What age did your boys start eating adult portions

[lulalu]

My almost 10 year old has outgrown eating child's portions. When we go out to eat I order an adult portion now. 

I was talking with a friend who has a 10 year old boy, and she was surprised. I don't think almost 10 is abnormal to begin eating a lot more. But now I am just wondering when your boys started eating more. 

I can tell DS is about to go through another growth spurt. So he is fueling up. 

[Katy]

3 or 4, but only before a growth spurt. Otherwise at puberty they start eating maybe twice as much as an adult. 

[sassenach]

8 years old. What he eats now cannot be described. Thank God his college dining plan is all-you-can-eat. 

Edited December 8, 2021 by sassenach

[mommyoffive]

2 minutes ago, Katy said:

3 or 4, but only before a growth spurt. Otherwise at puberty they start eating maybe twice as much as an adult. 

Right???  I mean a lot of times my 1 or 2 year old would eat more than me.  And I eat a lot.  Anyhow this was not just for boys, as I only have one.  My girls eat a ton too and have since they were little.  

[bluemongoose]

I have three sons. It has been a little different for each one, but between 7-9 for regular every day eating adult size meals. 

Agreed on growth spurts at very young ages (3-5) they could easily eat more than me. 

Two of mine are teens. They easily eat 2-3x what I eat daily. It is insane how much it costs to feed them. 

Edited December 8, 2021 by bluemongoose

[matrips]

Mine have always out-ate me since they were about 2.  They would have loved adult portions at restaurants, but understood we could only afford to eat out if they got the childrens meals.

[kbutton]

One of mine is a less hefty eater, but the other one has been able to eat a ton since he was tiny. By age 6, he would eat nearly nonstop from breakfast until mid-afternoon. Sometimes he ate a light dinner after all of that, but he sometimes ate a big one. 

It was a minor plus in the column of deciding to homeschool after three years in school. He needed to be able to eat, and school didn't provide enough time. 

[Catwoman]

My ds very rarely ate child-sized portions at restaurants, even when he was very young. He never wanted the foods on the kids’ menus, and the half-sized portions at better restaurants were always too small (and usually cost about 75% of a regular portion anyway, so it’s not like they were some incredible bargain.) 

I am kind of shocked to hear that your friend’s 10yo boy is full after eating a kid-sized meal. I know some kids don’t have big appetites, but that was never the case at my house! 

[Harriet Vane]

My boy was eating more than me as a kindergartner. As an adolescent it was easily quadruple what dh or I ate. He’s very lean and muscular, not an ounce of fat. Truly a staggering amount of food.

[ScoutTN]

10 or 11

[MEmama]

Very young. I distinctly remember DS eating an entire Chipotle burrito when he was 3. 

I have a good friend who loved to feed DS because he was such a good eater. Her own 4 kids ate like birds, they were all picky and ate sparsely. DS would happily eat literally anything she put in front of him and always ask for more. He made her heart happy. ❤️🤣

[Faith-manor]

Birth!!!! 😂😂😂

I think it was maybe 10 but the youngest is 21, so I am a little fuzzy!

[Elizabeth86]

My oldest is 10 and mostly he isn’t there yet. He stuffs if it his absolutely his favorite meal, but for the most part he still eats the same as the little 3.

[QueenCat]

1 hour ago, Catwoman said:

My ds very rarely ate child-sized portions at restaurants, even when he was very young. He never wanted the foods on the kids’ menus, and the half-sized portions at better restaurants were always too small (and usually cost about 75% of a regular portion anyway, so it’s not like they were some incredible bargain.) 

I am kind of shocked to hear that your friend’s 10yo boy is full after eating a kid-sized meal. I know some kids don’t have big appetites, but that was never the case at my house! 

Same here. The child-sized portions were rarely enough for my oldest after about 4 years old. He'd have leftovers from the adult meal, but still ate far more than a kids meal. We like leftovers in this home, so I didn't view that as a bad thing. 

[Clemsondana]

When we eat out, we tended towards places where the kids' meal is just a smaller portion of the adult meal - maybe only 1 side instead of 2, or 1 piece of fish instead of 2-3.  We had a stretch where the kids got kid meals and then would take part of mine - like, at Texas Roadhouse which has big portions, one adult meal and one kid meal would comfortably feed me and a kid, but would probably have fed me and my mom, too.  We also liked that they had 2 sizes of kids meals - one was tiny for little kids and one was a junior meal that was probably comparable to a senior citizens or early bird special plate, which was a great transitional option.  There were also occasions where the kids and I would swap, so that I'd eat a kids' meal and they'd eat mine.  Somewhere between 8-10 they mostly started eating adult meals.  These days we check to see how hungry teen boy is, because there are restaurants that we don't go to unless kid isn't particularly hungry because kid would need 2 meals to get full.  We commonly order an extra baked potato or something to help fill kid up.  Sometimes kid just eats a normal adult meal, but other times kid orders something giant, like a 14 oz steak.  Kid was eating half of a pizza sometime in elementary school at a time when some kids only eat 1/2 or 1 piece.  

