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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Wtf do kids eat this much?

444 replies

Esmeismyhero · 01/03/2016 16:35

Ds is 5 and 3 months (I don't know if that is relevant)

He goes to school, he does karate one day a week and the weekend he is usually running around out etc. After school he watches his iPad, does homework, runs around the house, plays toys etc.

He is very slim but very tall for his age. Lately he has been eating me out of house and home.

Today for example he ate

A bowl of cherrios
An apple
A school dinner
1/2 punnet of grapes
5 strawberries
2 x chicken dinosaurs
Beans

He is apparently still hungry????

Hasn't he had enough? Or Aibu?

He will have milk before bed and I'll ask dh to give him a carrot if he is still hungry while I'm at work tonight. He likes eating whole carrots on his own, I keep finding the carrot stalks hidden :/

OP posts:
ElderlyKoreanLady · 01/03/2016 21:57

Nobody's here asking people's opinions on what their 2 year old eats though. The people posting about their younger children are providing a comparison for the OP. I doubt they'd be doing that if their toddlers were piling on unnecessary weight.

Sofygwh · 01/03/2016 21:59

It doesn't look much at all to me.
My children (I've got 3) eat the following every day:

2 portions of fruit
2 portions of vegetables
4 portions of carbs (pasta or rice or potatoes)
3 portions of proteins (fish or meat or eggs or beans)

notgoingabroad · 01/03/2016 21:59

Quite ElderlyKorean

ClashCityRocker · 01/03/2016 21:59

tobysmum don't you know that food doesn't have nutrients and shit unless it's been cooked?

And a meal isn't a meal without a potato. Cooked potato, of course.

OliviaDunham · 01/03/2016 22:03

Tobysmum it was never deemed necessary to have 2 cooked meals a day. Growing up in the 80s my DPs didn't have much money, free school dinners were classed as the main meal so a sandwich was given for tea - or maybe a salad in the summer. People weren't so obsessed back then.

tobysmum77 · 01/03/2016 22:03

Clash no I wasnt aware of that tbf.... I was referring to tyre strange British obsession of two cooked meals a day being 'too much'. Like cooking food somehow makes it rich and decadent.

My dc often have 2 cooked meals a day, mainly because I'm too lazy to do 2 sittings of dinner.

tobysmum77 · 01/03/2016 22:04

It isn't necessarily Olivia but there's nothing wrong with it either

ClashCityRocker · 01/03/2016 22:07

I know they're not asking for opinions. I just think almost everyone has jumped on the op in a pretty shitty way, for the most part - they aren't providing a comparison, a lot of them (not all, but a fair few) are accusing the op of starvation or neglect which is ridiculous.

notgoingabroad · 01/03/2016 22:09

Starving - no.
Neglect - no.
Not really giving the little boy a suitable diet - yes.
Seeming to have very little idea of what constitutes a suitable diet - yes.

ClashCityRocker · 01/03/2016 22:11

I don't think there's anything wrong with it - but you're absolutely right... My mum would go shit nuts if I said I'd fancied whatever they were having for tea... 'But you've already had a hot meal today'....

Is it a uniquely British thing then? We were certainly a one main meal a day household, with a sandwich at other times.

Phalenopsisgirl · 01/03/2016 22:12

Most of what you are feeding him is sugar, Cheerios, fruit, beans are all sugar in some form, this will play havoc with his blood sugar levels and so he will be hungry very quickly. Try much more protein and low starch carbs, that will sort out the constant crashing.

Gileswithachainsaw · 01/03/2016 22:12

I must admit I'm curious, I mean if we take what I think (from friends and my own kids)

is a fairly typical toddler routine. up at 7 bed at 7 1-2 hour nap. I have no idea how on earth there's time to fit all that food in.

and when they get to school where it's vreakfast- off to school home at 3. so lunch at school maybe an apple at break.if they are home say 3.30 amd in bed by 8 amd dinner is at say 6. where the hell do they fit it in either.

they must literally be eating every hour

ThePebbleCollector · 01/03/2016 22:13

My one year old eats the equivalent of your list. Not turkey dinosaurs or cheerios mind but cereal and meat and veg for tea. My daughter is a bit of a beast when it comes to food though but in a day she has;

Porridge, fruit at nursery, dinner at nursery, pudding at nursery, afternoon snack at home (fruit, rice cakes, toast, boiled egg etc) then her tea, then natural yoghurt or some kind of nibble and a morning afternoon and evening milk....

Yeah she's a beast. Only small too lol

ThePebbleCollector · 01/03/2016 22:14

Sorry hwr tea could be anything, curry, cottage pie, pasta bake, chilli, whatever we are eating. But always has a carb with her tea.

notgoingabroad · 01/03/2016 22:14

That's a fair bit more than what op describes pebble.

ClashCityRocker · 01/03/2016 22:18

And tbf to OP, we don't actually know what he had for lunch. If he'd had a chicken dinner with potatoes and vegetables with a pudding, it's not too bad for one day, I think.

its also possible that her son is going through a growth spurt and has suddenly started eating more so op is unsure if this is 'normal'.

ThePebbleCollector · 01/03/2016 22:20

Is it? Fair enough! I assumed ops child would be having a pudding at school too. So other than the afternoon snack it seemed to match up.

Either way she's only one so if ops child is still hungry I'd feed him. As long as it isn't junk I'm sure he could handle it :) maybe a boiled egg or some toast etc.

BigQueenBee · 01/03/2016 22:20

Give the kid some proper food, proper chicken, pasta, spuds ,rice whatever, what's with the baby food shite?
Would you eat a turkey twizzler or whatever?

Original poster
Esmeismyhero · 01/03/2016 22:21

Whoa I just came back from work to 14 pages of comments.

Ds has always been a grazer, I have never withheld food, not let him have food such as treats Mac Donald's, chocolate etc.

Some days he will eat more and other days less, it's very recently he has been asking for more food. I wanted to know if Iwbu thinking it was a lot more food.

Everyone (mostly) has pointed out that yes it's perfectly normal that he is asking for more food, therefore IABU. He's a growing boy, I get that.

Ds is quite fussy usually so I'll add more carbs of things he likes, pasta etc and see if he feels fuller at the end.

Starving my child - no way
Neglected my child - get a grip

Ds couldn't be more loved and I would never with old food.

Thank you to everyone regardless Flowers

OP posts:
Original poster
Esmeismyhero · 01/03/2016 22:22

And yes he gets a cooked dinner at school with a carton of milk and pudding Grin for those interested

OP posts:
gBean · 01/03/2016 22:22

My favourite thing about these threads is how people ensure they add "homemade" to their food items.

OliviaDunham · 01/03/2016 22:22

Glad you came back OP, there's some nasty comments on here, please just ignore them.

notgoingabroad · 01/03/2016 22:23

Porridge is more filling and nutritious than Cheerios (that's an observation, not a criticism.)
The sort of afternoon snacks you describe are more substantial than grapes and strawberries (which are very tasty but not filling.)
Her evening meal is a balanced one, not a couple of chicken nuggets and baked beans.
Then a yoghurt.

ClashCityRocker · 01/03/2016 22:25

He might be hitting a growth spurt op hence an increase in appetite.

PacificDogwod · 01/03/2016 22:26

Esme, kudos to you for responding in such a measured way.
Thanks