I have been meaning to post this for some time, and another thread got me thinking about it....

At meal/snack times, do you allow all children to eat as much as they want? Or do you say no, based on time or how much food they've already had?

I saw Reggio addressing this issue on that aforementioned thread. But I ask because of my p/t boy, who does not seem to fill up! The other day at lunch he had 3 heaping plates of scrambled eggs, toast and ham. Plus a whole apple, sliced up. And he was still asking for more. He's barely 2 and a half! And this is just about every meal time. He consistenty eats about 3 times more than all the other kids.

Now, I should state that he is a BIG guy. Not "fat", but sturdy. He's already well into size 3 clothing, and will probably be in 4's if he keeps going, before his 3rd birthday. He is a GREAT eater, and eats just about anything put in front of him. I know for a fact mom and dad don't feed him "crap". Dad is average size/height, and mom is very tall and quite thin.

But I would think that letting him eat and eat and eat and eat.... is going to cause problems in the long run? What if he stops growing up and starts to just grow out? He also thinks that if ANYONE else is eating, he must eat, too. I don't often eat at the same time as the kids, and even if we have just had snack (for them) if I sit down with my coffee and banana, he's right there asking for a "bite". (Maybe that just annoys me, lol) I just remind him that he had his food, and now it's my turn.

What do you think? Just feed him until he says done? Or feed a reasonable portion, based on my own judgement?