Edited December 8, 2021 by Clemsondana

[vonfirmath]

2 hours ago, lulalu said:

My almost 10 year old has outgrown eating child's portions. When we go out to eat I order an adult portion now. 

I was talking with a friend who has a 10 year old boy, and she was surprised. I don't think almost 10 is abnormal to begin eating a lot more. But now I am just wondering when your boys started eating more. 

I can tell DS is about to go through another growth spurt. So he is fueling up. 

About age 10.

My daughter is now 10 and has not gotten there yet,

[vonfirmath]

1 hour ago, matrips said:

Mine have always out-ate me since they were about 2.  They would have loved adult portions at restaurants, but understood we could only afford to eat out if they got the childrens meals.

Yes. At first we had him get the childrens meal and then eat again at home if still hungry.  About age 10 was when I gave up and started getting him adult portions at restaurants.

 

[HomeAgain]

Not so much at 10, though we were doing 4 meals a day.  By 11yo, I was doubling what I was making for dinner.  Youngest ds is nearly 12 now and will eat a huge dinner, come back from sports, eat another dinner, and follow it with a snack or dessert at bedtime.

[Terabith]

When my children were small, I used to wish that they would turn purple or something on the days they were fasting.  Because between like age 2 and 9 or so, there would be days when they would eat more than I would, and there would be days when they'd literally eat nothing.  There was rarely anything in between.  It made it very hard to know how to plan for food, whether ordering in restaurants or in preparing food at home.  I think my children ate the most of their lives around their pubertal growth spurts.  

ETA:  In feeding my kids' friends, almost all of whom are teen boys, I find the diversity of appetite fascinating.  Most of them are delighted to eat everything in huge quantity.  It's very satisfying and a great way to clean out leftovers.  They have one friend, also a teen boy, who has always eaten very lightly.  He's about 5'5" and slight of stature and eats way less than my youngest child but probably more than my oldest.  

Edited December 8, 2021 by Terabith

[MEmama]

7 minutes ago, Terabith said:

When my children were small, I used to wish that they would turn purple or something on the days they were fasting.  Because between like age 2 and 9 or so, there would be days when they would eat more than I would, and there would be days when they'd literally eat nothing.  There was rarely anything in between.  It made it very hard to know how to plan for food, whether ordering in restaurants or in preparing food at home.  I think my children ate the most of their lives around their pubertal growth spurts.  

ETA:  In feeding my kids' friends, almost all of whom are teen boys, I find the diversity of appetite fascinating.  Most of them are delighted to eat everything in huge quantity.  It's very satisfying and a great way to clean out leftovers.  They have one friend, also a teen boy, who has always eaten very lightly.  He's about 5'5" and slight of stature and eats way less than my youngest child but probably more than my oldest.  

For sure! Now that we are empty nesters, DH and I are *loving* the fact that we get to eat leftovers. I’m already stressing about how much more frequently I’m going to have to cook (and how much more I’m going to have make) during winter break when DS is home! Lol

[Zinnia2]

Mine ate adult portions of favorite foods (Mexican restaurant foods, Chipotle-style burritos, fried chicken) from age 6 or so, but every single day was more like 9 or 10.  

My 11 and 13 are pretty consistent eaters, with an occasional extra snack.  My 15 year old eats like a crazy person, and he also has the habit of skipping meals if he is busy or doesn't like the food.  That means, when he eats, he just eats absurd amounts.  We joke that he is a snake.  

[Farrar]

Maybe more like 11 or 12? Because I have twins, we had the follow restaurant meal progression...

one shared children's meal - one shared adult meal - two children's meals - two children's meals and an appetizer - two adult meals

[Carrie12345]

I wouldn’t be able to give specific ages.
My youngest is about to turn 11, and I can’t remember when he *wasn’t eating like a horse.  Even as a little one, if he wasn’t eating a large meal it was because he had eaten more food than usual throughout the day.

I remember when I was working daycare and our owner tried to limit kids to a certain number of chicken nuggets. I’m not sure whether it was 2 or 3. In my PRESCHOOL class. I threw a fit because I knew that my oldest, then-2yo, in a different classroom, was going to feel like he was starving to death! (They quickly changed it to a limited number for “firsts”, with “seconds” available.)

