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I personally would hate to have a mom, who is supposed to be nurturing, limiting my portions or overly concerned about "fat grams."
Amen! Relax and let her eat what she wants until the doctor says something about it. If she is below 50% in weight, what % is her height. My granddaughter was 90% in height and 50% in weight. Children are not like adults in that food is emotional. They usually eat what they need and then quit. But if you make eating a battleground, it will stick. Chill!
My answer probably did not help at all, so here is a better one. I am a retired librarian and remember that there are books about this subject. Go to the library or to a local bookstore and check out what is available. I remember one book that taught how to put a meal together for a child. But please do not starve that child. It will stunt her development. She need food to grow correctly.
I need some advice from parents of 2 1/2 yo girls or those whose little girls are not too far past this age for the parents to remember some details.
Basically, my daughter seems to have a huge appetite.
She will eat literally ANYTHING in sight, cleans off her plate better than a dishwasher and always asks for seconds, pitching a major fit if refused. Her first thought when she wakes up is food. This is not just a growth spurt but has been going on since pretty much birth. At 1 she was feeding herself completely with major gusto, soups included. When she eats, food becomes her absolute focus and she goes to town like no tomorrow.
This whole affair is starting to bother me despite the fact that I only serve high-quality food, cooked-from scratch, low fat, high in nutrients, with a large proportion of vegetables and fruits. I try to limit portions but if I give her too little she finishes in seconds and wants ...seconds.
Another trouble is she is not a high-energy, active child. She prefers very slow walking, often dragging, to running; and there are only so many hours that we can spend at the park. Even there, she prefers the swing to the slide.
She is certainly not fat but I can see how she could go towards the slightly full side as a young woman. At her 2 1/2 yo check up the ped said she is a little below 50% in weight. I was quite shocked granted my daughter's cheeks and all around fluffiness but I also couldn't help wondering "50% of what?", given this country's high obesity rate.
On the other hand, I know for sure that if I gave her "mainstream" food (or what I see many moms routinely feeding their kids), she would be officially fat. I worry that when she escapes out there, at school, later on - I will no longer be there with my cooked-from-scratch vegetable soups, low-fat salads and spinach/kale meals to "save her". She'll have to face junk food dragons from all directions, every day - and that's not going to be funny with her appetite.
The ped says she is fine and my husband tells me it's just in my head and that she is perfectly OK the way she is, but I can't help being bothered by the huge appetite she has. I sometimes wonder whether I lost perspective as to what is a normal portion for a 2 1/2 yo girl.
I don't even know how much to serve anymore.
"However much she needs/wants" is not an acceptable answer because she could eat an elephant if I let her do it.
I attached a pic of her body.
Any advice? How much does your 2 1/2 yo girl eats (quantity)?
What about content? What do you feed your little girls?
Thank you so much!
Mine is 3.5, so I have to think back a bit, but on average:
Breakfast: Two eggs, scrambled, a piece of fruit/sliced tomatoes and some multigrain toast (with butter or preserves)
Lunch: Sandwich - either roast chicken or cheese, ham or turkey and a cup of yogurt
Dinner: Whatever we're having - usually meat grilled on a grill pan on the stove, pork chops, steak, chicken, or seafood of some kind, (about 6 or 7 bite size pieces) with a couple of vegetables and baked or mashed potatoes. I often grill the vegetables with olive oil and use butter/milk in the mashed potatoes.
Snack - she can go to the fridge and get whatever fruit or vegetable she likes, whenever she wants it. She's a big fan of cucumbers, tomatoes, avacadoes and baby carrots, and I don't limit her on any of those things. Although occasionally she'll have a popsicle, an ice cream cone, or a few chips (usually with daddy ). I don't believe in saying no to everything. If food is no longer fun to eat and she is overly restricted then I think you'll have rebellion problems later. JMHO.
I have a feeling that the sentence I bolded could be a clue to why she is so hungry. If you are going to the park a lot and doing other strenuous activities then she may need more than the things you've listed there.
There are a lot of good vitamins and minerals in good fats and oils, and I would say that if you are severely limiting her fat intake then she could be missing out on those. Also, I don't see a lot of protein or carbs in that diet.
Nutrients are important obviously, but she's burning up a lot of calories just growing and she needs foods high in energy.
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She will eat literally ANYTHING in sight, .....
Well just make sure there is only good healty food in sight.
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I try to limit portions but if I give her too little she finishes in seconds and wants ...seconds.
Teach her to slow down. It's a good habit to learn not to wolf it down.
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Another trouble is she is not a high-energy, active child. She prefers very slow walking, often dragging, to running; and there are only so many hours that we can spend at the park.
Nah. Cherish every moment. Have fun at the park
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She is certainly not fat
she is not fat
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but I can see how she could go towards the slightly full side as a young woman. At her 2 1/2 yo check up the ped said she is a little below 50% in weight. I was quite shocked granted my daughter's cheeks and all around fluffiness but I also couldn't help wondering "50% of what?", given this country's high obesity rate.
