Can a toddler like food too much?

[Allegrogirl]

My 19 month dd was 28lb when she was weighed a few weeks ago and really loves her food. Most of the time she has healthy stuff with cake and biscuits as treats if we're out for coffee. She only drinks about 15oz milk a day.

Both dh and I are a bit overweight and I was bullied at school for being a fatty. I'm so worried about dd going the same way. She's really active and strong and doesn't look fat, she's quite tall for her age. She's just started really demanding food and will steal off others plates at nursery, pick up off the floor at playgroup etc.

Can I/should I do anything about this?

I don't really think at her age you should do anything too much, especially as hse doesn't sound too big to me, given she's tall. If your already giving her an appetite for healthy food, hopefully she'll carry on with it.

With the stealing food, is this a stage? or have you talked to the dr about it?

Allegrogirl - my 19mth old ds is the same. i haven't had him weighed for ages, but he is a bit chunky and still has quite a lot of babyfat. whereas his peers look more lean now. he also eats up every meal - even his cm said he doesn't have an 'i'm full' button.

not sure if this is helping, but i am cautiously watching his portion sizes - he loves bread and potatoes, but i try to give him 'toddler' portions of those, but offer more of the other veg. likewise, i do watch how much protein he has (despite mil saying he can eat a whole chicken breast at the weekend, i had to dig my heels in!). and he has quite a few rice cakes, yoghurt etc. i usually dish up his least preferred veg (funnily enough the green ones!) first at a meal, while the other bits are cooling and i try to stagger his food a little, so he has more opportunity to get full (otherwise it doesn't touch the sides, literally!)

i am trying not to worry too much though, as they do take what they want and i don't want to deny foods. i am just trying to make sure his portions of different food types are right. if he had his way, he'd eat toast and breadsticks, followed by a couple of bananas for every meal!

My son has always loved food. He was one of those babies full of rolls. He is now 2 years 4 months and a solid build but is definitely really slimming down and beginning to look a similar size to his peers.

He will always finish a plate of food. Even in a restuarant where I think the portion size is huge. He eats a really good variety of food and fruit and veg is his favourite. He only eats cake and biscuits occassionally.

We started to notice my son had some emotional attachments to food which is a habit we wanted to break. For example he associated going in the pushchair with getting a snack, even if I knew he was full as he just recently had a meal.
Also if he thought he could get 2nds he would scoff his first plate of food down.

We keep an eye on his portion sizes and just keep offering healthy meals.

Nursery also monitor his food intake.

I think they say if you think your child is generally hungry then feed them but if you think its due to boredom, comfort then try and think of other ways of distracting them.
I'm not sure if it's because our son has matured in recent months or because we've broken the food associations that his eating behaviour is so much better.

mum2jrc - that is such a reassuring post! it's also made me think that sometimes i leave ds in his highchair maybe a bit too long and use it as an excuse to tidy the kitchen up after he's finished (i love the fact he is so "patient" and as our kitchen floor is never that tidy/washing/dishwasher on, tis easier for me for him to be sat up). he then tends to finish off the food in front of him. so sometimes i think it is boredom. god that makes me feel like a bad mummy! i am going to try to watch for earlier cues he is full up.
allegrogirl - sorry for hijack
ps i am also one of those people who dish up way too much food for guests / other people, so this portion responsibility thing is a new concept for me!