7 yr old boy eating a ton lately.. anyone else?

[HappyTomato]

My son started out as a picky eater but we've worked through that and just recently I've noticed that he can put away alot of food if its his favorite. He's not overweight ... only 52 lbs ... but I'm getting concerned that he's heading towards overweight if he keeps this up. Should I be limiting him? For example, last night he ate 2 tacos and probably 3 oz of chicken breast in addition to that. I'm just not used to seeing him put away so much food! This was after a baseball game and he was super hungry. I can barely get him to eat breakfast most mornings before school and he eats half his lunch at best so maybe he's just making up for that sometimes? What do you think? TIA

[Alyantavid]

Growth spurt? My oldest was a picky toddler and then around 6-7, he started becoming much less picky and could eat a ton. He's super skinny and I know if he hasn't eaten alot during the day, he'll eat alot at dinner.

I don't limit how much my kids eat if it's something healthy. I think it's much better for kids to learn to listen to their bodies than have someone else telling them how much to eat.

[kcparker]

An acquaintance of mine says that her kids will go from hardly touching their food to eating like they have a hollow leg about a month before they have a huge growth spurt, and she's seen this pattern in her son since he was an infant. I'd put my money that as the answer. I wouldn't limit his food - it's not like he's eating a bag of Halloween candy and chasing it with a pint of ice cream.

[MamaEli]

Two tacos? Totally normal at our house! DS (7) goes through stages where he will eat one egg, half a sandwich, and a banana ALL DAY.....then, we have days like today where he gobbled down over half (six pieces) of a medium pizza for lunch. He's probably getting ready to grow--start putting away money now for new shoes and pants!

[pbjmama]

My 4.5 yo is 50 lbs and that just puts him at the top of the charts. If your ds is exercising alot he will need more calories. It will even out. I think 52 lbs at 7 is probably just over 50th percentile.

[DariusMom]

Try three tacos at our house! My DS (7.5) has been eating *a ton* lately. He's actually never been a picky eater but now he's just eating lots and lots. I think a growth spurt is coming up . . .. which is a shame, in a way, because I just bought him several new pairs of jeans! He hadn't really outgrown the others, just worn them out over the summer. Oh well!

[velochic]

Originally Posted by HappyTomato

What do you think? TIA

I think every child is different, but in general, as long as you are offering healthy foods, let him decide how much he needs.

2 tacos and a bit of chicken does not sound like a lot of food to me for that age. I have an 8yo dd and I remember at that age she was 46", 46lbs. Even when not going through a growth spurt, she could easily eat some chips and guacamole, then two tacos with a side of beans and corn cake. She is very, very average height and weight. Not "thin", but a very healthy muscular, slender. She can eat much more than that when she's about to have a growth spurt.

Just follow his cues.