Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.
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 Ask Dr. Needlman
11-Month-Old Eats and Eats | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Needlman,
My 11-month-old son eats and eats. He never seems to get full. He will eat a half a large jar of a meat/vegetables and another half a large jar of a fruit. He usually has some cheerios or something else from our table food also. He does this at lunch and dinner. How do I know he's not getting too much when he never seems to want to stop because he's full?— Mother of a Big Eater in York, Pa | | | ANSWER |
September 23, 2002 | | | Dear Mother of a Big Eater,
Except for some very rare conditions, children have an inborn sense of how much to eat. The body sends signals to the brain about whether or not more nutrition is needed for growth and to fuel activity. The brain interprets these signals as either "full" or "hungry." Children naturally listen to these signals and eat as much as they need to, but not more.
The best way to tell if this inborn system is working for your child is to talk with his doctor and together look at your child's growth chart. If your child is growing normally, he's not overeating. If he's very active, he may be burning lots of fuel and, in turn, needing to eat a large amount.
If you put lots of sweets in front of a child, he might well overeat (who wouldn't?). But it sounds as though your son is eating nutritious food, and that is important. If you concentrate on providing a balanced selection of high-quality foods and then allow your son to control how much he takes in, chances are he'll develop healthy eating habits that will last him a lifetime.
For more on eating see our section on Feeding Development.
— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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