meals and food choices...

[superrod2010]

How would a blood test demonstrate appropriate growth in a baby? And who would want to subject a baby to a needle when you can just weight him or her?

But anyway I agree. Do as I say, not as a I do makes no sense.

I never said anything about needles for babies. The discussion was about a grown child. With babies it is a completely different issue but if you are concerned about putting a baby on a diet then there are bigger issues than the eating habits of the child.

I just think we need to realize that "skinny" is not "healthy" and "over weight" is not necessarily "unhealthy." I don't deny that poor eating habits can cause issues.

 

[somebody]

No big deal. I just think there are a lot of misconceptions about type one...I just like to educate whenever I can

Yup, yup, yup. Thanks for doing it!

 

[somebody]

I never said anything about needles for babies. The discussion was about a grown child. With babies it is a completely different issue but if you are concerned about putting a baby on a diet then there are bigger issues than the eating habits of the child.

Amen to that!

I just think we need to realize that "skinny" is not "healthy" and "over weight" is not necessarily "unhealthy." I don't deny that poor eating habits can cause issues.

What do you mean "'over weight' is not necessarily healthy"? I don't think anyone is saying skinny is healthy. There are health risks to not carrying any body fat. I think the popular notion that there is an objective healthy and not healthy is something to be steered clear of.

There are things that are risks to health. If you find yourself living in a place that has had corporate pollutants dumped there for years, you may have a hard time mitigating that risk since it involves all the economics of moving and jobs... If you find your child has reactive airways disease and is allergic to everything, you will have a hard time mitigating the risk of his disease with allergens everywhere. But the risk of overweight is well within everyone's control to mitigate for themselves and set their kids on the path to good habits. To say that over weight is not necessarily unhealthy seems odd to me.

If you are struggling with weight yourself, like I was when my son was first born, it is not so much a matter of whether or not it is a health risk worth mitigating but being willing to start the journey to change. It is a lot like smoking. For most it takes several tries and many failures to finally, hopefully, see our way clear to healthy lifestyle changes. Lots of baby steps... But the idea that over weight is not a health risk worth looking at mitigating makes no sense to me.

 

[SGC622]

Sorry if some of my topics are repeats but everyone had long replies for me to read everyone.
As far as eating i find that my daughter will not eat something she doesnt like visually and unfortunately thats mostly the good stuff, so me and my fiancee have tried food processing and such to hide the "good stuff" and it works, so we knew it wasnt the taste. Once we knew that we both started being more firm with her as far as trying it, by saying things like " you will not have your baby when you go to bed" or "ok your not going over to mimi's(my mom) tomorrow" and she will try it. Most of the time she will look up at me and laugh and be like dada i like it!! So as far as choices, if she absolutely doesnt like it even after trying it, we will accept defeat.

As far as giving them a choice to eat the food in front of them or not. We have struggled with that for a while, having gone through as much as 3 different meals for dinner in the beginning for her we typically want to find something she will eat even if its just something. So in that respect, she doesnt go to bed without eating SOMETHING. That has come from both of our feelings of "well how would we feel if we went to bed hungry" it doesnt feel good and me personally cannot go to bed with my stomach growling. Sending a child to bed with no food in my mind is something reserved for when they are misbehaving or other such like behaviors.

 

[momof4gyrlz]

I say they get what they get, and they don't throw a fit!!!! My kids eat whatever is prepared, and if they dont like it they still have to eat a few bites of it! I'm sorry, but it is not going to kill them! I have a freiend who has a picky eater and she always has to make him his own special dinner, now way will I do that. I get some veggies ae hated, like peas and carrots, so I try not to make them often, but if I do make them, they will eat a lil bit!!This has made my girls have a wide pallette, they luv asparagus, and sushi, and salad!!!!

 

[justryinmybest]

with my 3 toddlers my wife and i have found that giving them choices before dinner helps with the descision. all 3 have had or still do have acid reflux and alot of foods irritate them. so we limit options and allow them input. "whole Family" meal planning.

 

[justryinmybest]

I say they get what they get, and they don't throw a fit!!!! My kids eat whatever is prepared, and if they dont like it they still have to eat a few bites of it! I'm sorry, but it is not going to kill them! I have a freiend who has a picky eater and she always has to make him his own special dinner, now way will I do that. I get some veggies ae hated, like peas and carrots, so I try not to make them often, but if I do make them, they will eat a lil bit!!This has made my girls have a wide pallette, they luv asparagus, and sushi, and salad!!!!

YES!!! this has also givin my children a wide palette as well!!! mention crab legs or fish or lamb or shrimp and they get all excited!! i was congratulated in the grocery store because my toddlers were raving about eating salad and even asking for more veggies!! especially "green lettuce" (its what they call fresh Spinach!!) all mothers who breast fed transferred thier food of choice thru the milk and thier kids did fine then why not now???

 

[Bob]

It is a parents responsibility to ensure their child is eating properly. Pickiness is not an excuse, you just suck it up and deal with the headaches.

That being said, where I live, it is now illegal to allow your PETS to become overweight. Seriously: PETS. And yet somehow, when a child is morbidly obese, the parents are not charged or treated like criminals. To me it shows two things: the over-valuing of pets and the lack of protection children get.

 

[znljubica]

Attaining optimal nutrition involves eating three meals a day and two nutritious snacks, as well as limiting the intake of high sugar and high fat foods.
If the child does not like to drink milk, he should not be forced. Offer cheese.
Or if the child does not want to eat spinach, offer him pepper, cabbage and ...
Children instinctively know which foods suit their body.

