How do you know if you are feeding your children enough food, and what
do you do if they seem to be hungry all the time? Raisingkids.co.uk's
child psychologist Dr Pat Spungin helps to establish whether your child
needs the food for emotional or physical reasons.
Raisingkids member's problem My 10 yr-old son is constantly stealing
food. It doesn't matter how much I feed him, he goes and helps himself
in the middle of the night and it has come to the point where I've had
to put a lock on the kitchen door to keep him out as I'm a single parent
and can't afford to cater for 3-course snacks in the middle of the night.
He eats more than I do anyway and I'm getting worried because he has also
started searching through my bedroom for food. The other week he took
bacon out of the fridge and ate a bit of it raw. I really don't know what
to do with him - please help!
Dr Spungin's advice First, let's check out the obvious. Are
you sure he isn't hungry? At 10, he's approaching puberty and may suddenly
need more food than he used to have. You say that he eats more than you
do, but that doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't get hungry again. Different
people have different appetites and he may need more than you for many
reasons - not least, that he's a growing boy. Is he overweight? If not,
then he's not eating more than he needs. I suggest that you feed him more
before he goes to bed, a snack or cornflakes or something similar. If
he sleeps through the night, then you have your answer (though he may
get up from habit in the first few days).
If he isn't hungry, but is becoming obsessed
with food, then there may be a physical or psychological cause underlying
his behaviour. Take him to see your doctor, who will check out his weight
and general health. If the reason is emotional or psychological, then
he's stealing food for other reasons. His behaviour suggests some fear
or anxiety that is satisfied by overfeeding. It's another kind of eating
disorder. Your doctor may want to refer you to a dietitian or maybe a
psychologist.
