We take HUNGER seriously in our household. Do you know the signs of hunger your child exhibits?I know for us, there might be:
– crying at the drop of a hat
– inability to go and play properly
– asking for a hug
– erratic/silly behaviour
– inability to make a choice
– just hanging around me
…
For us as adults, we have learnt to recognize hunger and act on it. But this doesn’t come automatically to young children and thus they may display all types of behaviours due to their ‘uncomfortable feeling’ and the brain’s need for fuel.We liken it to recharging the car with petrol to ‘go’. And when I can sense hunger, I am very quick to get food out before blood sugar levels drop any lower. And knowing how I can’t make choices when I’m hungry, I don’t bother offering a choice for the kids, but grab something they will surely eat!
– crying at the drop of a hat
– inability to go and play properly
– asking for a hug
– erratic/silly behaviour
– inability to make a choice
– just hanging around me
…
For us as adults, we have learnt to recognize hunger and act on it. But this doesn’t come automatically to young children and thus they may display all types of behaviours due to their ‘uncomfortable feeling’ and the brain’s need for fuel.We liken it to recharging the car with petrol to ‘go’. And when I can sense hunger, I am very quick to get food out before blood sugar levels drop any lower. And knowing how I can’t make choices when I’m hungry, I don’t bother offering a choice for the kids, but grab something they will surely eat!
Do you take note of your child’s hunger and explain this to them?
I raise my kids 
When my oldest son was in kindergarten, I would pick him up promptly at noon and hand him half of a sandwich to eat as we rode home. Things always looked better to him after that snack!
That’s about how I am at kids’ mealtimes Cate, wherever we are!