How can i help my son stop helping himself to food?

Question

my 6 year old son is always hungry and eats four meals a day plus snacks and now he is helping himself to other food as he is never full. i have taken him to the doctors and they have said there is nothing wrong with him.

Answer 1

Check to see if he is in fact eating all his meals during school time. My 7 year old eats very well at breakfast and lunch, so he doesn't snack hard after school. If your son is not over weight for his age and stature, then let him fetch his own stuff. I am sure he is not cooking or microwaving anything. Sometimes it's difficult to trust the experts, but they are the best source of medical advice you can get for the buck.

Answer 2

Mouse traps in the fridge, or if all else fails stick him in a darkened room until mealtimes.

Answer 3

have health snacks in the table where he can see them

Answer 4

Both my boys went thru this stage at 6 and i thought i would go broke.  I made it thru & if i were you i would not be concerned. Be happy he is eating instead of having a picky child that won't eat. It is just a growth spurt i'm sure. If you are upset at anything it should be he is not asking before: therefore if you scold him(timeout) i would explain 1st that if you do not ask before you help yourself to food other than meal time, you will be punished for not listening. Forewarn him only once and stick to it.

Answer 5

If you are uncomfortable with all the consumption of food he is eating... Hide the snacks you don't want him to have when ever he wants. Only in his reach, have... celery and peanut butter, raisins, low fat cookies, lots of fruit.

He's 6 years old, you can fool him, tell him the groceries store ran out of the items. Get snacks he doesn't really like, he wouldn't have a choice. He'll soon get over it. most children eat because they are bored, My son does that at times. I bought some activities for him like coloring those felt pictures. It keeps him busy. Good luck!

Answer 6

Gps are never great at diagnosing eating problems, often believing the child will grow out of it. i am not GP bashing, all i am saying is they are jack of all trades and only sometimes master of one. i would contact the Prader Willi Syndrome, there is a web site and they can give you lots of information and also signpost you.

anyway it would be worth reading as i think it might just ring a few bells for you.

good luck

Answer 7

so put a kid-proof fastener on the fridge and freezer, and work out a system of rewards for behaving/ punishments for not.

Be glad your son is healthy and fit, and eating healthy food. If a kid's hungry, I generally feed it. If he asks for food - give him some. If you get him used to requests being denied, he'll carry on burgling the cupboards.

Answer 8

He may just be going through a 'phase' - I know a boy of a similar age who does that and he's perfectly fine. However if you're concerned talk to a specialist.

Answer 9

I kept fruit on the table, and cut up veggies in the fridge for my two boys - they were allowed to eat as many veg and fruits as they liked.

Anything else, they had to ask permission. They ate every two-three hours from birth.

They are now 19 and 23, slim, and eat better than most people I know!

Answer 10

Is he eating healthy? (fresh fruit, veggies and meat)  Processed foods and junk food  can leave a person hungry even though he has eaten.  Did you know you can actually be starving your body and yet still be eating this stuff?  Check your pantry.  Buy granola bars, mix raisins with cashews and peanuts, fresh fruit dipped in peanut butter etc., you get the idea.  High protein food like peanut butter is a great choice to keep 'em full.  I bought one of those electric sandwich makers and would create warm sandwiches for my kids for breakfast (peanut butter and jelly) and sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

Answer 11

My boys are just the same.  They never stop eating.  From breakfast time right through till bed time. They get a good healthy breakfast and a proper packed lunch for school but the minute they get home they would empty the cupboard if they got a chance!  This afternoon, they had an entire packet of crackers between them, apples, toast, then digestive biscuits!  After that they had thier tea, (pasta, ham & veg in sauce) and garlic bread.  I have seen pints of milk and loaves of bread disappear as if by magic!

However, they are football mad (they'll be home shortly from training and screaming hungry) and both do cross country running at school.  One rides his pony every day and the other is either skateboarding or riding his bike.

