5 year old secret eating?!

[Frozenheart]

My lovely 5 year old DD has always been a very good eater ever since she was weaned.
The last couple of months, I have come downstairs to find my fridge and cupboards raided. All of this is being eaten before I wake up in the mornings.
Yesterday, her morning raid consisted of:

6x small petits filos yoghurts, 1x dairylea dunker, 1x apple and 1x satsuma.

This morning, she ate 6x more small yogurts, 1x packet of wotsits and 3x plain tortilla wraps

We always make sure we have filling, healthy meals during the day, but the words ”im still hungry still come out after finishing her meals and when we put her to bed!
In reception class last year, she was weighed and measured and it later came back to us that she is overweight. This wasn’t a surprise to us, as she has always been ahead of ages in clothes for her age. and her dad and I aren’t the slimmest of people!

So my main question is, would any see this as a cause for concern and to contact the gp? Is there anything we could change?

Surely easy solution is you tell her to come and watch her tablet in your bed when she gets up and you have a pre-prepared breakfast box of something easy and healthy ready by your bed for her to eat there. A banana and a drink bottle of water would be easy.

@Clymene I really that. I just wondered. Jesus

Mine were probably about 5ish but they had full water bottles and we'd leave them little cartons of long life milk and a brioche out for them to have as a snack and they literally didn't do anything other than put the tv on. I always woke though and it was usually closer to 7 and i'd get up probably about half an hour later. Their playroom and main part of the kitchen was directly under our bedroom so you could easily hear what they were doing.

Also easier with 2 I think (as long as they get on).

I imagine she's bored and lonely. That's why I comfort ate as a child.

[quote Frozenheart]@Orangejuicemarathoner what, so if my daughter goes to school saying “I go downstairs and watch tv while mummy sleeps” it’ll trigger a safeguarding issue? I know for a fact there are children at her school who actually have safeguarding against their names / social services involved with their families for more serious things than a child being downstairs watching tv while I am asleep, but okay…..[/quote]
No but if she says I have to get my own breakfast at weekends becayse mommy doesn’t get up for hours, then says what she eats, then yeah, there will be a safeguarding issue …if yoire honest that she’s left alone for a couple of hours each weekday morning and you don’t know what she’s eating and she has to find her own food and feed herself.

Sure you can make her out to be a liar, and get out of it but if you were honest then yes during those hours your child is at risk.

Why don’t you just up and feed her a breakfast like every other parent?

Get up at the same time as your daughter on a Saturday and then your dh can get up on Sunday and you have a lie in. Take it in turns.

Plenty of people here have given you good advice but you’re only taking time to fight with the goady posters.

(And putting a grinning emoji when you said you’re overweight does imply that you think it’s amusing or not a serious issue.)

@Whatinthelord

At what age do people let their kids downstairs before them? Once a week my 5 and 7 year old watch tv downstairs from 7-8ish while I stay in bed. I’ve never seen an issue with it. But maybe others d9nt do this until older.

If they’re not raiding the cupboards then it’s not an issue. The OP’s daughter is, which suggests it is an issue for her. Your kids are happy watching TV for an hour… great. The OP’s child is alone for 2.5 hours and raiding the fridge. Not so great.

@RickySpanishhh I think I know me being overweight is an issue; it’s something I have lived with my whole life 👍🏻

Your daughter diet and food habits are under your control,you can fix this
Do you want to initiate change and support her.what do you want to do op?

[quote Frozenheart]**@RickySpanishhh* I think I know* me being overweight is an issue; it’s something I have lived with my whole life 👍🏻[/quote]
Then make the effort to change this future for your daughter

Op, so will you or her father start to get up with her and make her her breakfast? From tomorrow?

Becayse that’s the thing you need to change. And you need to do it tomorrow.

