there could be many reasons. first off kids experience increases in their appetite around school age and they also start to lose some of that fear of food they had that research shows peaks between 2 and 6. it could be that because he has always been told to eat that once he got more of an appetite he didn't know how to listen to his body. in his mind more is better. this happens often as parents worry their young child doesn't eat enough or even doctors tell parents to get in as much food as possible. at school age children also become more influenced by their food environment and often want to eat what their friends are eating. food advertising also plays a role. the key is to get on track now. structure balanced meals at the table and encourage him to listen to his body -- using hunger and fullness to guide eating. regular activity of an hour a day is also recommended as is good sleep at night. avoid restrictions or making a big deal of his weight -- the whole family should have healthy habits. also see 10 ways to raise food smart kids
my son was born a noneater but he changed at 6 (now 12) and now overeats. i was wondering how and why this happened.? . my son was born a nonfood enthusiast. he was always the last person to wrap up lunch in preschool and it was never done. his blood sugar was low and he weighed little. he felt sick at the sight of food. all that changed in grade 1 and we were all delighted that he would eat. by the end of the year though he was overweight and he overate. i thought it was a phase since he was not by nature like that; it was sudden. he is still however and i was wondering how it could suddenly change.