If your preschooler said she was hungry...

[DancingDakini]

After the nursery reported she ate two portions of macaroni cheese for lunch, all her fruit and yoghurt snack and two portions of beans on toast for tea. She had a packet of Pom bears on the way home and toast and milk when she got in. Would you give her more food?

This morning she had a bowl of Rice Krispies when she woke up then had an omelette (1 egg) and a hearty slice of sourdough toast, then asked for another omelette (which I gave her) and is still complaining she is hungry so is eating an apple! It's not even 10am and we haven't been out yet.

She's only 3 but is the height and weight of a 4.5 year old.

It feels wrong to refuse her food if she's hungry but this seems like way too much.

I don't have other kids so don't know if this is normal for a growing 3 year old?

You’re overfeeding her. She has lost sight of what hunger means.
When she says she’s hungry tell her she’s not and she’s just had lunch then distract her and don’t give her the Pom bears.
Ask nursery not to give double portions. It’s habit rather than hunger.

Is she bored? She’s doesnt need a bowl of cereal and omelette. Plan healthy(ish) meals three times a day and avoid snacks.

It sounds like an awful lot to me. How big are the portions though? I've never made an omelette with just one egg! Is she going through a growth spurt?

Check she isn't thirsty, needing a poo or just bored by giving her water and distracting her with an absorbing activity and being firm that she needs to drink a cup, sit on the loo for 3 minutes and then join you on a walk to collect autumn leaves, or feed the ducks, or help you make playdoh, or help you sort socks from the last wash, or do a puzzle together, or anything she might get absorbed in.

If she's drunk her water and dine sodine something else for 45 minutes with you, give her more fruit and/ or veg.

She might be hungery but it seems unlikely. She probably thinks she is though, many 3 year olds struggle to identify quite which need is making them slightly uncomfortable or restless and might default to hunger.

Done something not dine sodine!

Sounds like her weight is fine if she is tall. Is this usual or not? All of my kids have eaten like this for a day or two when having a growth spurt. Because it is not their everyday behaviour I let them eat as much as they want.

I'm glad I asked. DP was saying it's fine and she's just growing but it seems like way too much. She isn't fat but a lot more solid than I was at that age.

Thanks for the tips, hadn't thought she might be thirsty or bored.

Of to the park for a runaround!

I'd definitely ask the nursery to stop with the extra portions but then again there's some days my DD 6 isn't hungry all day and refuses food

I think this is an awful lot of food for a 3yr old tbh. My 3 3yr old DD wouldn't eat half of that. Could be a growth spurt but even so that seems excessive. I would not be happy with nursery giving double portions. Just because she can eat it doesn't mean she needs it. As to telling you she's hungry all the time, she's probably thirsty or bored.

Sounds good Dancing have fun!

It seems like a lot to me too. I'd check thirst and boredom also. But I'd maybe see a doctor, I'd worry there was something up there, like diabetes.

Blimey that is a LOT of food for such a young child. Why are nursery even giving seconds? With child obesity rates what they are I wouldn’t be happy about that to be honest.

Seriously you gave 2 omelettes, toast and cereal just for breakfast? That is way too much. You are over feeding, no way is she hungry it’s habit and the more you give the more she’ll want.

You need to stop the over feeding, 1 portion only at each meal then veg sticks if she insists she hungry. Also get her running around, doing stuff more as she’s more than likely bored

Btw posts about what children eat always bring out one or two food extremists.

These fall into too camps - those disgusted by food snd eating who will tell anyone whose child eats anything at all that the child is undoubtedly massively obese should only eat a lettuce leaf and 3g of dust on hungry days, not eating at all is a virtue, and that eating a whole apple indicates the child is a greedy fat monster.

The other camp dietician style advice about protein, carbs, iron etc. which will never, ever say that what you feed is fine and often imply that unless you cook a strange, contrived, elaborate and unrealistic range of foods for breakfast your child will never be healthy...

Not saying anyone has posted like that yet, quite, but there are always a few posters who sniff out posts about eating and are drawn to them to voice their disgust at people who eat more than the bare minimum to sustain life, or to shame anyone not approaching feeding their child as an all consuming culinary project based upon in depth scientific research and microanalysis.

I thought the food that OP is feeding her DD is good healthy food, and although it sounds a lot, we don't know know what the portion sizes are. If it's a small no of cereal, 2 eggs and a little piece of toast, that's fine. Similarly the two portions of Mac 'n cheese - how big are they? Just a tablespoon each?

My lo is 3. In a day he eats, a small bowl of cereal for breakfast, a few sandwich fingers, satsuma and a couple of pieces of melon and a biscuit for lunch and then some pasta for dinner. An omelette for him would be a whole dinner followed by a bit of fruit. Comparatively, it does sound like your lo is eating a lot. I do agree about asking if she's thirsty. My lo often confuses the two but the other way around. I know he's hungry if he starts asking for water lots.

Yes, I would. Dd could would be ravinous some days. There was a phase, but I think she was younger, she'd was asking for food because she'd just worked out she'd get some - one night she had 4 bowls of shreddies and 2 bananas, she never did itagain, she was up with tummy ache until 1am after that!

Having seen the.portions at nursery, 2 portions isnt necessary a lot, they tend to give tiny amounts and then allow for extra if its eaten. That way they dont end up with lots of half eaten plates.

If you have seen her eat a decent sized portion and then she says she's hungry, give a cup of water and tell her to wait a bit. Then have a selection of foods that you are ok with her having more of but that arent massively appealing to h er like plain rice cakes, cucumber, carrot sticks, sliced peppers etc.

I offer mine a drink on first request if I think they shouldn't be hungry. If they ask again, I offer something they aren't fond if, but don't dislike (bananas for DS1, cereal and milk for DS2) if they eat those, and usually they decline, I will offer more food, but this is very, very rare. They usually decline the not particularly appetitising things!

It sounds like a lot but you don't know the portion size at nursery and it's all healthy food, not biscuits, sweets and other junk so just keep an eye on portions and offer her a drink first and keep her busy.

That is a lot of food. She’s hardly having time to finish digesting one lot and she’s asking for more. Remember the brain takes a little time to “register” that the stomach is full.

She’s also potentially tall because she’s overfed. If she’s tall because she’s genetically tall (ie you and her dad are tall) then it’s not such an issue but if she’s taller than you’d expect it’s probably going to be due to being overfed. The problem then is her linear growth will tail off but her weight will continue to increase.

I’d be inclined to limit offering her seconds if she’s had a decent sized portion, and offer water. It sounds like the food at nursery is lacking in protein and veg so offer protein based snacks at home after nursery and not more toast. Protein is more likely to satisfy hunger than more carbs.

Of course some children have bigger appetites than others but she’s eaten a lot before 1000, so make sure she’s drinking plenty and running around!

I'd probably keep and eye on it so it doesn't become a habit.
Have food times and official snack times.
Your food looks pretty good, keep up the protein and healthy fats to keep her full.
I'd offer things she doesn't really like too... to see how hungry she is.
Loads of water too.

I said no to more food last night and then she woke up ravenous.

I rarely say no when she asks for a snack and worrying I am getting her into bad habits.

Will stick to the veg sticks and fruit rather than toast or cereal

Jesus Christ you're giving her way too much . Poor girl doesn't know what it's like to be hungry, she's just bored and has got into the habit of eating all the time. Get some willpower and tell her no .

Mine will have hollow days where they can eat and eat but it's not an issue because they have days where they eat sod all if this is daily you have a problem

It definitely isn't everyday but often at weekends she can eat for England