Always hungry 4 year old
By Tiaridakdyl
@Tiaridakdyl (114)
United States
April 20, 2010 9:17am CST
What happened to picky eaters?
My grandkids came to live with us about a year and a half ago. The girl was 4 and ate like a horse! Really, she rivaled my teenage son. I finally called the doctor because I've never seen anything like it. The doctor said that if the children hadn't been being well-fed, this could be a psychological reaction. My two-yr old grandson was like this too but it didn't last.
After a year, my granddaughter slowed down a little bit but she's still was too eager to eat anything and everything. If anyone eats, she has to have some. If anyone MENTIONS food, she wants to eat. Now my grandson is four and he's doing the same thing. Neither child is fat, my grandson is a little skinny but not anything to comment on. My granddaughter is almost a little chubby, kind of. She's actually slimming down a little as she grows taller. I know kids pack on a little extra weight before a growth spurt but these kids are eating excessively from what I remembered 4-year-olds eating. Am I just remembering wrong? I don't recall ever seeing such a thing and I've raised four boys! Being astonished at a teen boy's capacity is normal, the same capacity at four is obnoxious.
3 responses
@Ritchelle (3790)
• Philippines
21 Apr 10
is she taking appetite boosters? they are now added in some multivitamins and while some doesn't work (for my kid) some acts like a joke. you don't have to wait a minute after giving it to him and he'd be asking for food already. and never mind the time. my 4 year old raids the ref at 11:00 pm finding leftovers 
. oh, and every 2 hours he has to have something in his mouth. fine with me. that vitamins is worth it than the other one.
. oh, and every 2 hours he has to have something in his mouth. fine with me. that vitamins is worth it than the other one.@Tiaridakdyl (114)
• United States
23 Apr 10
Don't you worry about raising a greedy, fat kid? Three meals and an after-school snack, shouldn't that be enough barring actual health issues? I've just been stunned seeing babies eat like teenagers, what the heck will happen when they are?
No extra vitamins here, just plenty of real food that I had thought would fill their tiny bellies.
Do you have to be concerned when you're at other houses that he will eat all the food you bring along and start begging the friend or whomever for more food? Maybe I'm wrong, it seems overly greedy to me but how do I know what they actually need and what is too much? They're healthy either way so we go for less.
1 person likes this
@Ritchelle (3790)
• Philippines
24 Apr 10
actually being fat doesn't run in the family except when one starts to give birth already or reaches that age when metabolism slows down. my child is naturally a picky eater so this looking for food all the time is something new and delightful for me. however, this all time hunger doesn't last for long since sometimes my son would just settle for his juice with a lot more recommended water in it to ensure he is hydrated. our ref isn't all that beefed up with a lot of food that would get one to be on the danger side of obese nor could or would i spend too much money on too much amount of food for more than 3 people in the family.
@OpinionatedLady (5965)
• United States
20 Apr 10
Well it is a metabolism thing, if they are healthy and a healthy weight then it is because their bodies need it. All of my kids are like that as are the folks on my husbands side. They all eat what to me is a horrific amount and are all bone thin, many even see Dr.s to gain weight because they are under weight. My 8 yr. old is one of these. She eats more then I can in one sitting then I do in a day and is too thin. The Dr, has me giving her instant breakfast drinks with every meal to boost the calorie count. I do keep my kids active and the other two girls are at healthy weights (all are very tall), but the middle one just can't put the weight on. They did run some tests on her and she is healthy and they found her system runs High as they put it. Just how it is. Still it is startling to see this skinny kid eat 4 pieces of pizza and a salad and still be hungry in an hour.
As for remembering wrong I think not. I think it might be do to society. Each generation seems to have more advantages when it comes to obtaining food, so there is less push to save food or only eat small amounts. There fore these kids are used to being able to eat at anytime where I was only allowed my meals and there was no snacks in our house at all.
@Tiaridakdyl (114)
• United States
23 Apr 10
One problem is we DON'T have enough food here, not for this! My granddaughter was getting a little bit too chubby which is one thing I worried about. She was eating too much but how do you refuse a hungry little child food? But I'm not going to raise fat kids. They've had to slow down some because we just don't have money to feed THREE bottomless pits!
Naturally when I finally posted this, both kids wanted to skip a meal! Separate times but one didn't want to eat and the other wanted to go play. First time for everything.
One of my boys has something wrong, we never found out what, but he can't gain weight and is always so hungry he can't manage well. He eats meat like a caveman, he must not be able to process protein very well. I always had to work so hard to find what he could eat without getting sick but that would help him. His wife is now continuing the quest; we've found some things (he has too of course) but it was awful to see ribs front and back on your child! The rest have all been normal eaters.
@kedralynn (980)
• United States
1 May 10
Have they had their thyroids checked? They are a bit young tho... but my sister was eating and eating and eating and losing weight. Turned out she had hyperthyroidism and her body seemed to be over metabolising everything. She was pretty skinny. I'd visit a doctor just to make sure. If he says they're all just healthy eaters with fast metabolisms then good for them. However you're going to need more food!
