help! 5 year old boy always eating! i mean ALWAYS

[Jessica Kearns]

 i have a 5 year old son which he is always hungry no matter what time of the day! we just got done having lunch and a snack  10 mins ago and he is hungry again i dont know what to do he is eating me out of house and home/ he will eat more then i do and then want his brothers too i do not give him junk food and dont have it in my house so its not like he sees it and wants it. he only does this with me and not his babysitter or his grandparents maybe bc they are not going to give in! but if i dont give it i hear it ever 2 secs til i give him something! at school he is fine and even comes home with food still will say that he is hungry right after school and will ask if he has left overs and he will say yes and i tell him he can eat that! but he said but i am not hungry for that but i tell him if you are hungry you will eat it and whatever i give you! he sneaks food too so now i have to lock my fridge(i know its bad but something has to be done) and all snacks are locked up in my room! if i let him he can get a whole package of hotdogs i cant even eat 3 i need some advice on what to do!

[Polliwog]

What types of foods are you giving him for lunch and snack.

[Jessica Kearns]

 i always make a meat and veggies for lunch he will wait up at 4 am wanting to eat after going to be at 8 and having a snack at 730  and right when he needs to go to bed he says he is hungry! at  dinner i make veggies meat and a starch and he will want more plus whatever  his 3 year old brother didnt eat! when i make pizza he will eat 5 slices to my 3 in one sitting

[nextcommercial]

A lot of times, it's just habit or boredom.  If he's not hungry all the time, just with you, he's probably not really hungry.

I would try to reprogram him, and find ways for him to be having fun, and too busy to eat all the time, then see if he changes his habits.  

But, after school they are always hungry... they could eat a whole meal after school, then eat again at dinner... it's not unusual to eat a lot from 3:00-6:00 pm.  We all have our times during the day when we are super hungry, then times we aren't so hungry.  

[Polliwog]

Sounds a lot like my DS, Especially when he's gearing up for a growth spurt. Make sure you are giving him lots of complex carbs at mealtimes and snacks.

[AllisonR]

My kids are birds, but that does sound extreme. I would guess it is habit, since you say he doesn't do it other places. Could you do a bunch of stuff for a few days. Run out to the playground, direct to gym class, to the library for reading hour... then see if he doesn't ask so much.

A long shot - it could be a nutritional imbalance. Several times in my life I have had obscene cravings - wanting to eat everything, eating erasers and dirt... crazy. But it turned out to be anemia and my blood count for iron and vit D and something else I can't remember now were extremely low. This made my body CRAVE totally crazy stuff. I could eat all the spinach and broccoli in the world, and was, but if my body is that laking in certain vitamins and minerals, then my brain is going to tell me to EAT EAT EAT. In my case it was due to prolonged blood loss. No idea what it would be in your DS case, if anything. 

[Alenushka]

Such hunger can be a simptom

 of hyperthyroid. Go to the doctor. All it takes is a simple blood test.

It can also be connected to blood sugar. Again,a simple blood test.

In rare cases, tapeworm.

It is not normal to have to lock food. A doctor can do tests to determine is something is physically wrong.

[Love]

In addition to the medical things mentioned above excessive hunger can also be a sign of worms.

How is his weight? I hve a couple different thoughts about it all. I would entirely agree that if he is ONLY doing this with you that it is a behaviour rather than a need for food. On the other hand if you are offering him healthy veggies and things like that as a snack and his weight is normal i do not see the harm in it. 5 slices of pizza just isnt healthy though i personally would not be willing to give my chid excess of something with such poor nutritional value. If he is going to eat in excess then my idea would definitely be for some limits to be established and boundaries. I would give him normal portions ofyour balanced meals that everyone else is also eating and if he wants more i would only offer fresh veggies or small amounts of fruit. Complex carbs like mentioned above. Always keeping an eye on his weight though... It could even be possible he is needing extra fat for a growth spurt. If thats not what he wants imo too bad lol because you know he isnt going to starve or be lacking from having excessive pizza for example and if he is demanding that he is truly hungry then what it is he eats shouldnt be a factor let him make the choice good for him or nothing.

Maybe that sounds mean but honestly he will have you to thank later when his health is thriving from the good eating habits you established at a young age.




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[laohaire]

I don't have special knowledge or experience, but this is my take:

• Go to the doctor to check on things. Could be parasites, a thyroid problem, vitamin or mineral deficiency, or other issue. Better to treat a condition if there is one and it can be found.
• If he's cleared of any medical problems, and you feel he is healthy, I would let him eat as much as he wants. The only caveat being that you choose what's on the table and when meal-time and snack-time is.
• Book recommendation: Child of Mine, by Ellen Satter.

[chaimom]

I would see a doctor, too.  But first, I would offer him water before he eats and throughout the day.  My 5yo dd carries a water bottle with her everywhere.   Maybe he's actually thirsty, but doesn't know what that feeling is?