Diet of 2 and 3 year olds

[mali]

My friend has two kids 2 and 3. They have healthy appetites but their parents are quite strict with what they eat and the amount that they are allowed and at what time. They eat meat, veg, potatoes and spicy food too. Should young kids be allowed to eat as much as they want at meal time (within reason of course) or is it right that when they have finished they are still asking for more? At what age should a parent be watching their childs weight ?

[redcrx]

at 2 and 3 a child burns off a lot of calories when they are so active and also having such an increase in growth and development

Id love my 2 year old son to eat more than he does and be more adventurous with what he does eat. Mind you, as long as he is following the graphs that the health authorities state a child should follow then Im not worried and he is active and developing as he should.

A parent should always keep an eye on their childs weight at any age to ensure they are not underweight or overweight to a point, but I loveto see a child with an appetite caused by exercise and activity. a 2 or 3 year old will be extremely active and it sounds that they are eating a balanced diet.

[lou 26]

yeah let them eat what they want within reason! my daughter would just keep eating sometimes if i let her. but things like veg and fruit shes allowed more of obviously. atm shes into raw sprouts!

[mali]

The 3 year old is under average height could that be due to diet ?

[redcrx]

not unless the child perhaps has dropped from above average height origianlly.

To get an average there will always be those below and above.

My HV said that as long as a child follows the centile charts roughly there is no need for concern.

If the child was in the top 90% height and bottom 5% for weight then perhaps theyd be reason for checking alls well with a GP but even then it doesnt mean the child is poorly.

[annie0000]

As long as they are heating heathily and in the vcorrect proportions of food, i would let them eat 'til they are full. Small children rarely overeat and will only be overweight if they are eating the wrong sort of food.

Overeating is a learned thing.

If my kids are hungry after they have finished their dinner and there are no leftovers, then they can have a banana or a piece of bread and butter. The only things that should be limited are sweets, chocolates, deserts, crisps etc.

Small children burn up an enormous amount of calories and if these are not being replaced, then I believe that a child will not grow to their potential.

Children are never encouraged to lose weight even if they are overweight, they are put on a normal healthy diet and then they grow into their weight.