How much does your 3 year old eat?

[scsigrl]

My DD turned 3 in January.

She eats NON-STOP.  All day long.  ALL DAY LONG.

She would eat more if I didn't get sick of her asking and say no. She and her brother (who is 2 years older) eat 4 meals a day already and she asks for snacks a MINIMUM of 4 times between each of these meals.  Every day.  My DS eats 1/2 as much as she does.

They are both dairy, gluten, egg, tree nut and peanut free.  She was tested for allergies as a baby (was intolerant as an infant) and they were all negative (including Celiac testing but who knows really about that).  

I am just trying to figure out if there is something I am missing that I need to look into?  It just doesn't seem right to me how much she eats.

TIA

[Blessed_Mom]

Sorry I have no real answers...but am curious.. what are your snacks like?

Thanks

[fruitfulmomma]

Is she recently weaned? My 3yo is just done and has started acting like she is starving at bedtime since I cut that feeding out. She does eat a lot during the day too. She is not big at all.

eta,we also have lots of food intolerances with her.

[scsigrl]

No, she's been weaned for about a year now.

They wat at 8, 11, 2 and 4:30 (mini-meals)

Snacks are things like Chex, rice cereal, carrots, once in a while fruit (she'll only eat raspberries reliably and at $5 a pop for organic, I can't afford them often), bean dip or hummus with crackers.

[fruitfulmomma]

Is there anyway to get her more fatty foods, maybe avocados? Without both dairy and nuts she might not be getting enough.

[scsigrl]

They do tuna and sun butter for meals plus chicken/beef for dinner. Diet wise, she's getting plenty of fats.  She won't touch avocado plus her brother is allergic to bananas and they cross react so we keep them out of the house anyway for the most part.

[fruitfulmomma]

dd can't do those either, she has a confirmed latex allergy and reacts to both, but we can do dairy and a few nuts.

my only other thought is growth spurt but it sounds  like she has been at this awhile.

[scsigrl]

Originally Posted by fruitfulmomma 

my only other thought is growth spurt but it sounds  like she has been at this awhile.

Yeah, no nuts here (DS's allergic) so the sun butter helps there a bit.

Yes, it's been going on for a long time now.  I am just floored at how much she eats.  She literally will ask for the next thing while chewing her last bits of breakfast/lunch/dinner.  It is really non-stop!

[crunchy_mommy]

Hmm could you post what a whole day might look like for her?

DS eats a lot, way more than his friends, but it sounds like still much less than how much your DD eats. If you really think it's extreme, has she been tested for metabolic issues? So you're saying she eats 4 meals PLUS 4 times between each meal, so that's 16+ times a day??? That seems a lot, but if it's just grazing, a bite here & another there, and it's overall balanced, I might not be too concerned.

DS fluctuates I guess. Lately he's been eating pretty normally, 3 meals and 2-3 snacks a day. Sometimes he goes through phases where he'll eat much more than that, pretty much constantly throughout the day. He also really loves trying new/less familiar foods, so when we're out with friends or at a party, he's liable to just sit down and eat for a few hours (taking breaks to play).

Until recently he was vegan and gluten-free... now he's just gluten-free, and has no dietary limitations (aside from artificial colors/flavors and stuff like that). I do think he has been eating much less since we started including animal products in his diet. I also think he seems to eat less when we make any snacks into mini-meals... maybe because it keeps his blood sugar more stable? (I'm hypoglycemic so I try to be conscious of that)... so snacks generally include a protein, minimal grains or at least whole grains, and some fat... like a smoothie with banana, nut butter, & coconut milk, or hummus with crackers and carrots, or a piece of fruit & some sunflower seeds, things like that. It sounds like a lot of your DD's snacks are grains? Even from my own experience eating a grain-heavy diet, it made me eat way more food... replacing the grains with protein seemed to help *me*. I'm not sure what your protein sources are, besides meat & fish? Are there any nuts you CAN keep in the house? How about seeds? Beans? Is she allergic to eggs & dairy now? Have you tried including some kind of meat or something earlier in the day rather than for dinner?

[scsigrl]

B-fast: (7-8 AM ish)

1 GF pancake or waffle (1/4 of a big circle one)

2 sausage links or 2-3 Canadian bacon slices

Snack 1:

Chex or rice cereal (dry) or cracker

Snack 2:

Whatever she didn't get for snack 1

Lunch #1: (11 AM)

6 crackers with 4 slices of pepperoni or chicken lunch meat (Applegate farms so it's the big pepperonis) or Chicken strips (depends on if she has school or not and what's for dinner)

Snack:

Fruit strip or carrots (sometimes fruit but she isn't a fan)

Lunch #2  (2 PM)

Tuna, hummus or sunbutter on crackers

Snack:

Whatever I can find as I am running out of food by this point.

Dinner:

Whatever we are having if it's meat.  Doesn't usually eat the side dishes we have either starch or veg.

