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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:
HermioneJeanGranger · 01/03/2016 16:46

That's really not a lot of food for an active five year old.

Cheerios aren't very filling - try porridge, peanut butter or scrambled egg on toast or porridge with fruit/berries for breakfast.

Fruit etc. is fine, but remember school dinners are notoriously tiny and 2 chicken dinosaurs with beans is more like a snack than a meal. Add some rice/potatoes with the evening meal and maybe give him hard-boiled eggs or cheese etc. for snacks instead of fruit, which is basically just sugar and water.

formerbabe · 01/03/2016 16:47

My dc would still be hungry if that's all they ate.

I base my dcs evening meal on

1 protein
1 carb
1 or 2 types of vegetable

Then pudding. ..yoghurt, fruit, cake, pancakes.

They eat their main dinner at 4/4.30, then have some toast/crackers/bagel at about 7.00 before they go to bed.

I find school really gives them an appetite.

ChinchillaFur · 01/03/2016 16:47

I'm so glad other people think that's not much food!

My 6 year old tiny little dd (3 stone) eats way more than that.

Breakfast: Bowl of porridge
Snack: cheese string
Lunch:ham sandwich (2 slices bread)
1/2 small bag cheddars
grapes + cucumber
yoghurt
tea: meat, carbs and veg plus fruit/yoghurt/icecream for pudding
Possibly a piece of toast at bedtime if hungry.

Agree you need to give more fat and protein e.g cheese/meat/yoghurt during the day, and definitely some carbs with his tea.

Kids need something like 1500 calories a day when they are growing.

nickEcave · 01/03/2016 16:47

Just to add, my kids love fruit and would eat it all day but it doesn't fill them up at all. Also they generally have something more than just a bowl of cereal for breakfast - toast, egg, pancakes, crumpet. They do scooter a mile to school in the morning but cereal on its own doesn't provide enough fuel!

MLGs · 01/03/2016 16:48

We eat pasta quite a lot too, with protein in the sauce. Or casseroles that either involve potatoes as well as protein and veg, or bread available on the side if no other carbs.

mrsmugoo · 01/03/2016 16:49

Doesn't seem a lot - my 2 year old would eat not much less than that on a hungry day!

Arfarfanarf · 01/03/2016 16:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MLGs · 01/03/2016 16:50

Nothing wrong with raw carrots as well as other stuff though.

PregnantAndEngaged · 01/03/2016 16:50

Agree with above, children need plenty of carbs. It should be making up 1/3 of each meal. I've even noticed with my weaning baby he will be hungry very quickly if he hasn't had enough carbs with his solid meals.

WaitroseCoffeeCostaCup · 01/03/2016 16:50

My 15 month old probably eats more than this. I don't think he's getting enough, certainly not enough of the right things.

BitchPeas · 01/03/2016 16:51

Dinner needs carbs.
Breakfast needs protein and fat, so do snacks
. That's not a lot at all!

ouryve · 01/03/2016 16:52

Cheerios aren't filling, fruit isn't filling (and makes you feel hungrier) and school dinners are tiny. Really tiny. There's more calories in a typical sandwich!

pollyblack · 01/03/2016 16:52

I agree that's not very much. My 6 yr old is not a big eater and he eats more than that. Today he'a had

B: bowl of cereal
Snack: apple and a flapjack
School dinner (no idea actually!)
Snack: barney sponge and some cheese
Dinner: macaroni cheese and some cherry tomatoes

And he will have a decent snack at some point between now and bed, probably pitta and humous or soup.

George2014 · 01/03/2016 16:54

My boy is exactly the same age and he's had so far:

Snack pot of Cheerios and milk on waking
Bowl of shreddies for breakfast
Grapes for mid morning
Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and trimmings, mousse for school lunch, generous portion
A small fruit salad and small kipling cake after school on play date
He'll have small portion of chicken, potatoes and beans for tea

I think he eats a fair amount but he's very tall. If on a growth spurt he'll eat even more. I don't think yours is eating that much!

Reapwhatyousow · 01/03/2016 16:54

totally agree, not enough carbs. Bread is missing. Include some quality mutligrain bread with butter or peanut butter. Whilst cooking the turkey thingy you could also include some cut up potato wedges. Don't heat an oven just for a turkey thingy.

LadyintheRadiator · 01/03/2016 16:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sirzy · 01/03/2016 16:56

Ds is quite a poor eater at the moment but even he eats more than that.

Stanky · 01/03/2016 16:57

He's a growing child, and probably needs more bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and oats etc. It's surprising how much food small children need. Growing and running around takes a lot of energy, and that needs to come from somewhere.

Xmasbaby11 · 01/03/2016 16:57

That's not that much - there's a lot of fruit there which doesn't fill you up.

He's not overweight and he has a good diet - let him eat when he's hungry!

HappinessLivesHere · 01/03/2016 16:57

No where near enough. Where are the carbs? Poor kid!

WilLiAmHerschel · 01/03/2016 16:59

Could you do some mash or a jacket potato with his dinner? Doesn't seem like much food to me.

Birdsgottafly · 01/03/2016 16:59

"" He likes eating whole carrots on his own, I keep finding the carrot stalks hidden :/""

So he has to sneak something as basic as a carrot because he's hungry and hid the evidence.

OP you need to seriously address your issues with food and feed him enough, if you can't I hope he is able to tell someone at school what's going on.

formerbabe · 01/03/2016 17:00

I'll ask dh to give him a carrot if he is still hungry

If he's hungry then he needs more than a raw carrot...its really not enough. Why not some toast/cereal/sandwiches instead?

CarrotVan · 01/03/2016 17:00

That's a lot less than my not quite 3yo eats

A standard nursery day would be:
Porridge, cereal or granola and yoghurt for breakfast
Toast and Fruit as a snack
Hot lunch at nursery with meat, veg and carbs (usually has seconds) plus pudding
Afternoon meal at nursery - sandwiches, stuff like pizza crumpets, fruit (usually has seconds)
Snack at home - pitta/houmous, cheese/crackers/tomatoes, fruit, toast and Nutella of things

And as much water, juice and milk as he wants

Sirzy · 01/03/2016 17:00

Would he eat things like blocks of cheese instead of so many grapes?

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