How Much To Eat?

[sddaycare]

I have done daycare for over 10 years and have never had this issue before, I'm hoping someone can help! I have a 6 year old dcg who can eat ALOT if I let her. Should I let her? i try to keep everything at serving sizes and that seems to fill up the others, but this girl will keep eating. The other day she had 4 whole pb sandwiches, 2 whole apples, 3 servings of green beans and carrots, along with 3 glasses of milk and she wanted more. This seems like alot to me,but i also dont want her to be hungry. Any suggestions?

[itlw8]

That is far more than an adult eats so yes you need to cut her off. 1 whole sandwich. 1 whole apple 2 servings of veggies and 8 ounces of milk then water is more than enough

[Angelsj]

I would talk to her parents before cutting her off.
There are medical issues she could have that would need to be addressed. That is a LOT of food for a little 6 yo, but I wouldn't just tell her no without knowing what is going on first.

[kathiemarie]

During the school year I had a 1st grader like that. I quizzed her on what she ate at home and it was NOTHING. Ok not nothing but very little. Her mom was super busy and sometimes the little girl would just get yogurt for dinner and her lunch was carrots and humus.

At first I would let her eat until she was full but then it was just to much. I would tell her that she has had plenty for a snack (I would let her have 1 to 2 servings plus all the veggies she wanted) and she would have to wait until dinner at home. I would also tell her she had to tell her mom she was hungry if she "forgot" to feed her dinner. I felt bad for the girl but she isn't my child.

Oh, and the offer of more veggies was never taken. .

[Starburst]

I would look up what an appropriate serving size (or portion) is for someone her age and try to limit it to no more than 2 servings. But talk to the parents first to see if she has any health concerns that may make her hungry that you aren't aware of (such as low blood sugar).You can also try to get one of those plates with the serving size dividers. Or the placemats that go under them so kids can have a regular reminder.

http://www.buildhealthykids.com/servingsizes.html

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/myplate-food-groups-and-portions

How she eats could also affect her appetite. It could also be that she eats too fast and doesn't give her stomach enough time to send the "I am full!" message to the brain. That's how tummy-aches and bloating happen, eventually it stretches out the stomach and it becomes a habit. Maybe try to encourage her to eat a little slower or to chew her food more thoroughly (the old wives tale about chewing 20-25 times). Also make sure there is no TV or fast music playing during meal time, that can cause her to eat faster or to "eat mindlessly". The color of a plate or the room could also make her hungrier (colors such as red, orange, or yellow make people more anxious and hungrier).

My Psych teacher (who was a vegan and major health nut) said that you shouldn't drink anything during a meal because it dilutes the food in your stomach and takes longer for your stomach to get full. Apparently we are supposed to drink something about 1/2 hour after a meal to avoid this. I have also heard from weight-loss/ healthy eating segments on The Doctors and Dr. Oz that if you drink 2 glasses of water within a 1/2 hour before a meal to make sure you actually are hunger and not just dehydrated and confusing thirst for hunger. Though these might be hard to do on a food program (if you have to offer milk or water with a meal).

[MarinaVanessa]

One of the reasons for the food program is so that providers serve healthy meals to the children in their care, another reason is for portion control. If there are no medical reasons why this child should be eating that much (I couldn't possibly even eat that much) then I would limit her portions. It's okay to give some extra especially if she is eating everything including her veggies but I wouldn't go overboard or I would be encouraging her to overeat. Healthy habits start at a young age ... if she is average build and just highly active she could possibly simply be burning off her food quickly. For example, my 8yo DD is ADHD and can eat large adult portions however she is extremely active and so needs to eat more than the average child.

[blandino]

That is far more than an adult eats so yes you need to cut her off. 1 whole sandwich. 1 whole apple 2 servings of veggies and 8 ounces of milk then water is more than enough

I would do this. I limit my kids to a reasonable amount of food. I only have ages 4 & younger, but when they get to an entire sandwich , etc, I will cut them off. Fruits and veggies I will serve until they are gone. Also, I wouldn't give her second servings of milk - water only. My kids never gets seconds of milk, water only after they finish their first serving.

