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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
BabyNewbury2012
member
Food-How do you know when enough is enough?
BabyNewbury2012
member
Our almost 15 month old daughter eats a lot. And if she is left in the high chair she will just want more and more. I noticed last night her poor belly was really bloated. She ate a lot for dinner and just wanted more until I finally took her out. Some people tell me they will let you know when they are full and stop eating but I wonder sometimes with her. I don't want to have her hungry but I don't want her to eat so much that she has a bad belly. She is a very fast eater so I wonder if she doesn't realize she is full until she is already gone overboard.
Do you all just let your child eat until they don't want more or do you give them a set amount on their plate?
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Re: Food-How do you know when enough is enough?
If you truly are concerned about her overeating, I'd offer her less to start and give her more if she asks for additional food. Kids are really good at self-regulating, and my LO was similar to this early on - eat anything/everything. Then around 18m the picky eating began and some days I wonder if he ate anything. So you may be surprised that in a few months she no longer is woofing down a huge plate.
FWIW, LO's belly sticking out isn't the same as a bloated belly of an adult. They have less mature abdominal muscles, and often stand sway-backed. It's normal/appropriate for them to have a potbelly.
Yeah this. My kid eats so much sometimes I'm shocked. But she's happy content and seems to make up for it later, when she barely touches the next meal somedays. I just let her. I can tell she's done when she starts to slow down the eating. Now at 2 she just says, "All Done" and gives me her plate.
And ditto the pp who said kids with potbellies is normal. It's not the same as bloat in adults.
I usually start off with a set amount and then if he asks for more, I give him more. He gets the pot belly too, but I don't believe he's overeating because when he's done, he starts to throw food.
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I fix her a plate but keep the plate on the table with me and give her a little at a time. She'll start to throw food when she's done or say "done". Some days she eats far more than I'd imagine but she knows best.
also as silly as it is, I know she's hungry for a snack or meal when she goes to the dog bowl and tries to eat that food lol.
Ditto what pretty much all PPs said. Sometimes DS will eat sooo much; I have no clue where he puts it. But then sometimes he'll hardly touch his plate. He does tend to overdo it on fruits/veggies though (not that that's necessarily a bad thing), and then not want anything else, so I've started giving him his plate with a little meat, or eggs or whatever first, then giving him his fruit or veggies.
But when he's full he'll start swatting food around his tray or dropping it over to the dog. As soon as that starts I take his plate so hopefully he breaks this habit and will just begin to tell me 'done' at some point!
As long as you're offering healthy choices, I wouldn't worry about the actual quantity. Your LO will know how much they can take!