Help- My 3 year old is obsessed with FOOD!

lhp1980

Does anyone else have this problem?  If so, please tell me how you handle it?  My husband and I eat healthy with moderate snacking and our DD is ALWAYS asking for snacks.  We make sure that we feed her properly balanced meals, so I just don't know what to do...Every time we get in the car, she also expects snacks...Just asking for input, if you have gone through this   Thank you!

wilabeth

Think she's going through a growth spurt?

Are her snacks interferring with the amount she eats at meal time?

teshy1

What is her meal/snack schedule like?  Is it fairly structured?  Is she in daycare, where the schedule may be different than at home?

lhp1980

She goes to preschool 3 days a wk and they have snack at 10am and lunch at 12pm, which we keep consistent at home on the days she is not in school. We usually send either fruit, crackers/cheese, pretzels/raisins.   We also give her a snack after nap, which is 3:30pm.  Dinner is at 6, but she is still asking for snack, when she gets in the car after preschool.  Always wants snack as soon as she wakes up from nap and sometimes asks for snack again before bed...I'm not sure if it's a growth spurt or boredom.  I feel like this has been going on for a few months now...Thanks

[Deleted User]

Kids this age are often grazers so it's not unusual that she wants snacks frequently but it could also be boredom or thirst (or a stall tactic at bedtime!). It could also just be habit at this point. What happens if you offer milk or water first? Does she continue to ask for snack? Will she eat anything you give her (fruit, carrot sticks, broccoli, etc) or does she hold out for the "good" snack (Goldfish, pretzels, cheese)? If she'll eat anything she's probably hungry.

AimeeL85

I agree with Lea, I would look at what she's eating.  Does she maybe want snacks because she likes the snack items more than the healthy meals, or are the snack items just as healthy?

With my DS, I try not to give snacks in the car, but sometimes I have to because of the timing.  He sometimes does automatically ask for a snack when we get into the car, even if he just ate in the house, and I tell him that it's not snack time right now.  He gets a snack in between breakfast and lunch and in between lunch and dinner.

MrsWindyCity

How often is she eating? DS is a food beast and always wants to eat. We don't do grazing, but he has 3 meals and 2 snacks per day. If he eats a good sized meal/snack but still says he's hungry we offer something like carrot sticks. He eats as much as me often & easily. 

I'm sensitive to the issue because I grew up overweight, and I do worry occasionally that he eats SO MUCH. But I'm trying to chill because he eats healthy, is active, and is not overweight by any stretch.

RachieTK

DS does this sometimes too. I offer him choices that I happy he's eating, whether at meal time or not. The usuals are carrots, cucumber slices, Pple slices, raw green beans, or salted edamame. That way, if it is close to a meal and he isn't very hungry, I know he's gotten the nutrients I want him to be getting,

momofmanyinthemitten

I, myself, am a grazer. I can eat a full meal and be ready for more an hour later. So long as what she's eating is healthy, I don't see an issue with it. It's better for your body to eat frequent small meals anyway.