21 month old cannot get enough to eat

[EmbraceLife]

My 21 month old is always hungry.  He asks for more and more and more and I've been giving it to him.  This has been going on for two weeks. 

I thought maybe he was just on a growing spurt.  He is developmentally delayed and we don't have all of the answers to diagnosis yet, however, we know there's some needs.  Additionally, he is on a very restricted diet do to allergies so I think he needs more food because of this too.  His food intake has increased a lot over the last couple of weeks.  I'm just not sure when enough is enough.  He cannot have soy, corn, egg, nut, gluten, wheat, dairy or beef.

He's non verbal.  He signs eat and more.  After he ate breakfast this morning, we went to the playroom and he immediately began signing eat.

Any advice?

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

Could you get a blood test to see if he's deficient in anything? 

[bri276]

What is he eating?  Maybe it's a growth spurt.  I would try to get filling food into him, i.e. fat and protein rather than carbs.  Can he have avocado, coconut milk/oil made into smoothies, pumpkin seed butter?  Turkey, chicken, even for breakfast in the form of sausage or bacon?  I know my kids will sit and eat bread, crackers, fruit and cereal for three hours straight if that's all I give them, but if I give them a plate full of fat/protein they can barely finish it before they feel full...

[JudiAU]

It sounds like a growth spurt which is very common at that age. I would focus on good proteins and then eat to satisfaction. If the behavior continues or becomes really focused i.e. meat only or something than it could be a nutritional deficiet.

[Joey'smom]

Looks like you are already getting some good advice here.  But if he is still hungry, you can always let him eat as many veggies as he wants as long he is not allergic to them.  They will help fill him up, and they shouldn't have a negative impact on his weight.

And some kids who have devolopment delays also have sensory issues.  They tend to be either sensory-defensive (not liking certain textures or touching) or sensory-seeking (want to touch everything and be hugged really tightly).  And many of these kids can have a focus of this with their mouth.  So it's also possible that he is not necessarily hungry, but likes crunching on something to satisfy another need.  I've had experience with both, so if you think this is a possibility, let me know and we can talk about it some more.