# Does your toddler tell you s/he's hungry?



## limabean (Aug 31, 2005)

DS is 2y7m old, and I just realized that he's never told me that he's hungry. Is this odd?

FWIW, I do feed him regularly throughout the day (and he eats like a horse at meals) -- breakfast soon after he gets up, lunch right before nap, snack right after nap, dinner when DH gets home, and maybe some milk before bed. So maybe he just doesn't have the opportunity to get hungry, but it seems like at some point, on a weird-schedule day or during a growth spurt or something, he would have felt hungry and told me about it, or asked for food.

Do your toddlers tell you they're hungry, and if so when did it start?


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## ani'smommy (Nov 29, 2005)

Yes, DD is almost the same age as your DS. She doesn't say she's hungry, but she does ask for snacks or a banana or something pretty frequently. Especially in the car, although, that habit is my fault.


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## kbchavez (Jul 20, 2006)

my DS is the same age as yours (Oct. 12, 2004), and up until recently he never asked for food. I got into the (bad) habit of always offering food. "Do you want this? this?... are you hungry?" I think maybe I didn't let him get in touch with his own hunger. But he would never ask for food, but then get cranky like his blood sugar was low. He also asked constantly to nurse, which may have been a catchall for hungry, thirsty, wanting attention, or all of the above. I don't know exactly how long ago he started saying "E wants something to EAT!", but it was fairy recent. Not more than two months ago.


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## aprildawn (Apr 1, 2004)

My first never told me she was hungry. This one tells me all the time that she's hungry.

"Mommy. I hungee. Mommy. I hungee. Get up (pulling on me to drag me into the kitchen). Get up. C'mon! C'mon!! I hungee!"

Then we stand in the kitchen staring into the fridge while she decides what to eat. Actually, it's annoying. Esp since she usually only eats part of what she asks for before asking for something else and the whole thing starts over.


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## katheek77 (Mar 13, 2007)

Not in so many words. She's 11 mos old, and doesn't have any "words" yet.

But she'll go over to the high chair, pull up, and bang on it. When I put her in the chair, she does indeed eat a pretty substantial meal.

A couple of times, when I've opened the fridge, she's pulled out some Yobaby (I keep it on the bottom), handed it to me, and sat on the floor waiting expectantly.









Yah...if this girl's hungry, she ain't waiting for me to figure it out on my own.


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## ~MoonGypsy~ (Aug 21, 2006)

My toddler is a year younger than yours, but he nevers says he's hungry. We have to remind him.


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## SweetTeach (Oct 5, 2003)

Ds is 20 months and he will sign "eat" or "drink" and then will tell me if he wants "water", "milk (boxed milk- non cows)", "apple", what have you. He used to do the high chair thing a few months back.


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## lucky_mia (Mar 13, 2007)

Both DD and DS 17 months, will sign eat or milk often while saying eat or milk. They also ask to eat if they see a favorite food (banana, apple, cracker) by naming it or signing or both. I have to hide the bananas or they want to eat one at every meal/snack time. Sometimes I think they would be happy to eat all day long.


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## beana's mommy (Feb 16, 2006)

My almost 22 month old tells me when she wants food, whether it be a snack, breakfast, lunch or dinner. She's my first, so we'll see what her brother is like in the future!


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## mamamaris (Jul 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *aprildawn* 
My first never told me she was hungry. This one tells me all the time that she's hungry.

"Mommy. I hungee. Mommy. I hungee. Get up (pulling on me to drag me into the kitchen). Get up. C'mon! C'mon!! I hungee!"

Then we stand in the kitchen staring into the fridge while she decides what to eat. Actually, it's annoying. Esp since she usually only eats part of what she asks for before asking for something else and the whole thing starts over.

This is my day EXACTLY (except I have a little boy and he eats it all!) It was kinda easier with the older son b/c he never mentioned it- I had to bring it up. Ds2 thinks we need to just live on the kitchen countertop and snack every hour. My kitchen never stays clean b/c I am always preparing the next food item.


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## wsgrl84 (Jan 12, 2006)

My 21 month DS1 doesn't tell me that he's hungry...with words anyways.

But when he sees me snacking or eating at the table, he'll want to sit in his high chair and eat whatever I am eating.

He does ask for "milk" ALL the time now...


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## Ellp (Nov 18, 2004)

My 27mo will tell me she wants "Luunch", whether thats breakfast, lunch or dinner.







