Will he ever stop eating? It's constant!!!!

[aimeegreen4ever]

DS is 22m old and he out eats his 4yr old brother every meal. I usually give them the same amount (quantity for a 4yr old) and they both eat it all. People always comment on how much he eats because he'll eat a meal and want what everyone else has too. But his appetite has been growing even more lately... Tonight I made cheese burgers, salad, then strawberries and apples for dessert. He are his entire cheeseburger (1 filled me up) I gave him a few bites of my salad then he still wanted more so dh have him another half of a cheese burger which he finished off. He got down and started bringing me random food. A box of cereal, a box of pasta, things like that. He was begging for the food! 2hrs later we had the strawberries and apples and he ate half a box of strawberries by himself and half of an apple. He again got down but then kept bringing me food being again. I told him ”no more food, you've had enough.” And he screamed and screamed until bed time. I'm not really sure what to do... He's on iron drops because he's extremely anemic so he can't eat 2hrs before or after his medication. I'm not sure if the medication and huge gap in no food at all has triggered some kind of eating machine or what! He has alot of oral sensory stuff going on too, stuffing his mouth full, intentionally gagging himself, chewing on everything even himself... Is this extreme food eating another autism thing or something else I should be worried about? They have looked at his thyroid levels and they're not normal but their not abnormal enough for medication either... He's also not overweight, he's in the 75% for both weight and height so the Dr said he's but overweight just a big kid overall...

[N.Carter2001]

I have no clue. Our 4year old is very picky about what he eats or if he eats. . He is in preschool and he loves school food. But he acts like my cooking is bad. Lol !he is a little under weight.

[BDSMI]

It may just be a growth spurt.  It is amazing how much food they can put down.  If this goes on over a longer period of time then I would approach his doctor.  Keep a food diary and look at his overall food intake for the week (s).  MY ASD child eats like a bird but I keep a food diary so I can track how much and when he is eating and overall accoridng to his doctor we are meeting nutrional guidelines so I don't worry as much. 

[swati88]

slowly slowly he will stop too much eating.

[tictacmama]

 You might have luck with a teething toy. He may just be going through a growth spurt but if he is craving oral stimulation a toy like the Ark Grabber might give him pressure he's craving. Good Luck!

[amonkeymom]

A food diary is a great idea as well as tracking the times when he's complaining of being hungry (or bringing you food to give to him).  Then present it to his pediatrician at the next appointment.

Quoting BDSMI:

It may just be a growth spurt.  It is amazing how much food they can put down.  If this goes on over a longer period of time then I would approach his doctor.  Keep a food diary and look at his overall food intake for the week (s).  MY ASD child eats like a bird but I keep a food diary so I can track how much and when he is eating and overall accoridng to his doctor we are meeting nutrional guidelines so I don't worry as much. 

[tabby1742]

I have a daughter that is 7 and has been that way since she was little. Of course she also has Autism which makes things more difficult. I have had to put locks on my frig and cabinet to keep her out of them. It is very ruff and I have not found any reason for her doing this and the only thing that has helped is the locks because before the locks she had gained so much weight and was over weight. Every time I would go to the bathroom she would steel food and even when I was asleep at night.. So you might want to invest in some locks now to prepare for what might come.

[Momma2JandK]

Our 3 year old eats constantly too...like you described.  He's in the 95% overall for height and weight.  I swear if he wasn't so hyperactive he'd be overweight, but he burns off so much energy.  We have let him try some of the not so common veggies for little ones....red peppers, onions, radishes, celery, etc.  The crunch and strong flavors seem to appeal to him a lot and makes his constant eating slow a bit. 

There were times this summer I thought he would eat the whole watermelon by himself...and yet he never gets sick!  Like you, I hope it slows down some day!

[Angel8265]

Try getting him to drink more water before he eats . When my kids eat a lot of fruits and vegs they are always look for more food.and he might have a fast metabolism
Is he on other meds that might make him not have the feeling of not being full ?
Good luck

[aimeegreen4ever]

He is constantly drinking water from his sippy. He pretty much drinks all day too. The only medication he's on is iron and with that he can only have 8Oz of orange juice with his meds, then he has to have water until his next meal which had to be spaced out 2hrs after his medication.

Quoting Angel8265:

Try getting him to drink more water before he eats . When my kids eat a lot of fruits and vegs they are always look for more food.and he might have a fast metabolism

Is he on other meds that might make him not have the feeling of not being full ?

Good luck

[Basherte]

I would talk to his therapists about that. 

Lucky he will eat so many different things. My son is really picky about what he eats. < that's the autism though.