my 17 month old doesn't stop eating.

[user1466690252]

Hello,
DS2 is 17 months and has always been big, 96th percentile. His dad is tall and stocky. He is driving me crazy with his constant need for food and drink. I offer him 3 healthy meals a day, but inbetween he will winge all day for snacks. specifically biscuits, crisps ect. We have a packed lunch cupboard with bits in for my eldest and he will open the cupboard and pull all the snacks out (they are individually wrapped) and cling to my legs or pull me ovet to it. I say no and distract him but he will keep going for hours. I try and give him cheese and fruit to snack on but he refuses it and still goes for the treat cupboard, so he isnt even hungry. I can't move the cupboard there's no room and I can't not buy the stuff as the rest of the family have them, in moderation, properly. I have tried those cupboard saftey catches but they didn't fit properly, but mainly I jist want a way to keep him full on healthier stuff. What can I make or do? he is a very high energy child but there's no way he needs that amount of food surley? he really is constantly asking for drinks or food. His meal portions are huge as well. last night he had 2 bowls of homemade spaghetti Bolognese. That's as much as my 6yr old ate. I gave him one bowl, he winged abd cried when he finished untill i gave him another. I hate to think of him being bungry but surley he can't be hungry and its just habit? he's in 12-18 or n 18-24 month clothes so about right? he's very solid tho, everyone describes him as a "bruiser" if that makes sense. Im worried this is an indication of something medically wrong with him? I don't know? I just need the winging to stop and somehow get him to snack healthier without it being such a headache

Stop feeding him biscuits and crisps. They're driving the need for more. Reduce the sugar in his diet and give him more healthy fats which will keep him fuller for longer. The initial period might be painful but be strong and don't give in!

Put the unhealthy snacks out of sight. There must be somewhere else you can put them. Show your DS that the cupboard is empty and offer something healthier. If he refuses then he wasn’t that hungry to begin with. Snack type food can be pretty addictive and he was maybe asking for it out of habit rather than hunger.

I would just not buy biscuits and crisps - they are indeed fine in very moderate amounts, but you don't need to stock them in the house.

My teenage DS, who is a fussy eater, will help himself to biscuits if they are in the cupboard (and then not eat at meal times). So I just don't buy them at all any more. We don't miss them.

ok, we will nail this. What's a good snack food I can give him? I'm going to empty the snacks into a carrier bag and put in the cloackroom on the top shelf. my eldest is very sporty and looses weight quickly, very good metabolism, you should see the abs on him! so I can't get rid of them totally, he eats them in moderation though and Im often begging him to eat more. I need snacks to wean ds2 off the treats please, any ideas?

I don't snack at all, 3 meals a day nothing inbetween, so the whole snack thing is a bit alien to me tbh

My 17 month olds believed that sweet stuff was only ever an option for pudding at teatime. No other time.
Other times snacks were cooked carrot sticks, cut up grapes, rice cakes, breadsticks, cucumber, little bits of crust. But if you really think he’s had sufficient then say ‘At dinnertime’ then try and distract him with a book or activity. Make sure he’s not thirsty, lots of water to drink. Don’t let him see other people eating if you don’t want him to be eating.
Mine are teenagers now and really DO eat constantly but that’s another story!

Toast, chopped veg and fruit, plain yoghurt?

My 12year old is the same as your older DC, have to remind her to eat sometimes!

I wish I could film him to show you, I know I sound pathetic but he will cry for hours for it, I am concerned maybe there's a medical reason? there isn't is there? If it is behaviour I will nail it, just his reaction is so extreme I worry. Honestly, if we aren't out, he is begging me for food. I cannot distract him

Have you talked to your doctor or HV?

Getting rid of the snacks will help, but the food fixation does sound a bit unusual.

Kids need snacks, they've only got little tummy's so will need to eat more often. I do agree that biscuits and crisps should be treats but you do need to offer him something.

