I was extremely underweight when my parents brought me home from the hospital. I was a preemie, and weighed only 5 lbs at birth, and didn't weigh much more than that when they took me home a month later (I was adopted). I was born in Denver, Colorado and my parents adopted me in Illinois, so we don't know where I was for that month, but my skin apparently was in a horrendous state of full-body cradle cap. On the day they brought me home, the nurses/nuns told my parents they were behind in feeding me, so they thrust a bottle in my mother's hands, still ice cold from the refrigerator. Mom and Dad say they tried to warm the bottle in the car by turning the heat on full blast (on a warm, late April day) and holding the bottle against the vent.
From what I can piece together, my parents and grandparents immediately went to task on fattening me up, and just went overboard. I was scrawny at least until age 4, but well on my way to pudgy by kindergarten. I think if my parents had been encouraged to allow me to grow into my weight (which is fairly routine, I believe now) rather than to put me on a "diet" I wouldn't have such a twisted relationship with food.
I just have to remind myself that we all did the best we could.
Pear, I love your parenting philosophy. I shudder when people pressure kids to "clean their plates". Talk about screwing up intuitive eating!
I knew it would be fries when I read the title of the thread. Of course to think that Gerber is going to fix toddler nutrition health is a little ironic. Some of their foods are okay, but they also can and jar quite a bit of processed "food" with lots of additives.
kaplods, I was told my tummy was too big by the time I was 4 or 5 too. ugh.
One of my earliest memories is having one of my favorite tshirts not fit over my belly, I had a potbelly at the age of 6. I had some skinny pics but I was 3 or 4 in them. I just ate and ate and ate. My mom has tales of her giving me a lunch and then me getting a free lunch at school.
We never ate processed foods or even fast food. My mom was very conscience of her weight since she was a teen but she did like to cook and bake. I remember at the age of 9 doing atkins and eating chicken and veggies... Then being taken to the nutritionist and doctors and dragged all around.
Potatoes were pretty rare for me when I was young and even now are pretty rare. I remember eating pan fried potatoes, not sure what you call them but my mom would cut potatoes into cube and mix them with bell peppers and cook it on the stove. That was pretty much the extent of my potato eating.
When I was older, we did go to a place that had fried zucchini and I loved fried zucchini but never really cared much for fries although sometimes I like to have them.
Pear, I love your parenting philosophy. I shudder when people pressure kids to "clean their plates". Talk about screwing up intuitive eating!
I knew it would be fries when I read the title of the thread. Of course to think that Gerber is going to fix toddler nutrition health is a little ironic. Some of their foods are okay, but they also can and jar quite a bit of processed "food" with lots of additives.
Thanks. I believe that good eating habits start young, what you instill in the now is going to go with them as they get older.
I agree with you on the baby foods too. Amazes me the ingredients in some of them, the things we are putting in the littlest of tummies.
Pear I grew up with the "clean plate club" and my mom would make HUGE portions of food similar to my father's portions than tell me to eat it all because there were starving children in Africa and I remember leaving the dinner table SO FULL as a child- but with time it obviously became easier.
I know for me I won't force my kids to eat more than they can- I won't make them be members of the clean plate club- cuz looking back I know my mom was giving me way too much food.
Pear I grew up with the "clean plate club" and my mom would make HUGE portions of food similar to my father's portions than tell me to eat it all because there were starving children in Africa and I remember leaving the dinner table SO FULL as a child- but with time it obviously became easier.
I know for me I won't force my kids to eat more than they can- I won't make them be members of the clean plate club- cuz looking back I know my mom was giving me way too much food.
It's amazing how much kids can overeat, or how much sweets and junk they can eat, and stay so skinny. But I wonder sometimes if adult obesity may correlate with how much overfeeding one did as a child, even though the child was never overweight. I can see how mentally, it can set you up for trouble later. But I wonder if there's a physical / chemical problem too, that is set up in childhood, lays dormant, and then hits you in adulthood.
It's amazing how much kids can overeat, or how much sweets and junk they can eat, and stay so skinny. But I wonder sometimes if adult obesity may correlate with how much overfeeding one did as a child, even though the child was never overweight. I can see how mentally, it can set you up for trouble later. But I wonder if there's a physical / chemical problem too, that is set up in childhood, lays dormant, and then hits you in adulthood.
I think you are on to something. This is along the lines of what I am thinking is true. I am sure there are other factors etc tied into it. But you are definitely on to something thinking that.
