How do I know if my child is really hungry?

How do I know if my child is really hungry? Knowing whether your child is really hungry can be tricky, are they asking for food because they have just seen a food they really like, are they asking because they are bored or despite having only had lunch half an hour ago are they having a growth spurt and they are genuinely hungry?!

Children’s appetite does go up and down depending on growth patterns, how much exercise they have had, whether they are, or have been poorly or just something has upset them in their day that has made them not want to eat. So how do we know? 

You may be able to detect some of the reasons but unfortunately you can’t always know. Contrary to how as parents, might feel about it, it is good for your child to know what hunger feels like. Teaching them to understand their body signals of hunger and fullness is an important factor in developing a healthy relationship with food. Offering your child a regular mealtime routine of eating every 2-3 hours allows them to start to feel signs of hunger and know when it is time to eat. Children that regularly snack through the day or drink a lot of milk may not learn to understand what it feels like to be hungry and then choose to eat out of boredom or habit. 

So talk to your child about their rumbly grumbly tummy, offer reassurance that they will be able to eat again at snack/lunch/dinner time and try to occupy them with activities that they enjoy in the meantime. If they don’t feel like food today, that’s also OK, maybe there is a reason for that but ask how they are feeling and give them lots of hugs and reassurance that they might feel like it again tomorrow.