Why is my baby never full? 🍲

Hands up if you have a baby who eats and eats and never seems full?

Is your baby always hungry?

Some babies do just have bigger appetites, just as some prefer certain foods or toys, and some learn to walk first or talk quicker or whatever it is - basically, they’re all different and the same goes for appetites.

But perhaps you feel that your baby could eat and eat, and never be satisfied.

Is this normal?

Well, what’s ‘normal’ when you have a baby? 😉

Jokes aside — it can be ‘normal’ if your baby needs a lot of food to grow and develop in the way they should. But there are other things to consider, too.

Rate of growth

Between 6-12 months (the time when solid/complementary foods are especially important) our babies grow a LOT. So even if your baby has had a slow start and not been particularly bothered about food in the early stages of weaning, maybe before 12 months you notice they seem really hungry and can’t be satisfied! This makes sense because they’ve got a lot of growing to do.

After 12 months this rate of growth slows down and so you might notice a slight decrease in their appetite.

However, some parents say that their baby is still hungrier than ever and that it can take a lot for their appetite to take a knock.

Satiety + whole foods

One of the reasons an older baby might be constantly hungry or seemingly never full is because of the types of foods we offer regularly.

Processed foods

Foods which are excessively processed can be made with ingredients which are designed to make us want to eat more, and to eat past the point of fullness.

Even foods which aren’t ‘whole’ i.e. not in their totally natural form (an example might be a baby oat bar - yes, Harry loves these - which are made with things like oats, fruit and raisin paste - to me are processed because they’re very easy for babies to eat, they’re slightly sweet, and they’re not hugely filling. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with offering these kinds of snacks to older babies (12m+) and toddlers, but just bear in mind that they are almost always going to be accepted and enjoyed over something like a savoury whole food (e.g. a piece of fish or pork chop).

The thing with whole foods, and especially those which are savoury, is that it’s very difficult for us to overeat these. Our bodies are very clever at knowing when we are full (I have found reading about the hormone Leptin in books like ‘Why we Eat Too Much’ and ‘Ultra Processed People’ really helpful. So, onto this point:

your baby might not be ‘full’ because they are not eating predominantly whole foods which are high in protein, fat and complex carbs.

What can I do about this?

Include a source of fat and protein at meals and snacks. Prioritise foods in their natural form. This isn’t shaming anybody for offering packaged snacks because almost all parents (myself included) do. It’s just about understanding what is filling and most nourishing and whether the foods we are offering might be contributing to our child seeming to be hungry constantly.

I think I do offer the ‘right’ foods, but my baby is still always hungry.

Sometimes, when we, or our children, want food, it can be for reasons other than hunger. Sometimes we seek connection, warmth or comfort through food. Sometimes a child can be seeking one of these things perhaps after a long day apart from you, or when they are tired and feel they can’t communicate their needs.

If you, as their parent, feel that they have had sufficient amounts of food, that you’ve offered them foods which will help meet their nutrient requirements and you are comfortable setting a boundary to effectively say ‘no more food right now’ (however you communicate this to them), you can offer them a cuddle, play time, or perhaps ask if they’d like to help you clear the plates away.

Sometimes, our children might also need help understanding that what they are feeling is thirst instead of hunger.

A word of caution

I want to be very careful here because generally speaking, babies and toddlers are intuitive eaters which means they are very good at determining when they are hungry, when they are full, and what their body needs to work and grow optimally.

The reason I suggest considering other reasons for requests for food (when you feel they’ve had sufficient) is because some things (other adults encouraging them to eat past fullness perhaps at childcare or elsewhere, the taste and availability of processed foods) can interfere with this natural intuition around food.

My rule of thumb, for babies and toddlers who are offered healthy varied diets, is that they will know when to stop eating provided you are offering nourishing foods. As with anything, there are grey areas and nuances.

If they ask for more and you want to offer more:

Don’t just offer preferred foods. Offer more of the main meal if this is what they are requesting. If it’s sweet snacks they’re requesting, this is another matter.. :)

Hope this helps, and any questions as always please get in touch

Issy