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?

One of my sons eats like this, it's really hard - and easy for people without less hungry children to be very judgy!
She is definitely eating too much. We saw a dietitian, and she said that being tall but heavy can lull parents into a false sense of security, as they are gaining height early because of the weight. It's good to address early, especially for girls it can lead to early puberty, and as they get older and you have less influence over their eating it only gets harder. At this age noone is going to suggest she lose weight, but it may be good for her to stay flat for a bit while she grows into her current appetite.

For starters, I'd knock the snacks and especially things like crisps on the head. We have fruit and veg mostly for snacks - if they're not hungry for an apple, they're not hungry. We also make meals very veg heavy. The dietitian said even for adults we should be eating roughly two fists of veg, 1gist of carbs and a flat palm of protein at meals, which might help give a sense of what is expected for her size, even if of course things will vary a bit day by day.

If you can get referred or go private I'd strongly suggest seeing a qualified paediatric dietitian (not a nutritionist - they are not necessarily qualified and are often very faddy, which is no help when feeding a family!), ours was really helpful and the whole familys' diets have improved, even my skinny Ds1 and DH who didn't have weight to lose but were fussy and ate too much rubbish.

OP sounds like you are giving her lots of healthy food which is great. My two year old has a big appetite and always has two portions at nursery. I think that fine as the portions are small and she doesn't do it every day which tells me she is asking for more when she is hungry.

I really don't think you want to make food feel like a big deal, a treat, or punishment. So agree make sure she has a drink with her food always.

Given she is eating good meals only allowing fruit or vegetables between meals sounds like a great idea as it sets her up for healthy habits.

I have friends who say they can't believe how much my two year old eats but then give their kids loads of biscuits and juice between meals so I think big healthy meals is preferable.

Could you try giving her more bulky stuff or stuff that takes longer to eat?
Like veg sticks/fruit, monkey nuts to get out the shells etc

Stuck thank you for the advice, I didn't realise there was a difference between a nutritionist and a dietician, I will definitely get her an appointment.

DP keeps insisting there's nothing wrong with her diet but I knew we were giving her too much.

Luckily she loves veg so is happily chomping on some raw carrot.

Good luck! A link here can help you to find a qualified dietitian - unlike someone who calls themselves only a nutritionist, they will have a university degree and professional accreditations and standards to meet (not that there aren't great nutritionists - but the standards vary hugely and many are big on things like low carb or dairy which aren't recommended for children unless there are other issues)

www.bda.uk.com/improvinghealth/yourhealth/find_a_dietitian_near_me