[quote EspressoDoubleShot]@MyDarlingWhatIfYouFly. Curiously advising ignore advice based on op posts and instead pathologise and speculate that it may be illness and not poor parenting. Yes that’s the answer. Any initial consultation will ask about dd pattern & habituation, and when it’s revealed that the child is left alone for 2.5 hours every weekend that’ll pique professional curiosity and probably trigger the safeguarding referral

By all means if after establishing a routine and good diet there are still issues go to gp for consultation . However right now, this needs good habits,adequate diet and supervision[/quote]
I said she should see the gp to rule them out if you had actually read the post in it's entirety, unless you think you are able to do that via forum posts?

Overnight oats are filling and healthy. She could help you make them before bed and might be excited to eat them as she's made them herself

@Bluntness100 having spoken to DH, yes we have agreed this is something that needs to change. DD will just go downstairs without even telling me first.
We have also made a list for next weeks shop. I openly admit that there are some great advice about healthier food options which we have now added to our list for next week.

Read your post and it’s trite bluster with Pearl clutching cliche @MyDarlingWhatIfYouFly

You used the grin emoji and then attacked a pp for saying it looks like you find it amusing.

You should consider some therapy for yourself, op. There’s obviously a lot going on here that needs resolved. I’m not being mean for the sake of it, I think you could benefit from some help. You have a lot of misplaced anger.

@Frozenheart that's good to hear! Maybe take it in turns with your DH to go down with her and make sure she wakes you up before she goes down.

Reduce or cut out processed things completely (most of what comes in a box or packet is processed) and you'll be onto a good start.

DD will just go downstairs without even telling me first. Because that’s all she knows her experience is at weekend you’re not there.
Great you’re making Changes this is fixable it really is . Establish a routine, get a good diet and establish good habits

@RickySpanishhh I also have Bpd, hence my anger - but also, when people are saying I am a bad mother and “fat and lazy” that crap hurts! So of course it’s going to make me angry.

[quote Frozenheart]@Bluntness100 having spoken to DH, yes we have agreed this is something that needs to change. DD will just go downstairs without even telling me first.
We have also made a list for next weeks shop. I openly admit that there are some great advice about healthier food options which we have now added to our list for next week.[/quote]
Ok then tell her to wake you as yoire going to make her a yummy breakfast if she does, that you will do it together. Make it exciting. And tell her she’s not allowed to go down without you. It’s to be a special weekend treat.

Them take it in turns, that’s generally what everyone else does. Also cut the crap out and give her a snack before bed. Make her bed time later, so she’s not up so early.

I would not allow a 5yo access to the house without an adult.

@Frozenheart

For anyone else wondering, yes we WILL leave out fruit for her on the table to eat, a small box of cereal (from those multipacks) but STILL raids the cupboards!!!

at 5 years old i don't really understand why you aren't up with her making her breakfast and keeping an eye on her. her eating is out of control...I'm afraid this is just as much about lack of parenting and poor control. I'm not denying she might also have an eating disorder ...

My two are 5 and 7. They do sometime get up and go downstairs by themselves (especially the 7 year old). My 5 year old doesn’t like going downstairs alone and won’t unless sibling, DH or I go downstairs. Mind you he’s more likely to climb into bed with me and dose a bit more.

None of us are really morning people here. Mine are never up before 7:30am and usually later on weekends.

They don’t even think of breakfast till we ask them what they want. I don’t know why as I would be happy for them to get fruit, cereal, or a sandwich.

I think you should try giving your daughter some tea before bed. Something small but filling. The lunch box idea is good or the overnight oats for the morning.

Perhaps get up a bit earlier too? Or your OH. After she’s settled you could always dose on the sofa if you are tired.

[quote Frozenheart]@RickySpanishhh I also have Bpd, hence my anger - but also, when people are saying I am a bad mother and “fat and lazy” that crap hurts! So of course it’s going to make me angry.[/quote]
Of course it does, so don’t teach your daughter these habits.

Well done for acknowledging the need to change and get up with DD to make a proper breakfast

Along with ditching the junk and replacing it with better choices (eg replace the sugar yoghurt with plain yogurt and berries, stop the sugar cereals and replace with porridge etc), it really should help her. 👍