Tamara, have a look at the link in my post on the first page of this thread. Fats are very important for children. And no, it's not only fats found in dairy that is needed according to Alexzander's paed.
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Tamara, have a look at the link in my post on the first page of this thread. Fats are very important for children. And no, it's not only fats found in dairy that is needed according to Alexzander's paed.
Gemma - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
I too have had the struggle you are having.
We eat a very healthy diet in our house - I am very committed to organic produce and sustainable living.
I don't really see any reason for little ones to be given junk food. For my family I didn't want my kids associating junk food as treats. I also want them to know that home made food out of good quality ingredients is a much better choice.
MY kids will happily snack on guacomale and vege sticks, rice crackers and hommus and fruits. I am a bit of a baker mama and there is always a homemade bikkie or slice made to a healthy recipe.
My oldest child is 11 and she will readily choose a healthy snack over chips - of course at parties etc there are chippies etc and they are snacked on but a tray of melon and grapes always goes first! My 6 year old son is the same and the younger two haven't had as much exposure to "junk food".
We talk about our bodies needing fuel and that healthy food choices make our bodies run better so we keep the junk to a minimum.
I have even more of an issue with it at school. All the packaging and sugar and *bad fats* in many of the snack foods makes my toes curl!
I worry about the affects of all of that on little bodies that haven't developed enough to withstand the onslaught of all of those chemicals.
I have also found that when the kids help you to cook and know what goes into something it makes them more likely to eat. We have a vege garden and the kids love to pick the veges that goes into dinner... It somehow makes it more palatable.
So Gemma I believe what you are doing for Amy is setting the ground work for a healthy body, healthy mind and giving her the ability to make choices about what she feeds her body when she is older...
Try to blank out the remarks from others. You just do what you believe is right for your child and do this with confidence... I think you will find that many other families are doing just what you are doing too. We are!
Jacob basically eats what we eat, so in order to set the right example, that naturally means limiting intake of junk food! Jacob didn't have chocolate until he was around 15 months old from memory and always ate home-made food rather than tinned products. I even remember he turned his nose up at his 1st birthday cake because he didn't like it!
Since Jacob is 2 now, things are a bit more relaxed. Once a week Jacob will have fish fingers (oven-baked) but they are served with vegetables. He may have something else once a week when we have it, but that's it - and that could be some KFC or fish and chips - so he experiences whatever we do. The rest of the time he eats his cereal for brekkie (once a week he will have nutella on toast as a treat), sandwich/salad/spaghetti/leftovers for lunch (95% of the time it would be a meat sandwich, like turkey, ham or chicken), and whatever we are having for dinner which is our main meal of the day. He may not eat it of course, but it's always offered and if he chooses not to eat it, then fine. If he asks for something later, then he is offered a piece of fruit only, so he knows that he can't keep refusing dinner and wind up with whatever he fancies IYKWIM? If he eats all his dinner, we may offer him something like a chocolate custard but that only ends up happening maybe once a week. He will get a treat once a week maybe of a choccie frog or one of those little kinder chocolate bars. The other thing he loves as a treat are tiny teddies and sometimes we have to bribe him to eat his fruit by telling him he will get a tiny teddy! I know that 'bribing' him with food may be frowned upon by some, but at the end of the day, if a small treat of a tiny teddy encourages him to gobble down some much more filling and satisfying fruit or to finish off what's on his plate (whatever it may be), then so be it. That way we ensure he's got a full tummy which means a happier boy in our house!
Snacks for him include Fruche, Petit Miam, Goulburn Valley Pureed Fruit, Dried Fruit, Apples, Fruit Muffins/Fruit Cake, Heinz Muesli Bars, Rice Crackers, Corn Thins, Pretzels, cheese (although he's gone off the cheese a bit lately) etc. He sometimes has those K-Time Muffin Bars as well. Jacob is notorious for being extra hungry in the mornings ATM and not so hungry in the afternoon/evening, so we try to accomodate those needs by offering the right choices at those times. I swear he would eat corn, peas and capsicum until the cows came home too - he really enjoys those!
