Over eating

[Mumof2boys95]

Hey,

My 4.5 year old (I will add he is autistic, awaiting the final part of his diagnosis) does not stop eating. He is my eldest and I’m not sure what’s normal really? He eats a variety of food, including fruit, vegetables, protein, all sorts really but it seems no matter what I give him he is constantly raiding the fridge!

He is a tall boy, skinny but in size 6-7 clothes, is it a growth spurt or could it be a sensory behaviour?

Just wondering if anyone else’s children are similar! I don’t want to restrict him if he’s hungry but it seems he is always starving constantly!!

My DS could eat constantly, he is a sensory seeker giving him chewys has helped. He is always wanting to eat but I'm certain he doesn't get the 'full' feeling due to sensory differences.He also eats inedible items especially if he knows we are not watching. So that could be another sign of the behaviour also being sensory related eating/mouthing/chewing non food items. Your DS is still quite young I think waiting to see if this is an ongoing behaviour and looking for signs of sensory needs may give you a better idea. Also medications can increase appetite.

@Wednesdayy123 thank you so much for your reply. That makes sense, he has a thing at the moment about ripping up books which is really frustrating and I have caught him very occasionally putting paper in his mouth! So I will look into getting him a chewy. My one year old seems to eat a “normal amount” so I wasn’t sure if a 4 year old could really be so hungry lol!