I’m sure their attempted policy was because there ARE days that kids live on air, but that’s not every day!

 

[BusyMom5]

Aside from growth spurts,  around 10.  They are 14 now, and easily eat an adult meal and can still be hungry.  I cook sooooo much food!  They often need 3 meals plus 3 snacks a day.  

[Arcadia]

3 hours ago, matrips said:

Mine have always out-ate me since they were about 2.  They would have loved adult portions at restaurants, but understood we could only afford to eat out if they got the childrens meals.

Some dining places would only let you order kids meal if your child is with you. So we ended up ordering two adults meals and two kids meals and let our kids have the adult meals. Think it was at Chili’s and Denny’s.

My kids have always ate more than me unless it is sushi/sashimi, korean bbq or ice-cream. 
As for eating a lot more during growth spurt, that was around 6th grade (11 to 12 years old) when they ate like bottomless pits. 

[Slache]

9. I think my 5 year old will be soon.

[Sneezyone]

My DS 14 has been eating whatever I put in front of him for at least three years. He comes home and eats cereal, rides his bike to the store to buy and eat candy, returns home to eat a dinner 2x the size of my portion (and polishes off my leftovers) and then returns to the kitchen a few hours later for more cereal. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Edited December 8, 2021 by Sneezyone

[Shoeless]

11-ish. He has always been a light eater. Now at 13, he eats a bigger dinner than DH. 

I still have to remind DS13 to eat lunch, though. It never occurs to him.  

He's 5'1" and weighs about 97lbs. 

[73349]

Three. (We got great deals at restaurants for a few years.) I never related to other people's complaints that their kids lived on air. Mine has lived largely on fruit.

[mathnerd]

Around age 6 or 7, I think. We were at Panera and DS had finished eating his sandwich-soup combo and he started eating my sandwich and soup combo after he finished his portion when I was still waiting at the counter for some drinks to arrive. That is the day I realized that he had been eating adult portions larger than my own portions, though it had not registered until then. We also only ever ate out at restaurants and ordered adult foods for him because that is something our pediatrician said was a healthy habit, so he was used to eating adult foods and never small portions off the kids menu.

[alysee]

My 2 boys are very different. One has eaten adult portions since he was 4 or 5 and the other one mostly subsists on air 😄. They are 8.5. 

[Eos]

3 hours ago, BusyMom5 said:

They often need 3 meals plus 3 snacks a day.  

My boys did this from about 10, plus a large serving of granola and yogurt before bed.  However, there is good news!!  They really do outgrow it eventually, but only after you've taken out a second mortgage on your home to pay the teen years grocery bill.

[Kassia]

3 hours ago, Eos said:

 However, there is good news!!  They really do outgrow it eventually, but only after you've taken out a second mortgage on your home to pay the teen years grocery bill.

When does this happen?  I have three adult sons and two still eat enormous amounts (the oldest is almost 31 the other is 27).  When they come home I get so stressed about serving meals because they eat so much!  I make sure we have lots of rice/potatoes/bread with dinner to fill them up!  And I really don't want to vacation with them unless we do all-inclusive (best invention ever).

They both complain about food on business trips because "restaurant food isn't enough food."  Neither have a weight problem either.  One has always eaten like this and struggled to keep on weight.  I swear this kid was born hungry.  And he's very active now too.  The other didn't eat much until he was in this 20s.  My third son still eats a lot but it's not extreme like his brothers.  

Definitely varied by kid when they started eating adult portions, though.  

 

Edited December 9, 2021 by Kassia

[elegantlion]

My son is a picky eater, but he also ate little amounts for a long time. He was probably 12-14 before he'd eat a full sized adult portion of a meal. He still doesn't eat much, he's still picky. Even at Thanksgiving he didn't eat much. He more concerned with nutrients now, so picky in a different way. 

[Kela]

My daughter is 7 and she has a fit if I want to order off the kids menu for her because she says it's not enough food. My mom worries that she is going to be overweight because of her portions, but she seems ok for now.

[Frances]

10 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Right???  I mean a lot of times my 1 or 2 year old would eat more than me.  And I eat a lot.  Anyhow this was not just for boys, as I only have one.  My girls eat a ton too and have since they were little.  

Same. I can remember my toddler son eating three or four scrambled eggs, two or three pieces of whole wheat toast cut into strips, and two sliced bananas for breakfast plus milk. And he’s always been lean and muscular. I’d say he’s pretty consistently eaten as much or more than me and my husband at meals. But he has never been a snacker at all and my husband and I lean a bit more towards a few small meals or grazing. He’s also fortunately always gravitated towards healthy foods.

