So my 5 year old kept saying "I'm hungry" all day on Saturday. We stayed in until about 3pm so that I could get some stuff done around the house. She had eaten:
2 waffles and a small yogurt for breakfast
2 slices of bologna a grilled cheese and 1/2 a peach for lunch at 12pm
by 12:30 she was saying I"m hungry again so I gave her a cheese stick.
Then she complained that she was hungry until we left at 3 to go to the movies and then ate half a tub of popcorn! Then by dinner, she was complaining again.
Do you think she was bored since we didn't go outside that day until around 3? I kkept telling her to go play in the back yeard but she wanted to stay with me.
Thoughs? Growth spurt? boredom??
with each meal, try and add some protein.. protein helps suppress hunger or rather has the opposite effect as do carbs, which can increase hunger. While I do think she is growing (no doubt) I think in part it's also what she is eating that is causing her to become hungry shortly thereafter...
She could be going through a growth spurt. Feed the hunger but be healthy about it..Offer more veggies and fruits, low fat snacks with no trans fat and high in fiber. If she's bored, redirect her attention to something that will keep her interest. Luckily school is starting soon :)
Sometimes kids kind of eat like snakes: a fat mouse on day and then nothing for two.
I wouldn't worry too much, I'd just keep giving her her normal, healthy meals and snacks.
That is throughout life....somedays I'm hungry as a lion, somedays I have no appetite.....they're exacally like us...don't spend so much energy on it, just feed her healthy food!
S.
It could be anything, more appetite or growth spurts. I'd just provide some healthy snacks that she can eat. If it was just boredom she wouldn't have eaten half a tub of popcorn :) The more they grow the more they eat and it's random, some days a lot some days nothing. When I was 8 or 9 I could a foot long subway sub by myself and I was a petite little kid.
She was probably genuinely hungry. They go through that sometimes when they just can't get enough to eat no matter how much you give them. Only you know your kid well enough to know.
My kids are all in great health, not overweight and have very high metabolisms. So they are always eating and moving. They are older but I remember when. One of my nephews could out eat his older brother. His brother is 5 years older. So imagine the 3 year old eating more than the 8 year old and the 8 year old has a healthy appetite.
Probably just growing. Make sure she is drinking enough water also. The body can confuse thirst with hunger.
Sounds like a combo of growth spurt and boredom. My oldest says he's hungry all the time when he is bored and when I offer something healthy and he refuses I know its just boredom.
Just keep some healthy options around like an apple, banana, or some carrot sticks. Something that won't fill her up and are good for her so if she is bored she won't be getting empty calories.
I read somewhere that our bodies often confuse thirst with hunger; so lots of times when we feel hungry, we are really thirsty. So if my kids tell me they are hungry even though they've already eaten a lot, I tell them to drink water first, digest a little bit, and then they can have more food. Usually this works and they end up feeling full (or get distracted by playing), but if they say they are still hungry, I give them more food (healthy, like fruit or small snacks) and chalk it up to a growth spurt.
OMG I WAS GOING TO POST THIS AS WELL!!
Like 30 minutes after breakfast my 6 and 7 year old daughters are 'hungry'.
I call BORED.
I tell the girls (if they've just eaten or it's not mealtime) to have a glass of water, then find something to play with.
BUT... sometime's I feel like they're legitimately hungry, and they can have another snack or two. We eat pretty healthy, so snacks are okay, BUT, if they're laying around watching tv, I'm like 'no way you're hungry, you haven't burned off breakfast!!'... if they've been outside playing all day, then yes, they're hungry ;)
Sounds like a growth spurt to me. Right before my toddler shoots up (I mean in height :) He goes through a couple of days where he eats more than me! Then after he's done growing, he goes back to eating normally.
yeah im in that same boat, my almost 3 year old eats non-stop i swear at least 10 times a day, more than me and her 8 year old sister. Im thinking growth spurt also. When my other daughter ate like this she would pop up an inch in a matter of months.
I'm thinking growth spurt. My son has been hungry since the minute he was born & it hasn't slowed down yet (he just turned 12 last week) but my daughter goes through a cyclical process of having to practically force-feed her to not being able to cook anything fast enough to get it to her. She's starting to kind of even-out now a bit at age 10, but it still happens a few times a year where she's just staaaaaaaarving for like a week straight.
