is it just my children....

[AmyB1986]

Who constantly ask for something to eat?
They are 6 & 8 and I get asked 'can I have something to eat?' Every half an hour!
I'll do them breakfast, healthy porridge or cereals and maybe some fruit if they fancy it. Lunch sandwiches with salad like tomatoes and cucumber and a packet of crisps occasionally and they have yogurt or fruits for afters. They have a cooked meal every evening but still they ask straight after eating for more!
Anyone would think I'm not feeding them.
My youngest favourite is 'I'm starving! I haven't eaten anything all day!' She says it all the time, if anyone overheard her they'd think poor kid with a cruel mother!

Please tell me I'm not alone...

Art I know protein is found in other things, it would be helpful though if they were actually things that my children would eat.
Lentils and black beans etc wouldn't get eaten and then they really would be hungry.

My kids eat plenty of protein rich foods and I try to make things they like too, it is not hunger that drives them to want food, it's pure boredom I believe.

I'm interested in the theory that school lunches are too early. I'm a teacher and am therefore programmed to eat at about midday as that's what I've always done. There are always a few kids who start asking when lunchtime is at about half 11 ish as they are hungry. Our pattern is breakfast at 7, fruit snack at playtime really is a tiny portion that school offers, lunch around 12 then dinner at about half 5. Any dessert is not eaten straight away, but as a small summer before bed if they are still hungry.

Some people on mnet eat far too late in the evening for me. I'd be ravenous by 7 pm and my kids always wanted to eat before then so we have always had a family dinner as soon as we were all back from work/childminders etc.

Just wait until they are pre-teen.

HUUUNNNGGGRRRRRYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!

Charley - the thing is many aren't back from work/ childcare until much later now anyway. Hence have lunch later than school and dinner later. Perfect meal times for us here are 8am, 2pm, 8pm. We aren't home often before 7pm anyway. School days kids eat lunch earlier but as breakfast at 8am could wait later. The have fruit after school usually now as 12pm-8pm is a large gap

Charley we have a similar routine to you. Breakfast is between 6.30 and 7.30. If the children are at school they're offered a snack of fruit or raw veg at their first break time around 11am, under 6's have free fruit and milk. I send my two with snacks of fruit and pay for their milk for break. They then have dinner around 12.30 but if they're packed lunches they go into eat at 12 before the hot dinners. My children have packed lunches Tuesday, Wednesday's and Thursday's and I can definitely tell the difference in their hunger as from 12 till 3.30 4pm they've had nothing but sips of water in the afternoon. When we're home we have lunch around 1pm normally and a snack at 4ish then dinner at 5-5.30.
I'm in agreement some peoples dinner time is very late. My two are tucked up in bed by 8pm when some are only jussi eating their main meal then going to bed on a full stomach.
Some research suggests it makes for a restless nights sleep, whether that's right or not I don't know.

Our ooh now I'm dreading pre-teens! Getting a 6 & 8 year old to eat the right foods is pretty easy in comparison to opinionated young adults my brother used to eat his meals at home then ride his bike to McDonald's and eat there as well! He was tall and skinny like a bean pole, never put any weight on. Constantly hungry.

Art it's really hard when you're home late isn't it. I don't get home until 8.15pm.
I'm lucky though as my nana takes care of my children whilst I'm working and my husband collects them at 6. They've already been fed and watered by my nana at that time. The only problem with that though, she lets them eat tons of biscuits when they get in from school and wonders why they don't finish their dinners!
I've been taking little fruit pots round to her before work so they have that instead of all the biscuits.

I think what ever we try to do for our children, there will always be some differing opinions on whether we're doing right or wrong.

Trying my best here to provide good meals, a good routine and work on top of that.

In our case, early lunch = 10.15. Yes, school lunch is 10.15.
Tbf, they start at 8, but still.

Snacks:
Cheese cubes and cracker or grapes.
Banana
Other fruit, but doesn't keep them going long
Chicken drumsticks
Boiled eggs
homemade cake and biscuits

Greensand where do you live? Our school starts at 8.45 in the uk.

I've just made scotch eggs. Boiled egg, I used minced beef and and an egg mixed in and cover the boiled egg, then made bread crumbs and covered them, put them in the oven to bake.

I've made oat and raisin cookies too.
Have to go to work now. Shepherds pie is all ready for DH to put in the oven later on.

Anyone who makes packed lunches for their children; do yours always have sandwiches or something different? I'm thinking of making pasta they can eat cold, with chicken or something, sweet corn etc instead?