[Cradle2crayons]

I have done daycare for over 10 years and have never had this issue before, I'm hoping someone can help! I have a 6 year old dcg who can eat ALOT if I let her. Should I let her? i try to keep everything at serving sizes and that seems to fill up the others, but this girl will keep eating. The other day she had 4 whole pb sandwiches, 2 whole apples, 3 servings of green beans and carrots, along with 3 glasses of milk and she wanted more. This seems like alot to me,but i also dont want her to be hungry. Any suggestions?

If I were serving this exact meal to a child that age, they would get one HALF of a sandwich, one half of a large apple or one small apple, one her size portion of green beans and carrots total, and one her age serving of milk.

I understand her parents may not care, but as a mom I would be horrified if I found out my six year old was eating that much at a meal.

I stick strictly to serving sizes. There enough obesity and I'm not going to contribute

[JoseyJo]

To me it would make a difference if the child was overweight or not. If the child is not overweight I would not limit her food at all. She must need the extra food as it is not causing her to gain weight. She would have to try everything to get seconds and eat everything on the plate to get thirds, fourths, etc. So she would be getting a balanced meal (albeit a very large one!)

We do have a time limit though- the last person eating is excused from the table (even if they are still eating) when the second to the last child was done pottying/washing hands.

[Cradle2crayons]

I'm kind of wondering what's the point of feeding them healthy when you give them four sandwiches,multiple apples, and four glasses of milk. Abalone is more calories than an adult should eat in an entire day! Yikes!!

[Hunni Bee]

Some posters are saying don't limit her, but there is no child that needs to eat 4 sandwiches in one sitting. That's eight pieces of bread! I'm sorry but that's excessive and unhealthy in my opinion.

At 6, a sandwich and a half is sufficient. One milk, then a half, then water. There's no way her tummy wasn't full by the second sandwich, which means she's overriding her fullness and that's not a healthy habit for her to have either.

[Willow]

Some posters are saying don't limit her, but there is no child that needs to eat 4 sandwiches in one sitting. That's eight pieces of bread! I'm sorry but that's excessive and unhealthy in my opinion.

At 6, a sandwich and a half is sufficient. One milk, then a half, then water. There's no way her tummy wasn't full by the second sandwich, which means she's overriding her fullness and that's not a healthy habit for her to have either.

[MarinaVanessa]

I'm kind of wondering what's the point of feeding them healthy when you give them four sandwiches,multiple apples, and four glasses of milk. Abalone is more calories than an adult should eat in an entire day! Yikes!!

Some posters are saying don't limit her, but there is no child that needs to eat 4 sandwiches in one sitting. That's eight pieces of bread! I'm sorry but that's excessive and unhealthy in my opinion.

At 6, a sandwich and a half is sufficient. One milk, then a half, then water. There's no way her tummy wasn't full by the second sandwich, which means she's overriding her fullness and that's not a healthy habit for her to have either.

[daycarediva]

I would absolutely limit her.

Seconds here means a 1/2 serving size. Eg. If we have sandwiches and someone wants seconds I give 1/4 (under 5) and 1/2 sandwich (over 5)

They can have as many veggies as they will eat, fruit is limited to 1 1/2 servings, and milk is limited to one serving.

I always have carrot and celery sticks cut up for myself, and I offer 2-3 at a time to those who finish all of that ^ and want more food. I've never had a kid finish those, so it is obviously NOT hunger.

I have a young SA boy in care now (5, starts kindy in fall) and he eats like a grown man. He is SUPER chubby though, and has terrible eating habits at home. Everyday he downs his grain and requests more grain. He refuses to touch a fruit or vegetable, so he always turns down my carrot or celery stick option, too.

[kimmills]

It would not be possible to feed her in that manner each and everyday. So, You should have a talk with her parents and know about what she eats at home and in what quantities, or if there is a need to consult a doctor.