Overfeeding 17 Month Old?

My nephew eats like this too. He eats lots early in the day, then isn't hungry for dinner. I wouldn't worry too much about it. As long as she is getting proper nutrition every day, she is fine.

I noticed that my kids would do this in phases. Maybe in line with growing or teething or whatever...
but they would have times where they just couldn't get enough, and others, they ate normally.
How long has she been eating this way? maybe its just a phase?

I wouldn't worry too much about it. It is actually better eating in the morning than at night. I have a 18 month old girl that doesn't want to eat at all - morning or night. Sometimes, toddlers go through stages...one week they will eat everything in sight and another week they won't eat anything.

I eat most of my food in the morning and the day too - dinner is just a snack for me - I would think if your daughter is healthy and happy and not overweight I certainly would feed her as she likes :)

try making her a full breakfast. If you aren't a vegan that is. Eggs and turkey bacon fill you up and stay with you, my girls like a hard boiled egg and some peanut butter toast. Or even some cheese and fruit. a bit of protien is good for a body that is making new mass daily. I always noticed they ate like horses when they were in a growth spurt and that would last a little while,growth spurts seem to happen here in the spring and fall. good luck and you can fill 'em up healthy! ^_^ K

My son was in the 95th percentile for both weight and height for his first few years of life. He is now 18 and is a 'string bean' - over 6 ft tall and very thin. Babies do not eat out of boredom. They eat because they are hungry!
Yoghurt - oranges - oatmeal - bagels....all good foods. I would offer her pieces of ham or other cold meat - just to get the protein in there too - or celery with peanut butter.
She is probably going through a growth spurt. All kids seem to go through what I call 'the bottomless pit' phases over the years where you would swear they have a hollow leg because you can't seem to fill them up. Then they will also go through phases where they have very little appetite at all. I would say that overfeeding happens when you try & push food they DON'T want into them - or reward them with treats like ice cream etc which can set up a destructive pattern of rewards with food. Don't worry - she's fine.
Barb

She really is probably hungry. Children tend not to eat out of boredom, esp at that age.

Give her breakfast and then if she is still hungry give her fruit or other healthy snacks. You might want to try added a little more protein to her breakfast to fill her up.

Im sure you know the theory about 'dieting' that we all should be eating several small meals throughout the day instead of 3 main meals when we are already super hungry. I think that by letting her graze (a term we use lightheartedly in our office) on healthy foods, you are teaching her healthy habits. My kids can down an entire canteloupe in one sitting and ask for more! They LOVE to snack on fresh fruits and veggies, in fact, they go to the fridge and go immediately for the fruit/veg drawers. Im no nutrition expert, but I don't think your little one is in any danger as long as you are providing healthy choices.

~L.

A.,

We talked to our peditrician about this same thing with my son that is now 2 about the same age. His doctor said that at this age they eat when they need and to not worry.

You are not overfeeding your child at all. My child dtarted doing this months ago and he will be 2 come June 22nd. He eats a fairly large breakfast (fruit, 2 eggs, 3 - 5 sausage links, and either a bowl of oatmeal or 2 slices of french toast with no topping on it). For lunch he eats some vegetables like watermelon (YES! It is actually a veggie! See this link: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/watermelon.html ) and some cottage cheese or regular cheese and some days he'll have a good dinner, other days he will be really picky. It's never the same. He is in the 75% in height and only 30% in weight, so the doctor doesn't mind how we feed him, as long as he eats good healthy food. He knows when to stop and when he has had enough. But it seems like breakfast is the best time for him to eat. I know a LOT of people who have children around the same age and they are picky eaters for all meals. So if he wants to eat at breakfast, I give him healthy foods and let him eat.

Your little one is probably experiencing a growth spurt. Let her eat! As long as you are giving her nutritious food, it doesn't matter how much she asks for. Tell her if she wants more, she can fresh fruit or veggies and let her decide when she's had enough. It does not sound like she's over eating. My Ped. said you can't over feed a baby as long as you're giving her healthy food. You are doing the right thing when you train your daughter to eat when she's hungry and to NOT eat when she's not. It's the ones that have to clean their plates at every meal and eat whether they like it or not IMO that end up with issues. In fact, my family recently switched to eating our big meal for breakfast and everyone naturally eats less throughout the day. It's ended up being much easier for us! HTH. Just my .02

Oh!! Toddlers are such fun to feed. Hopefully she isn't associating food with comfort, that's a trouble ticket for sure. If she is eating things that are good for her, not too many carbs as those MAKE you hungry as does sugar...even the sugar in yogurt, especially if it is the yogurt with high fructose corn syrup in it.
You could make her a special night-night snack that is high in protein like peanut butter on celery with rasins (ants on a log) or even a milk shake with a banana in it...something fun and different than she has during the day. So let her skip dinner, make her a special snack and see how it goes. She will probably sleep well and get up not so ravenous. You do need to make sure though that the snack is not high in carbs. On the other end of this, SOME toddlers quit eating at this age and one wonders how they function or make it to 5 years old. Keep in mind too, you probably don't eat the same amount at every meal or are hungry at the same time for the same amount every day every day either. Don't worry, she will be fine. Never a dull moment with a toddler in the house!! I hope this helps!!

