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If he is a foster child he may not be in the habit of having food available to him on a regular basis and is testing to make sure it really is there. Also food represents care and nurturing so it is not unusual for insecure or neglected kids to reach for more food. Stan4 is right. Give good quality snacks like fruits- no fruit juices-just whole fruits and raw veggies to fill him up. Good luck.
This. Many children in foster care have food issues, all expert advice is to let them eat at will. Over time he will realize that the food is always there and regulate himself.
My daughter when we first adopted her at a year old would eat constantly. At 10yrs old she's skinny as a rail and eats a healthy, normal amount.
How much sugar is in the snacks you are giving him? His activity level may be caused by sugar highs. The need for another snack may be due to a drop in his sugar level (insulin spikes and drops).
I witnessed something like this in my nephew. When he was four, he visited us. His parents fed him container after container of a fortified milk drink for kids. These things had something like 12 grams of sugar (I checked). His drinks were apple juice, which is basically liquid candy. His snacks were kids' cookies.
He would run around like a madman, and then you could visibly see his insulin level drop. He'd get really crabby, and they'd offer him another drink and a snack, and he'd be climbing the walls again.
I don't know if this is the situation with you. Maybe at snack time, offer him some cheese and whole grain crackers (ak-mak makes a good one), peanut butter on crackers, carrots and hummus, some whole fruit (grapes and bananas are very high in sugar), or some plain yogurt with a bit of real maple syrup stirred in.
If it is a blood sugar issue, keeping it balanced may lessen his need for extra snacks.
Last edited by TheotherMarie; 10-13-2014 at 12:57 PM..
Reason: forgot a line
If he is a foster child he may not be in the habit of having food available to him on a regular basis and is testing to make sure it really is there. Also food represents care and nurturing so it is not unusual for insecure or neglected kids to reach for more food. Stan4 is right. Give good quality snacks like fruits- no fruit juices-just whole fruits and raw veggies to fill him up. Good luck.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hml1976
This. Many children in foster care have food issues, all expert advice is to let them eat at will. Over time he will realize that the food is always there and regulate himself.
My daughter when we first adopted her at a year old would eat constantly. At 10yrs old she's skinny as a rail and eats a healthy, normal amount.
Yes to both of these^^. What's the "story" with this child? More info is needed on his background but I suspect he's in care or you are caring for him because a friend/relative cannot...both are red flags for eating issues that usually resolve once the child understands his/her food availability is no longer limited or absent.
Often it is easy to confuse hunger with being thirsty. Try offering him a drink. Especially if he is active he is likely to be sweating and needing more fluids.
Also try bigger dinner plates rather than snacking. Do you as an adult snack?
Someone also had a good thought that it could well be that he is using it as an activity. Try some more varied activities to keep his mind off eating.
I allow my son to eat whenever he needs to ...within reason. I don't want him to develop an eating disorder by restricting food or bingeing on food.
If I were in your situation I would increase the amount of food you give him during the main meals and then provide him with one large snack. Make sure to give him something with a lot of fiber (oatmeal) so it fills him up. Limit the amount of processed foods is you are able to...sometimes it can be difficult to do so for a number of reasons.
I am not a "schedule" person and my son is far too active to plan meals to a certain time or routine. I never let him skip meals (even if he doesn't want to eat).
If there is a lack of variety in his diet make sure to give him a multi-vitamin or nutrition drink. My son suffers from multiple food allergies, so his diet is very limited. The allergist stated that as long as he had a supplemental form of nutrition such as a vitamin it was fine.
I would be curious as to what he's eating. Maybe he needs more food/more nourishing food at mealtimes. I would offer only healthy snacks--fruits and vegetables. No juice. And watch his milk intake. Kids can take in a lot of calories just from drinking milk.
I'm guessing, your nick....but if you are caring for a child that previously didn't have good meals....I'd say feed him. I'd switch up from the breakfast biscuits to sliced fruits, celery sticks, etc.
But....I raised 4 boys....and they can eat...Just feed him some good healthy finger foods....As long as he is eating his whole meal.....he is just hungry.
I don't have a real solid reason to be against it, as long as he's still eating his meals - it just feels wrong to me. Which I know isn't a great reason, so that's why I'm asking.
You are right....that isn't a reason at all. 3 year olds can eat an amazing amount of food - I've seen toddlers eat as much as teenage boys....this kid was underweight if anything...but when you think about how much they are growing and how active....they need the food.
And if this child is a foster that may have know food insecurity...you denying him food just because it 'feels wrong' is very wrong.
If he is eating at meals, and the snacks are healthy and appropriate for his activity level.....there is no problem. When he's a bit older ....growth slows down and he may be more food secure....then it will be time to cut down....but not is not the time.
Do you really want a 3 year old melting down because of hunger because that feels right to you?
I allow my son to eat whenever he needs to ...within reason. I don't want him to develop an eating disorder by restricting food or bingeing on food.
That is close to what we did. We wanted our daughter to learn her hunger signals. You eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full. Within reason we let her choose portion size at meals and offered healthy snacks and the occasional treat, with very few restrictions (no she didn't get a snack 15 minutes before dinner - but if she was hungry an hour after...she could have something - if she wasn't hungry at a meal.....we didn't force her to eat with threats).
Both her father and I have battled weight issues....but our daughter doesn't.....and I do think a large part of that was not hyper controlling her eating by arbitrary rules.
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