Is it bad for bubs to eat TOO much?

[QTB]

Hi!

My son is 11months old, hes crawling, but not walking. hes 10.6kg and 72cm tall (very chubby!)

his daily menu is:

Breakfast - 4x weetbix with formula, followed by 3x pieces of toast
Morning tea - 1 x piece of Fruit (orange/apple etc) 3x cruskits with vegemite
Lunch 2x BIG jars of baby food, followed by a sandwich, fruit and a couple of biscuits
Afternoon Tea - 1 x piece of fruit, soy yougurt, 8-10 rice crackers
Dinner - meat, veges (what ever we are having) and he has a plateful...

He is also on 2 bottles (460mls p/day) of Pepti Junior formula

I know hes hungry, cos when hes full he spits his food... so i cant be over feeding him. i always go on his cues as to how much he has...

But this seems really obsessive... if i dont give him that much he screams the house down... he sleeps reallly well so i know its not over tiredness.

What im wondering is could there be an underlying medical condition, (he has a milk protein allergy and epilepsy) or could it be because he wasnt fed as a newborn (due to vomiting all feeds up cos of the milk protein allergy) so is trying to make up for it... or something along those lines... ?

I know hes not eating what a normal baby his age eats, but what could be the cause?

Thanks heaps

[the pero clinic]

Dear Braydsmum,

Your little boy does seem to be eating quite a lot each day! His weight is between the 50th - 75th percentiles, while his length is between the 10th and 25th percentiles - which is quite a difference. Have you been charting his growth patterns? Has he always been within these respective ranges or has there been a more recent or sudden increase in his weight?

I am really not sure what would be causing his increased appetite though. It is something that you would have to discuss with your GP or a paediatrician. There are of course some medical conditions related to issues such as increased metabolism or recognising a "full" tummy, that present as overeating.

It could also be an early developing 'behaviour' where your little boy is in the habit of eating to the point of feeling really full and spitting out food. You could try just gradually reducing the size of each meal (i.e 1 less weet bix or biscuit) to see if he really IS still feeling hungry afterwards. You could also experiment with adding an extra meal time or two in the day - again, reducing the overall amount of food eaten each day, to see if smaller amounts more frequently makes a difference.

Do not change his formula intake unless you have medical advice to do so.

I would strongly encourage you to seek medical advice if your son continues to show genuine signs of excessive hunger, particularly as there are other existing medical issues occurring.

the pero clinic