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

And I thought my 19 month old DS was bad, blimey OP 2 bowls of spag Bol? My DC is big aswell, but I'm not worried about him. He has a 3 meals a day and a snacks in between. He doesn't winge or anything, he eats what I give him and that's it. Give him
3 normal portions, no seonds. And give him healthy snacks, fruits, rice cakes etc. Every time he demands food after his meal give him fruit, water, rice cakes etc. That he's not gonna put on weight, even if he eats a lot.

Make sure he's getting lots of protein as this will fill him up better and for longer than sugary shite e.g.

Scrambled eggs and brown toast for breakfast.
Snacks like hummus and oatcakes, boiled eggs, chicken pieces, cheese and crackers, pita pockets with no sugar peanut butter.

And put the treat cupboard stuff somewhere he can't see it or get to it. My DH is diabetic and we put his emergency sweets/ biscuits in our bedroom cupboard!

Keep a good diary for a week 9f everything he eats and quantities.
Also note times he whinges.
Take that to gp.hv Gp or hv can refer to community dietician who can look at the foid diary give you ideas and tell you what is ok.

All my food is cooked from scratch, so I know there is nothing in that sugar/salt wise. he is a gannet tho! I have looked online and after swimning I am going to make some sugar free snacks and pre chop fruit for the fridge so I can give it to him when his meltdowns happen. I feel like I'm prepared for a rough ride but now realise it isnt normal and just bad habbit I can handle it. for lunch they have tuna sandwiches, he's gunna go wild when he has 1/2 a pack of quavours with it not a whole pack, but I'll empty his brothers out of the pack onto his plate aswell and get rid of the packets so he doesn't see.

I think I know why, he stopped breathing when he was 8 weeks old. I've totally given in to him crying for food out of fear i think, He stopped breathing in the middle of a crying fit see, hes old enough now tho, it's gotten out of control

www.lnds.nhs.uk/_PatientsandPublic-DietandLifestyleAdvice-FoodRecordDiaries.aspx

Click for sample food record diary
Quantities important. How big is the bowl...adult bowl or kid size ? Do the diary in full for a week then take to gp

Thank you! all the food is served in toddler bowls so 2 bowls of spagetti is 2 toddler bowls, but that is still too much I realize. He doesn't look fat to look at though?

Why is he having quavers at all? Maybe the veg crisp snacks would be better like pea snaps etc? I’m not sure there’s any nutrients in a quaver..

because that's what I have in the house at the moment. also, everything in moderation is what om trying to teach.

We do cucumber slices, carrot sticks, olives, tomatoes with sandwiches. A 18 month old doesn't need crisps. It's just setting up bad eating habits. I'm pretty shocked he's been eating a whole packet tbh.

FWIW research shows it's the youngest in the family that tend to be the fattest, so that's worth bearing in mind. My second DC certainly a massive eater, so I limit her intake.

My sister was hugely over fed. All good, home made food but I could tell which plate was mine vs hers from the portion sizes. She also smacked loads. My Dsis has struggled all her life with her weight. The mantra growing up was its her build, she has my dads body shape etc, which may play a part but she was not taught good eating habits. My niece when on to be a bit chubby too.

I always laugh when people suggest healthy snacks, given my 22 month old wouldn't eat any of them.

We do cucumber slices, carrot sticks, olives, tomatoes with sandwiches.

So do I. He won't eat them.

My second DC certainly a massive eater, so I limit her intake.

Then you are likely setting her up for food issues later IMO.

Intetesting about the youngest being the biggest eaters, he wouldn't eat his sandwich coz he was kicking off at the lack on quavers. so I took the plate away and gave him a tangerine. He was pulling at my cupboards but have distracted him with a load of spoons and pans on the floor so was better. he's gunna be hungry tho because he didnt eat hos sandwich. so in a few hours ill retry the sandwich again if he's going wild.

you have to take it with a pinch of salt I think puddle ds1 would of eaten that and i would of laughed at the child eating quavers. Then I had ds2. I'm not going to limit his food intake, but I will choose better options for him. Everything in moderation is my goal. a healthy relationship with food, and everything I guess

I just hate the assumption that if your child is eating crisps or whatever you must be a shite parent.

I offer my DS fruit and veg every day, in all conceivable ways. Without fail. He won't eat them.

I understand, I don't really care bout the shit parent thing because I know I'm not. too many biscuits and crisps does not make me a child abuser. That being said, I want him to grow up with a better food education so I'm trying to hell him. it's tough, especially as DS1 ate very well without me trying much. Maybe there are some ideas here that would work with you. I have pintrested some baby oat bars ect that look better than biscuits

mine is more frustrating in that he will hapily eat fruit and veg, he just wants all the shite aswell

First step is the drs. That is not normal.

Doesn't really matter what he's eating if the habit and obsession isn't dealt with first. You can get fat on cream cheese and oat cakes as you can on Doritos.

Has he been wormed?

no? how would I know if he has worms? I will see the dr this week

I agree with you user it's not about being a shite parent it's about teaching good eating habits.

Portion sizes is limiting intake. Having large or unlimited portions will lead to obesity in childhood and as well adults. I'm surprised you think otherwise puddles.

Babies and toddlers only know about the food you offer them. Harder with the second as the first is eating all sorts. By this is when you're laying foundations and making associations with food.

If they won't eat cucumber etc then offer something they do like - egg, cheese, dips the options are endless.

At 17months he absolutely needs snacks.

My 18 month old roughly has this each day.

Breakfast 7am ish: Porridge + fruit (blueberries/grapes/banana)
9am snack at nursery - a carb (bagel/toast/crackers) then a fruit and a veg.
11.45 lunch st nursery - hot lunch meal + pudding (yoghurt/fruit/crumbles/tart etc
3.00pm snack again - toast/scrambled egg/weetabix/cereal/fruit/veg
Home - breastfeed
Dinner - hot dinner plus pudding as above
Supper before bed toast/yoghurt/porridge

So I think he might be hungry? Try making it more set times maybe? They have little tummies so do need to eat regularly.

Despite what one pp has recently said this sounds very behavioural to me (I work in this field). You've said yourself OP he asks for specific snacks, not food in general. If he was constantly asking for food and eating anything you popped in front of him then that may point to a medical issue, but the fact that you offer him foods and he rejects these in place of high fat and sugar snacks screams behavioural function. Good luck in cracking it and well done for trying to change his eating habits. :)

I just hate the assumption that if your child is eating crisps or whatever you must be a shite parent

THIS.
My dd is a perfectly normal weight at 23 months and she eats quavers

alfie that is more than he is eating. But I have just re offered a sandwich and he threw it away. he was going on at the treat cupboard (its now empty I moved it) and went straight back to it after throwing the snadwich so I really think it's behavioural. we are going out to the park to distract from the food situation. I will try the double carb option in the morning though.

My DS is on the skinny side and eats quavers.

He will eat: crisps, ham, plain rice, bananas, oranges, breadsticks, toast, houmous, yoghurt, fruit pouches. That's literally it. I offer him a range of foods every day. Every single day. These things are the only things he ever touches.