DD 5 eating non stop. Becoming ridiculous

[orangeandlemons]

I don't know what to do. It's every 1/2 hour. Nothing seems to fill her up an I am getting really concerned that it is just greediness. I seem to be getting her stuff to eat constantly.

Today: 2 huge pancakes at about 9.00am. 2 biscuits at 10. Dried mango at 10.30, crackers and butter at 11, banana at 11.30 lunch at 12.15.

Small cake and drink whilst out at 2.30. Arrive home 4.00pm, demanding food straight away. Had a plain wrap whilst tea cooks, would have eaten more, but I stopped her. Will shortly have huge tea, then will be hungry straight away after, constantly until bedtime.This can't be normal? She is very tall (8 yearold size)

I have tried offering water, but it makes no difference we keep very little crap in the house, but that is what she wants. She won't eat toast, bread, rice cakes or any normal snacky stuff. I am tearing my hair out for her, because I feel she is overeating, but she never gets fatter, but also because I feel like some sort of waittress who has to find food evey 1/2 hour. And I don't want to. I want to do other stuff too

I have tried talking to her about it, and talked about mouth hunger and tummy hunger. Dp is sick of it too. It is literally every 3/4 hour a demand for food that never seems to fill her.

No help but my 3year old DS is exactly the same. But with drinks too. Sometimes I am more patient than others and think 'he's growing...' other times I just get cross as like you I've barely finished getting him one snack before he's asking for something else!

Is she bored? Does she ask continually if you are out of a fun day out somewhere for example? Sounds like it's become a habit rather than hunger. My DD can be a bit like this but I do tend to say no if i think it isn't borne out of actual hunger. Do you ever say no?

Yes, I say no, but that just postpones it for a bit, and then it starts again. I have talked to her about food as fuel and to eat too much is bad for us, but she told me she just loves eating.

I think boredom may be part of it, but not all IYSWIM. She just loves eating

None of the stuff you mention soynds very filling - lots of refined carbs and sugar. Try more protein and slow release energy.

I have tried the protein approach, but that is 1/2 the problem, she won't eat a lot of protein. I completely agree with you. Breakfast is a real problem as she won't eat eggs, apart from in pancakes (Hence pancakes)

Her lunch today was jacket potato and cheese, and tea will be lasgane. She doesn't like much protein stuff, cheese, mince and fishfingers are about all she will eat protein wise.

And toay she told me she had gone of cheese

offcheese

Could you have carrot/cucumber/pepper sticks freely available so you're not constantly getting things? Is she drinking enough? Snacks like malt loaf and oat cakes are good for filling tummies as is porridge for breakfast.

Yes, she likes maltloaf, forgot about that. I do have stuff in fridge she can get, but she always seems to want labourintensive stuff.

She won't eat porridge

My dd is 8 and has always been like this, and it's not just at home, if we are out or visiting family she is exactly the same.

I have treated her for worms even though she doesn't have them (just to be sure) but the gp has said she is fine and let her have what she wants.

Obviously until she is obese

She has just eaten her tea, and I have set a timer for an hour and 1/4 and said nothing else to eat until timer goes off.

Widdles . If I let her have what she wants, she would just eat chocolate brownies and buns all day.....
The whole food thing is so contentious. I don't want to make a fuss, or refuse, but I can't say to her if you eat non stop you will become huge. Damned if you can and damned if you can't

It is hard as she doesn't seem to be just angling for sweets/cakes etc. Does she finish her meals? My 5yo is a bugger for picking at tea then saying she is hungry an hour later. How is she at parties etc where there is free access to food?

She usually eats most of her tea, but never finishes it. Eats practically nothing at parties. Why should sheS she likes Mummy to be constantly busy. I swear that is what is behind it

Have you tried giving her a snackbox? Either a daily one or a weekly one - fill it with healthy snacks, veg sticks, oatcakes, cheese cubes, maybe one sweet thing and then let her manage it herself. Tell her you are providing three meals a day and that's it, she can choose when to eat her snacks but there is nothing else.

