And still another 3yo question- "I'm Hungry"

[haak]

My 3 yo is constantly saying she is hungry. Is she really hungry or just bored or something? She is a skinny active girl. Very active. We have an open pantry policy. She is allowed to eat whenever and pretty much whatever- some snack type items and nutritous- not junk. (We had major feeding issues a year ago and after 6 months at a feeding clinic-out patient- we learned a lot about her and food and control.) Anyway- is she really hungry 5 minutes after a small snack? What is the best approach here?

[holmgirl]

:popcorn No pun intended!

[LauraK]

My 3 yo is like this too. We just went to the ped for her check up and she is height weight proportional and at the 75th percentile for height and weight, so I just think she is going to be tall and is really active so needs a lot of calories. As long as she is not eating junk, is eating a good mix of foods and is not being inconsiderate and asking for things and then not eating them (something my dd does at times which drives me crazy!!) I would not worry about it. Also, I find when she is bored she just wants certain types of foods and will not take other things I offer. For example, she'll only want to eat crackers or freeze dried fruit when she is bored eating.

Some tips I have gotten is to have a "snack bag" or snack plate in the fridge or out if it is non-perishables so you prepare one thing or group of things and aren't having to constantly get snacks. I have yet to implement this but I am thinking it is a good idea. I also try not to let my dd walk around and eat too much or watch tv and eat. She only gets an hour of tv a day max so that is not an unreasonable rule and I try to make food only allowed in the kitchen/dining area, not on the carpeted areas.

I also notice that my 3 year old goes through growth spurts where she literally will eat like a teenage boy! Then I'll notice her pants start getting too short. I would follow her lead unless you feel she is not getting a blanced diet or not eating at meals at all.

[JessicaTX]

"Are you hungry for a hug or are you hungry for (insert snack here)"

My three year old says she's hungry all the time also, I ask her what she's hungry for, and often it's for a hug =) I also offer water often, I know I often mistake thirst for snackiness in myself. So I'll hand her a cup of water while she decides which she's hungry for. She does seem to be actually hungry about every 3 hours or so.