At the end of the day, we try to provide as much variety as possible. Currently he's eating very little red meat - only white meat in sandwiches etc. But we continue to offer it anyway, in whatever form we have it (e.g. steak, stirfry, casseroles etc) along with other vegies he currently doesn't eat so that he knows he can't just refuse it - it will always be there.
Jacob only drinks water too. He never has juice or cordials, unless he happens to have a sip of something that either DH or myself is having, but I only drink water LOL. DH will drink juice and sometimes Jacob will sip on it, but that's not often. He may get some lemonade if we are out somewhere for a meal as a special treat, but that's about as far as I'm prepared to go on fluids (clear fizzies). Because he's quite picky and grazes with his food, it's much better that he prefers water as that way we know he is not filling up on other things.
Ultimately what you do is up to you, and I personally feel that we have a responsibility to investigate all options available when it comes to our kiddies so that we can weigh up the pros and cons of whatever we are doing.
Giving your child a healthy start in life is very important, and I like to think that we have done that with Jacob, but I also like to ensure that he gets to experience treats and special things too.
JIllian - Your rules are my rules!
I also have a rule that it is fruit before a bikkie or slice.
We have chookies too and the kids love to collect the eggs from the *girls*.
We were exactly the same as you with our DD - our take on it was basically that while ever we could still control what she was eating, we'd make sure it was healthy.
She always had home made food, water to drink, and never any junk.
As she's getting older it's getting harder - she knows now what junk food is and although she still loves her fruits and veges she also likes other foods that we'd rather she didn't even know about LOL.
We're having problems with daycare as well - she goes to MIL's family daycare and apparently all the other kids have white bread sandwhiches for lunch. Emily usually takes leftovers of whatever we had for dinner the night before (ie. usually meat with rice or pasta and veges). According to MIL she is now throwing tantrums and refusing to eat it because she wants what all the other kids are having :rolleyes:
I don't want to give into it either so I'm not sure what to do. Just wanted to say no you're not alone ;)
I agree with all thats been said and we dont allow Allegra to have an junk, sugar or salt in her food, which is all prepared by me. She does have some thing occasionally like custard but not often, I mainly give her organic natural yoghurt and things like that.
In saying this, I have also seen 2 invididual families who were far too strict with their kids and when they went out their kids were feral and so greedy when anything slightly bad was put on the table. I remember at my birthday party as a kid my little cousins would go ballistic over cake as they were never allowed any at all and it was just awful. Another cousin was never allowed anything either and now at 14 he acts like a street dog sniffing for scraps whenever he goes to a friends house for dinner. You do need a bit of balance.
Also, when we were in Italy and staying in my FIL small villiage I never saw any child who was overwight. All the kids played together and ate so well. All the food was locally produced and prepared to maximise their goodness. Mono-unsaturated fats in the form of olive oil was a staple in their daily diet. I think the difference between here and places like that is that they ONLY eat what is in season as its at its peak. Here you can buy everything out of season, imported and grown in green houses and much of the stuff loses its nutritional value. Its also interesting to note that there are really no take away stores in Italy (beside Pizza and excluding the high tourist towns) as Italians find it a fate worse than death to eat takeout. In fact McDonalds in Calabria (southern italy) closed down because of lack of business!
A relative of mine works for McDonalds head office and she said to me, please dont ever give Allegra junk food - straight from the horses mouth I say!!
Gemma, I've always planned to do the same thing with Cooper! So no, you're not weird.
I don't want him to touch a single lolly etc … not sure on when I'll let him. I was thinking 2 years. I figure they don't need to know about sugary foods below this age.
I'm not sure what I think about the whole idea that if you don't let your child have it, they are more likely to rebel and want it. I wouldn't think this would happen under the age of 2 anyway?!
Obviously I'm not sure how I'll go. Cooper is only 5 months at the moment! But that's my plan anyway - no sugary foods. Only natural dairy, fruit, vegies and meat etc.
Tilly did not have a single bit of junk or anything bad until she was 2 and a half, and that was when she started kindy and I couldn't keep her away from the parties. I was happy with that anyway.