She's never actually said she's hungry, but she will ask for a Banana or yoghurt or whatever she spies is on the table.

I think it started when she was about 6 or 7 months old though. She didn't have any words but she make signs to nurse, play for 5 minutes and then want to nurse again. It took me about a 3 weeks(!) to figure out that she wanted/needed solid food to keep her full. She really started to sign in ernest at about 11 months with signs for chicken and banana whenever she wanted to eat.


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## Rikki Jean (Jul 15, 2005)

Yes, but sometimes I wonder if his hand is just permanently stuck in the position for the "eat" sign. He literally could eat 24/7. I'm actually off to start a thread about that...


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## mags (May 4, 2004)

My 22 mo old will tell me that he's hungry or else he'll just climb up on the learning tower and start helping himself to whatever food is reachable. However, my oldest son who is now almost 3.5 yrs old NEVER told me he was hungry. Even now, he rarely tells me he is hungry, he'll try to mooch off of me if I am eating something, but he has never come up to me and said, "I'm hungry," even when I KNOW he is hungry (we struggle with his eating). However, he is kind of weird about food in general, he was the same way as a baby and nursing. He never asked to be nursed, my youngest child is CONSTANTLY asking to be nursed. I think some kids just eat, eat, eat, and some kids could care less about eating. I have one of each.


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## runes (Aug 5, 2004)

dd is 19 months old and she's pretty clear about when and what she wants to eat. she will say "nu-nu" for nurse (and believe me, she says this all.the.time!), and says/signs "eat". she also climbs independently into her booster seat at the table and will say "eat, eat". she usually tells me what she would like "ah-pull", "ni" (banana), "ahr-cahr" (avocado), "beans", "cah-cah" (cracker), "cheeeeeese"







, "noo" (noodles).

this from a girl who at 12-13 months was barely interested in solids. she still has her days where she nurses almost exclusively, but i trust her to tell me when she is hungry for something other than mama's milk.


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## hipumpkins (Jul 25, 2003)

My DS signs, "eat" when he is hungry


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

My dd doesn't tell me she's hungry- she tells me what she wants to eat. (my other two are permanently hungry, eat like horses and are whippet thin, so I think she's copying them.)


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## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

Boy, does he!
My toddler is 17 mos. and was signing "food" around 8 mos. He could also sign "nurse" and "drink" around then. Now he'll say FOOD! and then specify what he wants-- crackers, bread, banana, apple, cheese, booty, etc. He also regularly yells WATER! and at night he begs for soymilk.


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## limabean (Aug 31, 2005)

Thanks for the replies!

Just to clarify, since I'm not sure it was clear in my OP, this isn't a language/speech issue at all -- DS has an extensive vocabulary and talks all day long; he just never says he's hungry (or asks for food, which I consider to be the same thing).

When he sees me put his tray on his highchair he immediately stops what he's doing and runs for it shouting "Lunch is ready! Lunch is ready!" (or whichever meal it is), and proceeds to eat everything on his plate.

He'll sometimes even ask for seconds while he's sitting in his highchair; I just thought it a little strange that a kid who shows so much enthusiasm for food would never initiate eating.


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## emmasmommy (Feb 26, 2004)

My 19 month old has her own way of telling us that she is hungry. She will start smacking her lips and then grab my or dh's hand and pull us to the kitchen. Then she will either point to the fridge or cupboard depending on what she wants to eat. Then it becomes a guessing game of what she wants. We point to things until she says yes instead of no. She will also ask for nana (banana) or bappel (apple) if she sees them in the fruit bowl on the counter.


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## hubris (Mar 8, 2003)

DS2 is turning 2. He's never said "hungry" or "thirsty" but tells me when he wants something to eat or drink, either by naming what he wants or by taking me to the fridge/cabinet and asking me to open them.


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

Ds is 18 months and has been signing "eat" or "milk" when he's hungry since about 11 months.


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## pookel (May 6, 2006)

I WISH mine didn't. He'll whine, "food, food, food" and then go into the kitchen and want to be lifted up to look into the cabinets and the top shelves of the fridge, and say "no" to everything you offer. But if you try to leave the kitchen, he screams, because he needs "food." Just pick something and eat it, kid!


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## Mamato2boy (May 21, 2007)

*I think all kids are different, you shouldn't be worried. My oldest never asked to eat at that age but my youngest started asking to eat very early and still does. MAMA EATTTTTTTT!
*


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