Is my toddler over-eating

[Sparkleandglitter]

DS is nearly 3 and ALWAYS hungry. He’s constantly looking for snacks or sitting up to the table to wait for his food (even if it’s not actually a mealtime).

He eats so much and I honestly have no idea if I’m over-feeding him or not.
I try to make sure his diet is fairly balanced and healthy but he has a massive appetite.
If we go to a party he makes a beeline for the snack table, and at the park he’s always there when his friend’s snacks come out.
I do make a lot of his snacks myself because it was costing a fortune and I also wanted to reduce how much salt and sugar he was having.

He’s very, very active (Walks/bikes/scoots everywhere. Does football, swimming and riding lessons every week. Spends a lot of time at the park running around with his friends and climbing).
He’s 98th percentile for height and 65th for weight so he isn’t overweight.

But he just eats so much and I don’t know whether to keep giving it to him or whether we need to cut back.

As an example, yesterday he ate:

Breakfast (7am): 1 slice of brown toast, 2 scrambled eggs. Pot of Greek yogurt with blueberries and a banana. Small cup of orange juice.

Snack (10am): 4 oatcakes with cream cheese, apple slices with peanut butter.

Lunch (12.30): Wholemeal pasta with bolognaise sauce.
Avocado, tomato, cucumber and mozzarella salad.
Satsuma.

Snack (3.30pm): Homemade banana, walnut and date cake.

Dinner (6pm): Salmon fillet, sweet potato wedges, broccolini, baby corn and mange tout.
Coconut milk chia pudding with mango and pineapple.

He drinks plenty of water throughout the day so I don’t think he’s thirsty.
He won’t drink any milk at all, so the only thing he has other than water is one small glass of juice/smoothie with breakfast.

It’s obviously hard to describe portion size, but it’s about enough to cover the bottom of child’s plastic plate from IKEA.

So AIBU to give him this much (and sometimes more if he wants it). I’m very aware that this is a lot of food for such a small child.

Kiddo was clearly a labrador in a past life!

As long as he is healthy, active and not overweight he sounds fine! And how great he is eating a wide variety of foods rather than beige crap. No fussy eating in your house ehh?

I was sad enough to post the meal plan into chat gpt 🤣

Why does he need juice at all? He's already getting his vitamins so cut the sugar. Our paed dentist says to give water and milk only until 5 but if you must give juice there is something about rinsing afterwards then waiting an hour to brush teeth.

God can we move on from the juice

He sounds fine op

No advice but deeply jealous. My 3yo child is the "thriving off a handful of strawberries (if I'm lucky) and air" a day type. Sounds like this might be expensive for you though!

Honestly you're living the dream!! My 2 year old is overweight according to NHS BMI in the 99th centile but some days he will eat a like a horse and others he survives on milk and fresh air! Don't worry you'd know if he was unhealthy and overweight but you clearly put a lot of effort into a healthy diet, much more than I do I'm ashamed to say

Maybe he likes it?! Don't you ever eat anything that you don't NEED? Never have a treat? He clearly eats very healthy what is some juice going to do?

Mine won't touch chicken nuggets 😭😭 I thought that was meant to be all toddlers go to. I feel let down 😂

I would include cucumber sticks and chunks of carrot too
Increase vegetables if he likes them

My DD eats less than that now and she's 9! But DS woild have eaten similar at 3. He has always had a huge appetite and I do keep an eye on him but he's never been overweight. Always between 50th & 75th for weight and between 75th & 91st for height. He's very active and sporty.

He's now almost 12 and clears a fiull adult plate and often asks for seconds. I feel like he's always eating! Just to reassure you, he's 5'3", 6st 6lb and an athletic build with defined abs and biceps.

The juice… 🙄

I remember in a mag (2000s possibly?) there was a section where a reader posted their diet and got feedback from an ‘expert’. On the odd occasion the food was as healthy as the OPs, the advice would plummet to niggles about things like a small glass of juice or a suggestion to eat cucumber instead of tomatoes to ‘reduce sugar’. It always made me laugh but I guess its role was to provide advice on healthier eating even if your starting position is a no sugar no carbs no UPFs vegan teetotaller.

If the only dietary advice OP is to remove a glass of fresh fruit juice then you are truly winning at life. I am in awe.

But it has no weights/portion sizes.
So chatGPT is basing it on nothing.

I couldn't fit all this in as an adult but it is all healthy food so maybe not a problem?