is it just my children....

[AmyB1986]

Who constantly ask for something to eat?
They are 6 & 8 and I get asked 'can I have something to eat?' Every half an hour!
I'll do them breakfast, healthy porridge or cereals and maybe some fruit if they fancy it. Lunch sandwiches with salad like tomatoes and cucumber and a packet of crisps occasionally and they have yogurt or fruits for afters. They have a cooked meal every evening but still they ask straight after eating for more!
Anyone would think I'm not feeding them.
My youngest favourite is 'I'm starving! I haven't eaten anything all day!' She says it all the time, if anyone overheard her they'd think poor kid with a cruel mother!

Please tell me I'm not alone...

[Thebookswereherfriends]

My 3 year old often wants a snack, but I tend to make sure snack is savoury and fairly dull, so carrot sticks and cucumber or cream crackers. I also only give one snack in the morning and one in the afternoon that way she is always ready for her meals. If she says she is really hungry then she can have a glass of milk - I think she is often thirsty rather than hungry.

[mamaduckbone]

I have 6 and 10 year old boys and I'm with you. They would eat constantly if I let them. Both are very tall for their age and quite active but still I find it hard to believe that they can ALWAYS be genuinely hungry.

[AmyB1986]

My two are active and also tall. I don't believe they are genuinely hungry either!

I've tried with the drinks and don't let them have any 'crap' food to see if they get bored of asking but they don't!

I've tried distracting them with games or activities. They eat everything still, even their meals disappear at light speed despite the snacking!

[Iguessyourestuckwithme]

Are you certain you're giving them a big enough portion of the meal?

[AmyB1986]

Yes I'm certain it's a big enough meal. They aren't under weight or over weight both perfectly normal they just love eating

[Highlove]

Lots of people - kids included - find porridge/cereal doesn't jero then going till lunch. And though fruit is good it's not filling.

Maybe try more protein at meals - so perhaps a chunk of cheese alongside the sandwich at lunch, boiled egg for breakfast, etc. Worth a try to stop them pestering you!

[Highlove]

That should obviously say 'keep them going'.

[AmyB1986]

Highlove they don't always have cereals for breakfast. That is a typical school day breakfast. We have scrambled egg etc which they love.
One or two snacks between breakfast and lunch is to be expected but to ask me so often for food is like they're starving.
I've tried so far: making them have a drink of water or milk instead of food, encouraging healthy snacks like yogurts cheese and fruit and adding extras in to there plates at meal time like salads, cheese, slices of egg, coleslaw, and bread with their dinner if they have pasta. Also tried distraction with activities, making them go out to play in the garden, putting on a movie, clubs after school.
I'm sure it's partly boredom.

Will push on worth different things and hope they grow out of it!

[Artandco]

Tbh I wouldn't give them snacks every hour

If you know they have eaten a decent meal an hour before they need to wait a bit longer

Cereals would leave mine starving it seems a low protein diet tbh you give which leaves many hungry soon after.

My 6 year old today as a comparison has eaten:

Breakfast 9am - x2 scrambled eggs with mushrooms and ham, 1 small piece toast, glass of milk

Lunch 2pm - small bowl butternut squash and coconut soup. Chicken with avocado, corn on cob, rice.

He will no doubt have some cake around 4-5pm at a friends house for birthday.

7.30-8pm will be dinner. Mousakka, with Greek salad, feta, tzaziki. Some fruit after maybe.

[AmyB1986]

I don't let them eat every hour.

Today mine have had, porridge with blueberries, an apple at 10 asked for food again so they had a drink of milk at 11.30 with a banana each.

For lunch they had a cheese sandwich each, carrot stick, cucumber stick and 3 cherry tomatoes, a yogurt for afters.

They're out playing with a neighbours child on the front garden at the moment, we don't live near a road so are perfectly safe and DH is in the garage.

They'll no doubt ask for a snack when they come in again. I've prepared some vanilla milk lollies in the freezer.