The key here is that they are constantly active and also growing, therefore burning off as many calories as they can eat.  Niether one of them has an ounce of spare on him!

I would say that if he is healthy enough, not looking pale or ill, not coming down with every bug going, then there is not much wrong.  Fill him up at meal times with pasta, potatoes, rice etc and hide (or don't buy) junk food.

I'm constantly grateful that my boys have good appetites, they bring home too many friends who are fussy.  Think about the kids who only eat if it comes with chips & ketchup?

As for the helping himself, get a big plastic box or biscuit tin and fill it full of (healthy) snacks.  Tell him thats the snack box and he can have whatever but he must NOT take stuff out of the cupboards or freezer!  Good luck!

Answer 12

if he isnt getting fat because of it, then dont worry about it, if he seems exhausted and thin, get his bblood tested for thyroid condition.

a high percentage of the time people mistake thirst for hunger, if he is getting over weight, he is maybe dehydrated but doesnt realise it, encourage him to drink more than eat, milk is the heaviest and will supress hunger the longest.

Answer 13

You don't, he's growing and is hungry. Just make sure that he is eating healthy snacks and all that and not just going for junk food.

Answer 14

My 2 year old daughter has been going through a phase of constantly asking for food, so in the morning I give her cereal and toast and then make her up a 'box' in which I put cut up fruit, a babybel, a couple of crackers, some veggies, raisins, any little healthy snacks she likes and I can think of.

It hasn't stopped her asking for food totally, but it has certainly reduced the amount of times she asks 'can I have something else'!

She is only 2 and seems to understand that once her box is empty then that is it until the next meal is produced.

Try it, he might like it and it could save your sanity!

Answer 15

Just keep healthy food at reach and maybe he is going on a growth spurt. encourage him to make healthy choices instead of the junk food.....

Answer 16

When I was growing up we could eat fruit and veggies whenever we were hungry, anything else and we just had to ask first. Eating more healthy food is good for him and if he is just eating because he likes snacks like chips etc this will prevent that.

Answer 17

he sounds like my other half's 10 yr old who never ever stops eating and is as skinny as a rake.  I personally wouldn't worry - he's probably a very active child and needs the energy from the food to keep himself up and running.  Only if he starts to become overweight I would seek help from your GP but until then, I'd be pleased that he was a healthy eater as opposed to a fussy one who hardly eats anything.

Answer 18

show him the fruit bowl and tell him to eat all he wants

Answer 19

He is probably full but doesn`t know the difference, try giving him really small portions at meal times then if he does eat all the time he won`t get obese, he will probably grow out if it

Answer 20

A whole LOAF of bread a day...try not to exaggerate.

Answer 21

you should be pleased that your son is self-sufficiant enough to get his own food.  Alot of moms make themselves servants that way.  As long as he is reaching for healthy snacks (And at 6, i dont know why there would be anything else in the house) whats the problem?

Answer 22

there is nothing wrong with him but the mental disorder is linking food and the feeling of fullness with emotional safety which is what I would work on

Answer 23

Chop his hands off - Boxing Gloves (no - that's for something else)

Seriously, talk to him - find out why he needs to eat so much - it could just be a "growth spurt"

Answer 24

Has your son ever had bloodwork done?  Is he losing weight?  Does he also ask constantly for drinks?   A huge appetite in a very skinny child can mean Type 1 Diabetes.  If your doctor has not tested for this, it might be a good idea to ask about it.

Answer 25

i really dont think there is anything that you can do as long its healthy food and he isnt putting on any weight on he may grow out ofit.

Answer 26

well he needs to no that he cant do what he wants .so if you dont want him helping his self then your the mom tell him know

Answer 27

Tell him that there is a time and and a place for eating.  Set up meal times, with a healthy snack in between.  Then he eats moderately, every three hours (If his blood sugar gets too low, he is going to want to eat excessively).  You should do the same, so he realizes that there is a consistent meal time and snack time.  I wonder if he's eating out of boredom too.