2.5 year-old reverts to eating when bored!

[reemnafie]

My daughter goes to a nursery but when she comes back home, all she wants to do is eat, even though I try to play with her and keep her busy. The weekends are turning into a nightmare! I can hardly go near the kitchen or she'll be screaming for food. What do I do?

Is she eating everything she is offered at nursery? Is she a very active child? Is her weight ok?

If yes to all these things, is there a chance that she is burning it all off and is actually hungry?

My DS is quite small, very little fat, and eats twice as much if not more than his peers as nursery. But he is a non-stop active child, very physical, and I think he just needs the calories.

If it is boredom or you think she is developing bad habits, can you just offer really boring food if it's not a mealtime? Ie rice cakes, breadsticks, cucumber, no tasty cheese or anything sweet?

She is eating everything she's offered at nursery and they tell me she has seconds during lunch. Her weight is fine, she seems like she's getting taller but not fatter.
But how can she be hungry at 6 when she just had her last meal at 4 and in the bus back home she had biscuits and juice?!
I do offer her fruits and veggies and surprisingly she eats them as well. I'm just worried she'll get used to eating all the time non-stop and when she gets older she'll start retaining this fat.

She sounds like my 13 year-old! And she's put on about 6 ins. (upwards, not outwards) in the last couple of years.

My very small and skinny 10 year-old is suddenly eating more too - she's getting quite excited that this might be the prelude to a growth spurt, but will stop practically mid-mouthful when she's had enough, as will her sister.

When she has finished eating, does your DD settle down with you to play? Does she ever stop eating of her own accord? She may well be on a growth spurt, so as long as she's growing upwards, I'd go with her appetite, but keep food healthy, and as Fluteyboots says, not too exciting between meals. Eating when bored is a habit which is developed over time. If neither you nor nursery give her food to keep her quiet instead of playing with her, I wouldn't have thought that would be a problem.

Appetite does vary a lot in little children over time. You might be tearing your hair out because she's not eating this time next year.

I do know what you mean, my tiny boy really packs it in, very frequently. He is 17 months but only 9.3 kilos and eats 2 weetabix and a banana for breakfast, with lunch 2hrs later. If she's not looking too chubby, it might just be she's having a growth spurt?

I just give DS as much as he wants at mealtimes, even if that means 2nds or 3rds plus pudding. Would that help to reduce the hunger? And keep an eye on her weight. If she is otherwise well and you are only giving healthy snacks I wouldn't worry. You only retain fat if you are not burning it off, and it sounds like she is. AFAIK toddlers do need to eat very regularly, and even in adults it's better to eat more often as long as it's not foods that are bad for teeth.

Sounds just like my DD2 (5yo) Even her teacher commented on her propensity to eat. At parents vening, after a reel of negativity, I asked her what were my DDs strength, she replied eating and telling the time (commenting that she has an incentive to tell the time to know how long til lunch/snack time )
The class had a mexican afternoon with a range of mexican foods and it was commented my DD wouldn't stop till she had tried everything. DD1 is yr5 so has a later sitting for school lunch and often says she is out to play before DD2 cos she will sit til all her food is gone.
Having said this, DD2 is considered underweight at her last school check (very fortunate genes inherited from me pre 2 kids).
She will even sneak to the neighbours and devour a full sunday roast (unbeknown to us) and come back asking whats for tea before sitting down with us for the same in the evening (very lovely neighbours who know what she is like and she is very welcome)
We do make a point of offereing only fruit when we know she has eaten enough, and she ALWAYS takes it, even eating raw brocolli when the fruit bowl is emptied.
She is very active and certainly not over weight. not a problem if the right food is offered (though VERY expensive)

It might be the growth spurt indeed, any suggestions for healthy snacks other than fruits and veggies?

Homemade popcorn, breadsticks, plain yogurt.....but it's fruit and rice cakes round here!

Fluteyboots Thanks!