I'm not sure if i'm making a mountain out of a molehill, but...................,

[saltire]

DS1 could eat for Scotland and its really worrying me. He has
Breakfast 4 weetabix
a glass of milk
4 slices of toast
a yoghurt and fruit

Lunchbox
4 slices of bread made into sandwiches
a yoghurt
a piece of fruit
a bag of raisins
a choc biccie
a packet of crisps.

It all gets eaten, then when he comes out of school i give him - in the playground - either a sandwich or a banana. this does till we get home, then he has 2 slices of bread and jam, more fruit, a biscuit, crisps and usually another yoghurt. The food gets eaten one thing after the other, and he won't go out to play, get changed or do his homework till he has eaten for about 1/2 hour. He then gets an evening meal, usually a much bigger portion than mine, followed by a yoghurt, or more fruit, then usually about 2 slices of bread and jam. Then he never asks for another thing until morning.
I've watched him eating and he's like a drug addict waiting for a fix, he crams it into his mouth, and its quite scary to watch. At mealtimes, i put his plate down, go into thekitchen to get mine and he is finished by the time i've gone back in again. We have had to leave weddings/bbq's etc cos he will just stand at the buffet table and eat and eat, and if we say
"come away just now" he says he's hungry and starts to cry. Then within half an hour he is crying with tummy pain
Here's the TMI bit though, he is always constipated, thats why i give him so much fruit, and he seems to put in much more than he puts out. I have had him at the doctors, but he says that it is a perfectly normal diet for an 8 year and normal for them to eat as much - but his friends don't.
I have seen DS rolling on the floor in agony with stomach pains, and i was told that it was constipation.

reading back through this i realise it probably sounds like i am overeacting, but i just cannot help but worry that there's something wrong that's making him eat so much. He's not overweight, he is 8, the height of an 11 year old and very skinny - in fact his ribs stick out.
Just needed to get this off my chest.

Gosh, that does seem like rather alot. But, if as you say he is not over weight then it's not really a problem is it? Is he fit and active and running around normally?

I have a ds who barely eats, so there is always another side to teh coin!

Does he drink a lot of water? That might help with the constipation. How is his health generally?

mAYBE he needs all this for growing. But if you are concerned why not see your GP?

I have been to see the GP, as i was concerned, especially as he gets so constipated and often complains of tummy pains, but GP says "it's normal for an 8 year old to eat so much"

Well, you really need to go back and be very firm with the GP that constipation is a real problem for your ds.

Also lots of water to drink. Orange juice can be useful for constipation (fruit juice, not squash). Some fruit can actually slow your bowel down - bananas, for example.

Could you persuade him to put his knife and fork down between mouthfuls - so while he's chewing, he isn't loading his fork up again? (Or hands, if he's eating with fingers.) That might help him eat more slowly so he actually realises when he's full rather than carrying on gobbling and eating more than he needs.

Message withdrawn

My ds1 is 8, nearly 9, and eats a huge amount too. He's 11 yo height too. I wouldn't say he's skinny but he's certainly not chubby. When we go out for a meal he has an adult portion (and has done for ages) and always polishes it off quite sharpish. I wouldn't be worried about the quantities - ds1 has friends who eat tiny meals - it's just different metabolisms.

But I would be worried about stomach pains and regular constipation. Some people just need a lot more fibre in their diet than others. He eats a lot of bread - is it wholemeal?

Can you give him some incentives/praise/reward for eating more slowly, chewing properly, etc.? It's partly about manners as well, isn't it?

I would also be tempted to be very strict about snacks; as this can contribute to constipation if the gut doesn't have time between intakes to empty each section properly. Ds1 has one small snack after school, but that's all. At this time of year they are mainly just thirsty after school, not hungry anyway.

Roisin's reminded me, sometimes people confuse hunger with thirst and will eat when actually what they need is a drink. Does your ds have access to drinking water all day at school? Could you get him to have a drink first in the playground, rather than eating straight away?

Do be careful with fibre, too much can be bad for children. Not sure what the right amount is for an 8yo, try googling Food Standards Agency (something like www.food.gov.uk).

Message withdrawn

Also, is there any chance he might have worms? Long shot, but tapeworms can mean people eat a lot without getting fat!

I don't think the amount he eats is a problem, but the constipation clearly is. How often does he actually go? When did it start to be a problem?

Like the pps, I wondered about the amount of bread. Or he might have some other kind of food intolerance? There's a lot of gluten and a lot of dairy in that diet, and those are fairly common things to have intolerances to.

How much water does he drink? If it's not enough it could contribute to digestion/constipation problems.

If you take him back to the doctor I'd suggest not even mentioning that he eats a lot and concentrating on the constipation and the rolling around in pain -- which surely no doctor would describe as normal?

He's always struggled with his bowel movements, even as a baby, he used to seem to strain. The bread is that stuff that looks white but has wholegrains in it.
He has always had a huge appetite, he was on 9oz bottles at around 3/4 months!
Everyone else i've ever mentioned it to makes me feel like an idiot and just say
"Oh, he's just growing"

I would be inclined to push the doctors on the abdominal pain / constipation, really. But in the meantime try to get him to drink a lot of water. Could you introduce a rule that he has to drink a glass of water before every meal and every snack?

I definitely agree he needs to drink lots of fluid if he's constipated, also cut down the dairy and bread a bit and up the protein element in his diet. I used to be like that (tummy pains) when i was younger and my mum realised i was only really eating protein at evening meal and far too much bread. Without protein it's hard to be full for long. Scrambled egg for breakfast, some nuts with fruit at snack etc.. all are easy to get in them and make a big difference.

Agree with LeahE. It sounds a lot , and our 8 yr old ds isn't eating that much, but the amount of starch, fibre and gluten may be aggravating his tummy pain and constipation. More fluid should help ,especially while it is hot weather, as might giving him probiotics in either powder supplement form or in live yoghurt or added to other yoghurt based products.