mamamanda 09:47 AM 09-01-2015
My 3 yo dcb has suddenly started eating A LOT! We're talking breakfast time he will eat 2-3 scrambled eggs, 2 pieces of toast, half a banana, drink his milk & then get upset when I tell him no more eggs. Then we make it to lunch & again its 3-4 servings of every food & he's still sitting at the table 10 minutes after everyone is done & I've cleaned up and he's asking for more food. I tell him its nap time & he can eat at snack time. He complains that he's still hungry the whole time I carry him from the table to nap b/c he wont move on his own. At snack time its the same deal. He's eating healthy food but its costing me a lot as selfish as that sounds & I'm concerned about him eating that much. This is very new behavior, just the last few weeks. Growth spurt maybe? Should I mention it to mom? He's not overweight, just an average sized little guy.
laundrymom 09:53 AM 09-01-2015
Originally Posted by mamamanda:
My 3 yo dcb has suddenly started eating A LOT! We're talking breakfast time he will eat 2-3 scrambled eggs, 2 pieces of toast, half a banana, drink his milk & then get upset when I tell him no more eggs. Then we make it to lunch & again its 3-4 servings of every food & he's still sitting at the table 10 minutes after everyone is done & I've cleaned up and he's asking for more food. I tell him its nap time & he can eat at snack time. He complains that he's still hungry the whole time I carry him from the table to nap b/c he wont move on his own. At snack time its the same deal. He's eating healthy food but its costing me a lot as selfish as that sounds & I'm concerned about him eating that much. This is very new behavior, just the last few weeks. Growth spurt maybe? Should I mention it to mom? He's not overweight, just an average sized little guy.
I would offer veggies more when he is hungry. The fiber may fill him better. Or oatmeal. That sticks to your ribs. I would offer that as a filler. Too many eggs is not good. Especially if he's doing same thing at home for mom. I'd mention it to her. Just in case something is going on at home. Maybe not enough food?
Blackcat31 09:55 AM 09-01-2015
Originally Posted by mamamanda:
My 3 yo dcb has suddenly started eating A LOT! We're talking breakfast time he will eat 2-3 scrambled eggs, 2 pieces of toast, half a banana, drink his milk & then get upset when I tell him no more eggs. Then we make it to lunch & again its 3-4 servings of every food & he's still sitting at the table 10 minutes after everyone is done & I've cleaned up and he's asking for more food. I tell him its nap time & he can eat at snack time. He complains that he's still hungry the whole time I carry him from the table to nap b/c he wont move on his own. At snack time its the same deal. He's eating healthy food but its costing me a lot as selfish as that sounds & I'm concerned about him eating that much. This is very new behavior, just the last few weeks. Growth spurt maybe? Should I mention it to mom? He's not overweight, just an average sized little guy.
I serve the meal serving requirements and offer no more than seconds IF available and ONLY if they've eaten everything else.
I don't allow thirds and I don't purposely make seconds. They are just available if I happen to have them.
I try to make sure to always have buttered bread on hand too for those kids that really do burn off the excess calories as some kids do eat more than others naturally.
In your shoes, I would perhaps suggest to mo that she feed her child before drop off and then he won't be as hungry when he eats breakfast with you. I would even suggest that mom supply some extra calories such as wheat crackers etc. As for serving seconds and thirds and fourths, that's on you. If you are on the food program it's not required so if you can't afford to feed him until he wants to stop, don't.
Play Care 10:08 AM 09-01-2015
I feel your pain!
I have two boys who would eat all day long if I let them.
I do as Black Cat with my "big" eaters but I'll admit it's hard hearing kids whine about how hungry they are all.the.time.
I had gotten rid of AM snack because of how close breakfast is to lunch, but I was seriously considering bringing it back because of them.
Thriftylady 10:31 AM 09-01-2015
I had a SA kid like that last school year. I started offering carrot sticks and celery sticks when he wanted more but it turned out in his case he only wanted more of the stuff he really liked.
NillaWafers 10:44 AM 09-01-2015
My kids do not get seconds unless they eat all their food (veggies included). This pretty much prevents me from handing out seconds even if they are there. None of my kids will eat all their veggies.
