Ask The Expert - Daughter Eats 10 Times a Day

Ask The Expert is a weekly column on Littlestomaks.com. The idea is to have a reader-submitted question answered by a nutrition expert or a pediatrician. Feel free to submit your question in the comments section below.

This week, Registered Dietitian Rebecca Scritchfield offers advice on what do do if your child eats as many as 10 times a day.

Rebecca Scritchfield, MA, RD, LD

Johns Hopkins University, University of the District of Columbia, Albion College
Principal, Elite Nutrition
Columnist, Diets in Review, Competitor Magazine, Washington Running Report
Registered Dietitian, American College of Sports Medicine Health Fitness Specialist
Website: Elite Nutrition DC
LinkedIn profile
Twitter: @rebeccasportsRD
Contact: via online form from website

Question: My daughter wants to eat about 10 times a day. Is this healthy as long as she’s not overeating?

Answer:

In general, kids are way better than adults at scanning their hunger and fullness feelings and they rarely tend to overeat if they eat balanced meals. If you are concerned about the frequency of your child’s meals, please be sure to check with your pediatrician. The growth charts will indicate if there is a reason to be diligent about making sure your child gets enough calories for healthy development.

If your child is growing at a normal rate, then I’d say that eating 10 times a day seems a little too often. If your child is awake 12 hours a day, that means they’re eating nearly every hour. Even the “littlest stomak” eats every 2 hours.

If a child is eating 10 times a day most days of the week, double-check how you provide foods:

Are you giving your child enough food at the three usual mealtimes? Toddlers need about 200-300 calories for a meal or snack to meet their daily calorie needs.
Is there variety on the plate – carbohydrates in fruit provide “quick energy” and protein and fat in foods like peanut butter and eggs give “lasting energy.” If you provide just carbs, your kid may need to refuel faster than if you provide a little of all the nutrients.
Do you give your child enough time to eat? Little stomaks have little mouths and they need more time to chew and digest their food. They can’t scarf like their parents (nor do you want them to build that habit). Make sure they get to build autonomy with the length of time the eat. Don’t let them eat in front of the t.v. or computer. Teach them early to really enjoy their foods.

If you are struggling with this, I would try adding more calories and see if that brings the meals and snacks frequency down to about five to six times a day. You can add calories without adding volume by doing things like adding natural peanut butter to oatmeal or adding olive oil to pasta noodles and sauce. Visit My Pyramid for Preschoolers for meal and snack ideas and determine the calories your child needs.

Disclaimer – Information provided in Ask The Expert column on Littlestomaks.com is intended to give you general guidance on a question related to toddler nutrition. It is not meant to be treated as medical advice. You are welcome to contact this expert for a detailed consultation on your specific situation to determine what actions, if any, you should take regarding nutrition and health of your toddlers. We do not recommend you to take any action based solely on the information presented in this column. Experts have agreed to provide their professional opinion on toddler nutrition related questions on a voluntary basis and no compensation is offered to them by Littlestomaks.com.