5 Year Old Wanting to Eat Constanly

I agree with asking her what is going on, but I'm having the same problem with my 2 year old. I don't know if it will work with a 5 year old, but I have 3 set meals and 2 snack times. If she wants a snack in between snack time, I give her fruit. My pediatrician said that this was okay and actually recommend me to give her fruit because she won't otherwise eat it as an in between snack and to definitely stick to the set times. She said that if she continues to want to snack all day long, than to provide her fruits and veggies, and that is a great time to try to give her something she doesn't usually eat. My daughter went from always eating bananas and oranges, to never eating bananas and oranges. Now that they are her in between snack she is back to eating them. I also try to make her meals and snack time healthy.

With the summer coming (I hope), we will be out of the house more and busy, so I'm hoping with the extra distraction of not being home, my daughter will ask for snacks less. I know it's harder when you are stuck inside to provide enough distraction to keep them out of the kitchen, when it is so easy to get too.

my advice - provide lots of healthy food options. Nobody got fat on grapes and apples. If she eats the standard portion of higher cal food, offer her fruit/veggies. And give her lots of options for other fun things to do and physical exercise. And no soda/sweet drinks. Those are empty calories.

Also, ask her what is going on. Is there a reason she's suddenly wanting to eat? How does she feel when she eats? Have there been any other behavioral changes recently?

Good luck. You don't want to limit food intake too much, because they have to grow, but you want to make sure they are healthy.

Make sure she's drinking lots of water. Sometimes our bodies mistake thirst for hunger, so it might help if she drinks more water before she gets a second or third helping of food. I do that with my son; if he's asking for more food after eating a full serving (especially of a food that I know he really likes) I tell him to drink some water first and see if he's still hungry after that.

If the doctors are starting to say that she is overweight, yet she's still saying she is hungry, see if the doctor can refer you to a child nutritionist. A nutritionist can help you plan out her meals and make sure that she is getting enough calories and enough of the right types of foods. This could be the best way to make sure you aren't limiting your daughter's food intake too much, and also make sure that she is getting enough of the right types of food. Just an idea. Good luck!

Growth-spurt.

Per our Ped., it is fine.
When my kids are hitting growth-spurts, they eat constantly. Which I do not have a problem with, because they need it and I do not feed them junk nor have junk in the house.

One summer, my daughter ate literally every half hour or less. Plus her meals. Or she'd literally be HUNGRY even 10 minutes after eating a full meal. Then after that summer, she grew like 5" at least. She got so tall and lanky.

At growth-spurts, this is normal.

You just feed them healthy stuff.
Not junk.

I never limit my kids foods/snacks. They eat, on-demand. Meaning, they are fully aware of their body's cues for hunger and fullness. They do not eat out of emotional reasons or out of boredom. When/If they are hungry, they eat. I feed them. They know their body. And they grow like weeds and are healthy.

ALSO keep in mind, that per kids physical development, they often will chub out and then get lanky etc. They are changing and growing.
Just feed healthy foods/snacks.

Growth spurts can certainly drive real hunger that makes kids beg for food all the time. I see it at times too. But....

The fact she is lying about what and where she eats is a red flag. It shows she is well aware that you don't want her having those extra snacks and she is willing to cover up the fact she had them because she doesn't want to get you mad and she wants to continue having those snacks. Be sure your reactions to those extra snacks aren't excessively strong. (How are you finding out about them, by the way, if she's lying?) I'd deal with the fact of the lying and focus on that, more than on the fact she ate something -- for now. And get the word to her playmates' moms that she isn't allowed to snack, or that you will provide the (healthy, low-cal) snack for both kids yourself even if the playdate's not at your house -- any mom who's offended doesn't get it.

Look at what she's eating, not just how much and when. I won't even touch the idea of sweets - I'm guessing you've already stopped those or cut them way back. But if she likes starches (bread, rice, pasta, potatoes), that's fine, but starches break down in our bodies into sugars and things like white bread, white rice, white pasta break down in the body quickly -- and leave us full at first and much hungrier much faster than if we eat whole-graiin starches. Whole grain starches break down more slowly and you feel fuller longer, plus they retain more vitamins than "white" or even "enriched" grains.

Even with whole grains, be sure she isn't eating too much pasta, potatoes, bread etc., because they have heavy calorie loads but kids love them -- and it's so easy to dole out big servings of them when small ones would do. If she eats (you've heard it before, I know, we all have!) high-fiber foods like more vegetables and fruits she will feel full and not have the "crash" and hunger that comes with loads of "white" starches. I'm not anti-starch! It's just so easy to end up basing every meal around them -- cereal or pancakes for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, pasta for dinner, starchy snacks, all in the same day.

Another thing -- try to teach her to wait 20-30 minutes after eating. That's how long it takes to achieve a "full feeling." This will be hard - I still remind my 10-year-old when she begs for more after a snack that she IS full enough but doesn't feel it yet.

Ask your pediatrician for ideas, and if she's in kindergarten, talk to the school counselor (without your daughter there) about the lying aspect of this. If she does not lie about other things she does when away from you, and the lying is centered just on her eating, you may want to ask the counselor for ideas on how to talk to her about eating as well as telling the truth about what she does -- whatever it is, eating or anything else -- when she's not with you.

No you are doing the wrong things. When they grow they are extra hungry. Do not try to limit her food intake you could make her growth pattern iratic and she will be short. You are the one making her nervous. What is the difference how much she eats. She is not fat.
Get some nutritional counselling. You don't know enough to be making these anorexic judgements. Are you anorexic? Do you yourself have food issues?

I would take her for a check up.

You may want to have your doctor check her thyroid.
Good luck,
S

My 5 yr old is always hungry too, and I think some of it is just boredom..

Is she getting enough water to drink? Not juice or milk or whatever but plain ol water? It's common to mistake thirst for hunger and end up overeating. When you feel thirsty you are already mildly dehydrated. We have to watch one of our kids all the time. He isn't overweight thankfully but that might be because we're really on top of it. After a couple glasses of water he's not hungry anymore. He very often forgets to drink.
It's something to consider.

Maybe she's going through a growth spurt, although the fact that she feels the need to lie about eating would concern me. I hope she isn't at risk for an eating disorder, thinking she has to hide what she eats. I would just make sure whatever she is eating is healthy - especially anything high in fiber, like apples, other fruit, veggies, whole grains, etc. The fiber will help fill her up and help her feel fuller longer. So will combining a protein with a healthy carb. Don't keep junk food in the house because she can't eat what is not available to her and stuff like chips and cookies just add empty calories and no nutrition. Same goes for soda, sports drinks, etc. If she's saying she's hungry and you offer her carrot or celery sticks and she says no, then you know she's not really serious and possibly just looking for something else. I would also be sure she's not eating out of boredom and she has plenty of other activities to keep her occupied - especially things to keep her active like bike riding and roller skating.