How to handle eating a lot of food with toddler

[Violet2]

Note: Not looking for feedback on what she's eating so much as the amount of food.

I am worried about DD's eating b/c she's a chub and seemingly insatiable. She's 40" and at least 45 lbs if not more. She's 2.5 and I know she's going to be tall (at least 6' based on family history) but her weight is always outpacing her height.

It can't possibly be another growth spurt already? It seems like we just had one last month!

She demands food constantly and lately I've been asking her to wait a little bit because she has food in her tummy that needs some time to digest.

I'm feeling a little unsure of how to handle this. She is getting food, she's not starving. I make sure there is protein and fat, but it's never enough. She endlessly pesters me for food, especially since Spring.

Today she ate (and choose these foods herself, except dinner):

PRE-BREAKFAST-8oz kefir

BREAKFAST-6oz yogurt
-banana

SNACK-1 slice bread with cheese and butter (she wanted more food after this, I asked her to wait)

LUNCH-PB&J with 1 slice bread, red sugar jam, natural pb
-3/4 cup full fat Cottage cheese

DINNER-1 hotdog with bun, 1 hotdog without bun
-Baked beans
-Pickle, a big one

SNACKS-Multiple popcicles (most SF b/c she likes mine better than the red. sugar ones I get her)
-6 cheesits squares (a small amount just to get her to stop asking for food)
-pineapple


Is this too much, not enough, just the right amount of food? I also often make almond flax flour muffins or flax-oatmeal cookies for her to eat with yogurt for breakfast, but that doesn't seem to help fill her up any better.

What do you think? Am I doing the right thing or not? Should I try something else?

ETA: I don't know if this is possible at her age, but sometimes she seems to be bored and I can distract her in that case and she doesn't ask for food any longer. Can emotional eating start this young?

V

[alegna]

That doesn't sound like TONS of food at 2.5 to me. Ds is just 2 and doesn't eat that much across a whole day, but some meals he does.

-Angela

[QuestionGal]

Doesn't sound like a ton of food.

DS is 2.5, 37 inches and weighs 27lbs and he could easily eat everything you listed and more.

I have found that if DS gets a high protein breakfast 1-2 eggs he tends to crave sweets less throughout the day. (same goes for me)

[pbjmama]

The amount of food doesn't seem to be too much. It does seem to be alot of dairy. If my kids keep asking to snack I try to feel them something that they can help make like a smoothie, its an easy way to get in some fruits and veggies and they enjoy helping. And it takes awhile for them to drink it too. Or a scrambled egg, lots of protein so they don't get hungry.

[Violet2]

Okay good. She's going to be 3 in Oct and from what various peds have said, we'll probably start getting some push back on her weight.

As for the dairy, DD is asking for what she wants and I'm not going to argue. I try to go with her flow as much as possible. I just try to push the protein and fat to hopefully give her the calories she needs so she can stop eating for a nanosecond.

But the constant asking for food is driving me slowly nuts. I can't keep up with her! Every time I turn around she wants food.

We do eggs for bfast a couple times a week btw. The yogurts are greek yogurts so higher protein. If she deigns to eat the muffins, that's protein from the almonds and fat.

V

[spmamma]

Originally Posted by Violet2

As for the dairy, DD is asking for what she wants and I'm not going to argue. I try to go with her flow as much as possible. I just try to push the protein and fat to hopefully give her the calories she needs so she can stop eating for a nanosecond.

I would be careful with this. My DD was like this around that age as well, and would have lived on cheese and yogurt if I let her. Just because that's what she's asking for doesn't mean it's what's best for her.

Here's what we did/do: Slowly, I began introducing more foods to balance out her diet a bit. Breakfast is milk and cereal. Snack is fruit, carrots with peanut butter dip (no sugar, the natural kind) or fruit pop (we make our own out of berries, banana and a smidge of vanilla yogurt). Lunch is generally something like mac and cheese or pb&j with a side of fruit. Afternoon snack is the same choices as the morning. Dinner is whatever we're eating.