Middle East! They are back home by 3. But I still can't get my head round 10.15 lunch!!!
Yes to pasta, potato (and rice, if you can keep it cool) salads. Mine also like couscous with bits in.

Your children are constantly hungry because you are not giving them enough to eat, it's that simple. Why don't they eat more protein? One cheese sandwich with a couple of cherry tomatoes isn't a sufficient meal for a growing child.

Xena have you read the other comments? That was one day. Shouldn't a child be able to chose a meal once? That is what they wanted yesterday. They didn't ask for anything else and left some of their main meal in the evening.

The thread is not a debate about what my children eat. It was a question of why; even when they've eaten substantial amounts of protein and other foods do they still seem hungry?
They are bored and I can assure you they eat plenty of good, healthy food.

OP ignore the posters still claiming you aren't feeding them enough, perhaps they haven't read the full thread!

You know you're children and if they're genuinely hungry or not. Agree with the mistaking thirst for hunger.

Tbh I remember very well when I was younger I just loved to eat. Still do...! And I too remember pestering constantly for snacks!

If I complained about hunger to my parents when I was just being greedy they would say have a slice of plain bread, and I'm talking the boring brown kind which isn't very nice plain. Did I eat it? No. Couldn't of been that hungry then!

Maybe some baked goods would be nice. Homemade scones aren't very high in sugar or homemade popcorn? They can help you with the toppings which could be fun. I think those kind of snacks are satisfying as in they feel like it's a treat.

It's all trial and error but yes I've heard of lots of kids complain of hunger when they aren't always hungry!

I'd let them eat! I think some kids just have hollow legs: as long as they aren't overweight no problem.

Also dairy products such as cheese and milk are high protein foods, not just that they are calcium rich. Good for teeth and bones. Once in a while having a cheese sandwich for lunch surely isn't a bad thing!

Thank you both! Yes they have hollow legs, very tall and slim not the slightest bit under it over weight. They enjoy eating and I think that's better than fussy eating!

Justonesherry I made oat and raisin cookies today and savoury eggs (scotch eggs).

Bloody hellAny I couldn't eat three cooked meals like that, I'd burst!
Do they have worms??????

If they're tall and slim and eat a healthy diet maybe they're just hungry?

My brother was the same and SO skinny! He still is, and is 36 haha.

Or going through a growth spurt. Mine seem to have periods they're more hungry than others. They certainly have a midmorning and midafternoon snack and usually a proper pudding.

I think they have worms or something lol maybe a growth spurt!
Today I've only eaten my main meal I wasn't hungry at all (still stuffed from yesterday's anniversary meal).

I don't know where they put it all honestly.

Maybe if you don't eat so much that makes a "normal" appetite seem large?

Tea perhaps you're right. I used to be exactly the same as a child. Would eat everything then stand pointing to my mouth like I was starving at times when my mum couldn't shout at me to stop asking, like when she was on the phone for instance.
I wasn't hungry I just wanted something to do!

Well of course it is a debate about what your children eat if they're so hungry they're constantly asking for food. And what you think is a substantial amount of protein clearly isn't enough for growing children.

No xena they aren't hungry, they're bored we've already established that.

I've rtft and it doesn't seem established to me.

As a mother of a very slim child who eats a lot and as an ex child carer what strikes me in your posts is you seem to want them to be eating 'healthy' food as in low fat, low calorie.

Growing children need fat, calories and as has already been pointed out more protein.

Ok they don't like houmous, what about taramasalata, guacamole, tzatziki, cheese or sour cream based dips? I'm assuming school and home = full fat milk cheese and yogurt? But how much?

But yes mistaking thirst for hunger can happen too but also if it's school holidays are they more active than usual? My dd more active in hols as she then has time for swimming, cycling and walking. When younger (she's 15) would have been running round at the park too.

Thinking back to when she was same age she'd have ready Brek or cereal, toast with butter and fruit spread plus fruit and milk to drink. Lunch was a hot meal plus pud at school, after school toast and fruit at after school club, plus couple biscuits or small cake (home made woman who ran it loved baking) dinner pasta bolognese, stir fry with noodles or cous cous, slow cooker dinner with potatoes of some kind with butter added to hers, soup n bread for supper.

Now admittedly she's not a fan of choc n quite fussy about cakes and sweets (I know what kid doesn't like choc!!) so no excess calories to worry about.

She's always been a good drinker which helps too, mainly milk or water but sometimes juice.

She's 5'6" and a size 6 currently and worries about her weight...as in she hates being skinny! Means she's not as developed as her friends.

Offer drinks if that's preferable but maybe milk instead of water, also check with someone maybe on portion sizes/nutrition balance?