Unregistered 12:35 PM 09-01-2015
Is he drinking plenty of water? I've always heard that it's easy for little ones to mistake hunger for thirst and vice versa. Maybe he's just going through a growth spurt.
finsup 01:04 PM 09-01-2015
Sounds like my son! That kid eats like a teenager (he's 4) and doesn't gain a thing. I offer regular meals/snacks and seconds when their plate is cleared. Then will offer one thing as an "extra" after that. Like if I have a ton of apples, that will be his only choice until the next meal time. Helps me figure out when he's really hungry. If it were me I'd mention it just because it's something out of the ordinary for him. Is he getting enough at home do you think? Most likely it's just a growth spurt though!
jenboo 01:17 PM 09-01-2015
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Is he drinking plenty of water? I've always heard that it's easy for little ones to mistake hunger for thirst and vice versa. Maybe he's just going through a growth spurt.
This is what I was going to say. The body often mistakes thirst for hunger. It's he dirking lots of water?
I would have him drink a cup of water between servings to help fill him up.
permanentvacation 01:18 PM 09-01-2015
You should serve a proper portion and that's it. You can Google 'USDA food program serving sizes'. Click on 'children' in the main text and it will tell you how much of each type of food they should get.
Blackcat31 01:27 PM 09-01-2015
Originally Posted by NillaWafers:
My kids do not get seconds unless they eat all their food (veggies included). This pretty much prevents me from handing out seconds even if they are there. None of my kids will eat all their veggies.
Really?
I must have some strange kids....
We go through at least 2 bell peppers (they prefer the red, orange or yellow but still like the green), probably a quart or more of cherry tomatoes, 4 cucumbers and a pound of baby carrots EVERY.DAY.
That is in addition to the regular servings of vegetables we have. For example today we ate all of the above veggies...picked fresh from the garden the daycare kids planted and maintained themselves as well as had mixed vegetables and a spinach salad with our grilled chicken breast.
I am grateful for the kiddos I have in care every time I read a post about picky eaters or kids that wont touch veggies. I have a hard time keeping up with the veggie demand here.
mamamanda 01:31 PM 09-01-2015
He actually drinks about 18oz of water in between meals as well. He has a 6 oz water bottle he asks me to fill about 3 times each day so I don't think its thirst.
LysesKids 02:55 PM 09-01-2015
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
Really?
I must have some strange kids.... We go through at least 2 bell peppers (they prefer the red, orange or yellow but still like the green), probably a quart or more of cherry tomatoes, 4 cucumbers and a pound of baby carrots EVERY.DAY.
That is in addition to the regular servings of vegetables we have. For example today we ate all of the above veggies...picked fresh from the garden the daycare kids planted and maintained themselves as well as had mixed vegetables and a spinach salad with our grilled chicken breast.
I am grateful for the kiddos I have in care every time I read a post about picky eaters or kids that wont touch veggies. I have a hard time keeping up with the veggie demand here.
I must have some strange babies too... favorites here are asparagus, black beans & mushrooms lol. My littles eat 75% veggie meals; of course they eat hard boiled eggs with Japanese rice seasoning, Miso soup, and curried lentils with rice too (mushrooms & tomato added to mix)
NillaWafers 03:04 PM 09-01-2015
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
Really?
I must have some strange kids.... We go through at least 2 bell peppers (they prefer the red, orange or yellow but still like the green), probably a quart or more of cherry tomatoes, 4 cucumbers and a pound of baby carrots EVERY.DAY.
That is in addition to the regular servings of vegetables we have. For example today we ate all of the above veggies...picked fresh from the garden the daycare kids planted and maintained themselves as well as had mixed vegetables and a spinach salad with our grilled chicken breast.
I am grateful for the kiddos I have in care every time I read a post about picky eaters or kids that wont touch veggies. I have a hard time keeping up with the veggie demand here.
I have some pretty picky kids. One doesn't like peanut butter. I side eye him every time haha. My eldest will eat most of whats on his plate though, but he's the only one.
Josiegirl 03:14 PM 09-01-2015
Originally Posted by NillaWafers:
My kids do not get seconds unless they eat all their food (veggies included). This pretty much prevents me from handing out seconds even if they are there. None of my kids will eat all their veggies.
I have 2 kids that hardly eat any veggies OR fruit. One of them only eats 4-5 fruits and no veggies whatsoever. The other one does like peas and corn(I never serve corn unless it's in a casserole type dish).