Snack:  Carrots usually.

And she is usually asking more often then I do feed her.  It isn't like I am only giving her a small scoop of whatever either.  As I said, she eats the same/more than her brother who is 2 years older. I just don't see this as normal but I also know DS eats very little so I am just not sure if I am not judging it poorly.

[crunchy_mommy]

What you posted doesn't sound abnormal to me... and if she's not eating fruits & veggies then she might not fill up as much. I would consider giving her bigger & more balanced snacks and see if that helps her go a bit longer between meals.

For comparison's sake, this is what DS has eaten today (which is a low-average day, many days he eats a ton more than this):

Breakfast:
breastmilk
leftover quinoa "mac & cheese" with broccoli

Snack:
2 bananas

Lunch:
sweet potato & beet salad, tofu pup

Snack:
GF crackers & hummus, GF pretzels

Snack:
sunflower seeds, cheese stick, carrots

Snack:
yogurt & peanut butter (with a few chocolate chips )

He'll have another snack (probably a piece of fruit and some other nibblies) and then dinner will be whatever we're eating, including any sides/veg/etc.

So that doesn't seem to me to be much different than the amount your DD eats, and like I said, often DS eats way more than the above, plus he's still nursing. He does eat more than most kids I know though (both in quantity & variety... he really loves food... and he nursed an extreme amount as a baby/toddler too...)

ETA: Can your DD eat tofu? That might be another source of protein. Cut into cubes it could be a good snack. And how about coconut milk for fats? Now there is also coconut yogurt, ice cream, etc. It sounds like she eats a ton of crackers & starches (or maybe just did in the sample day you posted!) and I don't think those tend to be very filling or nutrient-rich.
Edited by crunchy_mommy - 2/16/12 at 3:21pm

[crunchy_mommy]

Also, how much does she drink? Any chance she could be mistaking thirst for hunger?

[~cassie~]

Andrew is 3.5 and eats about every 1-2 hours.  His deal though is that he loves fruits and veggies vs anything that is heavy so it isn't staying as long in his belly as if he had some more protein with his snacks/meals.

[newmamalizzy]

I don't have a 3 year old - yet(!), but the sample day you posted makes me wonder if she could be missing some fruit/veggie nutrition.  It actually didn't sound like a ton of food to me, but it did seem a bit unbalanced.  Sounds like your daughter just isn't very keen on fruits and veggies at this point, but it might not hurt to add one to every meal, from an aspirational standpoint.

[scsigrl]

I offer her (as in one her plate not "Do you want some") fruits and veggies at every meal. She won't eat them. I can not make her so while it may seem heavy in carbs, it is also heavy in protein.  Is she missing fruits and veggies? Yes. I am aware of that but I can not force it into her.  She won't do smoothies or muffins (not to mention I can afford to bake more because flour is $7 for 3 cups.)

I am not a fan of soy so we won't do tofu. Plus it isn't the protein she's lacking.  Can't do coconut because of household allergies.

I was more worried about the amount she eats, not what she's eating.  It just seems like a ton of food to me.  If others say it sound about what other 3 year olds are eating, I am okay with that. Like I said, I am not comparing kids but her brother is the only other kids I have even fed and and he SILL doesn't eat as much as she does!

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by scsigrl 

I was more worried about the amount she eats, not what she's eating.  It just seems like a ton of food to me.  If others say it sound about what other 3 year olds are eating, I am okay with that. Like I said, I am not comparing kids but her brother is the only other kids I have even fed and and he SILL doesn't eat as much as she does!

It does seem like on the high end as far as how much she's eating (but not WAY too much or anything, just on the high end). The reason we're pointing out WHAT she eats is because she seems to have a very restricted diet. From my own experience, you need to eat a higher quantity to make up for the lack of variety & resulting lack of nutrients. If she was eating a balanced & varied diet, we'd assume she's just a really hungry little kid. Because she's not eating a balanced diet, the large amounts she's eating could actually be the result of her diet. When I was eating an unbalanced diet, I are HUGE quantities of food. As soon as I added new foods & more variety to my diet, I was able to eat more normal portions and less frequently.

Does she take a multivitamin? I would consider one if she doesn't, maybe a liquid multi...

[Super~Single~Mama]

Are there any veggies that she DOES like? My ds LOVES sweet potatoes, and would eat them until he turned orange, same with carrots. Could you offer her Hummus more often? Or make enough so that she could have it twice/day? I say that because its very healthy, and has some protein in it.

Honestly, my ds easily eats that amount in one day. Easily. Sometimes much much more. I feel like some days he eats more than I do. He just turned 3yo in January (he doesn't snack as much, but some of his meals are 3-4x the size of your dd's meals, and dinner is HUGE, plus he has a HUGE snack on the way home from daycare every afternoon).

When you give her carrots can you offer hummus for her to dip them in? My ds would love that, and it would add some more calories to that snack.