I figure she can eat as much fruit and veggies as she wants. The rest of it is eaten in moderation.

[Artichokie]

My DD is 2.5. She can eat whenever she is hungry, but not necessarily what she wants to eat. If she says she is hungry, I believe her! She can eat a tremendous amount of food. She eats no refined sugar and no chemical sugar substitutes. A standard day for her:

b-fast: 4 whole wheat pancakes, a glop of whole plain yogurt, and an apple.

snack: banana

lunch: chicken thigh, about 1/2 c. brown rice, 1/2 c. green beans

snack: yogurt and grapes or berries

dinner: 3 black bean and beef tacos with cheese, salsa, lettuce, and broccoli on the side. We use mostly black beans with a little beef or buffalo mixed in because we love the flavor but prefer not to consume a lot of meat.

My one issue with your dd's meals is the amount of sugar/chemical sugar substitutes (in the sugar free popsicles) in her diet. Both of these stimulate the appetite and may be causing her to feel hungrier, sooner. Whole grains and whole fruit will stick with her longer.

I assume the keifer has refined sugar in it, and the yogurt (unless it is plain). Unless you are making your own, the bread has sugar in it, too (hopefully it is whole wheat). Lunch has more of the same bread plus sugar from jelly. Most hot dog buns are a simple carb and often have sugar. I have NEVER seen baked beans without sugar, and pickles sit in sugar brine. IMO the popsicles are evil (sorry about that). I have no clue if cheezits have sugar but I am guessing yes.


Just my 2 cents.

[BeanyMama]

I doesn't seem like a whole lot of food; all of mine loved (love) large quantities of food too so I try to keep the quality up there. Free access to raw fruits and veggies and dips, etc. Those are the kind of things that we don't generally over-eat. Check out Joel Fuhrman's Disease Proof Your Child, if you care to. He's got a ton of great info and suggestions for feeding hungry littles.

[neveryoumindthere]

The constant asking for food/always hungry got to me enough taht I asked our TCM doctor about it and she said it had to do with his digestion and that we needed to strengthen his system. She gave me some herbal honey supplement and within a couple days I noticed a BIG improvement. He was feeling more satisfied and not constantly asking for food (and I mean he would absolutely NOT stop during waking hours!!!)

Might be something to look into!

[Lilygoose]

It doesn't seem like an extreme amount of food to me either (my 21 month old could eat most of that in a day). However I would try substituting some fruits and veggies for some of those choices-my DD will eat just about any fruit and will chow down on cucumber slices all day long, and when she is asking for what seems alot of food or she just ate a nice large portion but wants more these are items I turn to. Fats and protein are very important to growing toddlers, but so are the vitamins and nutrients in fresh fruits and veggies. Re the breads whole grains? I find these to be more filling. Here is an example of her day:

b'fast-1 slice of whole grain toast w/pb or 1 slice of cheese or multi-grain cereal and 1/2 -1 cup of fresh fruit

snack-cucumber slices, 1/2 piece of fruit, or a slice of cheese (sometimes a combo of all of these if she's really hungry)

lunch-tuna, chicken, pb&j (all fruit spread with no sugar), black beans or grilled cheese (basically a protein plus 1 slice of bread); 1/2 c veggie (fresh or steamed), and some fruit or more veggies if she's still hungry

snack-whole grain goldfish or annie's bunny grahams snack (maybe 1/4-1/3 c) another protein if she's still hungry (black beans, cheese, pb and fruit) possibly another fruit or cucumbers if she still asks for more

dinner-whatever we're eating (protein, starch, veggie)

she usually gets some splurges in the week-maybe ice cream one time, or a couple of cookies, or cake if there's a party

She has a day every once in a while she doesn't eat this much, but many days she does and sometimes it a series of snacks, fruit, veg, protein, etc. between meals and she'll still eat a good portion of her meal. I don't deny her food unless a meal is planned for within a 1/2 hour, but I definitely choose the healthiest options I can when she's in constant eating mode.

