*Always* thinking about food

My daughter just turned four. All she thinks about is FOOD!! For the love of god child! The minute she wakes up(or the minute she sees an adult), "I want a snaaaack!" And she won't let up. She'll eat breakfast, and five minutes later, she's looking for a snack. Same issue with lunch and dinner. It's all she is ever talking about and thinking about. If she was genuinely hungry, fine. By how can one be hungry 12 of 13 hours in a day?!?

I really only do one snack a day(when I remember) and that's after nap. I was never big on snacks with the boys, just a habit I didn't really get into. So I have no idea where she gets it from. If anyone comes over...she will ask them for a treat/snack as well. She slept over her Zia's house last night...I asked how everything was going, and my sil said, "Fine, except she keeps asking about food!"

What gives?!? She has her 4 yr appt next week so I could talk to the pedi then, just wondering if anyone else dealt with something similar, and what you did to combat it!

 

Is it something she has always done or is it a more recent thing?

Either way, I'd try to bulk up her snacks/meals with protein, veggies and whole grains to make her fuller.

 

If its a new thing, maybe she is going through a growth spurt? Maybe put out veggies or fruit for her to eat throughout the day.

 

ALWAYS. My boys trade off the hungries but they both go through eat everything in sight every five minutes phases. Like Michelle mentioned, I try to find denser snacks and veggies for them to fill up on because otherwise they'd just eat carbs all day and never be really full. We have rules that they can eat as many vegetables as they want whenever they want, but they can only have crackers and stuff once a day.

 

Sounds like my house.....x3!!!! I'm ready to pull my hair out! I just tell them no and turn my hearing aides down (lol, I wish!!!)

 

Mine are going through a growth spurt right now, too. Last night, 1 kid an hour after dinner (which he ate!) had 2 peaches and a nectarine.

OTOH, they have lost weight this summer due to extreme activity levels. Their 24m size shorts still fit with room to spare. ardon:

 

ALWAYS. They even say to me before they have even eaten dinner but I am going to still be hungry. I say well we will have a snack after dinner and they stay I will be hungry after that and so on and so on. They are both very tall and thin and they don't miss a meal/snack. I keep fruit and cut up veggies on the bottom shelf of the fridge so they can easily reach them.

 

Always lol. Still at 5. They're always 'hungry' or want a snack. When I say no, they steal food.

 

My kids don't think about food all the time. But they eat good. If u see they eat, you would think try must be overweight. No, their weight percentiles are still 50% and heights are 75%. They turned 3 in apr and now all 3T clothes are tiny and short. They are in 4T and 5T shorts

Ppl work at our local grocery store think we have 5 kids not 2. I have to do grocery shopping at least 1/week, usually 2. I always buy only veggies, fruits, dairy, seafood, and breakfast food: bacon, sausages, pancake mix,.. I don't buy meat at the stores. We don't eat pork. And my kids think chicken is not meat lol. But they eat chicken wings. My husband always hunts 1 deer in nov. and it's gone by Feb next yr. and my dad in law always gives us half of a cow every Xmas. U can't believe how meat gone so fast in my house. My daughter is a meat lover. Without meat and rice, she can't survive. She can snack a half of honey melon after nap. Usually I pack their lunch for school and feed them breakfast before school. They do have snacks at school. But right after they get out from school, they each have 2 string cheese and some ham for snacks. Then later dinner. Our month grocery bills are huge.

I let them eat how ever much they ask for. But we exercise a lot. My kids can run non stop for a mile, bike 1 mile and swim, soccer, Hike for 1-4 miles. I don't let them eat and watch tv all day and get fat. Usually before dinner, we go for a short run or bike for 30 mins. My son will race his first triathlon (for 4-6 ages) next spring when he turns 4. I don't believe on diet at all. We eat healthy and enough and we execise to stay fit and healthy. Oh if u see me eat, u will say "holly S" yup I eat a lot all day long. But I run marathons. So I always lose weight every month. We don't do fab diet period!

About sleeping, it's beautiful. They nap from 2-4 hours everyday lol. Night time is 10 hrs lol

And btw, I have heard it is getting worse until they are 6-7. So good luck! Lol

 

Sounds like a growth spurt to me. All my kids go through this when they are growing. Some days it's all I can do to keep the 4 kids full!

 

We have the same rule as Jen. They can have as many fruits and vegetables as they want throughout the day, but non-produce snacks are only once a day.

 

My 7yr old and 3yr old twins eat nonstop all day long if I let them. They eat 3 good size meals and then snack on fruits and veggies or yogurt all day long. None of them are overweight they just need to eat a lot. Lucky me!

Just for example the twins each ate today

Breakfast- 3 scrambled eggs, toast, biscuit
snack- a pint of blueberries, 2 plums, string cheese
Lunch- sandwich and yogurt
Snack- 2 bananas, 1 lb of strawberries
Dinner- pork loin, squash, green beans, mac n cheese, potatoes and a piece of bread
Snack (we had a movie night)- popcorn and vanilla smoothie

I couldn't even tell you everything my 7yr old ate.

 

Ok. So it seems normal then! Phew! Part of me wondered if she was just doing it out of habit, ya know? And I *really* like the rule of x once a day, fruits/veggies any time. I'm definitely going to implement that around here!

Thanks ladies!

 

This is my daughter too!!!!! Our problem with her is that she always wants junk though, so when I tell her that her choices are fruit, carrot sticks or string cheese she pouts or cries. I have often thought she asks for food out of boredom, but maybe she is going through a growth spurt? It is extra challenging in our house bc she is the one we have all our food battles with. If she didn't pick it, she doesn't want it. Ugh. I hope all of age 4 isn't like this!

 

Megs, I had to tell you this: Ozzy is my hungry guy right now, and he woke up in the middle of the night last night and came into talk. I said "What woke you up buddy, were you having a bad dream?" Ozzy said "no, a good dream." I said "What were you dreaming about" Ozzy said "LUNCH! I was eating toast and butter for lunch".

Then of course, he asked for toast and butter at 1 am.

 

Hahaha! Omg that is too much! And if you can believe it, she finally woke at 10:30 am...and never once asked for food! It was a modern day miracle! Lol!

 

My T1 is always 'hungery' at the moment too. Doesn't matter what you give her. I've always had a rule in my house that in between meals and if still hungery inbetween snacks, the fruit bowl is always an option or to try a drink of water first.
I've always thought she might be having a growth spurt?!