almost 3 year old CONSTANTLY hungry--growth spurt?--what else??

[mamaharrison]

I am mostly venting I suppose, but also looking for shared experience here.

My DD will be 3 in less than 2 months and has never really been quite an eater until recently. She still breastfeeds multiple times daily and until recently through the night and that has always been her preferred food source.

I am 13 weeks pregnant now. No noticeable dip in supply {and this has been going on since a few weeks prior to the pregnancy anyway} as stated by DD. She still nurses the same. Although I have made the moves to try to nightwean her, she nurses for at least 3o minutes to sleep and then again when the sun is up for the last few hours we are in bed--continuously. In other words, I do NOT think she is missing out on any milk ; )
She recntly {prior to pregnancy} started saying she is ALWAYS hungry and will eat tons of food. So, we thought--growth spurt--nd yes, she has been growing these last 4 months, but nothing dramatic or off the charts. She is no more active than any other kid her age. Yet she is eating constantly. Like she eats a full meal--steak, potatoes, salad, corn and then we get in the car 15 minutes later and she is so hungry she is crying. So, we feed her nuts in the car and she eats a bunch and then we get home and within 30 minutes she is in bed with me nursing--nurses both boobs for 30 minutes, drinks a full glass of water, and is CRYING because she is so hungry. DH has to come in with MORE cashews to feed her. I mean....seriously?!! 

So, my question{s} is this: What can I feed her to keep her full? Is this a growth spurt and if so how long does it last {this has been going on since she was 2.5 in January and is DAILY}? How much do your kids eat at this age? Does she still seriously need calories in the middle of the night or is this just her body getting used to the changes? I have been attempting to nightwean her for about 1 month--some nights she sleeps straight through without waking-rare-and others she wakes 1x and asks and I just tell her they are sleeping and we cuddle back to sleep. The longest she is going without nursing is 8-10 hours and that hasn't happened often. How do you handle this in your home? We don't deny her food or tell her she isn't hungry ever, but there are times when she won't eat what we offer her and we feel like she can't be THAT hungry if she isn't interested in 3 things we have suggested and then we try to move on from there--sometimes it works, but more often she just insists on still being hungry and having to eat--we don't feed her junk, so, we don't feel like that is the problem. AGGGGHH {can you feel it through my post?!}!!

[newmamalizzy]

I guess I feel like eating often is normal, but not to the point of crying with hunger that often.  Is there any possibility that what she's feeling is not actually hunger?  It just sounds like she's eating and eating and it's somehow not solving the problem, so perhaps there's actually a different need that she needs filled that she doesn't know how to describe?  The one thing I thought of was blood sugar.  In the examples you gave, it sounds she's eating proteins, complex carbs...are things any different if you give her something that would have more of an effect on her blood sugar?  Or could there be a nutrient deficiency, maybe? 
 

[mamaharrison]

My DD eats a wide range of foods and is quite healthy. She is Gluten allergic and so doesn't eat many grains or processed foods. I don't think this is related to blood sugar at all, but I am interested to think that she can eat almost constantly and still be hungry--genuinely hungry--enough to wake up and eat in bed and then go back to sleep. How long do growth spurts last at this age?

[Just1More]

Is it possible she isn't getting enough fat in her diet? You mentioned giving her nuts, which is good, but maybe you could try adding olive oil to some of her foods?

Also, have you tracked how many calories she eats in a 24 hour period? Knowing for sure would help you see better what's really going on. If she is eating mostly fruits and veggies, she could eat a ton before racking up very many calories. My dd, who is 7, ate 5 peaches, half a quart of strawberries, and a large handful of peas in the pod, all raw, for lunch the other day.