Try feeding her proteins first. Proteins take the longest to digest so it will keep her feeling full longer. Eggs are a good way to do that. Then if she wants yogurt give it to her because that is a source of protein. Oatmeal in the morning is a great idea too. It has good protein and the good carbs she needs. I hope this helps!

Hello A.,

I also had this problem with my oldest son. The doctor told me it was probably just a growth spurt, but I was worried so I limited his intake to what would be considered a "normal" amount for him then kept him occupied out of the kitchen. I omly allowed my hubby and myself and guest to eat in kitchen so he did not see us eating. That seemed to really help he was then able to eat dinner and a light snack just before bedtime. That really seemed to help him sleep better and adjust to meal times.
I hope I helped.

Hi A.,
My twins, 14 mth-girls, eat great in the morning but not very much for lunch or dinner. I just try to get in a heathly variety at breakfeast. They eat eggs, beef smok y links, muilti-grain toast, a fruit, milk or watered down apple juice, and one vanilla wafer for a morning dessert then about an hour later I give them milk then it's a nap. After that they barely eat lunch - a creamy yogurt mixed with Breakstones 4% small curd cottage cheese is a lunch idea that's sweet but has protein. Vanilla yogurt makes it taste like cheesecake! An avacado (we salt ours, yum), American cheese, and peas are great self feeders. A website that I found alot of excellent food information at is... www.wholesomebabyfood.com
this way the food you do get in you known has the best nutritional value. Just remember sometimes you eat alot and sometimes you don't. The summer heat slows my eating down.
Good Luck - M.

Do not worry. It is better to eat well in the morning and reduce your food intake as the day advances. She has all day to use/burn those calories and nutrients. At night, she'll be asleep and not needing as many calories. This will mean a reduced risk for excessive weight gain later in life. Just make sure she is having a balanced diet, the calorie intake she needs and stays active. :)

God bless.

I think you have my kids!! Both of my kids (2yrs and 10 months) eat a ton!! They are both off the charts with height and weight and considered normal per my doctor. My 10 month out ate me (27 year old adult!!) at dinner the other night. I feed my kids when they want food, however, it is always healthy. Half the time my kids are eating dinner before dinner, but I still make them sit as the table with us, just as family bonding time, and they don't mind. My 2 year old will eat a can of beans as a snack and is to the point where she asks for them!! I also limit the sugar they have...no juice, only water (and milk at meals), no treats, only after dinner is gone. My 2 year old started to "slim" when she started walking. My 10 month old is crawling and starting to "slim" just a little, so I wouldnt' worry about weight. Good luck and have fun with your food bill, I feel your pain!

It could just be that she's hungry.

Perhaps the energy she goes through in a day is less than what she's going through at night as she's growing... so she wakes up hungry and gets less-so through the day.

I had a simple policy regarding food: I let me kids select from the healthy choices we had in our home, they could eat as much of whatever they wanted whenever they felt like it. They spent some days chewing, and some days appeared to survive on air alone. They grew up to be normal, healthy body weights, strong, unlikely to catch colds and energetic. It seems to have worked.

A key component is ensuring the choices available are all healthy... then let them follow their body's cues. One of the thing lifetime dieters all need to learn is how to stop eating when they aren't hungry, and how to choose foods that make their bodies feel good after swallowing... something that came unhinged a long time ago, for most of them. We're born with the ability and have is socialized out of us, with 'helpful' authoritarian nonsense like 'it's *time* to eat' and 'finish your plate.'

Sounds like a cycle to me. If she has not done this all her life, she is probably about to have a growth spurt. My kids go through cycles, and when they are hungry and eat alot, they usually have a growth spurt (1 inch or more) shortly thereafter. Do not worry, just make sure she is getting healthy choices.

Hi,
You didn't mention how long this has been going on, but it could be a growth spurt. Since kids do most of their growing during sleep, maybe she is hungrier in the AM than she is later in the day after a busy night of "growing". Maybe try a healthy snack later in the evening befor she goes to bed that can "fuel up" her growing at night. Obviously, you don't want to give her anything that will keep her up...maybe try some oatmeal with a little honey or brown sugar. It is filling and warm and comforting before bed. (I would avoid some of the instand oatmeals as they are packed with sugar). A late evening snack may help shift her pattern so that she doesn't eat as much earlier in the day, then not eat her dinner.
You may find that this ends soon if it is just a growth spurt.
Good luck, L.