WIth coco I will definitely not be giving her junk before at least two. This is just because she doesnt' need it. She won't know what it is! I think it's perfectly sensible to give them healthy food while you can! Saying that, i only give tilly healthy foods, but she is old enough to get her own junk!! (friends at school swap things etc).
Also talking of healthy fats (avocado for example) I give coco flaxseed oil in her milk. I started that as Im a huge fan of Flaxseed oil, and the formula she was on (goats milk) was lacking essential fatty acids. She can't taste it adn it's great for her. I also give her probiotics in her milk. I also took alot of essential oils when pregnant as it is meant to help brain development.
Each to their own though, and I won't be AS strict with junk food as I was with tilly, as Im sure she has a sweet tooth now because of restricting her. We also only ever drink water in our house, no juice or cordials (maybe once a year for a treat). Two reasons, 1 I never liked water and want my kids to love it 2, SO much cheaper!! xoxo
We are organic here. But I also believe that some foods should be made available and its no big deal to try sweets or whatever when you think the time is right for it.
I'm quite reluctant to introduce them tho, because I have a shocking sweet tooth and he has probably inherited it. I was brought up in a household where we knew there were 11 TimTams in the packet - that meant we all got 1.5 TimTams when the packet was opened lol. And that was once a week if we were lucky....now given the chance I could eat a pack in a sitting. I blame all those years of deprivation! Thanks mum :-)
Wow, thanks everyone for your replies. I am glad we are not the only one who try to give a healthy selection of food to our kids. Please don't think I was not trying to judge anyone on their food choices for the kids. Everything in moderation is really good advice.
I just wanted to clear something up. The mums in playgroup actually said to DH that they were having a party for the kids and would he like to bring something for Amy, so I might have misinterpreted what DH said about the comments on the food. DH is a SAHD and takes Amy to playgroup and cooks 90% of her meals. I read all of your replies to DH last night.
Amy does get Heinz museli bars and cruskits as snacks when we are out and also has baked beans. The food additives is something that I am going to look into, especially 320.
Gemma, my DH is/will be a SAHD too! They're a rare breed, huh?
I reckon you are on the right track, if for no other reason than WHY MAKE LIFE HARD FOR YOURSELF? Honestly, if most adults had a choice between a nice piece of belgian chocolate or an apple, they would choose the chocolate, right? But we eat the apple cause we know it is good for us. Now they way I see it, if Flynn doesn't KNOW there are such things as chips and custard and lollies, he isn't going to ask for them!
Congratulations to all of you for sticking to your guns and making your childs start to life a healthy one!
I have never not allowed my kids to have anything. If they want to try it then they can. We went out for dinner on Saturday night and Jack asked if he could try an olive (I personally hate them but they always put them in my greek salad ;) ) so I let him try one. He didn't like it but I said he could try it again another time. I never used to eat avocado or fetta but now I couldn't imagine life without either of these things! Tastes change over time and so while kids might like one thing as a child they may not like it as they get older. Like Emma and Jack who when little LOVED Brussel Sprouts and Cabbage and now neither of them like them!!
My kids (Emma, 11, Jack, 8 & Asha 2) will always choose fruit and veg over junk. We have take away once a week (eek @ people who cook every night LOL) and a couple of nights a week we have quick easy food (spag on toast, baked beans, raviloli etc). Now that summer is here, Em & Jack much prefer salad to anything else. In fact we have just had a Sumo Salad bar open up at the local food court and my kids choose that or Subway over Maccas or fish and chips etc ...
Don't get me wrong my kids LOVE chips, biscuits and lollies but if they want them I let them have them ... in the overall scheme of things I don't think it will kill them! They are all active kids who do not spend much time sitting still and as long as I encourage them to think healthy then they will.
As far as soft drink goes ... none of my kids like coke (except Asha who loves to have a sip of Mummies coke) but they love lemon, lime and orange with mineral water!!! We go through so much milk in a fortnight (we usually go through 21ltrs) and we have to have two cold water bottles in the fridge so there is always cold water.