Some of the meals that you posted didn't sound like nearly enough for my ds - and I know you are offering her more and thats just what she's eating, but it doesn't sound excessive to me. Can you offer bread instead of crackers? We don't have any food restrictions, but I would try to offer her some stuff that her brother can't eat (except nuts - those can be very serious allergies) if it would improve her nutrition and she doesn't react to it.

[scsigrl]

Originally Posted by crunchy_mommy 


It does seem like on the high end as far as how much she's eating (but not WAY too much or anything, just on the high end). The reason we're pointing out WHAT she eats is because she seems to have a very restricted diet. From my own experience, you need to eat a higher quantity to make up for the lack of variety & resulting lack of nutrients. If she was eating a balanced & varied diet, we'd assume she's just a really hungry little kid. Because she's not eating a balanced diet, the large amounts she's eating could actually be the result of her diet. When I was eating an unbalanced diet, I are HUGE quantities of food. As soon as I added new foods & more variety to my diet, I was able to eat more normal portions and less frequently.
Does she take a multivitamin? I would consider one if she doesn't, maybe a liquid multi...

She does take a multi-vit.  Her diet is no more restricted (by what I offer) as her brothers who is overseen by a dietitian except by her own choices.  Her diet isn't balanced because of HER limiting her choices. Again, I can not make her eat beans, potatoes, veggies and fruits.  So yes, I get what you are all saying about a more well balanced diet but again, I can not force feed her. She just doesn't like it if it isn't a meat, carb or carrot.

Originally Posted by Super~Single~Mama 

Are there any veggies that she DOES like? My ds LOVES sweet potatoes, and would eat them until he turned orange, same with carrots. Could you offer her Hummus more often? Or make enough so that she could have it twice/day? I say that because its very healthy, and has some protein in it.

Honestly, my ds easily eats that amount in one day. Easily. Sometimes much much more. I feel like some days he eats more than I do. He just turned 3yo in January (he doesn't snack as much, but some of his meals are 3-4x the size of your dd's meals, and dinner is HUGE, plus he has a HUGE snack on the way home from daycare every afternoon).

When you give her carrots can you offer hummus for her to dip them in? My ds would love that, and it would add some more calories to that snack.

Some of the meals that you posted didn't sound like nearly enough for my ds - and I know you are offering her more and thats just what she's eating, but it doesn't sound excessive to me. Can you offer bread instead of crackers? We don't have any food restrictions, but I would try to offer her some stuff that her brother can't eat (except nuts - those can be very serious allergies) if it would improve her nutrition and she doesn't react to it.

There aren't any that we can afford and that she'll eat on a regular basis.  She's hit or miss on much of it (which I know it normal).  One day she loves beets and the next MEAL she'll claim she hates them and has never tried them ever her life and scream about them being on her plate.

When I list the foods I didn't list the amounts.  She is eating a ton of each of these things.  She will often eat more meat than DH or I do at dinners and ask for more but we stop at about twice what we eat.  

She won't eat the bread we do have in the house and ALL of the allergens listed are dangerous as in anaphylactic.  She has tried dairy but has an obvious intolerance to it.  We have not tried egg because we don't keep them in the house and wheat based items are off because while she tested negative as an infant, she may have Celiac and we are holding off on introducing gluten to her because of other issues.
 

[crunchy_mommy]

Hmm what about freeze-dried veggies or plantain chips in place of crackers? Or homemade veggie chips? Have you tried roasted veggies? How about shredded veggies (carrots & beets & sweet potatoes are our favorites) with a sauce or dressing? What about some kind of homemade meatball kind of thing with shredded veggies in it? Have you tried making a sauce or dip with pureed veggies? Tomato is the obvious choice but you could puree sweet potato, cucumber, eggplant, roasted veggies, etc.

I am lucky to have a good eater now but at the same time, DS has never had the option of eating just crackers & meat all day. I kind of have the attitude that if a kid is hungry enough, they will eat more variety. So I would slowly offer fewer & fewer crackers and more & more fruits & veggies until eventually she has no choice but to eat the fruits & veggies or starve (and she won't starve!!) I wouldn't ever limit quantity of food but I do regularly limit choices so that only nutrient-rich, varied choices are available.

[scsigrl]

We have tried sauces and dips. She doesn't eat them on anything.  As I said she will occasionally eat hummus. Again, total hit or miss. She won't touch anything freeze-dried or dehydrated (and nutritionally, they aren't really that great anyway).  She won't eat pasta with sauce on it (as in she makes us wash off any sauce from it).  

I do limit her choices. She will choose not to eat over "apple or pear".  So while I understand your position, she won't eat anything, hungry or not, if it isn't what she wants to eat.  We have gone that route with her and she will choose not to eat ALL DAY if I give her the choice of "this veg or that. This fruit or that."  
 

So while the meat and crackers isn't ideal, she needs to eat. So between nothing and that, I will chose the later.