[lmk1]

Honestly, it seems like way too much dairy and sugar, if you're concerned about her eating. I assume the jam has sugar in it. Some green vegetables would be good too. If she's looking for snacks, then give her some celery/carrot sticks/broccoli. You can make a yogurt dip pretty easy. My ds asks for popsicles too...but more than 1 day is very rarely allowed - and we make them ourselves with just juice, no sugar, and they're small (not the adult size). Hard to say what's in the hotdogs, I'd do more chicken or fish, instead.

[Violet2]

I'm really looking for feedback on quantity, not composition of diet.

Assume organic, whole grain, reduced sugar unless stated otherwise. The jam for example is reduced sugar which I noted in the OP--this is just 1g carb difference from SF jam made with Splenda. So quite low sugar. If memory serves, it's even lower carb than all fruit spreads--concentrated fruit is very sweet.

ETA: I had some all fruit spread on hand. 8g sugar vs. 5 for the reduced sugar jam we use. I harp on it b/c there are some erroneous inferences (and judgments imo) being made here.

Kefir and greek yogurt are low glycemic foods as well, where the carbs are well balanced by the protein content.

The hot dog, hot dog buns and cheezits are the worst things on that list in that regard. We only have the cheezits b/c DH bought them for a road trip and they are leftovers. If I had been there when he'd bought them, they wouldn't be in my house. The hot dogs are a phase for DH and I'm just trying to ride it out b/c it won't last.

We never eat buns either but someone is staying with us this summer and I feel it is impolite to make them eat bunless burgers or hotdogs when they don't eat the way we do. So DD gets buns for now, but it won't last.

I do deal with sugar issues myself and am quite well read on nutrition. Fruit can be just as bad in large quantity as hot dog buns in contributing to insulin spikes and crashes. So I would prefer she not gorge freely on carbs including fruit. However, she won't eat most veggies (they are offered though) or much meat.

DD didn't actually have bread as an option until recently b/c I got desperate to feed her something that wasn't more dairy and that she would actually eat. Yes, no bread until the second year. Or cereal, which I don't plan on ever buying. If Dd wants it she can earn the money to pay for it as far as I'm concerned.

Oatmeal she won't eat so that's out. I make almond flour flax cookies and muffins with fruit as the sweetener instead of commercially produced baked goods.

While I have made homemade yogurt, DD doesn't like it for some reason (I love it) so she gets organic greek yogurt which is nowhere near as much sugar or additives as other brands. Same with the kefir.

Again, not going for feedback on the food itself so much as quantity. I posted one day which really is a small view of the complete nutritional spectrum and like everyone else, I make compromises that everyone can live with.

V

[confustication]

With my very hungry two year old, I find that monkey platters work well. Some days it is raisins, hummus and pretzels and other days it may be simple fruit trays with a dip.

I did find that I had to eliminate real dairy for my toddler, so we are now using alternatives and he isn't hungry for his craving foods only anymore- he'll eat a much bigger variety. (This is fairly recent however, and we are dealing with spectrum issues, otherwise, I would absolutely use whole fat cheeses/milks/yogurts.)

Having those things available for cruise by snacking seems to eliminate a lot of pressure for both of us. If it is there constantly, he will self regulate better than when I offer it at set times or even under my control at his request. Also, I have water and very diluted juice constantly fresh and available. Sometimes he mistakes thirsty for hungry, so I prompt him to drink first as we live in a very arid climate.

With my oldest, somewhere between 2.5 and 3 was when we implemented the 'kid drawer' in then fridge. It was filled every day with an assortment of snacks, and she could self select what she wanted from the drawer whenever she was hungry. Empowering her to self regulate actually helped to increase her caloric intake (she was tiny- 23 lbs at age 3.)

