscles, or the growing bones. Your daughter sounds like she is going through a growth spurt and something is not being met. You can go the route of soy- an EXCELLENT source - the only complete plant based protein (beans are INCOMPLETE protein). You may want to consider omega 3s - adding them in some form - some more green leafies or fish, walnuts or flaxseed oil.
Also protein fills you up much more and makes you feel full. If she is deficient, it makes sense she would still be seeking a full feeling. It is also harder to stay full when you don't have enough protein. I hope that helps!
The best advice I ever read about feeding children is from Ellyn Satter's book, Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense. She says that it is our responsibility to provide healthy food that we know our kids like, and their responsibility to decide what and how much they will eat. Let her body determine what she wants. This is probably a phase - both of my boys have gone through months of eating everything and then months of living on just about nothing.
Hi L.- I am a SAHM of 4 (girls 8,6, and 4 and a little boy 9 months). Although my children do not eat quite as healthy as your daughter, they eat a TON but are very active (very little if any TV) sports, bike riding, parks etc. My children are all at a very healthy weight but actually on the skinny side. If her Body Mass Index is appropriate I wouldn't worry about a 2 year old emotionally eating. You are doing a good job providing heathy foods for your daughter. Keep it up and she will have a healthy relationship with food!
B.
Actually, as a vegetarian I'm sure you know that the protein concern is a common misconception. If anything, B12 could be supplemented in a vegetarian diet, and it's abundant in packaged foods as well as in capsule form.
Your daughter's diet sounds wonderful. It makes good sense to me that she would be more aware of her appetite when she's at home with less to distract her. You should be proud of the wonderful food relationship you have given her!
If you're still concerned, maybe take a look at sea vegetable supplements. Spirulina and Chlorella are amazing superfoods.
I think the only thing you really need is some veg family support and camaraderie! We love VegNews at our house - you can find it at Borders or here:
Some online groups:
Baby Greens by Michaela Lynn and Michael Chrisemer is a great veg baby book. It's a little "hippie", but has some great and encouraging info with a lot of other great books referenced for further reading.
Good luck to you! It sounds like you're doing great.
I have heard that protein is very filling. You could also speak to a nutritionist as well to make sure her diet is balanced. I am sure it is nothing, my son has about 2-3 snacks per day as well. I wish I could be as great as you when it comes to nutrition!! She is a lucky little girl!
Hi L.,
My DD eats almost constantly also. From what I have read, 2 or 3 snacks a day is normal for todders. They can't hold as much food as we can, so cannot handle just 3 meals a day. I think your daughter is fine, but would echo the protien concerns. Good for you for providing heathy choices for her! If you are really concerned, mention it at her next check up, but I would bet it is fine!
E.
I would take her in to get checked out by the doctor one last time just in case. Then here is the but! My son is the same way. He goes through growth spurts and still goes through this on occassion. He is so skinny that he is tall enough for size 2T but they fall right off of him so he can't wear them. I feed him a little bit of everything litterally. I try to limit the fast food but he still gets a little of that. He eats vegetables and pastas more than anything else but will eat some meat. He is very healthy just has a high metabolism. I say feed her if she is hungry and make sure she stays active. If you slow her down on eating when she is already so thin it may mess up her natural metabolism and actaully cause her to have weight issues later when she is able to consume the amounts of foods she wants too. It can be frustrating when your child wants to eat so much but there are some of us that really do have to consume those amounts of foods.
I myself have been followed into the bathroom a time or two because of how thin I am and the amounts of food I am capable of consuming. I don't like to regurgetate even when I am sick and really need to. My body just has a very high metabolism and I need to consume large amounts of food. If your doctor has already looked her over chances are she has the same problem and it really is a problem because how she will be treated later by people. It is not as bad as if she were seriously obese but us way too skinny people get the horrible stares and snickering as well. Being accused of having eating disorders constantly by our own family members is actaully the worse part of it all because they should see that your not doing that but refuse to believe that your not because we really are unique in our eating abilities. Don't stop at teaching her good eating habits but when she gets older her teach her about eating disorders so she knows how to combat these people when they start attacking her.
If only I could get my kids to eat like that... We started off well, but once they get exposed to the wrong foods it's so hard.... Anyway, I'm certainly no nutrionist, but from what you described, I bet she is still getting no more CALORIES than my kids do eating junkier food. Veggies, fruit and legumes tend to pack less than mac n cheese and chicken nuggets. Maybe she is just having a growth spurt.
She might actually not be getting enough fat. At this age, they still need some and fat is what keeps them full. Also, if it seems she's a also drinking alot, have a blood sugar test done on her.She could be diabetic. Tha happened with someone's kid who my husband works with. Have you talked to your Ped or a pediatric nurtitionist. I don't think they emotionally eat at this age, not like us. She might also need more protein because they are growing so fast and burn so many calories.She might need that much food.
We also eat all organic and I am impressed with what your 2 yr. old eats! My 2 yr old would never eat half of that in a day. Please relax and be very happy she is getting a well balanced diet. She'll be absolutely fine.
Hi L.,
Around the age of two my son also went through spurts of eating a very great deal as well. It was connected to a growth spurt. How long has this been going on? If only a week or so, might be a growth spurt or increase in activity; if longer, then she may just be hungry. Since she is relatively thin and you are feeding her very healthfully it is probably not a concern, unless you see there is some other unhealthy connection between eating and some behavior or stimulus. I have read that children will not eat more than they need and usually self regulate, as long as they are given healthy choices.
The only other question would be is she getting enough fat and protein? That could be making her hungry, and sometimes it is hard to accomplish on a vegetarian diet.
Best of luck!
Just make sure she is getting enough protein. That's the biggest concern I've heard with eating vegetarian. So, beans I guess, peanut butter? Check with your doctor, I'm sure you're fine. Take a multivitamin as well.
Kids at this age are programmed to eat when they are hungry. Your daughter is 2. She is going through a lot of growing right now and she is probably very active, so she needs a lot of calories. Your daughter is not overweight, so if she is hungry, feed her. You talk a lot about eating healthy, but not about balance. Make sure she is getting enough protein and fat. It sounds as though her diet is mostly carbs (which is the case for most kids her age). I have a 2 year old and a 4 year old. My 2 year old probably eats twice as much as my 4 year old. I think at 2 they are usually a little more physical and of course as you get older, you become more steady just because you have a longer attention span you will sit and do things longer, whether it is read a book, do puzzles, watch TV. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just make sure you give her everything in moderation and do not go too crazy on being "healthy". I am a personal trainer and have worked with many overweight children whose parents swear they only eat healthy, but as they get older, you can not be with them all of the time. If they feel deprived of something, the kids tend to usually binge or overindulge when they get a chance. That is how the vicious circle of obesity begins. It sounds as though you are doing a great job. Just keep doing what you are doing and don't obsess about being "healthy". The most important thing in life is balance. Too much oo one thing is never good.
