Do you ever cut them off? - Page 2

[JessicaS]

I don't cut them off. If a child wants a lot of food then they probably need it. Kids going through growth spurts eat a LOT.

It would need to be somewhat healthy food, I wouldn't just permit tons junk or tons of bread, I would tell them they had to put something on it to get more.

[pumpkin]

If it's healthy food I will give her as much as she wants. I do limit prunes because that can have consequences and she will happily eat half a package if I let her.

We really struggle with weight gain so I can't imagine limiting her consumption.
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[Jennifer Z]

Originally Posted by Banana731

I do. 2 eggs and fruit and toast is more than enough for an adult at a sitting, so it is certainly enough for a child or toddler who obviously has a much smaller stomach. Children go through growth spurts, sure, and if they need a snack again soon during certain times then fine. But I don't care if it's healthy or not, eating too much is a bad habit. It takes time to feel full after a meal, you have to learn to recognize the signals that your body is sending you and plenty of adults are not good at that, why would a child be an better at it. I don't think you can compare breastmilk and food, it's not the same.

Not true at all, and IMO, the kind of thinking that can lead to eating issues. Their stomach's might be smaller, but they are designed to accommodate food. You need a lot more calories during growth spurts than many adults need to maintain themselves. My 8yo ate more as a toddler than he often does now, and the same is true for my daughter. Not every day, not even by a stretch, but when they were getting ready to have some sort of growth spurt or mental leap they eat an insane amount, sometimes until they get just a bit of a belly, then start sleeping a more and sometime complain of leg pain, and suddenly the belly is gone again and their pants are too short.

I do limit unhealthy foods & starches because they mess with the body's ability to self regulate, but healthy foods and fats, let them have as much as they want.

[ChocolateNummies]

At that age, no, assuming the food is nutritious. When they are older, depends on the kid. My daughter in all her 8.5 years has never once told me she's eaten too much and felt overfull and/or sick. She self-regulates really well even with special-occasion sweets and treats. I almost don't even monitor her.

My 6 yo son, otoh, tends to overeat if he really loves something, though he is getting better. I monitor him more closely and if I become concerned about the amount he's eating I'll ask him if his tummy is full. Then I'll remind him that I can save whats left on his plate or an extra portion for him to have later. Sometimes that prompts him to stop, sometimes he keeps eating. I still let him decide for the most part. It's just that sometimes with his favorite foods he seems to want to know that it won't all be gone later if he doesn't eat all he can now.

For both of them, though, I do require that nutritious food is eaten first before the "fun" stuff, unless it's at a birthday party or something like that.

[BetsyS]

I do cut off junk or blueberries, prunes, and plums. Things with a very negative consequence.

[EdnaMarie]

I wouldn't just permit tons junk or tons of bread, I would tell them they had to put something on it to get more.

This is so funny, because my kids lick off the topping and then hide the bread. If it's the multi-grain I make, that is.

[velochic]

Not whole foods, no. We do almost no processed food, so this hasn't been an issues, but as long as you feeding healthy food... as much as their body tells them to eat.

[moondiapers]

I'll cut them off from one food and offer another instead so the meal is more balanced. I probably would have offered fruit after the first egg, but as long as they aren't eatting so fast that their body might not know it's full yet....I keep allowing more healthy food.

[bandgeek]

I generally don't let DS consume huge amounts of one food group without touching the other food. I know that generally their diets round out over time, but when you have a kid who is a sporadic eater at best, it doesn't work out so well. I won't let him keep eating pile after pile of mashed potatoes if he hasn't touched the other foods ya know? He needs variety. I also suspect his blood sugar cashes from time to time. So I push the protein and low-glycemic foods. I will usually let him have unlimited amounts of fruits and veggies though. Simply because you really can't go wrong with them, especially the higher protein ones like broccoli. I also have to restrict his liquid calories or he'd live off of almond milk.

[redvlagrl]

I don't cut mine off (she is also an egg-lover) but I won't let her eat a LOT of one food. I offer something else if she is still hungry. Usually something else I know she loves (like 2 eggs and then fruit)

[mokey4]

My daughter used to eat a scary amount of food when she was around 1 year old.. things like chili, stew, meat... heavy on the protein. I think she ate as much as I did, and sometimes more!

Now she's 19 months and such a picky eater, I worry that she's not eating enough. The only thing she is guaranteed to eat is pasta, pizza, and oatmeal (for breakfast). And sometimes not even those things so much. She also tends to like fruit, but it's weird- she either eats a TON or outright rejects it.

I've never really cut her off... my understanding is that they learn how much to eat by being allowed to eat as much as they want/need. As long as it's nutritious food- I've cut off some fruit, raisins (she'll seriously OD on these), cheerios, etc.