My son did the same thing. I think it was also because he could finally somewhat communicate what he wanted so he was excited to get what he was asking for. At the same time, I didn't always get what he wanted, and therefore, I also had alot of the clinging and whining. I have learned that they will eat when they are hungry, so therefore, I will feed him whenever he gets hungry and not get excited when he doesn't eat. At this age, it is just great to be able to get them to eat things that are good for them. I definitely do not think they are old enough to get them to understand that there are certain times for meals and snacks and all of that. As long as you are providing healthy foods whenever she eats, I would not worry about how often she does.

Hi A.,
I'm not a doctor but if you are feeding her healthy then I would keep feeding her. Babies and toddlers grow so much and are so active that I wouldn't limit the amount of food just make it all healthy. My guess would be that in a couple of months she won't eat as much. Whether its a growth spurt or she just like to eat I'd keep feeding her. Good luck.
Chris

could it be teething problems? i mean is she eating to make her mouth feel better?

Our daughters used to do the same thing. My mom lives with us and works an odd schedule and my husband will typically get them breakfast when he gets up, but eat later. They loved to beg for food - and they would always get it. We would then have issues at meal time. What we finally did was laid down the rules. They eat at meal time and meal time only. They are given a snack mid-morning and then mid-afternoon - providing they have ate the previous meal completely. My mom has started eating her dinner in her room if she's not home at dinner time, but before the kids go to bed. She'll allow them to come in only after she has finished. This way they aren't tempted to beg. It was a struggle the first few weeks, but it worked. What we learned was that we started giving in to the "pleading" eyes and then it escalated from there - when they would beg or throw a fit because we weren't giving them food. It became a habit that we started and fed (pardon the pun) from there. Once we broke the learned cycle it ended. They now eat all meals, eat healthy and are not starved by any means.

It doesn't sound like overfeeding to me. She's growing and learning to communicate her needs. Whatever you do, don't make this a power struggle! I'd keep my sense of humor and do this all with a cheerful, matter-of-fact attitude. Make healthy food available and encourage it, but she wants to make some choices. Be sure she's getting plenty of attention from you in other, positive ways, so she doesn't use this for that. I think this will pass. Kids are funny about food and they change over time. Don't make a big deal out of it and, for sure, don't give her the idea that she's overeating and you're worried about her getting fat! This will totally backfire & may create the groundwork for future eating troubles.

I'd say give her something as filling as possible at breakfast, and high protein (just like they say for adults). Oatmeal, eggs, sausage, yogurt ...and some fruit. My daughter sometimes does this same thing, but it only lasts a few days then she gets back into a more normal eating routine. She may just be going through a growth spurt and craving more food. I have also found that scheduling a snack time between breakfast and lunch (something light) helps keep her from getting cranky, which happens when she's hungry.

I would have to agree that the pickiness at dinner is probably because she has eaten enough thoughout the day, so the trick is to either live with that and make sure she gets what she needs by then or get her to eat less so she's still hungry for dinner....both of which may be difficult if she's a strong-willed child, but you just have to decide.

If you truely think she's had enough, I would suggest staying away from food for the couple hours that are the biggest problem. Just a few days of chaging her routine may be enough to get her on the right track.

Hello,

Although those are healthy foods,it doesn't sound filling at all. From the sounds of it the only food she had for herself was a yogurt and an orange. Maybe give her a bowl of oatmeal or her own bagel. If kids don't get full they will eat what seems to be all day. I have older kids now and they try to eat when they are bored. As long as I know they got full with their meals I don't have a problem with telling them no now. I know it's hard to tell your child no when they say they are hungry, just make sure meals are enough.

Here's a thought: when she is pointing at food to eat, put her in a chair at the table and put the food in front of her. Help her develop the habit of not eating on the run, but of sitting to a meal. If she has more meals a day than normal, okay. If she eats most of her meals in the first part of the day, okay. But develop that habit of sitting to eat, and making it more of a meal experience. Perhaps as her growth and development evens out to a steady pace, so will her structured eating times. And by then she will hopefully have the good habits of eating meals, and not on the run in between meals.

this sounds like a habit and dont worry this happens all the time. just give your child a limit of what they can eat. my child does the same thing. but sometimes you cant let them have to much or they would have tummy aches. But this is good that you are worrying about your child,you are a good mom keep it up.

My daughter is 22 months and goes through these phases too. They come and go. What I've tried to do is simply only offer her healthy foods. And then if she's eating a ton of them, I don't worry. Some days, she'll eat almost nothing at dinner and then the other day, she ate 2 hot dogs and then asked for more. Since hot dogs aren't the healthiest of foods, I only offered her some fruit or yogurt at that point. So she ate some fruit and then eventually was satisfied. But some nights, she'll eat almost nothing at dinner. At this point, I don't think it's a case of boredome eating which is why I try to avoid making a big deal of it (I don't want her to see me alarmed if she "eats too much" which I'm afraid could contribute to poor habits down the road). I try to be non-chalant about food (since I have so many food issues myself that I don't want to pass on to my daughter!) and simply offer healthy options so that seems "normal".