To think there's no way he can be hungry

[SlapACatFuckADuck]

Ds is 4 everyday we have the same discussions regarding food today for example he woke at 9:30 (didn't have nursery) we go downstairs i give him breakfast.

He eats all his breakfast puts the bowl in the kitchen and immediately wants lunch I of course say no. He then goes on continuously about how he "wants to eat" "I want lunch" "I'm hungry" "I want my sandwich" this has gone on for an hour and a half! when he gets lunch at lunch time the cycle repeats itself apart from it's not dinner because he doesn't like dinner he wants lunch as soon as he's finished his dinner the "he wants to eat" chorus pipes up again until bedtime where he will continue to go on about lunch until he falls asleep with the occasional check in that "you will give me lunch tomorrow right mum?"

I have no idea what his obsession is about lunch but inbu right? The kid can't possibly be hungry all the time especially after he's just eaten

I take it you two haven't rtft...

i've rtft - i feel a bit sad for some posters kids to be honest

i loved getting sweets from relatives who were soft hearted when i was little, we also had biscuits and crisps in the house and a sweet tin. i am not overweight (a little bit heavier than usual at the minute as i've given up smoking and drinking so am eating more than usual and not fussing too much about it yet) and have never had weight issues beyond the norm (post preg fat, etc).

does the fact that some children are obese (mostly those of obese parents) mean all children should miss out on a varied healthy diet in which nothing is a bad food that not allowed and their diets are watched like hawks and they're left hungry?

doesn't seem healthy.

fwiw the sweet tin and crisps were filled monthly and when they were gone they were gone. we self moderated and had to learn self discipline if you didn't want to watch your older sister eating chocolate three weeks in whilst you had nothing left since week one.

People saying you should never restrict a child's food as long as it's healthy haven't met my ds. I once found 3 apple cores and 2 banana skins on the side that he'd eaten.

My ds will go for a pub meal and eat sausages mash and beans and a pudding walk straight out of the door and ask what's for dinner he's starving.

I think my ds built up food associations when he was being looked after by my mum as she was sitting him in front of the tv giving him endless snacks to the point that he'd get tummy ache. I think he associates food with boredom and treats. Funnily enough if we are busy he forgets he's starving.

It's not about restricting his food intake like some kind of diet but loading him with more food isn't the answer.

Honey badger again it depends. My mum has given ds a cornetto, a muller corner chocolate yoghurt, a jam donut and a Mars bar all in one evening. Once he drank 4 pints of milk between 5pm and 10am the next morning.

My in laws once gave him a Belgian bun, followed by a double decker followed by trifle and chocolate gateau.

When I was a kid it was a 10p mix up, a couple of Jammie dodgers or a packet of crisps and some pop.

Don't feel sorry for my ds, we have loads of nice food nothing is banned apart from cola but some people go way too far.

Maybe introduce healthy snacks between meals?

Breakfast 8am
Snack 10:30am
Lunch 12
Snack 2:30pm
Dinner 5pm
Snack before bed?

I knew a bloke who was very slim but had a very big appetite - he just had a very high metabolism. He said that when he was a kid his mother used to leave a sandwich by his bed, since he'd always wake up hungry in the night.

If your son isn't overweight, and says he's hungry, then personally I'd feed him, as long as it's proper food he wants and not junk. If he's just having carbs for breakfast then I'd def. try to give him something like eggs or other protein as well.

I think its just a phase. He's obviously really into his food and wants to make sure he's getting fed. For whatever reason is in his head it's valid to ask, kids do weird things sometimes!
Why don't you engage with him and get a food planner out fill it in for the week, or the next few days and then pin it on the fridge.
He can then see what you have both agreed and will be on offer that day and that mealtime. I reckon if you can keep this up for a few weeks he will stop asking and you will then stop having to set it all out menu style.
You can add in on each day that if he's still hungry in between times he can choose whatever he wants from the fruit/veg bowl or get a tupper ware filled up with chopped fruit and veg so he can help himself.
He will feel more in control of his choices and you will know its all healthy stuff.
Just keep offering healthy and ban the crisps etc from the house for this time. Poss only buy them when you are out as a treat if that's what he's used to.

He still doesn't like eggs so I can't just give him scrambled eggs as he doesn't like it. he does have snacks but 9/10 If I say no crisp/biscuits ect you can have watermelon/grapes/apple he'll say no.

Hence why I'm more inclined to say he's not hungry. Like whilst we were baking he wanted a sausage roll I gave him some mixed fruit and said if he was hungry he can have that. The fruit is on the side because he want's a sausage roll!

Oh he also said he likes sandwiches because he like bread, ham and cheese. Sometimes even cucumber but he doesn't like butter

Mumsnet has an egg obsession.

