kids coming home from nursery starving but we are told they have eaten loads

[boo64]

Hi

My ds is 16 months and goes to a local daycare nursery for two mornings a week. My friend's son goes there too and is a similar age. He goes different mornings to my ds.

Both boys arrive at about 8, have breakfast, mid morning snack at lunch at 11.15 or 11.30.

Most days I am told that my ds has eaten really well at breakfast and lunch and finished everything. Sometimes he has 'seconds'.

Yet when he gets home at around 12.45 he is always starving and my friend has the same with her son.

If they ate that much at home at lunch time they would not be starving I'm sure.

SO the point is, are we being told they have eaten loads and they haven't really OR is there something weird about being at nursery that makes them extra hungry - neither of them are super active types btw - they can both walk and run but mostly prefer hanging out with a book to tearing around like crazy.

Has anyone else had similar after nursery? Are we being led up the garden path?!!

My friend has been told once or twice that her ds hasn't eaten so they aren't telling us everytime that they have finished everything.

Any thoughts?

They seem to have pretty filling sounding hot meals most days.

It's not like they are just getting sandwiches.

Can see why your ds would get hungry on a tea like that - have you thought of asking them to make it more substantial/ giving feedback?

will be interested in what others say.

My DS2 has the same sort of situation - he goes to a nursery co-op, where I do shifts. I know what the food is like, I cook some days. I was told DS2 ate well, and I've seen him eat, he does eat well. But nursery wears them out and makes them hungry. He eats lunch at 12:30 (and then dessert - fruit, generally, but still), and when I pick him up at 1:15, I have to have food with me for him or he has a tantrum!

I think this some days when I bring dd home but more often than not, the proof is err in her nappy the next day and I know it's not something i've given her . Sorry if tmi.

When ds1 started playschool he was suddenly ravenous, I think they get distracted easier.

Sorry Colditz - do you mean they get distracted easier so don't eat as much when there?

i don't think this is the case with my ds as the staff say he has eaten a lot.

think back to when you was at school - even after eating a huge cooked stodgy meal at 12pm, wasn't you always ravenous come 3:30? I think even if your little boy is sitting quietly with a book, he is still busy doing something and even little things can make a person hungry!

I can only just remember school as it seems so long ago but yes I did come home and scoff a fair few biscuits!

But what I don't understand is why sitting around at nursery 'reading' a book would make you hungrier than doing it at home!?

Oh well, anyway it seems they all do this so all your messages have reassured me that he IS really eating as much as they say so thank you.

Boo

ime portiosn at n nursery are small so eating laods is a normal meal

Do you know what the snacks are? Are they generally fruit, or carbohydate based? Could this be making a difference?

fruit I think so maybe that could be part of the problem.

I agree re the portion sizes

I had this problem with dd when she was in nursery - they kept giving me those silly food reports saying how she's eaten everything and once we got home she was scoffing down virtually a whole day's meals in half an hour

I went in for the day and found the portion sizes were TINY. Really tiny. And they don't have enough time/help to give them seconds.

I would go and speak to the nursery - tell them your boy is starving when he comes out and could you send something more substantial for his snack, like a sandwich.

Also, check the timings of the meals. For some reason, they were giving tea at around 4pm when we would normally do it at 5/5.30 so by the time I picked up, dd hadn't eaten for a few hours. hth

Do any of you mothers with children who come home hungry from nursery give them a full meal again? Snacks don't seem to do it for my 10mo - he still wakes in the night hungry on days he has been at nursery! I am giving him sandwiches or cheese on toast, and hoping this doesn't mean he refuses his bedtime millk - because he doesn't have much milk at nursery (too distracted I think!). Any recommendations for this "extra" meal / supper? I think we would both like a bit of variety.
Thx

Yes I do cats01. But I do have 2 older ones so I'm cooking anyway. He usually eats it and it's preferable to endless nibbling.

I generally find that my DS#2 eats like a horse after nursery and I know that he eats well there as a friend of mine is the cook and she regales me with tales of how well he does.

Joelallie - does your youngest one still have a good bedtime bottle after his second tea/supper?

cats - he's 3, 4 in February. He was bf (still is at night) so never really got the hang of a bottle, but he will have a drink of milk but just as likely water or juice.

but these are very young children still. dd3 who is 21months, eats 6 or 7 times a day. she has breakfast (toast and/or cereal) at around 7.20, then banana and raisans at 10am ,then lunch, then an afternoon snack (more fruit and/or toast), then her main meal (smaller portion of what we are having, meat and 2 veg type thing) THEN pudding and maybe some more toast before bed.

Yep my ds is certainly eating plenty (similar to what yours is eating misdee, plus at least 2 1/2 good bottles milk) but still wakes seemingly hungry in the night after days at nursery. So we are giving him a bit of a night feed again those nights as we are getting as much food as we can down him during the day already, and he really still seems to need more. Probably just alll that extra exercise and stimulation he is getting there meaning he needs more on those days.