As for tinned food ... Asha had it for some of her meals (usually the days I worked) but she also had homemade food at times too. I think it is great that those of you who had the time to make the food for your babies did ... and while I know no one is trying to knock anyone elses decisions ... sometimes I read these posts and feel like you would all be mortified at the decisions I have made. It really doesn't worry me that much ... I am a 33yr old mother of 3 kids and I have made choices and you know what ... my kids are happy, healthy and even if I do say so myself pretty bloody fantastic kids!!!
Cheers
Here's a question for all you food gurus. ;)
I dont like having fizzies in the house. Drives me mental! If I need a fizzy drink I will buy as required, or I will use a little lime or blackcurrant (bickfords) cordial with some sparkling mineral water.
So Jenna absolutely loves her mineral water - or as she calls it "beer".
She would drink it maybe twice a day, probably half a cup each time. Its her drink of choice, but she will also ask for milk or water (or juice but I'm a mean mum adn wont give her any.....DP does give her some very occasionally extremely diluted).
I've have asked lots of people if they reckon sparkling mineral water is bad, and noone can give me an answer. We used to have soda water, but I stopped that as I saw it was higher in calcium or magnesium - one or the other, can't remember.
So what do you guys think? Is it bad? For Jenna its a treat, and she doesn't know that its not something super specail, but its not sweet, its hydrating her, and she still eats very well.
Any opinions??
I dunno Fi - good question!
LOL @ it being a treat for her - ATM Jacob thinks Weetbix with Milk and half a teaspoon of sugar on it is a treat! ROFL ;)
When I was dieting, Mineral Water unless diet was a Big NO NO. My Jenny Craig person told me if I wanted something fizzy with a little bit more sugar than Diet to drink Soda water with cordial.
Here is a good drink for flavour.
Add lemon to water with a block of ice, its quite nice and cheap.
Tamara - Why would that be the case? Its just carbonated water?? There isn't any flavouring added to it at all, so I dont know how it could be diet? And water and lemon isn't actually very good for your teeth long term as the acid can have an effect on your dentine I believe. I wouldn't want to risk that with baby teeth.
The only real problem I could see is that it hasn't got fluoride in it, but Geelong doesn't have a fluorinated supply anyway, so bottled water is just as good, if not better than tap.
Mum seemed to think that the bubbles might cause wind/gas, but it doesn't seem to have any effect on her at all. She will drink it flat or fizzy, and sometimes burps, but doesn't have any problem eating her meals.
LMAO Melinda on the weetbix. If ONLY I could get Jenna to eat breakkie. The only thing she will eat for breakkie normally is fruit and milk. Just refuses to eat anything breadlike until morning tea. This morning she had a whole piece of wholemeal toast with avocado! It was a once in a month event. Happy mum!
Not sure, but is there sodium in mineral water? Maybe that is why it is not recommended.
Must look that up.
Edited to add: Just found this on another baby website about giving carbonated water to kids.
"You should hold off on giving your baby sparkling, carbonated, or seltzer water until she's 2 years old. The carbonation in fizzy water can make babies burp (they do that enough already!) and gag. Also, some bubbly waters contain sugar, salt, or artificial flavorings -- all ingredients a baby or child can do without. Unless a child clamors for it, there's no need to offer carbonated water at all. It has no benefits, and the carbonation can cause gas pains.
"When your child is older, however, and requesting sugary sodas, sparkling water is a much healthier choice," says Claudia Gonzalez, a registered dietitian in Miami. Flavor it with a splash of juice or a squeeze of lemon or lime, and your child will think she's having a real treat.
Tip: If you decide to offer your child sparkling water, give it to her in a regular cup without a straw. The fizz from the carbonation can back up through the spout in a sippy cup or the straw and may cause your baby to gag. "
Thanks melbo. There are added salts in soda water, but as far as I am aware sparkling mineral water has no extra additives except the carbon dioxide. :D
Jenna has a pretty good gag reflex, so it doesn't have that effect on her. And it doesn't seem to make her burp anymore than normal. Usually its flat after the first half day anyway.
And she certainly thinks she is having a treat. We dont flabour it with anything, she just prefers it plain. Sometimes she wants water, and sometimes "beer", so its very strange. She is just a wierd little girl.