In Which I'm Chained To My Kitchen. All Day Long.
For breakfast today, this is what my 4 year-old ate:
2 fried eggs
2 Eggos with syrup
a cup of yogurt
a bowl of Cap'n Crunch
a banana
a cup of chocolate milk
And, now, 26 minutes later, he is back in the kitchen because he's hungry - and asking for a peanut butter and jelly. Actually, this is what he's telling me:
"Mommy, my tummy is rumbling. I'm getting really hungry and my belly is stretching. And, I'm getting hungrier and hungrier than I thought."
Now, I realize that I've got a growing boy on my hands - but DANG Y'ALL, his breakfast is more than I eat in a day sometimes.
And, he's skinny as a rail. I'd pay mega bucks for that metabolism.
So, at 26 minutes past breakfast, I have no idea what to feed him. Or if I should feed him. Or if he's just wantin' to eat 'cause he's bored.
If this was a one time incident, I'd chalk it up to "You're just Mommy's hungry little boy this morning, aren't you, sweetie pie?" But, this happens ALL. THE. TIME.
So, does/did this happen at your house? What do you do? Do you set rules about eating time? Do you only let them eat fruit between meals or let them have snacks when they want them? Am I in a season that's gonna pass - or am I (and our grocery budget) in this for the long haul?
HELP, y'all. I'd love some suggestions or things that work(ed) with your kiddos.
I love my kitchen. But, I'd like to make it outta here once in a while.
i have no words of wisdom for you, but would LOVE to eat and eat like that!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'll take some of that metabolism too. I guess if he eats what you give him, then I don't see a problem. It's not like he's overweight and you need to be monitoring what he eats. Ethan will ask for food, but then he doesn't finish it . Then 30 min later he's asking for more food.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess if he's hungry, he's hungry.
Yikes. I have heard of such growth spurt.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend whose infant son ate about a pound of lunch meat a DAY. Crazy.
You know, Sar... my pocketbook would say "ouch" but my mother's heart would say, "I'm glad you're growing so well."
JS says he's hungry when he doesn't want to go to bed (this is after he's already eaten his supper and a snack. I just tell him "no."
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't eat breakfast at all because he's so full from drinking water and milk in the morning. I need to break him of that habit, or he'll starve in school.
When my four year old asks for snacks beyond what we have scheduled, I tell her, "in a bit," then come up with a ten minute distraction. If she asks again, I give her the snack.
ReplyDeleteAs long as they're eating reasonably healthy food, I think you have to listen to them.
I'm so glad you posted this. My 5 year old is doing the exact same thing. Normally, I'd ask if he's thirsty and just *thinks* he's hungry, but we're dealing agressively with bedwetting, so that option is out. We cut out candy and gummy fruit snacks in December following his dental surgery. He has grown more than 2 inches in the last couple months, and is looking too thin. Where did my rolly-polly baby go? So that makes it hard to not feed him, too. Let us know what you figure out. :0)
ReplyDeleteI wish I could say this is just because he's a boy...but you saw what I could eat growing up. Adeline ate an ENTIRE piece of a large Papa John's pizza the other day and said, "More pizza please." Yeah...she ate another half slice and might have kept going. My guess is that he's having a growth spurt, but what do I know. He looks healthy and acts healthy...I would just try to find some healthy snacks to have available to curb his appetite.
ReplyDeleteThat is some serious breakfast! My five year old likes to eat a lot too. I do limit how often he eats. I think he does eat out of boredom. We do one snack in the morning and one in the afternoon and the standard three meals. I like that someone suggested putting him off for ten minutes to see if they are really hungry. That sounds like a good strategy.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing, does he eat like that at every meal? Just asking becuase the docs I work with usually say kids will eat one good meal a day. So maybe breakfast is his meal of choice.
ReplyDeleteHoly shnikes. I'm getting a better understanding of why Dave's parents would only eat out at buffet restaurants when he was growing up - and they only had 1 boy.
ReplyDeleteI have no advice. My kids eat like birds most of the time. Although, sometimes Anna will eat out of boredom and I'll put the kibash on that. If she's just eaten and asks for a snack, I try telling her "no" or that she's done eating for now. If she doesn't throw a fit, then I know she's not really hungry and just eating for the sake of something to do.
No suggestions as far as my kids, they ate like birds. Now me, that's a different story. I think little J and I would get along just fine. Bring on the snacks.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I guess that didn't help much, huh?
I would say if he's drinking his 3 cups of milk a day and lots of veggies and fruits, I wouldn't worry about it. I do give our boys a cup of water to drink when they constantly ask for snacks and then if they're still hungry, I'll give them fruit or trail mix.
ReplyDeletethats my Ethan alright! I dont think it passes....according to what others tell me.
ReplyDeleteI offer protein items and I make him be active before a snack. But, I can relate....
WOW!
ReplyDeletei may not be popular, but i would cut him off, and cut his b-fast in half too.
then if he is still hungry i would give him water.
and tell him he will have a snack 2 hrs later (maybe that yogurt and banana he didn't have for b-fast).
i think sometimes kids are like camels, they eat and eat and eat and store it up, and don't eat well at other meals. and i would give allowance for this when they were young.
but it a fine balance, and important to establish good eating habbits too. 3 meals a day, and snacks in between (and one cup of yummy hot chocolate, i like that you do that).
one last thought, have you ever shown your kids the food pyramid?
this was really helpful in teaching my kids what a well balanced diet should look like for them. now they ask themselves have i had dairy, or veggies or...today. makes them take ownership in what they eat.
My Kyra is going through a similar growth spurt. Her's hits her at lunch time. She eats this whole stinkin meal and then wants a granola bar, banana, more, more, more! I finally cut her off. I let her have a snack of yogurt and maybe a banana, then say she can have water or milk.
ReplyDeleteWho knows if it's a spurt or a good likin for the snackies. Either way, it's a blessing to have a healthy eater!
I would love to have a great metabolism like that. Maybe there's something going around - Shaelyn has been eating a ton lately too and is always hungry!
ReplyDeletehaha, we go through times like that; I say eat as much as you want of the meal we're eating and get good and full cause you don't get anything for a while; we have a snack in between breakfast and lunch and then one after naptime in between lunch and dinner, but when they come to me saying they want to eat in between then I just give them a drink and redirect their attention.
ReplyDeleteWhat I would do is ship him off to some lab so they can harness that metabolism and give it to the rest of us in some sort of pill form. I'm kidding of course....kind of.
ReplyDeletei would pay big big money for his metabolism.
ReplyDeletelandon seems to go through streaks in eating... but nothing like jack. oh my word! that is painful on the pocket book.
i try to avoid snacks around meal times. if they are hungry after a meal then it is fruit, yogurt, cheese stick, etc...
i wish mauryn would have some of jack's appetite!
good luck!