How often do they eat?

[Novus]

DS is almost 18 mos old and he is ALWAYS eating. Literally. Here's our typical meal/snack schedule:

7:30 wakes up & nurses
8:30 breakfast
10 snack
11:30 lunch
12:30 nurses & naps
3 snack
4:30 another snack
6:15 dinner
7:30 another snack
8 nurses & goes to bed

He also wakes up at least once at night to nurse and has recently been asking to eat (food) when he wakes up too. Oh, and when he isn't actually eating, he's asking to eat. He'll finish a meal and ask to eat again less than five minutes later. And his meals/snacks aren't small either. For lunch today, he ate chicken, cheese, a slice of pita bread, peas, and some pumpkin bread. And then asked to eat again as soon as I got him down from his high chair.

Is this normal toddler behavior? Can toddlers overeat? He doesn't seem to be gaining weight madly or anything (in fact, I don't think he's gained anything substantial in the past 3 months) and most of what he eats is pretty healthy, although he usually turns down all things green.

[Llyra]

I think what you're describing sounds pretty normal. My kids as young toddlers all ate three meals, plus two snacks, a day, plus their milk on demand all day.

I think that if you restrict access to too much unhealthy stuff- especially refined carbs-- that you can rely on their appetites to guide you-- if they're hungry, let them eat.

[Norasmomma]

My son eats constantly, he's 13 months. He is incredibly active and takes after his dad's brothers who lean, mean eating machines.

He eats more than many adults.

[MamaPhD]

DD is almost 2 and she eats literally throughout the day. Today, it was like...
7:30am milk (we do soy milk in sippy cup)
8:30 breakfast
10 snack
10:30 milk
11:30 lunch
1:30 snack
3 snack
4-6:30pm a loooooooong snacking/dinner!
8pm milk at bedtime

I just recently figured out the evening eating marathon thing. If we do it, DD falls asleep like an angel and sleeps through the night. If not, she takes forever to fall asleep, keeps asking for food she won't eat, wakes up at night 1-2x.

[colsxjack]

Our 16 month old DD eats all day too. There are days where her meals and snacks are smaller, and days when they are all huge. She eats breakfast, and then sometimes another little breakfast if someone else is eating. Then a snack, then lunch, another snack, then some snacking before dinner, and then dinner.
She also nurses on demand all day on the 4 days a week Mama isn't working and nurses when ever Mama is home. She also nurses 3-5 times through the night. Her snacks can sometimes last all day with small snacks every 15-20 minutes so she is eating all day.

She hasn't gained much weight lately either.