My 17mo has the baby biscuits and veggie sticks that you get if it needs to be easy snacks.
Toast, fruit and yoghurt also good. Cheese, eggs, cold meat.

If once he's forgotten about the treat cupboard and you've given him something to eat, then he's still whinging, then maybe something to discuss with hv

Thank you everyone. will try really hard this week, I will no doubt be back lots for handholding and advice. DH works abroad see, no family close, Im a sahp so it's only me that can change this

I love it when people say "Don't have biscuits or crisps in the house". I never had them in when I was single, but DH always bought them, and now there are five people in the house who like us to have biscuits and crisps in the house, and one who wouldn't be bothered. So that's five against one.

Also what the heck are you putting in packed lunches (that children will eat) if there are no biscuits, crisps or cake? DDs weight is perfect, they sleep well, their teeth are fine, they concentrate at school and their behaviour is good. But they always have a sandwich or equivalent, fruit, a drink plus either crisps, a cake or a couple of biscuits. Sometimes a yogurt, perhaps, but as that also has sugar in it, I put that in the same category.

I'd say the OP needs to take DC to the GP, it's not a case of not having snacks in the house.

catwoozie thank you. That is exactly my situation

I would speak to health visitor , hide the sweet/ crisps. He may well needs snacks but I would offer fruit, cheese and crackers, breadsticks , rice cakes, boiled egg, yoghurt with fruit type things but what you could do is make him some naked things like homemade fruit muffins , ECT then you know what in them Pinterest has loads of healthy ideas.

look at the Super Healthy Kids website for snack ideas. Things like no bake energy balls go down well here. Pitta bread with houmous, carrots and pepper sticks, grapes, nut and seed mix, muffins etc.

also cheese and greek yoghurt. Protein based snacks should be more filling.

Thank you, Im getting ready to go to the swimming gala now but I will look at those websites later, I like the sound of high energy snacks, I think he needs them, Im a keen cook so was looking for things I could nake to trick him into thinking its treat
food but actually being better for him. I guess thats the holy grail tho, we would all do that if it was easy

We had this. DD constantly helping herself at your DS's age. I got a telling off from HV and a referral to the dietician as she was over 99th centile. She is 3 now but still overweight. 17.4kgs!!

No snacks in the house, only fruit or veg or cold meat. She also cried and wailed for hours.

Only way, OP. Good luck.

Oh and also I've seen on Pinterest ideas about having a little snack box with healthy snacks I available for children. You could try replacing the sweet things with healthy snacks and see if it's actual hunger or he's just become fixated on going to cupboard and asking.

Both my children are always hungry and we try to avoid unhealthy snacks - I find little pancakes, breadsticks, fruit, homemade oaty flapjack are quite filling but not too unhealthy.

It's not medical , its habitual. You need to go cold turkey on sweet snacks and find alternatives. My friend never said no other child and she is very fat now . It's sad .. good luck .

if its habitual it will stop, we can do that, will be hell but it will pass. The worry for me was that it could possibly be a medical thing that I had missed, he's just a sugar addict and we are to blame for that.

Yep ... if you are really worried then go to the doctors and get him checked but in all honesty it will be much more likely that it's something you have 'trained ' him to do . Of course it's hard to hear but I see it so often . My parents overfed me out of kindness and I haven't weight under control, my sister doesn't . She is very very overweight . It's sad to think it was trained into us !

I have a similar story, over weight child, got it under control but the rest of my family are still struggling. I will not let this happen, ds1 was fine, ds2 seems to have happened by accident.

Don't have any particular advice regarding the potential sugar addiction but sounds reasonable to remove biscuits etc.

Have you considered whether it's normal for him to be that large? I ask as I'm surprised your 96th centile 17 month old is in 12-18 month clothes tbh. My just 13momth old 91st centile is nearly outgrown most 18-24 brands and is mainly in 2-3. But DH and I are both at least 90th centile for height so it is expected.

Not really sure what conclusion to reach on that except maybe give him a worming tablet to be on the safe side if he's constantly hungry but not growing much?