Toddler Eating
[email protected]
What follows is my opinion, which is all I feel qualified to give :^) It may
not be right for your world, but it works in mine, so I thought I'd share.
Elissa writes:
Congratulations! You have a healthy toddler! Despite our best efforts to
understand them, they can apparently either devour entire houses or live like
birds on the tiniest morsels, or both, on alternating days :^)
First of all, don't worry. If he is healthy otherwise, there is no reason to
fear. He won't starve himself. My mom is a nutritionist, and she assures me
that I didn't grow up dead, despite being a non-eating toddler.
Don't worry about getting that "balanced diet" all in one day -- work it out
over the week, and you'll see he's doing pretty well. Believe me, he could be
doing a lot worse than rice crispies and milk. And if he likes raisin bran,
that's all the better (more iron & fiber)!
As for junk food, rid the house of candy and other empty calories; offer
enriched substitutes. Does he like muffins? Great! Make yours extra-good by
adding in pureed butternut squash or pumpkin or carrots or zucchini to spike
the vitamins. Powdered milk, whole wheat flour, bran, these are also great
add-ins. If you are meat-eaters, powdered milk and shredded veggies added to
meatloaf ups calcium, protein and vitamins. There are recipes floating around
out there for healthy versions of a lot of "forbidden" things (cakes,
cookies, etc.) that are fabulous. Write me if you are looking for something
in particular and can't find it on the web.
(Barring allergies or other food restrictions) apple, orange or pear slices
(etc.) can be dipped in yogurt, (natural) peanut butter or pureed OTHER
fruit. A wonderful playdough can be made from peanut butter, honey and
powdered milk. It's still a sweet, but you can control the level of honey.
French fries can be made from sweet potatoes and baked in the oven! These
have more vitamins and are truly yummy.
Sometimes it's a matter of presentation: toddlers who won't touch carrots or
other veggies when they are whole will sometimes happily wolf them down when
you shred them and make a pile of "hay." Those who won't eat sliced cheese
might be very happy with string cheese. Leaving beans whole and eating them
like french fries can be fun. Dehydrated foods can be fun -- making your own
fruit leather can be something they can help with (stirring and measuring),
and can be a great alternative to candy or commercial "fruit" leather
(although I hear my mom's voice in my head still, "whole fruits are better
than dried or juices")
One of the things I've noticed about my children-as-toddlers is that they are
very charmed by mini versions of anythings, mini-pancakes (which you've
enriched with whole wheat, powdered milk and fruit or pumpkin, etc., and
which my daughter thinks are better than cookies), mini-meatloaves (just
enough for one toddler), mini-casseroles baked in their own little dish
(muffin or custard cups work well for both of the previous), mini-pastas, etc.
When you do try new foods out, do them with a minimum of flourish or pressure
(but you already knew that). The only rule in our house is that you must
taste it once before leaving it alone on the plate (no yelling of YUCK,
please!). I only introduce one new food at a time. If it is rejected, I
rotate that one out for a while, but try it again a month or so later.
Typically, if you don't make a big deal about it, neither will they, and
exposure to a wide variety of foods will eventually yield results in their
willingness to try new ones.
But it will not cure the bird appetite. For that, I just made a mantra of my
mom's words (He will not starve himself he will not starve himself he will
not starve himself He'll eat when he's ready he'll eat when he's ready...)
:^) Some folks give a multi-vitamin and others don't. Either way, just relax
and try not to...worry :^) If he's truly hungry, he'll let you know, and if
he's running around and active, that hungry time WILL eventually happen :^)
Whoops--just noticed how long this got, sorry! Hope it helps. All the
discussion so far on other topics has been very interesting and helpful to
me. I'm really glad to be here :^)
Peace,
Wynn
not be right for your world, but it works in mine, so I thought I'd share.
Elissa writes:
> Also, the eating issue (I really wish S was here to answer this one) My twotry
> year old is down to eating nothing until he gets junk. Would removing it
> from the house for a period of time help? Might it give him the space to
> other healthier foods and realize he likes them? I don't want to be a foodHe
> controller yet I am starting to become concerned over his eating habits.