For dinner around 5pm they will have a roast dinner today as we're are going out for our anniversary and the restaurant offers a carvery. They will have the typical, turkey and pork are their favs so they'll perhaps chose one of those and all the veggies they like, carrots broccoli and peas etc.

We'll probably be home around 6.30, they'll have a shower, warm milk and both in bed by 7.30 to read and are asleep by around 8.30. It's school holidays at the minute also so not quite asleep as early as they normally do.

[AmyB1986]

Oh I forgot to add at lunch time they also have some cooked chicken pieces. My eldest hates meat and doesn't each much of it. Also eggs she's not keen on either. She will eat it if it's a small amount. Right from weaning she's been the same.
She's says it's because it's like jelly and she doesn't like jelly, not the taste but the consistency. With the meat I'm not sure what it is, I asked her and she said she loves animals too much to eat too many of them.
I've tried to compensate for her dislike with other proteins, she does like quorn versions of meats.

In a way I'm glad they eat well and aren't fussy.

My post wasn't really intended to have meal choices picked upon or for meal plans or ideas etc I just wanted to know I'm not alone.

My children are up at between 6 and 7.30 every morning have breakfast when they're up so a couple of healthy snack between breakfast and lunch at 2pm is not unexpected. Generally we have lunch between 1 and 1.30 but at school they eat at 12.30 and have a snack at break 11am. So after school yes they have a snack before dinner. At home we have dinner at 5pm and both of the children are in bed before 8pm.

[AnotherTimeMaybe]

They need more protein at this age. I know you're saying you give them protein but the examples you gave show just cheese and lots of carbs like oats bread and fruit veggie.. My 3yo would be extremely hungry with this
Maybe more chicken nuggets fish fingers for lunch?
Also rice cakes with nut butter for snacks?

[imwithspud]

I agree I would try more protein, peanutbutter is a good source (I think). My dd's like it on toast for breakfast or lunch sometimes, also baked beans, you can get reduced salt and sugar varieties.

Do they like soup? You could make a homemade soup with sources of protein such as lentils or chicken, with some bread and butter to dip. Relatively easy to do, filling and healthy.

[Artandco]

That lunch isn't that filling though is it, a cheese sandwich and raw veg? they would need to be eating a lot of that type of veg to fill them.

Maybe give larger portion of porridge. Do you add other things in with the oats like seeds and nuts?

[NoSquirrels]

I have had to ban my children from "what's for snack" being the first thing they greet me with from school, so I feel your pain.

That said, I'd start with a bigger breakfast if I were you, with a bit more protein if possible. Peanut butter on toast, baked beans on toast, cheese on toast, pancakes made with eggs, bacon sandwich or a sausage etc. Also, one sandwich and a bit of cucumber & cherry tomatoes for lunch could well leave them hungry - they are growing fast at this age. I can't eat as much as my DC, and often still feel full after my last meal when they are complaining of being hungry again! Add protein like hummus/cream cheese etc to dip their veg sticks in. Or serve the sandwich with soup.

School holidays are a challenge because they eat at different times to how they are used to things at school e.g. lunch later etc.

[spillyobeans]

Maybe food that takes them longer to eat as well when there snacking? Like crudités and hummus?

[AmyB1986]

That was today's example of what they had for breakfast, that's what they wanted. Porridge with blueberries. They have eggs, bacon and other meats at breakfast other times.

Fish fingers they have and beans at lunch other days, that was today's lunch and no probably isn't very filling but trying to incorporate their choices also and in a healthy way, fruit and veg in portions. They asked for a cheese sandwich on this occasion, chicken strips and the veg they had too.

We have grains and pastas too in variety over the week. Today is just an example not the norm.

Yesterday they had scrambled egg, bacon beans and toast for breakfast and we're still asking me for food within half an hour of eating.
They had chicken noodle soup for lunch with whole grain bread and rice pudding after! Still asked me for food with in the hour.

I think it's boredom not hunger.

They had lunch today at 1pm it's now 4 and have been out playing come back in and haven't asked for anything yet so it's not that they are hungry and not eating enough of each variety of food.

