Daughter Eating like Crazy!

She is most likely hitting a growth spurt. As long as she is eating good food and not junk, there should be no reason to worry.

You could add some yogurt to her diet to help with digestion and maybe some whole grains like steel cut oats and brown rice instead of the rolled oats and white rice. Some one suggested higher fat foods, I would concur. Kids this age need the fat for proper brain development. Cook with olive oil or butter (its no bad as most people are led to believe). The whole grains will also add a bit of healthy fat. Eggs are also a good source. You can try those omega 3 eggs.

Kids this age are high energy and need the fuel. SHe may be doing it for attention, but I doubt it.

Nobody so far has addressed the new child so I will stick with that topic. It is good that you are concerned about how she is handling the new baby. The food could be an attention getter if it is working for her. Be sure to give her lots of control over the new baby. Ask her if she thinks the baby is hungry and what "we" should do. Ask her if the baby would like to wear this outfit or that one. Ask her where she thinks would be a good place to let the baby take a nap. Ask her what the two of you should do while the baby is sleeping, wash dishes or do laundry. Then when you get one task done, ask her what she would like to do to play. (I think it works well if she sees that you have work to do but will always leave time for playing with just her.) When the baby wakes up, ask her if she knows where the diapers are, etc. My daughter was 22 mos. when my son was born and I even had people ask her for permission to hold the new baby. She loved having all that control of "her" new baby.

She may just be growing, but Check with your pediatrician first, but for adults I would say....Try more protein to help sate her.

My kids and I have the same issue, we're hungry. We learned long ago that eggs, meat and potatoes are what satisfies our hunger.

For me and my children the foods she's eating would leave us starving.
We eat fruit and vegetables, meat, potatoes, gravy, pasta, cereal and deserts. We are not overweight, not even a teeny bit overweight. Her diet sounds like a lot of water and fiber that's not sticking to her ribs ( to quote an old saying.)

Your metabolism may be different. Trust me, it is painful to be hungry
5 minutes after you eat. Never feeling satisfied or full is exhausting.

Meat is not the enemy, some people simply need it. A snack of an oatmeal cookie will add bulk to help fill her tummy.

I suggest you measure her food and tally up her daily calories.for a couple days. She may or may not be eating enough. A couple days of calorie counting should give a true picture of the calories she eats. Compare that to what a child her age needs.

If allergies are your concern, have her tested by an allergist that specializes in skin test and the blood tests for allergies and sensitivities.

Contact your pediatrician and or a dietitian for nutrition and calorie information. Or, simply go online to learn the total daily calories required for a child her age.

Good luck, wishing you a happy and content 2 year old.

Yes! Both of my 2 were/are like this. I have addressed it with their doctor a million times. My son is now 5. He's a good eater but doesn't freak me out like he used to. My youngest will be 3 in a few months and she has slowed down a lot but but still motivated by food, it seems. As for their size, they are not chunky at all. They are not that "skinny little petite build" that you see but they are pretty lean kids. I can say that my kids were "poopers." They used to poop up to 5x/day. It was so annoying. Now, the youngest is a 1-2X/day kid. The reason I bring this up is to pay attention to how often she "goes." Our pedi said they just simply have a really fast metabolism. Look at your family. It comes from my side, we are all food LOVERS but no one is overweight. We just need a lot of food. :) Now there are conditions out there, so it's good to be aware of this (bring it up to her pedi just to be on the safe side). It's great that you feed her healthy foods. Keep that up!!! Is she getting enough fat? Is her diet too healthy? Such healthy foods that it's hard for her to get enough calories and fat. Kids (and adults) need fat in their diet to feel satisfied. Make sure she is eating enough protein too (try to serve her proteins and carbs together). As for the constipation, try black beans, avocado, very thinly sliced apples (very thin!), pears, pear juice, prunes, etc. It they are hurting her now, it could interfere with potty training later. Lastly, whenever you feel like there is no way her body needs more food, distract her with something fun. Play/wrestle with her on the floor. Something she really enjoys. One last thought, I will never forget when my son was 15 months old, he ate 4 slices of thin crust pizza. More than I ate! I'm telling you, my kids eat a lot. Most parents have the opposite problem but I assure you, there are plenty of kids out there like ours. I have done my research, when I was concerned like you! :)

To me it sounds like a growth spurt. I wouldn't be overly concerned unless it continues for 2 or more weeks.

growth spurt.

My daughter is like that any time she is hitting growth spurts.

Please tell your doctor about this behavior, espeically if you are not exaggerating about her thinking about food all day long. It could be important, and I would do it soon.

M.

Most parents have the opposite issue when it comes to eating and she's sounds like a healthy growing girl. The link below addresses eating behavior but more with the picky eater. Your pediatrician would be your best resource as to whether there are any issues of concern.
http://blogs.goddardsystems.com/Cedar-Park-TX/2009/12/26/...

Because of my experience with my own daughter, I'm sensitive to the poop issue. Constipation can lead to soooo many other problems (urinary issues, stomach aches, difficulty potty training, etc) and it tends to be a vicious cycle that's hard to break. I would say that you should schedule an appointment with your pediatrician in the near future (no emergency or anything) to make sure you're not missing anything in keeping her "soft and regular." It sounds like you're doing a great job, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Your post doesn't mention anything about protein. Is she getting any? In my experience, protein is really what gives a person longer-term satisfaction. I think toddlers need about 15-20 grams of protein each day. HTH!