What's a standard portion size for a 10-year-old boy.
Ok so my son is 146cm tall and we don't own scales so I don't know his weight but I would say he is a healthy solid tall growing 10-year-old boy.
I like to cook so we eat fairly healthily. But also I'm not obsessive with it so just everything in moderation. I fully believe that being obsessive and controlling of a child's food creates an unhealthy relationship with food.
I only ask because my son is also Autistic and ID so I wonder if he is having interception issues and not fully feeling when he is full.
He is eating a bigger portion size than his 38yo dad who works a labor-intensive job.
I don't want to control what he eats, especially if it's just a part of being a growing boy, but If he isn't understanding full maybe it's something we can work on together.
I'm just not sure what's considered an abnormal portion size. We went out with family and he ate a full adult-sized parma and chips. Tonight was his choice since my husband wasn't home and he had 4 pieces of battered fish and a plate of homemade chips. He'll happily eat three bowls of homemade fried rice. It seems like a lot.
3 Replies
Pre teens eat so much its a wonder where they put it all. It's also getting colder and our bodies are trying to fatten up for winter. I would give him an average size serve and make him wait half an hour before deciding if he's still hungry and if he is then have something light like fruit or crackers.
My son has had an insatiable appetite since around that age as well (he's 16 now), he's skinny as a beanpole but he eats like a 200kg body builder 😆
I'd err on the side of this being completely typical of growing boys.
Having said that, my grandparents have always struggled with my 55 year old uncle's overeating. He's also on the spectrum and has intellectual disabilities, many a time he has eaten himself sick, a few extreme instances it's landed him the the ER with suspected heart attack (that was just indigestion from an unholy amount of food).
So it's also probably worthwhile consulting your son's healthcare team for advice.
I think it sounds fairly normal for a preteen. My eldest son from quite young would get quite chubby around the middle right before he would shoot up. My youngest was solely tube fed until 5, then had top ups through the tube until 8 when he was eating enough orally to maintain and increase his weight. Now at 17 he will easily eat at least twice the amount I do at dinner each night. Keep an eye on him, but I wouldn’t worry too much just yet. Have a chat with his medical team next time you see them, and ask for them to do his height and weight and compare it to the last time they did it. Because my youngest was tube fed for years he regularly saw a dietitian to monitor his height and weight. I was always told as long both are tracking consistently along the same percentile there’s nothing to be concerned about. If there’s a dramatic increase or decrease in either then further investigation is needed.