What to do about a child wanting to eat 6 times a day or more?

[eastkygal]

DD1 has been eating all day long for a month now. She will eat a little bit of her breakfast, say she is full, and an hour later wants another whole breakfast. Same with lunch and dinner. That's not counting snacks. She is 3'4" and weighs 37lbs. She is 3.5 years old. I feel like I am in the kitchen all day and it is frustrating me. She is wasting a lot of food too. I try to save as much as I can and offer it again, but it doesn't always cut it for her. Any thoughts on how I can manage this new appetite?

[Ceili]

My first thought is how about a snack tray/muffin tin thing with lots of different foods that she can graze from over a long period during the day? We leave ours on the counter where ds can get to it without assistance and it keeps him from sticking his head in the fridge/pantry all day long asking for a snack. Somethings, like sandwiches, I'll put in a container with a lid so that they don't dry out. I usually pick up the tray around 3:45 or 4:00 so that ds will be hungry for dinner.

[KD's Momma]

a growing child?

We do something similar to pp in that we have a snack basket in the pantry that has organic fruit rolls, crackers, cereal bars and such, plus there is a devoted drawer in the fridge for cheese, apple slices, grape bunches, peeled oranges and yogurt tubes.

When we have a meal, the kids know that they are to eat till they are full and that there won't be any snacks for an hour and that after dinner there an NO snacks before bed, they can have a glass of goat or rice milk but no solid food. I had to impose these rules or meals never got eaten, there is also no snacks an hour before a meal also. But the other times of the day they can eat all they want.

[Yooper]

I would tailor her meals around her eating style. Some people (me included) just need to eat every couple of hours. Three meals a day does not work for me. I get weak and faint feeling. Dd is similar except she does eat three full meals and still needs hearty snacks about three additional times each day. If I were dealing with your situation, I would make all six "meals" into hearty snacks....small but containing all of the elements of meals over the course of a day. Make the portions very small with the understanding that she can have more if she finishes it. Off hand, some good, easy-to-prepare (so you are not in the kitchen all day) mini-meals could include smoothies, mini-sandwiches, grazing trays, cheese cubes, fruit and veggie chunks/sticks with hearty dip, hard-boiled eggs, protein-packed muffins, etc.... Most of these things can be prepared in individual servings and stored in the fridge/freezer so you are not constantly preparing stuff. Some could even be within her reach so she can take care of it herself.

[alegna]

Set aside a place where she can get to snacks- a low shelf in the fridge, a low shelf in the pantry. Get things ready ahead of time (cut up cheese, etc)

-Angela

[octobermom]

I'd allow her to listen to her body and indicate when she needs to eat but would give much smaller amounts (but then offer more if shes still needs it) I'd also have appropiate fresh fruit and veggies out for consumption at all times. During growth spurts I also liked to have some kinda baked good readily avaiable.

Deanna

[eastkygal]

Thank you!!! I like these ideas. I think DD1 would too. She is looking for things she can do herself and she would appreciate the chance to choose her own foods. I like the limits of an hour before a meal no snacks as well. Another thing I have noticed is for snacks she tends to want sweet things. Her grandparents introduced her to candy against our will, and send it home with her. It's hard to explain why I want to throw it away, so I limit it often and give it to her sparingly. They act like we are depriving her if she doesn't have it and her grandfather is diabetic to beat all. But... oh well. So, what I do is offer her apples with honey dip, mandarin oranges, bananas, etc... PB&J I'm hoping to throw some away without her noticing little at a time. I think the snack tray would be a good option with choices. I think it would make the getting rid of candy easy.

[eirual]

If DS is going to grandma's and bound to have candy, I try to get some fat and protein in him first, so that he's not just spiking his blood sugar levels then left to crash (and his 3 yo self-control/logic to go to high heaven!).

It's not ideal, but it's better than going right for the junk if the junk's going to happen anyhow. I let him know that we need some good energy in our bodies first (cheese, yogurt, meat stick, something with substance!)

[mystic~mama]

7 y.o dd is the same way, I think she has a very fast metabolism and like me needs to eat small meals often...it can be frustrating...

[limabean]

That's about the age DS was when I cleared out a shelf in the fridge and a shelf in the pantry for snacks he could get for himself -- fruit, cheese, raisins, crackers, yogurt, granola bars, etc. It was great to be able to start just saying, "Okay, you know where to look!" when he said he was hungry an hour after breakfast.

[AbbieB]

DD has one of the bins in the bottom of the fridge were we keep all of her healthy fridge snacks. She is free to eat anything from it at any time. We also have a low shelf (but not to low...her brother is 1.5 and into everything ) for non fridge snacks snacks (crackers, nuts, raisins, apples). She is also free to make a sandwich, make toast, get into leftovers (with help).

I herd a great term on another forum that I think describes our style of eating: snack meals. Sometimes I make a formal breakfast (cook eggs, pancakes, French toast) and I cook dinner, but the rest of the time it's snacky lunch, snacky breakfast, or just plan snacky time!

[pomplemoose]

i notice lots of changes in eating habits, especially in a growth spurt. we do snacks. Usually breakfast at 730ish snacks between 930 and 1030 hungry for lunch by 1130 and then after nap time around 230 maybe once more but we do dinner between 530 and 6 so we too impose the not within an hour of dinner rule, since i got tired of throwing away food. we do treats after dinner (usually yogurt smoothies) some nights and other than that nothing else. Usually only one cup of juice a day and mostly just milk and water since they are so active. waterbottles are always welcome outside or anwhere since they are pretty much spill proof and i like to keep them hydrated.

[mamazee]

It's actually a really healthy way to eat. But I wouldn't be making meals for her all the time. She probably just wants something to nibble on at other times. We have several nibble-friendly things, like carrot sticks, nuts, fruit, etc., that dd can help herself to if she's hungry.

[cottonwood]

It seems I'm always reading that eating for ideal health means grazing throughout the day, as your body needs it. Makes sense to me.

[confustication]

Originally Posted by KD's Momma

We do something similar to pp in that we have a snack basket in the pantry that has organic fruit rolls, crackers, cereal bars and such, plus there is a devoted drawer in the fridge for cheese, apple slices, grape bunches, peeled oranges and yogurt tubes.

Our setup when dd was about 3 was nearly identical. Now I have intermingled things so she can grab what she wants.

[spirit4ever]

my boys are the exact same way and have always been! I just tell them to choose something healthy and they usually do. I also have it tailored to them as well where they can just go and grab what they want.

[theretohere]

Normal and healthy. I put out plates with little portions of healthy finger food and let them graze.