To think my toddler should not be this hungry!

[TaylorBrown]

My 3 year old claims to be hungry ALL THE TIME. almost every minute of everyday its 'I'm hungry' surely this can't be normal? It's mentally draining. She seems happy and is getting enough nutrition. I have never given her all the food she wants because she'd eat junk and be on the verge of childhood obesity.I know toddlers get hungry a lot but my god this is unbareable and mentally draining. She uses a lot of energy but I feed her enough without her needing more. Is she just greedy? She's not underwhelmed- overwhelmed or whatever. Just.constantly.hungry. even has seconds at nursery when she can.
I do give her a lot of fruit.

It’s probably behavioural if she is otherwise thriving?

1. Try giving her a drink every time she complains of hunger, she might be thirsty instead
2. Offer something more filling than fruit! Plain yoghurt, cheese, oatcakes, peanut butter on toast etc

‘I’m hungry’
can also mean

”I’m Bored’. Same in adults !

What are her typical day eating like? What percentile is she?

Are you feeding her the right things? Enough protein etc? Fruit isn't very filling.

Normal to be hungry at this age.

Give healthy foods such as veg sticks between meals if they ask.

They have small stomachs and use a lot of energy.

Your language is perjorative, not healthy to identify it as 'greed' when it is just regular toddler behaviour. Toddlers like food, it's programmed into them. It calms down. Don't make it into a big thing.

This.

If your schedule allows it, designated and predictable meal and snack times may help. Eg breakfast/lunch/dinner at the same time everyday plus snack at 10am and snack at 3pm. Then when she moans she is hungry you can remind her that snacktime is in one hour and ignore any further requests.
If you give her food every time she asks she will continue to keep asking.

(By the way I had a 3 year old like this....I get how draining it is. The above definitely helped!)

Yeah I eat more at work because of this

OP you probably ate feeding her enough but I would just have a quick read of this guide from the Caroline Walker Trust as it gives suggested portion sizes and sample menus.

When my DC1 went through a phase of eating all of the time it turned out the the balance of nutrients he was having wasn't quite right according to the guide.

We adjusted his diet a little bit after reading it and the issue was resolved

Protein heavy snacks fill up quicker. Toddlers have tiny tummies but burn off a lot of calories, so 3 small meals and 2 snacks are ideal. My youngest, who is now 13, has ADHD, so he seemed impossible to fill up.

I feed her enough without her needing more

Would be interesting to know how you can be confident about this given every human has slightly different needs.

Thanks everyone. I will try the snack time schedule. And try my best to keep her full in the meantime.

Well I feel I do. I feel that she shouldn't need more than what I give her as they are big portions of nutricious food.

Definitely check they aren't thirsty, adults can't distinguish. But to be fair mine were little locusts at that age. They were very tall and lean. I do remember asking at a GP check up and they they said it can happen prior to a growth spurt.

I would just be sure she is getting sufficient protein etc. it may be her body looking for something specific.

Mine were both up to six feet tall by age 12 so they did have a lot of growing to do 😂. Still very lean so I do wonder where the food goes.

I let DS3 eat as much as he wants, but he can't eat junk because I don't give him any. Snacks might be corn cakes with peanut butter or similar, though, not just fruit (though he has that too). At mealtimes we put the food on the table and he serves himself - the only 'rule' is he has to eat some of the veg or protein before he can have a second (or third!) bowl of rice, pasta etc. He sometimes eats huge amounts, sometimes not. He's not fat.

You seem reluctant to say what she is actually eating in a day though? Perhaps your idea of what constitutes a big portion of nutritious food for a three year-old is not exactly what she needs?

We stayed in an English M25 hotel for once. The restaurant manager refused to believe Miss3 would eat a sirloin steak, carrots, beans and chips. But she cleared her plate. This was a regular dinner for her even after a full day of proper meals.

Well I feel I do. I feel that she shouldn't need more than what I give her as they are big portions of nutricious food.

You can never know though. My DC1 has an unusual genitive change that means they need roughly 25% more calories in a day than everyone else and there are really many other symptoms.

I'd read the guide I posted earlier and see if there are any adjustments you can make.

Is she getting a daily vitamin supplement tooo*?

It's surprising how much they eat. I always had healthy snacks available (fruit, veg sticks, rice cakes, cheese) at that age and I didn't limit them at all. It seems like making a rod for your own back to be arguing over it all the time instead of just saying "okay here's a carrot stick". She can then take it or leave it.

See if she'll eat carrots because they take ages to eat

Without knowing what you're feeding her op it's impossible to say. Your version of "big healthy meals" will differ to other people's.

But yes, toddlers and preschoolers eat a TON!