It will give her some control and stop her bothering you for food.

I just offer fruit and nothing else. my mum was the same. if they really are hungry they'll accept it otherwise just after the 'nice' stuff.

It's not that she wants to eat rubbish, it's anything such as yoghurts, fruit, rice cakes, crisps, bread, crackers just about anything.

I always try to keep food to breakfast, 10.30 snack, lunch 3.30 snack and tea so i don't starve her

Liking idea of snack box very much. Will try that.

Am not sure fruit is filling enough for snacking when hungry. Bananas perhaps, but don't think the rest are very filling. .I try to keep to set times too. It worked a treat with ds, but not with dd

There is an argument that the natural way to eat is to graze and that the 3 meals a day approach is out of convenience.

I don't think you should deny her food if she says she is hungary. She may well be having a growth spurt. My boys in particular eat get a bit podgy and then shoot up. My DD2 (4) is a grazer and helps herself to yogurts, apples etc. I give her the same meals with the others but smaller, DD1 doesn't eat between meals and has larger meals. I'm quite keen to keep them eating to their appetite IYSWIM - I think we are conditioned to over eating, having to eat large meals at certain times etc when it doesn't necessarily suit the appetite or the growth pattern.

You could try keeping food she can help herself too around. Keep the fruit bowl handy, chop up carrot sticks and keep them in the fridge with tubes of yogurt, cherry tomatoes. I cut up grapes into small bunches so they can grab a handful. Different flavours of rice cakes might be worth a try too. Marmite are particularly popular here. Use whole grain bread and brown pasta and rice if you can get away with it. Protein is really important in staying full so maybe cubes of ham and cheese, Babybels are quite a good snack too.

Feeding kids is really tricky and everyone has different opinions - this just works for me. My 4 yo is forever in the fridge - as long as I keep the junk out of the way (and she doesn't naturally head for it) it seems to work.

Is she genetically tall, or tall because of overnutrition?

If she's not finishing meals is that because her portions are too big or because she's full from snacking? Whilst grazing has it's place grazing replaces meals, and shouldn't be in addition to them.

If you think she's demanding food as a way to give you the runaround and try to exert control over you, try a snackbox - fill it in the morning and tell her that's it for the day, once it's gone it's gone.

Good point about the attention seeking Sidge. DD2 used to ask to go to the toilet ALL the time. Like feeding them, you don't really want to say no.

Say no. Nobody over one needs to eat every thirty minutes. Say no.

If she's not getting fat, then she must be using all the energy she gets from food, therefore she needs all the food she is eating. If she starts to get fat, then she doesn't need it.

I think some of it is about attention, but not all, some seems to be hunger. She is very very demanding and high maintenance so it figures that she would be demanding about food. I agree that she is a grazer (I am)

She is gentetically programmed to be tall. 97th percentile for height, and dp and I are both much taller than average.

Ds would have breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, tea, supper like clockwork every day I miss that

My dd (recently turned 6) can be like this. I think it is mostly when she is bored/ can't think of anything else to do.
I go through a few of her asks, but she is only allowed a portion sized amount of any one thing - such as 2 biscuits, packet of crisps. Once she's had a couple of unhealthy snacks after that will offer her fruit. Quite often she won't want that so I then know he is not hungry. (These are rules in my head, do not say them to her, but helps me keep a check on what she is eating).
She has always been quite a grazer. In fact, when she was with a childminder she implemented an "additional snack charge" on account of the amount of snacks she asked for! She was eating her out of house and home! The eating definately ramps up before a growth spurt though - so maybe your dd is about to have one?

Good advice bit how much she drink during a day? Dehydration feels like hunger and I have found myself eating way less because I am genuinely not as hungry when I remember to drink enough water.

Could be growth spurt, when was her last one?