He also never went through the phase the majority of his male friends did during puberty when they basically inhaled their food. It would literally make me feel sick to see them eat. He’s always been a slow eater.

Edited December 9, 2021 by Frances

[Frances]

3 hours ago, mathnerd said:

Around age 6 or 7, I think. We were at Panera and DS had finished eating his sandwich-soup combo and he started eating my sandwich and soup combo after he finished his portion when I was still waiting at the counter for some drinks to arrive. That is the day I realized that he had been eating adult portions larger than my own portions, though it had not registered until then. We also only ever ate out at restaurants and ordered adult foods for him because that is something our pediatrician said was a healthy habit, so he was used to eating adult foods and never small portions off the kids menu.

Same. I don’t think my son ever had a kid’s meal in his entire life. He was never interested in any of the chicken nuggets, Mac and cheese, etc. He’s always gravitated toward regular, healthy food.

[Frances]

10 hours ago, MEmama said:

Very young. I distinctly remember DS eating an entire Chipotle burrito when he was 3. 

I have a good friend who loved to feed DS because he was such a good eater. Her own 4 kids ate like birds, they were all picky and ate sparsely. DS would happily eat literally anything she put in front of him and always ask for more. He made her heart happy. ❤️🤣

My son is exactly the same. Moms and grandmas love to feee him!

[Bootsie]

DS did not have a particular age when he started eating what I would consider an adult portion.  During a growth spurt he might eat much more, other times, much less.  I also found that "kids menus" at restaurants varied alot.  Sometimes the portions were as generous as an adult portion; sometimes they were items not available on the "adult menu".

[plansrme]

Bless her heart. She's in for a big surprise.

I have 3 teen boys, all athletes. They eat like hobbits some (most) days: first breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, after-school meal, first dinner (which is the only one I cook) and second dinner. Thank goodness for fast food, as I almost cannot cook enough first dinner to satiate them. I routinely cook 3 pounds of meat for dinner and rarely have leftovers. 

[Kassia]

16 minutes ago, plansrme said:

 

I have 3 teen boys, all athletes. They eat like hobbits some (most) days: first breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, after-school meal, first dinner (which is the only one I cook) and second dinner. Thank goodness for fast food, as I almost cannot cook enough first dinner to satiate them. I routinely cook 3 pounds of meat for dinner and rarely have leftovers. 

Exactly!  What used to drive me crazy is I'd serve a huge meal and my boys would be searching the cabinets looking for more food before I even finished cleaning up!  It's never enough.  And there was so much whining about going to my in-laws for Christmas because there was never "enough food."  My in-laws bought more and more food every year and always ran out!  

For second dinner, my guys usually do something like eggs or chicken (I freeze extra in portions for them) w/rice, chips/salsa, etc.  I get so stressed over the food issue when they come to visit.  I don't have refrigerator/freezer space and I hate spending money for carry out when a meal isn't enough food for them anyway.  

 

 

[kiwik]

They are 12 and 14.  Ds12 has 2 pieces of bread for breakfast then doesn't eat again until lunch at 1 to 1.30.  He doesn't say he is is hungry and he is on the solid side though he has grown upwards so much this year he is looking a lot more streamlined.  Ds14 is solid build but not disproportionate and has grown about 6 inches in the last year I think. He would only eat kids meals but eating in restaurants isn't in our budget so it is not an issue.

[Eos]

10 hours ago, Kassia said:

When does this happen?

For mine at about 22 - 23.  They still eat serious portions but their metabolisms have slowed way down.  We never ate out when they were teens.

We have a family joke that was actually based on the truth: when oldest ds was 16 he declared he would eat his age in plates at Thanksgiving, then did.  I mean, they got smaller and smaller as the evening went on, but still.  He could sit and read and eat an entire loaf of bread as toast.  

We're visiting my mother for Christmas and although she has offered a fabulous selection of gourmet snacks to have on hand, I told her I would just go shopping when we arrive so she doesn't faint.  She never raised boys.

[kristin0713]

My kids have been ordering off the adult menu since about 5-6yo. They definitely have been eating full sized adult portions since about 8yo. They are healthy and not overweight. 

[Brittany1116]

My boys are 5 and 10 and outeat me daily, but not every meal. The oldest was no longer satisfied with kids meals at 4, and he's 50%ile h&w.

I do remember being hungry always at 12. I ate FAR more as a teen than I need now in my 30s.