How much is too much?

lbonga1 · October 2014

DD is constantly asking for more food. All. Day. Long. I try to give her foods that are filling, healthy, and have at least some protein. But her grandparents give her snacks constantly when they're watching her, so I think she picked up a habit from them. How can I tell the difference from when she's legitimately hungry or just wanting to snack?

nlp1990 · October 2014

I'd like to know too. Every 10 minutes I hear "hungy mommy!"

wifeofadam · October 2014

I'm of the opinion that if a child says they are hungry, you always offer them food. They are growing and need to eat frequently.

But the way to tell if they are truly hungry or if they are just wanting a yummy snack is to always offer them a real food when they say they are hungry - something that would be a part of a normal meal - cheese, fruit, some veggies, half a sandwich, a hard-boiled egg, etc. If they are really hungry, they will eat the healthy food, so long as you give them a few options ("You're hungry? OK, would you like some cheese, a banana, or an egg?"). If they are not, they will keep whining and say they want something else.

laketide · October 2014

I'm so glad this was asked! It seems like mine is constantly signing more. But it does seem to happen more often when grandma is around and she knows she has her favorite fruit snacks in her purse...

cinnasugar · October 2014

I agree with WOA that at this point, if they say they are hungry, they probably are, and you can offer them healthy snacks. More between the ages of 2 and 3 is when you can start structuring meals more and enforcing the eating meals at meal time. Sometimes my 4yo doesn't eat much at dinner (for whatever reason) and if she asks for a snack but hasn't had a good meal, I'll offer her carrot sticks or raw veggies. I can always tell if she's legitimately hungry when she actually says yes to that snack.

tamarar5 · October 2014

I agree with WoA, but remember that thirst often appears as hunger. If mine have had food recently, I offer a glass/sippy of water first. If they down water and are still hungry, then I offer food again.

I didn't always do this so C always seems to think she's only hungry. E, on the other hand, always brings his sippy first. Since he's not incredibly vocal yet, I can't tell if he knows thirsty, or if he thinks bringing his cup is the sign for snack, lol!

lbonga1 · October 2014

I do consistently offer water or "juice" (basically water with a hefty splash of juice), but usually she'll adamantly say no and sign for hunger. I'll just keep offering healthy stuff

AmyGardner430 · October 2014

I don't think you can overfeed a toddler, but you can over-snack or over-junk them. If my LO asks for a cracker, I know that it's about the cracker, not hunger. I might offer a banana instead.

fignewt74 · October 2014

AmyGardner430 said:

I don't think you can overfeed a toddler, but you can over-snack or over-junk them. If my LO asks for a cracker, I know that it's about the cracker, not hunger. I might offer a banana instead.

Amy - your LO sounds adorable! Post a pic?

wineandcake · October 2014

Ugh we are snack obsessed here. He knows where the snack cupboard is and he will go to it and scream please until we come to him. Then he wants picked up so he can choose a snack from there. I'm trying to push for actual healthy meals, but it seems like healthy snacks will have to do for now. Normally he agrees to some cheese, fruit, yogurt, or apple sauce pouch, other times he flips out. This kid eats all day, he thinks he needs snacks and if he isn't hungry, he will still scream for snacks and feed them to the dogs

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