My daughter Katie (19 months) is constantly hungry. She seems to want something to eat several times a day besides meals, and trust me when I say she gets good meals. This has been going on for a week or two. Have any of you run into this? Is she getting ready to have a growth spurt (oh no, not new clothes AGAIN), or is this just a phase or what? I'm gonna call her dr but wanted other opinions as well. Thank you ladies!!! S.
S.,
My daughter will be two in two weeks and she definitely went through a period like that. She wanted to eat everything in sight. The pediatrician said to give regular meals with small portioned snacks (healthy snacks) between meals. She has grown out of this and now only seems to eat when hungry. But, all kids are different. My son who is 3 1/2 will barely eat a whole meal and he's been that way for a year!
Wecome to growth spurts. My boys would eat like crazy for a few weeks and then the clothing would all be too short. Enjoy your children they grow up fast.
Most children havea much faster motabolism than we do as adults. A common day of a toddler's menu woudl be breakfast, a morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, and a healthy dinner. When you think about it they spend most of there day in motion, it is very easy for them to burn those calories and need more to keep the momentum up. As long as the food you are offering her are healthy and nutritios for her I woudlnt be worried at all. She is a healthy growing girl! You are blessed.
Regards,
A. Lynch
I dont see a problem with her having small snacks in between meals, make them healthy ones like fruits, cheerios, veggie sticks
Hello S.,
Not to worry!!! My children turn into vacumes for 2 weeks, become horrid sleepers followed by no food and sleep all day and then it is as if they grow 3 inches in one day...It took me about 4 growth spurts to figure it out. We are going through 2 at the same time (6 and almost 4yr old boys). We have supper weepy, very angry, and then sweet and cuddly all in one day yesterday. Today he hasn't stopped eating. At pasta house the 3/12 year old ate an entire pizza by himself, went home and I found him hiding and eating goldfish not 10 min. later. The 6 year old gets sooooo tired and cranky and has hardly eaten for 1 week, this week he ate a steak, baked potatoe, 12 pieces of broccolli (yes he is strange for his age, ha! ha!) and wanted desert before he even finished his supper. Good luck, we will be thinking of you and your pocket book. M.
Hi S.,
Ditto to what Sherrie said.
Healthy fruits, veggies, proteins and dairies. Watch the empty calorie foods, only use those in moderation.
My son is four and this past two weeks was his "fall" growth time. Three days of picky eating and two days not stop and a few days in between of what could be deemed "normal" and then it all starts back up again. Children are more in-tuned with nature then we adults are, I can bet her sleeping patterns have been a little "off" as well. Blessings, M.
It is called Feast or Famine. My kids did this sometimes and yes it could be a sign of a growth spurt or it could be the fact that she likes what she is eating. Some kids are picky and some are not. If she has a good appetite make sure that what she is eating is health and let her eat.
A little about me:
Working mother of four: two boys ages 17 and 13 and two girls 9 and 8. Married 19 years to my best friend.
S. I love your name, it is my daughters middle name. Like your daughter she went through spells of eating all the time and then she would go through spells of not eating. She grew quickly at times and not so much at other times. I took my ques from her, if she said she was hungry then I fed her. Sometimes she ate all day long with little break between. She never weighed more than was appropriate and the snacks she ate although there was some junk, for the most part was good food. If she is hungry let her eat, make sure it is food for her body and that will be used for fuel and growth. Take care of that little one and later in life she will take care of you.
Everyone already said what I would have. =) Good advice there. I would only add, that with toddlers, if you are concerned you should be watching her food intake over the course of a week, not over the course of a day, if that makes sense.
( If one day she eats nothing, but the next day eats twice as much as normal, it evens out to a normal amount of calories for her. )
And, yes, perhaps new clothes are going to be in order, at least she is growing and changing sizes with the season so you dont have to buy fall clothes in two sizes!
If it's just been a few weeks, I'd call it a growth spurt. Children that age can grow an inch in a month and that takes an enormous amount of energy. You could try to give her more during meals, but the snacking is perfectly normal. Just watch over time to make sure she's not eating out of boredom. My tiniest child, who is now 14 years old, and only 75 pounds, eats normally most of the time, but once in a while, she eats all day and can't seem to get enough - that goes on for a few weeks. Then, we measure and sure enough she's grown a half inch. All four of my kids were like that when they were little. I think three meals a day is an adult thing - kids need three meals and a snack in between each. They are not only growing, but burning a lot more calories that adults. You can also make sure she's eating foods that stay with her longer - no sugary foods that burn up quickly.
