Son's growth spurt?

[Kris T.]

I'm hoping you more seasoned moms can chime in here. Our son, who turned 10 six months ago started soccer in early September. Since then, he has turned into a voracious eater who will devour anything and everything!! We already keep good, healthy food in the house, so that's not an issue. My DH says I need to up his carb level. I don't necessarily hold him back, but I'm not cooking spaghetti every night either.

Here's an average breakfast & lunch. I'm not counting dinner, because it varies so much. B & L tend to stay the same.

B-2 scrambled eggs, some fruit & toast, OR cereal with milk (whole) and fruit. When we have extra time, I make oatmeal (steel cut) or pancakes from scratch using WW flour.

S-veggies or fruit, and a cheesestick.

L -Sandwich with turkey, cheddar, lettuce & mustard, 1 egg, baby carrots, grapes, Annie's graham bears, jello or applesauce, nuts, sometimes a cookie, usually a cheesestick, and a dried-fruit bar.

s- Jerky or some kind of fruit or veggie when he comes home..we do a lot of apples in peanut butter.

I should add, everything is from TJ..bread has about 5 ingredients in it and is whole-grain. Everything he eats is either organic or at the least, has no HFCS, and as little sugar as possible.

He comes home saying he's absolutely starving!

When I do make spaghetti it's again from TJ, so it's not just empty carbs.

Do you think it's soccer that could be causing him to be so hungry? He has practice for 1-1/2 hrs 3x a week, plus an hour-long game on Saturdays. Do kids go through a growth spurt at about this age? I know the girls in his 5th grade class are taller than me!!

Meanwhile, we keep up the feeding. They're allowed to self-monitor themselves, but I cut him off about 2 hrs before suppertime.



p.s. DH grew up on a steady supply of pop-tarts and Tang, so I don't tend to pay too much attention to what he thinks constitutes good meals for the kids. He is converting though..ssloooowwwwlllyy.

[fawn]

Hey Kris
If he's very active how about a piece of ezekiel toast with almond butter after school?

[Kris T.]

Oh- I think I've seen that bread. My dad eats it. Is it the one that's kept in the refrigerated section, the one with the sprouted grains?

[GME]

I have two boys and yes, it sounds like he is going to grow. Is he sleeping more than usual? That's what my 12 yo does, eats a lot and sleeps more and the..... Bam! New jeans and shoes are needed.

[Kris T.]

No more than usual, but I think it might be a spurt.

[suzanneyea]

That does not seem like a lot to me, especially at lunch. Andrew usually has a steak or chicken for lunch and he is still hungry after school (age 5). But, it is hard when dh is not into LC, mine isn't either. I feed Andrew low carb, but I have to be clever about it or dh would probably freak out. Fortunely, dh does not notice a lot or think about these things, he just eats what is in front of him. I think he would rather talk about any subject over food and nutrition.

[Daisy09]

I have 3 boys and they all eat alot. They're very active. My youngest is 10 1/2, too and just had a physical in August and grew quite a bit, so it may just be that he's active, plus going through a growth spurt. I would keep doing what you are as far as letting him decide if he wants more to eat.

[2muttsmom]

Chris he may very well be going through a growth spurt. DH is 6'5" today and he said he was 6' in 6th grade, so it's very possible. And, none of the rest of his immediate family is anywhere near that tall. But, I think one of his grandparents was tall.

[Kris T.]

So there's hope for our little guy yet! He was about 4 lb at birth and neither me or my husband are very big. We're praying for the recessive genes.

[LCBubs]

Hi there,

I have an 11 year-old boy, and what your son is eating does NOT seem like a lot. It's good quality choices, but how about a bigger "snack", like a sandwich??! My son will eat two servings of whatever protein we're having on a regular basis.

I think that when kids say they are starving, they probably are. Their bodies are going through a roller coaster ride!

Good Luck!

[mollyorocks73]

i have been dealing with the same thing with my 12 year old son. Since he started football practice in July he's been eating us out of everthing!!! He is constantly hungry. He's kinda going through a "chubby" phase and he's self consciouse about it since the football coach told him he needed to lose weight. I'm guessing he's just gonna shoot up a few inches soon and all the baby fat will turn to muscle like it always has before.

[Snickerdoolers]

My guess is a growth spurt too, my son is 15 and grew 6 inches over night i swear, and went up two pants sizes! He grew so fast that he has 2 stretch marks on each of his shoulders! Now the poor kids is afraid to take his shirt off!

[HezzieLee]

A snack for my 5yo during a growth spurt was a sandwich and an apple! Feed the kid what he'll eat... it sounds like the physical workout he's getting will take care of any excess calories and weight. You're a good mom for keeping healthy options for him.

[Margot 65]

Originally Posted by mollyorocks73

i have been dealing with the same thing with my 12 year old son. Since he started football practice in July he's been eating us out of everthing!!! He is constantly hungry. He's kinda going through a "chubby" phase and he's self consciouse about it since the football coach told him he needed to lose weight. I'm guessing he's just gonna shoot up a few inches soon and all the baby fat will turn to muscle like it always has before.

As long as the food he eats is good, wholesome fats and proteins with some healthy carbs, the fat will melt away. But even a growing child does NOT need excessive carbs, it isn't just about fat, it is about insulin.

I just wanted to point that out, although you didn't say so.. MOST people think it is OK for a kid to eat loads of pasta and bread, because they are growing ifyouknowwhatimean. Not the parent's fault of course... they are told it is OK.


But I do hope you were kidding about it turning to muscle.. that is totally impossible.)

it does bother me that kids with huge appetites who are thin are just considered 'big healthy eaters', while kids with huge appetites who are fatter are considered 'overeaters' and probably lazy too...

[warriorscholar]

Well, I'm not a mom but I was once a 12 year old boy, so if you don't mind I'd like to throw in my two cents.


The sports are definitely adding to his hunger. And all the biological changes that he is going through aren't helping any. 12 is right around the age that I hit my growth spurt. I went up eventually to 6'2". But upping his carbs certainly isn't necessary. He can get plenty of energy from fat and protein. He seems to be getting plenty of carbs. Any more will just rob him of energy. Maybe look into a yogurt based smoothie that he can whip together himself. Maybe add a scoop of whey protein powder. More veggies and berries and melon and meat if he's hungry.

Believe me, he doesn't need more carbs. It is awfully tough growing up as the fat guy.

[Margot 65]

Originally Posted by warriorscholar

Believe me, he doesn't need more carbs. It is awfully tough growing up as the fat guy.

and

[Kris T.]

Go Packers! (we lived in Tomah for a while.) thanks for this idea: "Maybe look into a yogurt based smoothie"

I forget how easy it is to whip one up.

I agree with the carbs..I'm not cutting them, but I don't want to just load him up on them either.

So..Back to my original question..is it a growth spurt? Hard to say..10 seems too young to me, but I have nothing else to base it on. Needless to say, I need to feed him more, so I am, and your ideas have helped so much. THANK YOU!

[Hot Tamale]

My kids have all had several growth spurts - and the oldest is 10 - but a girl...
In any case, kids do grow in spurts - and sounds like he is about to sprout - or is sprouting! My 4 year olds are the height and weight of 6 year olds... they eat larger snacks - cheese, veggies, yogurt... sometimes cereal or sandwiches. My little guy (B/G twins...) will sometimes eat enough for 2 or 3 kids at one meal - and I am not exaggerating! He is also full of energy and not overweight. I'd give your guy more food - just good food like you're already doing. Good luck buying all those new clothes!!