My eldest has an allergy to peanuts and youngest doesn't like them so can't offer that to them.

[GreenSand]

Yep, when they were at nursery, they would scoff everything given to them there, plus breakfast before they went, and dinner when they got home.

Now, at 4 and 6 we seem to be getting out of "Second breakfast", but lunch at school is silly early, so they are starving when they get in.

DS2 is normal size, DS1 is skinny by current standards.

[AmyB1986]

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I agree with the school dinners being too early, plus they're really small dinners. We got to sample one when DD's started school.
At the school mine go to, they can have mid morning snacks and milk but no afternoon snacks.

It's really difficult to get the recommended daily intakes of everything for growing children.

My youngest was underweight as she had a real bad problem with reflux and was scared to eat. Eldest had always been slim but eats everything not fussy until it comes to meat and eggs, she does eat it but in small amounts.

I've been cooking extra at meal times and freezing it in small portions so it's there ready for lunches during the holidays as I'm at work from 2pm I don't always get time to cook a meal before they go off to my nans house.

[WombOfOnesOwn]

"They had chicken noodle soup for lunch with whole grain bread and rice pudding after! "

I think you really don't understand. This is a very low protein meal. You keep citing that your kids eat whole grains and pastas, but for many people (even adults), those are the kinds of foods that leave them hungry an hour later. I would probably be peckish within 90 minutes of the meal you're describing -- it sounds like it'd pass right on through.

[steppemum]

sometimes kids mistake thirst for hunger, so they ask for food when they need a drink.

My nieces are like this. But when you look at what they eat, they don't eat much protein, and often they haven't eaten much carbs either. So they will eat stacks of fruit etc, and then half and hour later complain they are hungry.
When they are at my mums she insists they eat carbs eg bread, and protein eg ham/egg as well as their preferred fruit etc and they don't ask for snacks.

I am sure mine ask for food when they are bored too.

[AmyB1986]

Womb the chicken noodle soup was home made with chicken stock, chicken breast and fresh egg noodles, I'll just keep throwing meat at them shall I!

Stepmum I think this is true too, I'll make mine have a drink and if in half an hour they're are still moaning then they have a small snack. The boredom also true. Yesterday they went out to play after their 'not filling' lunch as some said and didn't ask for anything to eat again. We went out for our meal they both left part of it so can't be hunger.

[Artandco]

Protein isn't only found in meat. It's in loads of things. It's just as others pointed out a chicken noodle soup would be mainly noodles with little protein.

Other non meat protein. Lentils, black beans, quinoa, tofu, almonds, chickpeas, chia, hemp, tahini, nut butters etc. All easy to add to soups/ pasta/ dips/ snacks. Quinoa can be mixed with rice.

Many veg are higher in protein than others also. Edamame, broccoli, green beans, asparagus for example.

All just ideas that might be helpful if they don't like meat much

[AmyB1986]

Today I decided to try something different. I did breakfast a little later than normal at 8am. I thought maybe the meal was too early.

So they both had scrambled egg, beans, sausage, whole grain bread and a small glass of milk.
Both said they were stuffed, my eldest felt sick after (she wasn't feeling well last night after dinner either).
9am comes both ask me for a snack, gave them a glass of water each and said to see if it took the hunger off. 10 mins after the water they're back again wanting fruit. I gave them a hand full of grapes each.

Now the protein theory really doesn't stand up after their protein rich breakfast. For lunch I'm making baked potato with cheese, onion and bacon with a side salad. They'll probably have yogurt after if they're not too full up.

For diner I've made shepherds pie, I add peas, carrots, baked beans and cheese on top.

All this eating they'll have no time for anything else

Any suggestions for snacks other than fruit? They don't like humous or couscous tried that before.

[Artandco]

That's just habit then. If they are eating at 8am, presumably only finishing by 8.30am, then no way would I give a snack at 9am after knowing they have just eaten well and drank 30 mins before. Just say you don't need a snack yet you have just eaten surely. That's not hunger, it's habit or Bordem