 

[keyaziz]

We lead by example and my 3 1/2 year old follows. He eats a lot of fruit and vegetables everyday by choice. I don't force him to eat anything and if he chooses not to eat something I always give him alternatives.

Generally though if I sit down with him at breakfast, lunch and dinner he will eat what I eat.

So far he hasn't been interested in chocolate or junk food (as we don't eat it and so its not in the house). He plays with his older cousins a lot (who are 7 and 10) and while they are sitting eating biscuits and crisps, he will go over to his bag and get out some apples or other fruit and sit and eat that with them. Or he will ask for some from his Aunt. (If he wants to try the "junk" then I will buy it for him to try - I think its his choice and by refusing I think it makes the junk seem more important than it is)

I think leading by example is the most important factor and letting your child go by their own bodily needs.

My son did go through a two week period of being picky with his veggies but when he realised we weren't going to force him and let him not eat them, he got over it. I don't think it was a food thing at all - just a control thing

 

[uncle dad]

I got my kids on a juicing regime. Every morning i juice veggies and fruits. And now they want a nice glass of romaine lettuce, carrots and apple juice.

We juice every morning prior to school. Hope they take this into adulthood.

 

[keyaziz]

I got my kids on a juicing regime. Every morning i juice veggies and fruits. And now they want a nice glass of romaine lettuce, carrots and apple juice.

We juice every morning prior to school. Hope they take this into adulthood.

Aw yes, I got my son into a routine of a green smoothie every morning...he loves just having bananas blended with spinach and insists on it everyday. I hope he carries this on too.

 

[uncle dad]

Aw yes, I got my son into a routine of a green smoothie every morning...he loves just having bananas blended with spinach and insists on it everyday. I hope he carries this on too.

Oh he will. Kids emulate what they see (daddy drinks alcohol, kid will drink alcohol). Daddy juices veggies and lives a healthy lifestyle, than so will the child.

 

[Kim]

We eat pretty healthily. Lot of fiber, fruit, veggies, lean chicken & fish. Sometimes sweets, but moderated. Only water, almond milk, diet/decaf green tea, or lemondade (fresh squeezed sweetened w/splenda) to drink - no sodas and rarely juices. If my kids don't like what I cook, they can have cereal or PB&J after everyone else has left the table. But that has only happened once this year. I think learning to make good choices is important, but so is knowing that it is OK to have one cookie sometimes or a piece of cake at a birthday party.

 

[IADad]

Oh he will. Kids emulate what they see (daddy drinks alcohol, kid will drink alcohol). Daddy juices veggies and lives a healthy lifestyle, than so will the child.

to a certain degree. I was raised in a home where alcohol was never consumed. It wasn't forbidden, but the message was pretty clear that good people don't drink, and if they do then maybe something nice like wine, but not beer or hard liqour...so needless to say, my rebeliion follwed that route. I was lucky, when I was drinking heavier, I probably teetered on the edge of letting it get the better of me. So, I think you can model responsible drinking. My kids see me occasionally drink beer (and by occassionally, I mean never more than two at a setting, not usually more frequently than once every week or two.) so, beer is just an adult beverage, it's not taboo and it's not something used to alter behavior, so I hope they'll grow up treating it properly. Sure they'll probably go through experimenting stages, but hopefully, having some background, they'll know how to stay out of danger.

 

[IADad]

We eat pretty healthily. Lot of fiber, fruit, veggies, lean chicken & fish. Sometimes sweets, but moderated. Only water, almond milk, diet/decaf green tea, or lemondade (fresh squeezed sweetened w/splenda) to drink - no sodas and rarely juices. If my kids don't like what I cook, they can have cereal or PB&J after everyone else has left the table. But that has only happened once this year. I think learning to make good choices is important, but so is knowing that it is OK to have one cookie sometimes or a piece of cake at a birthday party.

wow, Kim, can you come run my house? You're right, my kids eat like me, too much meat, too many carbs.....I don't think I could switch to almond milk, sorry, I almost gag typing it...but your post serves as a reminder to bulk up on the whole fruit and veggies in our household.

 

[teenage_parent]

Aw yes, I got my son into a routine of a green smoothie every morning...he loves just having bananas blended with spinach and insists on it everyday. I hope he carries this on too.

my baby is yet to taste chicken, beef and pork. i don't plan on getting her on it. she loves vegetables and fruits.

goodluck to us

 

[Moira]

There will be no concept of "kid food" in my house, if I ever have kids, they sit down at the table and eat the exact same food as everyone else, no questions asked. It's eat that or go hungry. That's one rule I'm not ever gonna bend on. (to be honest, all it does is produce picky eaters and that's really not a good thing. giving them nothing but "kid food" is just encouraging this, imo.)

It's the kind of thing I grew up with. I hated mashed potatoes, but grandma always served them and either I ate them or I got nothing. Mashed potatoes now happen to be one of my favourite foods.

 

[Steps from step]

I have to agree. My parents insisted that I 1) try everything on my plate, 2) ate what was prepared, and 3) I was thankful for the effort put into a meal. Our society is full of "picky eaters" that may have benefitted from such expectations. I respect that opinions on food exist, (everyone has their likes and dislikes), but I feel this type of scenario will lead to far more open minds and potentially more polite responses to disliked food when away from home. I don't feel this is the ONLY option, its just my opinion.

 

[Ginger Ann]

I agree with Steps from step. My parents were the same way. I try to tell my family that as well. With the cost of groceries continuing to rise, you have to be very selective with your meals. Might not always be what you want to eat but it will take the hunger away.