> Yesterday he ate a bowl of rice crispies with milk and then nothing else!
Congratulations! You have a healthy toddler! Despite our best efforts to
understand them, they can apparently either devour entire houses or live like
birds on the tiniest morsels, or both, on alternating days :^)
First of all, don't worry. If he is healthy otherwise, there is no reason to
fear. He won't starve himself. My mom is a nutritionist, and she assures me
that I didn't grow up dead, despite being a non-eating toddler.
Don't worry about getting that "balanced diet" all in one day -- work it out
over the week, and you'll see he's doing pretty well. Believe me, he could be
doing a lot worse than rice crispies and milk. And if he likes raisin bran,
that's all the better (more iron & fiber)!
As for junk food, rid the house of candy and other empty calories; offer
enriched substitutes. Does he like muffins? Great! Make yours extra-good by
adding in pureed butternut squash or pumpkin or carrots or zucchini to spike
the vitamins. Powdered milk, whole wheat flour, bran, these are also great
add-ins. If you are meat-eaters, powdered milk and shredded veggies added to
meatloaf ups calcium, protein and vitamins. There are recipes floating around
out there for healthy versions of a lot of "forbidden" things (cakes,
cookies, etc.) that are fabulous. Write me if you are looking for something
in particular and can't find it on the web.
(Barring allergies or other food restrictions) apple, orange or pear slices
(etc.) can be dipped in yogurt, (natural) peanut butter or pureed OTHER
fruit. A wonderful playdough can be made from peanut butter, honey and
powdered milk. It's still a sweet, but you can control the level of honey.
French fries can be made from sweet potatoes and baked in the oven! These
have more vitamins and are truly yummy.
Sometimes it's a matter of presentation: toddlers who won't touch carrots or
other veggies when they are whole will sometimes happily wolf them down when
you shred them and make a pile of "hay." Those who won't eat sliced cheese
might be very happy with string cheese. Leaving beans whole and eating them
like french fries can be fun. Dehydrated foods can be fun -- making your own
fruit leather can be something they can help with (stirring and measuring),
and can be a great alternative to candy or commercial "fruit" leather
(although I hear my mom's voice in my head still, "whole fruits are better
than dried or juices")
One of the things I've noticed about my children-as-toddlers is that they are
very charmed by mini versions of anythings, mini-pancakes (which you've
enriched with whole wheat, powdered milk and fruit or pumpkin, etc., and
which my daughter thinks are better than cookies), mini-meatloaves (just
enough for one toddler), mini-casseroles baked in their own little dish
(muffin or custard cups work well for both of the previous), mini-pastas, etc.
When you do try new foods out, do them with a minimum of flourish or pressure
(but you already knew that). The only rule in our house is that you must
taste it once before leaving it alone on the plate (no yelling of YUCK,
please!). I only introduce one new food at a time. If it is rejected, I
rotate that one out for a while, but try it again a month or so later.
Typically, if you don't make a big deal about it, neither will they, and
exposure to a wide variety of foods will eventually yield results in their
willingness to try new ones.
But it will not cure the bird appetite. For that, I just made a mantra of my
mom's words (He will not starve himself he will not starve himself he will
not starve himself He'll eat when he's ready he'll eat when he's ready...)
:^) Some folks give a multi-vitamin and others don't. Either way, just relax
and try not to...worry :^) If he's truly hungry, he'll let you know, and if
he's running around and active, that hungry time WILL eventually happen :^)
Whoops--just noticed how long this got, sorry! Hope it helps. All the
discussion so far on other topics has been very interesting and helpful to
me. I'm really glad to be here :^)
Peace,
Wynn
[email protected]
Thank you Wynn, I am printing this and putting it on the Fridge for those
days I can't think of what to offer!
Elissa
days I can't think of what to offer!
Elissa
[email protected]
In a message dated 11/27/01 9:11:35 AM Mountain Standard Time, Otterspur@... writes:
." Those who won't eat sliced cheese
might be very happy with string cheese.
Grated cheese goes over well here. I still, even though the youngest is ten, grate about a third again more cheese than I need, because it will be eaten as soon as it leave the grater.
Sandra