I got told porridge was no good for ds breakfast, give him eggs, the I got advised to give him eggs for his after school snack. I love eggs as much as the next person but you can't eat them every day.

I've found crackers with Philadelphia goes down well with ds.

Mine went through a phase of living off chicken nuggets and chips....he now is back to eating a wide range and it really hasn't had an adverse effect on him.
It was a bit stressful at the time though!
We just kept providing the stuff that he should have been eating and tried not to fuss too much.
Multivitamins, protein, carbs, veg and water. As long as he had that in done form over the week it was all good.
The menu and giving him choices up front really worked here though, allowed him to be immersed in food thoughts but in a healthy way.
Was a bit of a PIA though!

Even if he doesn't like eggs could you try "eggy bread" or french toast? You don't have to include sugar but to start maybe a little Orange juice in the mixture and some icing sugar or a very light honey drizzle to make it seem like a treat. Or even cheesy french toast could be an idea?

Ooooh yes chazadam, cheese sandwich, dipped in egg a la eggs bread and fried..... delicious! 😀

Actually you can eat eggs every day, I usually eat several a day and am losing weight and have a very low cholesterol. I know your boy doesn't like them OP, I'm just saying.

Even if you can from a health point of view you'd get bloody sick of them.

I've just searched and it says there's no limit on how many eggs so I take that back.

You definitely can eat eggs every day despite my DF's insistance that he gets 'egg bound'...

If he doesn't like eggs though, well firstly have you offered him all the available permutations of egg - I HATE runny scrambled eggs, and runny omlettes and snotty fried eggs but I love an egg mayo butty and cheesey scrambled eggs... he's four, call it something else fgs.

But the egg suggestion is really a protein suggestion - if thats not a goer, swap for another protein - cheese on toast with ham or chicken slices chopped up in it - full english breakfast minus the eggs and fried slice (mind those are the best bits)..

The point is, fill him up with a BIG breakfast of mainly protein, fat and not much carb or sugar - see how that affects things!

Yes I've just looked on th even NHS website and I can see the advice is you can eat as many eggs as you wants.

But protein aside, some children just do this however much they've eaten, or they'll refuse all options other than crisps or sandwiches and it can be very frustrating when it's suggested you're starving your child.

You mentioned your DP got subways regularly when you were in hospital.

Could that be why DS now wants sandwiches all the time?

Absolutely nothing wrong with a ham and cheese sandwich for breakfast! If that is what he wants, give it to him! It's a much better breakfast than a bowl of frosties and more filling than just toast or a bagel.

As long as they are eating a balanced diet of 'real' food, i don't think it really matters what they eat for breakfast.

Maybe instead of fruit for snacks, try giving him carrot/cucumber sticks with some hummus or mashed avocado, plain yogurt with a bit of honey, cheese cubes and cherry tomatoes or a smoothie made with banana to keep him going. A piece of fruit on its own won't fill him up.

I also think that at this age a cooked lunch is much better than just a sandwich - they use so much energy running around all day! Let him eat sandwiches for breakfast, cook him a lunch of maybe chicken/fish with vegetables and give him a dinner with carbs to help him stay full longer.

If he wants chicken nuggets, make your own! All 'junk' type foods can be made much healthier at home.

Do you have consistent meal time? Maybe keep a white board in the kitchen so you can write a meal plan. Let him help you with the plan and give him some choices so he feels more in control.

I agree with others on the thread that it does sound like you have issues with food. It is good that you are addressing this now before you pass this on to your children.

How about giving him eggs for breakfast
I just wanted to pitch in and say I think sandwiches for breakfast is fine, both my kids have them. I will give them sandwiches because I know they won't eat other filling alternatives that are healthier.
My DS has them for supper too (literally right after having his dinner).
Neither of my kids have rickets, obesity, tooth decay. It's pretty rare for children to be malnourished in this country!
Don't listen to all the "fruit is sugar, cereal isn't real food, you're not feeding him enough, he's got emotional food issues" brigade.
Guideline for kids his age is 1,200 - 1,400 calories a day. Quite a lot really.

what I'll be back tomorrow saying I gave DS eggs for breakfast, he didn't eat them and now he's saying he's hungry

He really doesn't like eggs sorry egg brigade I'll try him on the other stuff though albeit we've never in our life had hummus so no idea what that is!

What do all of your dc eat for breakfast on a normal school day? Honestly.

My mum did actually give me a hot breakfast each day, something like boiled egg, a fried egg and piece of bacon, sardines on toast, crumpets and cheese. All of my friends at school thought this was weird as they'd have cereal.

By the sounds of it my mum had the right idea.

Without joining the egg bandwagon, I do make the kids eggy bread. I just whisk an egg, soak a piece of brown bread in it then cook it in the pan with some cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. The older one has chopped banana with it instead.

That's more of a lunch here though.