I have 2 twin boys here, when I first got them 6 months ago, they would eat like crazy and they were so over excited all the time (I do not mean active) and pooing all the time. They were not "fat" per say, but were heavy as hell and still had what I thought was what I call "their babies belly."

When I say they would eat like crazy, it is not a joke. They would get here right after their breakfast to find my sons having their breakfast, so they would cry for food. Eating the same amount of food my own did. But this was their second one! And I did ask their parents what time the ate, what they had, etc... Then, I serve a snack à 9:15am. They would double, triple (for exemple 2-3 sometimes even 4 bananas along with yogourt, or 2-3 glasses of milk, etc..) Then same thing at lunch at 11:30, then snack at 3:00 doubling, tripling all the time!

And one day, I noticed that when mom and dad were picking them up, around 4-4:30, they had a snack ready in their car seat. Not healthy, by the way. I asked them if they realized their kids just had a snack about an hour ago. Their answer was yes but they are big eaters. Really?

From that day on, I stopped doubling or trippling their snacks, and I offered 1 or 2 portion for lunch (My portion being what my own 9 yo son eats and he is a good eater!!!). I do not give them another breakfast when they get here, unless the parent dropping off tells me they were so late that they gave a really quick breakfast (happened once!).

Over the months, they changed so much! They went from excited kids to behaving kids, from running everywhere kids to running everywhere when it is time to. Their belly, after 6 months, is gone. Friday, their mom asked my if I noticed. Of course I did, I have to pick them up everyday! They are lighter. Their poop schedule is now stable. And their poop itself is not diahrrea anymore (one of them was always diahrrea). When they go for nap, they probably feel better because they don't move, they just fall asleep right away. But when I was trippling their portions, they would roll, sit, stand, lie down again, roll..... I figured, but might be wrong, that they were feeling too full.

So yes Reggio, we both might be right here! Guess knowing your crew and your crew's eating habit is necessary to judge this!

Sometimes parents want to by peace (like the treats in the car seats) but they give bad habits to their children!

I am a really overwighted person, and I became that way from really bad habits and not it is difficult to get out of the circle! I don't want my kids to overeat, to expand their stomach. I want them, and the ones I care for, to eat well but what I want the most is for them to KNOW when it is enough

I can say that after 6 months, they now will stop by themself in the middle of their second portion, pushing their bowl away. So I now thrust them to know when they really are finished!