Greedy toddler obsessed with food

[Nomad86]

My ds is 16 months old and is always eating. Ever since we weaned him, he never seems full. He eats until he's sick, then wants more. He sobs when meals are over. He steals other people's food even if he has some, goes in the fridge and helps himself (just caught him wolfing down blueberries). If I get up from the sofa, he rushes to the kitchen and points at the cupboard, whining. I've tried only giving him food when he isn't screaming for it, but as soon as I go to the kitchen, he screams for food so I'm just rewarding him! I genuinely don't know what to do. My first child had a good appetite but nothing like this. DS is a healthy weight for his height but at the top end of both so likely to be a big boy as he grows.

I don't think it's hunger, as if he doesn't see food or think it's on the cards, he's perfectly content. He's very active so probably needs quite a bit of food but this is ridiculous. Has anyone else had a child like this? With full on tantrums and hitting at the word no? How do I give him food without him thinking it's because he's cried for it?

I'd try the health visitors but I've had an awful experience with the ones at my surgery and want nothing more to do with them. I feel it's behavioural rather than medical.

What do you offer in a normal day? What centiles is he on and also, how much milk does he have a day?

I'd see a dr- that seems quite extreme to me. And I have 2 boys who whinge loads for food (they're 3 and 6). It's so frustrating. But the eating until sick and then wanting more would worry me.

He's 99th centile for weight, 91st for height. DH and I are both very tall so this isn't a surprise. He has two small cups of cow's milk a day, sometimes 3.

Breakfast is a whole weetabix with milk, followed by dry cereal. Then he shares my toast, plus his milk. Snacks are rice cakes, fruit, bread sticks. Lunch is a sandwich and salad or pasta. Tea is always something home cooked, nutritious and filling. His portions are more than adequate, he just can't be hungry. I feel like I'm running a cafe!

Maybe try swapping some of the carby things for proteins adding protein to them, to keep him feeling fuller?
So something like scrambled eggs for breakfast, a piece of cheese or yoghurt with his fruit, nut butter on his rice cakes.

Can you swap his snacks to things a bit more calories dense? Like, swap rice cake for fruit loaf? Also a bit more at lunch time? Most toddlers go to bed quite soon after dinner so it's silly it being their main meal - they need their energy at lunch for an afternoon of toddling and chaos IMO.

DD has a sandwich, bits of cucumber and tomato, cubes of cheese, crisps or crackers, apple slices or satsuma, maybe some olives or nuts. She'll have an oat biscuit or similar in the afternoon, and she's often getting hangry by dinner at 6pm. Bottomless pit,but she's growing, not maintaining a weight.

He needs more protein and fat he is hungry

Agreed on protein. My 16 month old will have cereal and whole milk and breast milk and toast with but buyer for breakfast. Biscuit and fruit for snack.
Lunch will be 3 eggs scrambled plus salad and bread. Or half a chicken breast in a sandwich with salad. Or spaghetti Bolognese. Something high protein anyway.
Afternoon snack will be high fat luck avocado, flapjack, and a big breastfeed.
Dinner will be a normal dinner.

He is too young to be greedy.

Completely agree he needs more protein - lean meats, eggs and cheeses are good snacks. Less carbs which convert to sugar and so he's getting sugar highs and crashes.

Too young to be greedy. I suspect he is seeing food and has made the connection that food = eating. If that's the case it shouldn't last forever.

Also agree try more protein - cubes of cheese for snacks?
Give loads of milk to drink
I don’t think you need to see a dr - I’d just try feeding him more first. It’s great he likes his food.

He’s eating too many carbs which won’t satisfy him. He needs more fat and protein.

I agree on upping his protien, there doesn’t seem to be a lot in there. He needs fat in his diet as well. What you’ve listed seem to be carbs and water filled foods.

Cheese is good. Babybels maybe? More full fat milk.

I don't think it's enough. One weetabix is really nothing and I know people on here hate snacks, but a child of that age and build should be having 3 meals and two to three snacks.

My DSs are and were tall children. (now 6'3 and 6'2 at 17 and 16).

A typical day at that age would be:

Cup of milk
Porridge portion or weetabix (two) with fruit and an egg with a bit of toast and a drink of fruit juice

Mid morning:
Bit of cheese/yoghurt and some dried fruit

Lunch:
Sandwich or toastie with fish/meat or cheese filling plus a banana and some veggie dippers or maybe soup/bread and fruit cake plus a drink of water

Mid afternoon:
yoghurt/savoury snack and a drink of milk

Dinner:
Pasta or meat and veg or quiche etc plus drink of water

Supper:
Toast with salmon spread or similar and milk

I think he might need more protein in his diet.
Can you give him yoghurt or some cut up cheese cubes for snack? Also some chicken or egg for lunch could help. Sometimes, when children go through a growth spurt, they can do with 2 "hot" meals.

Are you vegetarians? His diet does seem lacking in both vegetables and meats. I'd also guess he is hungry.

Thanks for all the responses!

He won't eat eggs, one of the few things he dislikes. He gets protein in his lunch and tea but I'll try and think of more breakfast ideas. I'll also try giving him more milk between meals to help fill him up, and cutting the carbs in favour of protein. He loves meat and has lots of teeth so it shouldn't be a problem persuading him.

I only used the word greedy because if there isn't food around, or we're out for the day, he's absolutely fine.

He’s hungry!
More for breakfast. Not sharing your toast but a slice to himself.
Baked potato with tuna and cheese topping.
Rice cakes and bread sticks are not nutritious. And fruit is healthy but not very filling.

I'm worried you're just going to go the other way. Add protein, but not cut carbs, he just doesn't seem to be getting enough protein with his carbs.

As others said, he's not greedy he's too little. He's hungry. Like many of Us though he probably doesn't pay attention to his hunger if out and excited doing other stuff.

Mine also went through phases of being constantly hungry and then not that bothered. I would guess linked to growth spurts.

Maybe I wasn't clear on his meals. Lunch is a whole sandwich with salad and a yoghurt or fruit for pudding. Tea is a casserole, cottage pie, meat and two veg, fish pie etc. Basically lots of meat and vegetables for tea. He snacks several times between meals. I eats more often than I do. After his weetabix in the morning, he has cereal, toast, sometimes porridge, constant food until the school run. I can certainly swap foods to see if more protein helps but if I feed him any more often, or I would quite literally never leave the kitchen.

I’d take him to the GP to get checked over. He could have a problem with his pituitary gland.

Yes, see the GP, as this seems unusual, especially if more protein doesn't work.

And I'd go to the GP with a detailed record of what he's had to eat each day over say a week, and how he has behaved around food, so they can see rather than just conclude that you're misunderstanding.