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AIBU?

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Original poster

Kids eat too much

73 replies

user1457213512 · 20/08/2017 20:33

I spend too much time on Instagram, mainly following accounts who post photos of their food, particularly their children's food. Day after day I see photos of 2 year olds eating a whole adult size portion of pasta, 6 year olds eating massive meals. Today when out I saw a one ish year old eat a whole shop brought sandwich plus a packet of crips. It just seems so much food. Also it seems like everywhere you go a kid must have a snack, even at a half an hour club (but maybe that's a whole other thread!).

I personally think balance is great and a pack of Pom Bears or a cupcake isn't going to do a kid any harm every now and then, but it's just the sheer quantity of food some kids appear to be eating that surprises me more than anything.

Aibu to think some parents are feeding their kids way too much? Will it affect their attitudes to food later in life? Again, this isn't about 'healthy' food as such, more the amount.

OP posts:
Dina1234 · 20/08/2017 21:24

I would imagine that most of it goes on the floor/is left behind anyway.

LadyMaryCrawley1922 · 20/08/2017 21:25

I hear from some of the school mums that they won't let their 6yr old have school dinners because it's not enough for them...they are measured out portions!!

The measured out portions are generally the same for 11 year olds as they are for 4 year olds, so that is meaningless. And they are usually crappy food to begin with.

One of my DC eats more than I do, but if he got any thinner he would look like a skeleton. One of them eats like a bird but is much stockier.
Kids are individual and there is no such thing as a kids portion that is suitable for everyone.

Original poster
user1457213512 · 20/08/2017 21:25

Definitely not a journalist. I'm sure Mumsnet will be able to verify that I am indeed a legitimate poster if anybody has any doubts.

It's interesting hearing people's options so far, mixed responses.

And yes I do follow what people eat on instagram, because I enjoy doing so :)

OP posts:
GherkinSnatch · 20/08/2017 21:32

In general people have lost control of portion sizes. People think their babies are bottomless pits and keep feeding them grown up portion sizes, which lead to unhealthy habits. Snacking is usually unnecessary, but is massively prevalent. Want your child to be quiet on the bus - give them a packet of crisps. Want them to behave while you wait on your meal in Frankie and Benny's - give them some breadsticks.

A 2010 study in America demonstrated a link between children in the upper height centiles and adolescent and adult obesity.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2818981/

Launderetta · 20/08/2017 21:33

The other issue with excessive portions like that is the food waste that they create & the desensitization of those kids to that waste.
Global food supply security is becoming an increasingly important issue (& of course its not looking great in the UK either, considering the political climate) and we need to act & educate to protect future generations.

I accept that children enjoy a wide variety of foods that are on the standard menu (rather than the often beige, fried, more simplistic kiddies' one) so perhaps restaurants could overtly offer smaller portions for them and parents could think twice & order them!

(I'm aware that I'm missing the point re consuming too much & the trend to obesity, but PPs have dealt with that.)

SoftSheen · 20/08/2017 21:34

YANBU.

However, many toddlers eat quite erratically. My 2.7 yr old DS put away a pretty large portion of pasta at lunch today, however, for breakfast he ate a single slice of pear and refused everything else. Another day he might eat porridge, fruit and a slice of toast for breakfast and then refuse lunch...

MsGameandWatching · 20/08/2017 21:35

I've never managed to get my kids to eat one bite more than they wanted no matter how big the portion I served them. It wouldn't occur to me to worry about this.

brasty · 20/08/2017 21:37

Agree OP. And many kids are fat, but their parents do not recognise it.

potatoscowls · 20/08/2017 21:41

Really? Most of the kid's meals i see on instagram lead me to believe that people are underfeeding their children!
Also Pom Bears are mostly air. You'd get bored long before you because obese from eating them.

gandalf456 · 20/08/2017 21:41

Mine have always been picky. Whenever I mention it to other parents, they will boast about how much theirs eat. There does seem to be a culture of pride in having a child who eats well but I think it's a hangover from poorer times when being a bit ample was a sign of health and wealth. There is also a sense of being a good parent for getting your child to clear her plate: something i really disagree with. I see some parents spend a long time hovering over their children at mealtimes persuading them to have one more bite. A child knows when he is full

SuperBeagle · 20/08/2017 21:41

YANBU.

Portion sizes are the biggest contributor to to obesity crisis, IMO. It's not what people are eating, it's how much of it they're eating.