We had cantaloupe as part of our snack today, really delicious and juicy. Those 2 dcks wouldn't even try it.
I think back to when my own kids were little and they must've been picky too. I brought youngest dd to the dr. once and he asked how her appetite was. I said she'll eat ketchup, chocolate or anything she finds on the floor.
OP, what dcb is doing could be due to a growth spurt, as was mentioned. I know when my now 7 yo dcg was diagnosed with diabetes, she drank lots, peed lots, and also ate a lot. She was 4 at the time. This wouldn't be a possibility would it?
Unregistered 07:20 PM 09-01-2015
I have a kid that is exactly the same! Seriously can eat like 4 bowls of lasagna at a sitting. And not just carbs. He eats veggies, fruit, etc everything you put in front of him. If i cut him off he cries and cries. He also drinks a full cup of water or milk at a meal and sometimes a second full cup! It's about 18-25 oz each time. He eats insane amounts every 2 hours and he's only 15 months old. Has been eating like this since 12 months old. He isn't chubby or getting fat either. He is super active and runs all day though so maybe it's from that? If we figure this out that would be good. I'm not worried about feeding him. I'd rather have full happy babies then upset kids crabby and unable to think and learn. I'm worried something may be wrong medically? Maybe diabetes or something? If anyone figures this out let me know. The insane thirst and appetite is weird.
Unregistered 07:53 PM 09-01-2015
Sudden increased thirst and appetite ending up being due to type 1 diabetes for one little one I had in care. If it is out of the ordinary and continues I would bring it up to the parents soon. Any other changes? Mentions being tired more? Moody? Kind of checked out or hyper?
mamamanda 05:38 AM 09-02-2015
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Sudden increased thirst and appetite ending up being due to type 1 diabetes for one little one I had in care. If it is out of the ordinary and continues I would bring it up to the parents soon. Any other changes? Mentions being tired more? Moody? Kind of checked out or hyper?
He does seem tired a lot & cries very easily. I will definitely mention it to mom. I was attributing the tired/cranky thing to more time with dad lately. I don't think dad puts them to bed until they want to go to bed
renodeb 09:32 AM 09-02-2015
doesnt sound selfish at all. I have had some big eatters. (none of which were over weight). When the food is gone, it's gone. I make sure they have plenty of protein and veges. I offer water to fill in the chinks as well. If I have seconds then i will dole it out.
Deb
daycarediva 09:52 AM 09-02-2015
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Is he drinking plenty of water? I've always heard that it's easy for little ones to mistake hunger for thirst and vice versa. Maybe he's just going through a growth spurt.
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Sudden increased thirst and appetite ending up being due to type 1 diabetes for one little one I had in care. If it is out of the ordinary and continues I would bring it up to the parents soon. Any other changes? Mentions being tired more? Moody? Kind of checked out or hyper?
YES! If it's sudden especially.
dcb in care is diabetic. He would drink unlimited amounts if allowed. I had stopped him SEVERAL times from drinking other kids water bottles (down a 16oz bottle, immediately grab for another kids, drinking out of the hose, attempting to drink out of the water table, etc!) I started trying to give him water and veggies first, he always had a 'side salad' with his meal and he would literally eat it with no dressings if that's what I offered. It was NON STOP. "I'm so hungry. I'm hunnnnngrrrry. When is (meal)? Can we have a snack?" I started putting cut up bags of veggies in the fridge- carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumbers, peppers, and he would eat ALL of those in a day.
It's NOT better now, but we feed him according to the pediatrician's/dieticians meal plan. Mom packs all of his food, and it's soooo much less than he was getting before he was brought to the dr. Today he had spinach and feta spinach salad with garbanzo beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, almond slivers with homemade greek goddess dressing, plain greek yogurt with a tiny bit of fresh berries on top, hummus and carrot sticks packed in his lunch. I rationed it out in 10 minute increments because he also INHALES food. He was finished before everyone else, so I excused him. If he sits, he was going to watch everyone else eat a carb heavy lunch and would end up in tears.
I would DEFINITELY feed only appropriate serving sizes and run it by mom. Might be just a growth spurt, they could be WAY overfeeding him at home, or honestly NOT feeding him (crossed my mind with dcb, reminded me of a food hoarding former foster child).