6 yr old with a huge eatting habit..all of a sudden!?

Question

Ok I am 23 yrs old married with 4 kids. My oldest is 6yrs old. And shes never been big at all. She is 3ft 10 1/2 inches tall and weighs 48lbs. About 2 months ago she was only 39lbs. Do kids her age normally go thrrough a growth spurt like that?

I cant remember how big I was at that age. I mean I know shes not overweight..shes still thin..I was making sure that its normal. She wants to eat every hour.!

Answer 1

she is probably going through a growth spurt, but just in case, give her healthy stuff

Answer 2

All kids go through growth spurts during different times of their lives.  When my now 11 year old was about 8 I threatened to put a revolving door on our refridgerator because she was always in and out of it for a couple of months.  Then one afternoon she was wearing an older pair of jeans and they were more than simply "high waters".  She had shot up considerably!  My advice is to make sure there are lots of healthy, non-fat, no added-sugar snacks available.  Lots of fruits and veggies, hit the bulk foods aisles of your grocery store get banana chips, dried apricots and apple slices.  Make smoothies using plain yogurt and fresh fruits.

Answer 3

shes probably going through a growth spurt, its perfectly normal just stick to what u consider healthy amounts of food, fill her up with fruit wen she wants to snack, my nephew is 7 years old and hes exactly the same, hes not overweight at all but he would eat all if he was allowed!

Answer 4

Probably a growth spurt.. but is she bored or stressed?

Answer 5

If there haven't been any huge life changes lately I would guess a growth spurt.  As long as she's still eating a balanced diet, fruits and veggies and not a lot of junk then don't worry about it.

Answer 6

kids do have growth spurts

how to recognise it is when they

- increase their appetite

- become tired (and don't become unwell on top of that)

- their clothes shrink!!! (tongue in cheek)

this usually goes on for a few weeks and can occur 3 times a year - which is normal for a child.

i think if you are concerned then consider the following

- is she otherwise happy and healthy for her age?

- is her BMI good for her age? (related to height and weight)

- is her diet healthy (your additional answers indicate yes)

- is she getting plenty to drink too?

- how well is she eating at school?

- is she increasing in height as well as weight?

you could do a quick scan around her classmates and see how she compares with them size-wise to see if her proportions are normal for her age-group

but all things being considered i don't think you have much to worry about from what you have said

Answer 7

Is she active?  Does she run around all day?  Kids also tend to have a much faster metabolism, so she may very well be burning energy fast.  Keep giving her healthy food though.

Answer 8

That is definetly normal, you have nothing to worry about!

When children are hungry, feed them.  If you are worried about her becoming obese remember that she needs to eat healthy snacks too, not just sugar-filled snacks.  

If her eating does become a problem be sure to contact her physician.

Answer 9

It does seem like a big gain in a short time so you might want to get her checked by a nurse.  On the other hand, you should know most kids put on weight first and then grow taller.  (So they get a bit pudgy before each growth spurt. )  So don't get too worked up about the BMI shift if she is eating healthy, and it sounds like she is.

Answer 10

Sounds like a growth spurt to me. My daughter is 12 & weighs 65 lbs (which is small for her age), but she eats like a horse! She eats more than my hubby & I put together, but she wasn't always like that. She used to just "nibble" & then it seemed like overnight she was eating a ton, & put on weight, but doctor said everything was normal. Obviously if it continues to worry you check with her doctor.