I often order a kids meal when I go for a pub meal (and similar places), and I have a healthy appetite but cannot finish even the kids meal most of the time. What does that say about the size of the meal? It's obviously far too big.

MaisyPops · 20/08/2017 21:44

Get your hard hat on OP, you're going to get flamed.

I don't think you're unreasonable thinking that but I don't think it's a child issue. I think portion sizes are a big issue across the board actually, especially when you factor in that the 'average' adult is getting heavier and our perceptions of what a healthy weight is are warped because average now is actually overweight.

Equally, there was a good article I read where it talked about adults consuming more calories in their post gym 'treat' than they'd actually burned off. I wonder if it's the same for kids where people justify lots of snacks 'because they're so active'.

That said, some people can eat loads and still be healthy.

Mittens1969 · 20/08/2017 21:51

My DDs, 8 and 5, are both very active, love gymnastics and swimming, and have so much energy. They're both in great shape, and no worries at all about weight! If anything, the concern would be about them becoming too concerned about being slim, DD1 has been known to say that her arms look fat in her school cardigan!

Where food is concerned, the only issue is that they're fussy and we have to make sure that they have a properly balanced diet, they're too keen on crisps and chocolate. It's a case of getting the right balance.

frigginell · 20/08/2017 21:57

If a child is lean and healthy, then they're eating precisely the right amount, aren't they?

It's weird to be so judgemental and concerned about the portion sizes of random healthy children.

geekone · 20/08/2017 22:02

It's none of your business and YABU. You have no idea the activity level of the children involved. My child is taught to eat when hungry, until full and to excercise as often as possible. Stick to judging your own children.

DoomGloomAndKaboom · 20/08/2017 22:02

Five year olds need about 1500 calories a day.

For two year olds, it's about 1200.

WorraLiberty · 20/08/2017 22:04

frigginell considering about a third of 10-11 year olds and over a fifth of 4-5 year olds are overweight or obese, it's clear that less and less kids are eating 'precisely the right amount'.

RochelleGoyle · 20/08/2017 22:07

Beagle, I think your post demonstrates perfectly that there is no one size fits all where it comes to portion size. I don't know anyone adults who would regularly find kids portions too much but that's not to say it isn't the case for you.

RochelleGoyle · 20/08/2017 22:08

Any, not anyone. Sorry.

LadyMaryCrawley1922 · 20/08/2017 22:10

considering about a third of 10-11 year olds and over a fifth of 4-5 year olds are overweight or obese,it's clear that less and less kids are eating 'precisely the right amount'

Doesn't that suggest that the 2 thirds of 10-11 year olds and the whopping 4 fifths of 4-5 year olds are eating a perfectly fine amount?

MaisyPops · 20/08/2017 22:11

frigginell
Isn't the issue that people's idea of what healthy is is shifting over time. People think large portions are normal and as long as they look ok then it's fine when actually that's not the case.

A friend of mine did a year abroad during uni and said that she found portion sizes in the USA to be massive and the bread to be really sweet. Turns out that there's corn syrup in loads of normal bread loaves. People over there are used to it, but to my friend it was odd. Equally, some of my international friends at uni said that England's portion sizes are so much bigger than the portions in their home country. People get used to whatever the norm looks like.

WorraLiberty · 20/08/2017 22:15

Yes LadyMary and it also 'suggests' that there is a massive childhood obesity problem, where children are being let down by those who feed them/see to them getting enough exercise.

Just the fact that you're deliberately missing the point, shows how worrying the blasé attitude to obesity has become over the years.

tararabumdeay · 20/08/2017 22:16

Recently I asked a class of 16 yr old students to describe the last time they were hungry. Not one of them could. They were genuine in their understanding that being hungry is not part of their experience.

Look, for example, (I know it's old fashioned) at 'The Big Bang Theory'. The portion sizes make me think how are they're going to put that lot away? They don't! They just play around with takeaways and plastic forks.

Not many years ago Mothers had to scrape for food, clothes, bikes, education, for their children. A hundred years ago our teenage sons would be on the front line.

All of the above still apply in the UK today.

When was the last time you were really hungry?

SuperBeagle · 20/08/2017 22:16

Rochelle Sure, but the majority of adults are overweight now, so evidently portions are a problem for them too.

geekone · 20/08/2017 22:17

The problem is an 8 year old doing a lot of sport can burn twice as many calories as an 8 year old who prefers to draw and paint all day as they are not sporty. Should they both eat the recommended number of calories for an 8 year old Confused

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