My kids are hungry ALL the time!!!

[youngwife]

Seriously! NO matter what I fix, they are hungry all of the time. Please tell me I am not the only one that has kids with hearty appetites??

Breakfast is many times eggs, grits, toast, and bacon. Sometimes waffles and eggs, or occasionally cereal (which is a waste of money).

Lunch is either left overs or sandwiches.

Then supper is meat, veggie, and a potato/rice/noodle of some sort. Then, with in a few hours, they are asking for a snack.

I wonder how much is hunger or boredom??

[cristeen]

How old are they? Do they eat snacks? How much fat and protein are they getting at each meal? Fat and protein trigger satiety, so if they're not getting enough of those, hunger ensues.

[Maela]

My dd is like that. I don't have any answers. I also wonder how much is boredom vs hunger.

[tanyalynn]

When our meals trend too low in fat--which usually happens at the same time they go up in carb--my kids get hungry a lot more frequently.

[WorldsBestMom]

A proper breakfast, lunch and dinner will do the trick light snacking through out the day will make them eat alot.

[californiajenn]

It looks like they are getting very starchy foods at least 3 times a day. I would cut out the starch at least at breakfast and add more fat, protein, and veggies.

[dbsam]

My children have always eaten every two-three hours...even when they are getting plenty of protein and fats. They are truly hungry, not bored, and it is not always a huge meal. I've always allowed it (because they are healthy and eat well) but am afraid I've created a problem. Their current school allows snacking at anytime. But they are switching to a public school next year which will have lunch only, no snacks, and a longer day; I think it will be difficult for them and they will be forced to change their eating habit.

[Adamsmama]

Mine are the same ... My 5 year old has been like this for months ... I was thinking it is a growth spurt but I agree with the pp ... if they get too many carbs and not enough protein and/or fat that is what happens. I give him cashew butter on bread or rice cake for a snack now which seems to satisfy him more than just the carb. Yogurt with fruit, etc.

[berry987]

My kids are the same way. They eat constantly - I think it just means they are growing and burning a lot of energy, especially now that it's nice out and they are constantly running around.

They are insatiable at breakfast - eggs, bacon, toast with peanut butter, yogurt, strawberries. That is one breakfast for my 1, 3 and 5 year old. Not in one sitting, of course - I SAH so breakfast goes from 6:30am until about 10am when we get out of the house. And not every day...but definitely a few times a week. Lunch is usually smaller, sandwich and fruit/veggies or leftovers from dinner the night before. And then around 3pm they are ravenous again - cheese, apples, yogurt, a granola bar. Then they eat a full dinner with meat or fish and some vegetables. No after dinner snacks, though - I cut them off so they'll focus on the meal at dinnertime (I found that if they thought they'd get a snack later they'd eat just a few bites at dinner).

My kids are healthy, slim and very active....so I think it's good that they eat healthy foods in abundance.

But, man, our grocery bills are sky-high since I buy all organic. It will be astronomical when they are teenagers!

[Rosehip]

My kids look for food constantly when they're bored. If we're out & about, doing stuff, they almost never ask for snacks.

I let them stretch breakfast out a bit, b/c, well, there aren't any time constraints right now. I carefully watch starches though. No morning snacks, an early lunch, and then an afternoon snack. Snacks are really snacks - something light. I definitely encourage them to get their fill at meals, though don't do the clean plate club. My kids are carboholics, and would gladly eat nothing but rice, bread and cereal, so they have to eat their protein BEFORE they get starch. They also have to eat protein before their veggies (they love veggies). So, for dinner - they get their chicken, for instance, and have to eat a reasonable serving of that before their veggie. Then they have to make a decent effort at the veggie before they get rice. I set limits on the amount of starch too - at mealtime, they can eat all the veggies or protein they want, but there are limits to starch.

[daisymommy]

From everything I've read, children need a snack between meals, and should never go more than 3 hours without eating something. So, it sounds fine to me!
We usually do:
7:00 am. breakfast
9:30/10:00 snack
12:00 Lunch
3:00 snack
5:30/6:00 Dinner

Snack is something healthy like cheese, wheat crackers, and fruit, maybe some yogurt.