You are right 50% of some people is truely frightening. Also remember that toddlers are often chubby and when girls get to about 10 or so they can shoot up and get tall and skinny.
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The ped says she is fine and my husband tells me it's just in my head and that she is perfectly OK the way she is, but I can't help being bothered by the huge appetite she has. I sometimes wonder whether I lost perspective as to what is a normal portion for a 2 1/2 yo girl.
I don't even know how much to serve anymore.
"However much she needs/wants" is not an acceptable answer because she could eat an elephant if I let her do it.
Video it. Little girl eats elephant. Would go viral I am sure
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I attached a pic of her body.
she is not fat
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Any advice?
she is not fat
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How much does your 2 1/2 yo girl eats (quantity)?
What about content? What do you feed your little girls?
Thank you so much!
We limit all our food. Adults and kids. Not politically correct but thats the way it is. Some kids are like dogs, they will eat till they are sick.
We eat healthy stuff - Small portions of meat and plenty of salad.
When the kids say "I'm hungry" we say "Thats a good feeling, get used to it"
Are you giving her any carbs? Carbs will fill her up and aren't all "bad." Good breads, potatoes, that kind of thing. If she is at 50% she is not fat and maybe is just hungry.
Yes. They come from either oat/cereal in the morning (usually without sugar), a piece of bread at lunch or dinner, or the side dish such as a bit of potatoes or rice with whatever I am cooking.
Apparently she is indeed hungry. All the time. No, she is not fat but in no way, shape or form is she thin.
I personally would hate to have a mom, who is supposed to be nurturing, limiting my portions or overly concerned about "fat grams."
Imcurious,
She is a little girl on the plump side who loves to eat like mad.
I have eyes to see and relying on "growth charts" that are highly skewed to begin with because they characterize a population with very high rates of obesity, is simply not my idea of being a responsible parent in this situation.
I know most kids her age simply don't care about food as much as she does. That worries me.
Is she a Taurus? If so, food is very important. I have read studies where babies are given free range of foods - they eat this one day and that the next, but overall they regulate have a balanced diet. Why not experiment with this. Offer her a few things and let her pick and let her fill up and see what she eats for a few days. I would add more carbs and protein . . . eggs and toast for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, then whatever you are having for dinner (and fruit snacks in between). Food is not just nutritional, but nurturance and enjoyable and fulfills emotional needs of safety . . .
I don't see her as being plump. She looks "healthy" from what I can see in the pic. Not everyone is meant to be rail thin. She may be different from others in your family, but that doesn't mean there is anything "wrong" with her. Did you discuss your concerns with the pediatrician? What is your gut take on the issue? What are YOU afraid of? Is she happy and just hungry? I think I would eat like a beast if my food were restricted!
If your ped says she is fine then she is probably fine. I have one child who is heavier than the height/weight charts say he should be. I asked the ped about his weight and I was told that height/weight charts are not really the tool that peds use to determine if a child needs to lose weight. He says that the number one thing he does to determine if a child is overweight is to LOOK at the child.
If she does not LOOK fat then she isn't no matter how much she eats. Some people eat a lot and are not fat. My son can eat an entire pizza and he is 5'9, 125 lb. I am overweight and I don't eat even half of what he eats.
Toddlers have round faces. That doesn't mean they are fat. Their faces thin out as they get older.
You're going to starve your child if she's under 50th percentile in weight and you limit food!
Round full cheeks do not mean that a child is fat! Some children have round faces even when they are thin!
Hint: The bigger the deal you make about food, the more you are going to make your daughter have food issues.
Hopes,
I am surely not worried about starving her for being slightly below the 50th percentile in weight - per her ped reading the growth chart.
Again, I still don't know for sure what population these charts represent. If it is the US population, you'd better be sure 50th percentile will not be your truly healthy average. It will be just average for the US.
In many other countries (and I am not talking about 3rd world, with malnutrition problems) my daughter would come across as clearly FAT.
I am certainly not making a big deal about food in front of her - but that doesn't mean I don't worry about her unusual appetite and focus on food. Not being worried in this case would be a sign of carelessness to me.
It is not just her cheeks that are round, her thighs are very full and fluffy too, she has some fat on the tummy as well... and she does seem overall bigger than most 2 1/2 year olds who are NOT clearly obese.
It is true that she also tends to have a heavier/stronger frame (the bones) but this is not what I care about. Her frame is what it is.
But the fat due to a big appetite - that can become a problem. In the world we live in today, that can easily happen. I always see tons of clearly overweight kids everywhere, with fat rings around their waste. I could not help noticing this summer that 1 out of 3-4 kids at our local YMCA had fat rings around their waste;
and I live in one of the thinnest (if not THE tinnest) state in the US.
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but I also couldn't help wondering "50% of what?", given this country's high obesity rate. 
). I don't believe in saying no to everything. If food is no longer fun to eat and she is overly restricted then I think you'll have rebellion problems later. JMHO.
