Need advice on child's feeding

In misc.kids Ignoramus13806 wrote:
You see, I am not concerned with quantity. Let him eat however much he
wants. But I want him to eat during meals. Now if that's not a good
thing due to well established reasons, I could let him eat whenever he
wants, but it is not my preference.

I don't make my kids eat at meals, although I do present them with
plates (and have been known to insist they have at least one bite.)

What I *do* make them do is join us and stay at the table until
they're excused. We use family meals to catch up and visit and to
practice manners. I struggle quite a lot with trying to get my small sons
to sit still in restaurants and one way we practice that is to really
stress that the food aspect of the meal is just one element.

I'm curious: have you given up the hard and fast rule that you do not
consume any calories after 6 pm? Is that why your son's eating is so
disturbing to you - he isn't ready for his last snack until 7 pm or
something?

Wendy

"Sophie" wrote in message
And some children have a favorite meal time. My nephew (21 months) eats
the
most at breakfast - he just picks up at lunch and dinner. My daughter (5)
and youngest son (22 months) love dinner, whereas my other son (almost 4)
eats the most at lunchtime so I don't worry about him not eating as much
as
his brother and sister at dinnertime.

This is Matthew, only I don't know what the big meal of the day will be,
lol! I can count on one big meal and the rest will be bites here or there
with a few snacks thrown in during the day. I don't worry about it.
--
JennP.

mom to Matthew 10/11/00
remove "no........spam" to reply

In article ,
(jamie) wrote:

Ignoramus13806 wrote:
no, it is not the case in my house at all. He only eats what I
consider healthy food. I consider more or less anything healthy food
unless it is sweetened artificially, has margarine or it is packaged
food (junk food).

For example, I consider eggs, butter, dried fruits, home baked bread,
etc to be healthy. I do not believe the crap about cholesterol one

Personally, I think you should rethink the dried fruit. It's marketed
as healthy snacks, but it's a "natural" candy.


it is absolutely the worst possible thing to eat with regard to tooth
decay as well

"Jayjay" wrote in message
...
On 9 Oct 2003 14:42:03 GMT, Ignoramus13806
wrote:

My preferred snacks for him are cheese, seeds (he cannot eat nuts),
and dried fruit.

Why dried fruit? Why not real fruit?


What is "not real" about dried fruit?

One thing to keep in mind w/ dried fruit is, they are calorie (and
sugar) dense little pieces of food.

I can't recall the food types at that age - (wether food is still
soft, or if they can eat a chopped up apple). But why not just let
him have 1/2 a banana, or some orange slices, or something like that.
Fresh is better than dried.

My son always has loved carrots and celery. I buy the baby carrots
or carrot chips (pre-sliced) and he loves them.

Children at the age of your son is notorius for being picky and not wanting
to each much at a meal. Childern have small stomachs (his stomach is the
size of his fist) and needs frequent, but small meals. Your son needs snacks
in between meals to keep up his energy and his sugar levels.

There is nothing wrong with a healthy diet including sugar and some junk. It
shouldn't be the mainstay of his diet, but there is nothing wrong in
moderation. You don't seem to understand that little people needs more
frequent meals. They are not like adults, who can sustain themselves on
three meals. Actually, most people do much better with small frequent meals.

--
Sue (mom to three girls)
I'm Just a Raggedy Ann in a Barbie Doll World...

Ignoramus13806 wrote in message
...
My son is 2.5. He oftentimes refuses to eat much during regular
meals. This is frustrating because we cook for him etc. Then he might
get something -- like a piece of cheese or some such thing -- in
between. I now think that it is unhealthy and that if he wants to eat
during a meal, that's great. If he does not, he gets nothing until the
next one. Would that be a reasonable policy.

We never give him anything with sugar and no junk food. He does not
know what junk food is at this point.

i

On Thu, 09 Oct 2003 18:42:56 GMT, "Stephanie and Tim"
wrote:


"Jayjay" wrote in message
...
On 9 Oct 2003 14:42:03 GMT, Ignoramus13806
wrote:

My preferred snacks for him are cheese, seeds (he cannot eat nuts),
and dried fruit.

Why dried fruit? Why not real fruit?


What is "not real" about dried fruit?

One thing to keep in mind w/ dried fruit is, they are calorie (and
sugar) dense little pieces of food.

Its not that dried fruit is "not real"... And you took my words out
of context.

Dried fruit has a high concentration of sugar, and is also high in
calories per volume. Many people tend to over consume w/ dried
fruit. Real fruit - as in Hydrated fruit in its natural state (not a
dehydrated state) can be more filling on less consumption.

And, also, many manufacturers of dried fruit will also add sugar to
the mixture of the fruit. So, unless you are purchasing from a whole
foods store w/ no added sugar, or making your own... Ignor is taking
a chance at introducing alot mroe sugar into his son's diet than he
may be realizing - especially for someone who is a big proponent of
"no sugar" in his diet.

In article qwhhb.716269$Ho3.163758@sccrnsc03,
"JennP" wrote:

"Sophie" wrote in message
And some children have a favorite meal time. My nephew (21 months) eats
the
most at breakfast - he just picks up at lunch and dinner. My daughter (5)
and youngest son (22 months) love dinner, whereas my other son (almost 4)
eats the most at lunchtime so I don't worry about him not eating as much
as
his brother and sister at dinnertime.

This is Matthew, only I don't know what the big meal of the day will be,
lol! I can count on one big meal and the rest will be bites here or there
with a few snacks thrown in during the day. I don't worry about it.

My sister was like that. It drove Mom nuts. It also drove Dad nuts,
since he would sometimes go days seeing her not eat anything if she was
eating a huge lunch or breakfast. Those days, from his point of view,
she seemed to be living on air.

meh
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

In article ,
Ignoramus13806 wrote:

In article , Jayjay wrote:
Dried fruit has a high concentration of sugar, and is also high in
calories per volume. Many people tend to over consume w/ dried
fruit.

not my son though.

And, also, many manufacturers of dried fruit will also add sugar to
the mixture of the fruit. So, unless you are purchasing from a whole
foods store w/ no added sugar, or making your own... Ignor is taking
a chance at introducing alot mroe sugar into his son's diet than he
may be realizing - especially for someone who is a big proponent of
"no sugar" in his diet.

Well, for the dried fruits that are covered with sugar, I always wash
those and re-dry. No amount of hysterics from my son would force me to
give him the sugared ones.

i

Some of the manufacturers add sugar in other ways -- it will be IN the
fruit, not in an obvious way ON the fruit.

Drying the fruit basically concentrates the sugar; I have no objection
to it, but it is as calorie dense as many candies.

meh
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

Ignoramus13806 wrote in :

My son is 2.5. He oftentimes refuses to eat much during regular
meals. This is frustrating because we cook for him etc. Then he might
[snip]

In addition to everyone else's comments, some kids naturally have very
small appetites. If he is refusing to eat "much", maybe the amount
he is eating is all he actually needs to eat.

--
Penny Gaines
UK mum to three

What does his pediatrician say? What do the other parents
at "mommy/daddy and me" say? What does your childcare manual say?

Ignoramus13806 wrote:

My son is 2.5. He oftentimes refuses to eat much during regular
meals. This is frustrating because we cook for him etc. Then he might
get something -- like a piece of cheese or some such thing -- in
between. I now think that it is unhealthy and that if he wants to eat
during a meal, that's great. If he does not, he gets nothing until the
next one. Would that be a reasonable policy.

We never give him anything with sugar and no junk food. He does not
know what junk food is at this point.

i