My belief is that when you eliminate the power/control associated with snacking and food, you are setting kids up to listen to their bodies better than when we force them to ask. It does take some time to work though- as if she is used to having somewhat restricted access, she is likely to overeat for a few days initially. Those few days won't hurt in the long run, and it will let you watch what she reaches for on a regular basis. We also put things on the platters that are more adult friendly- and set a quiet example of eating those- usually he'll watch, and eventually try- even if it is something that isn't usually a part of his diet (raw broccoli yum!)

[MamaPhD]

I don't think that is too much food either. But it seems to me like not enough food before lunch from this menu example. I would also say you need way more fruits and veggies which have a lot of water and fiber and will fill up the tummy more.

Another suggestion is what is your toddler doing when she is asking for food, in other words, is she bored? My toddler can get in a bored mode and then start alternating asking for milk & tv. I take her out (yeah, she is protesting at this point) to the playground, and we can play for 2 hours easily with minimal snack (2 crackers and water) and she perks up like no amount of milk & tv!

Oh, I just read the last part of your OP, and yes I think so.

[ShyDaisi]

My son would be starving! He is a really BIG eater, but is on the small side for his age so I try to go with the flow. We no longer finish eating a meal before he is ready for something else. I try not to worry because he is choosing healthy options. I am expecting him to go through a growth spurt soon because of all the extra he is eating...but his body is calling for it, it seems...

[bender]

You could also offer the oatmeal made into granola. She might enjoy it more that way. Also, maybe some cereals can be snacks, like puffed wheat, kashi, shredded wheat, fiber one.

Here's a link with some sample menus and ideas:
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/toddl...r_toddler.html

[Super~Single~Mama]

I would say not to worry about it. It sounds like she's doing fine.

If it makes you feel any better, my older brother was a chub until he was about 5, and my parents thought he was going to be a chubby adult. But, now he's 26, and can't possibly weigh any more than 150 (but probably more like 140).

I would follow her lead, and as long as she's active, don't worry about it! I know my ds is so active that when I think he's eating alot, I just have to remind myself how many calories he's burning off by doing all his running around!

ETA - I forgot to mention, when my brother was a baby he ate like nobody's business! When the spoon would start to scrape the bottom of the bowl he would start crying! He would eat until he started burping up food (my parents DID NOT force us to eat - they went with the flow, and he just really likes to eat!). He still eats tons of food, and just really enjoys to eat.

[dakotablue]

crashing in. I just wanted to add that sometimes an allergy or intolerance can be masked as a craving. I don't know if your thought about this.

I know for myself (I recently found out I am allergic to gluten 3 years ago) I was a crazy bread, cereal any carbs I could get my hands on eater. I was a thin child though but my grandmother often mentioned how I was a bottomless pit for breads.

Maybe she's craving dairy because of this?

[LadyCatherine185]

This sounds similar to how much my 22 month old eats. Not sure how tall he is, but weighs around 31 lbs. He still has a bit of chub (always been a chunky baby) left, but he looks and acts healthy. Rarely gets sick. He is also very active. He is always asking for food as well, every couple hours or more, so I try to give him the "healthy" things first, then the less than healthy things second. Like, fruits and veggies first, then the protein, and then the starch/grain. That way while he is hungry he is more likely to eat the veggies, then the protien and if he is still hungry he can have some less "healthy" things like crackers, etc. I also try to make sure he gets plenty of filling foods. Oh, and he drinks Coconut Milk, as he has had some dairy sensitivity.

[rightkindofme]

That isn't much more than I give my two year old and she's about 34" and 27 lbs so I don't feel like you are real out of line.

I do find that the more we hang out in the house the more she asks for food out of boredom. She alternates between asking for food, asking for books, asking for games, asking for youtube videos--all pretty indiscriminately. I'm thinking about starting a snack tray of veggies and fruit that I'll set out in the morning just because I'm tired of being asked all day long.