It's amazing how much kids can overeat, or how much sweets and junk they can eat, and stay so skinny. But I wonder sometimes if adult obesity may correlate with how much overfeeding one did as a child, even though the child was never overweight. I can see how mentally, it can set you up for trouble later. But I wonder if there's a physical / chemical problem too, that is set up in childhood, lays dormant, and then hits you in adulthood.
As I child I was overweight- not obese- but chubby. My parents would get on my case about my weight even then- but then right around dinner it was huge portion time and if I didn't eat it all I'd get in trouble. I don't ever remember snacking much either. I'd go to school, have lunch, then come home and have dinner- that was it. Looking back my mom never made me breakfast so I got used to not eating a breakfast and then being starving by lunch and starving by dinner.
Pretty much every overweight person I have known in my life grew up with their parents making them eat all their food on their plate.
Now that I've been working on the weight loss I notice that I don't fill up my plate like I used to and definitely don't overeat like I used to!
I know for me I plan on definitely NOT forcing my kids to eat such large portions.
Sad. DS 23 months eats all sorts of veggies and though he loves mashed potatoes they are not his fave. Green beans are.
He loves carrots, broccoli, corn, potatoes, cucumbers, peppers, all types of beans, pretty much anything. He has had fries a hand full of times and he likes them.
I have no problem with most things in moderation but he is always offered something healthy first.
I do consider a potato a veggie it grows in my veggie garden its a veggie just like corn. In the diet people can count it how they wish but its still a vegetable.
But I dont consider fries a veggie in my toddlers diet. Yes I know they are just fried/salted potatoes but come on. What is wrong with people.
Now my son will automatically ask for TEA when we go thru a drive thru because that is what he has heard mom and dad ask for. He loves tea but I only allow him to have it at home/ no sugar in a very limited amount now and then. Not often at all.
So, I order him a ice water and he is perfectly happy with his "tea"
Granted Im trying to stop eating out all together but we do travel a lot and sometimes that the only option. But its sad that he knows you get tea thru a drive thru at such a young age. But atleast hes not asking for fries.
Last edited by LookingForMeAgain; 02-02-2009 at 03:27 PM.
I can't even imagine forcing my toddler to eat everything on his plate. We would sit there for an eternity. I trust him to eat when he's hungry..and he does! I offer him snacks and regular meals and for the most part, he eats when offered food but he gets to determine how much he eats.
That aside, his favorite vegetable used to be broccoli but his tastes have developed a bit and now he *loves* roasted brussels sprouts.
Lookingforme: DS asks for tea as well...we get him water and pour a bit of our unsweetened tea in the cup just to color it. If he knows the difference, he doesn't care.
zef I think they just want a cup like mommy and daddy more than what is in it. We will sometimes do that too and give him a lil bit of ours with the water.
And once in a blue moon DH will give him some at home unsweetened and very diluted. But again I think its more that daddy is drinking it.
He loves water, milk and juice.
I do not allow him to have soda though my parents do sneak and let him have a sip now and then. But theyve been pretty good about it since I had a lil talk with them.
I dont want them screwing up his eating habits like they did mine. My mother would refuse to let me go to friends houses and say oh just get a pizza and stay here. Pizza was her answer to everything. If you mention eating better she would go on an all out shopping spree of binge worthy foods.
Then she sits and gripes about how fat my sister and I have let ourselves get. Hmm gee I wonder why.
My other sister sits and feeds her grandkids junk all day long and it just makes me so mad. She will let them have 4 little debbie cakes in a day plus chips and other junk. One day she let my nephew have a popsicle for breakfast.
She always packs chips and a cake in my 7 year old neices lunch.
And will have a breakdown if she doesnt have it to put in there. That child will not touch veggies or fruits other than the fries!
My nephew loved veggies and fruits and theyve ruined him with junk so now he will take the junk too.
Im trying to eat better so my son can follow my lead. I dont want him to have issues with food or his body.
Now my son will automatically ask for TEA when we go thru a drive thru because that is what he has heard mom and dad ask for. He loves tea but I only allow him to have it at home/ no sugar in a very limited amount now and then. Not often at all.
So, I order him a ice water and he is perfectly happy with his "tea"
Granted Im trying to stop eating out all together but we do travel a lot and sometimes that the only option. But its sad that he knows you get tea thru a drive thru at such a young age. But atleast hes not asking for fries.
That is cute that he wants tea because that is what he heard mom and dad ask for! That is like the other video on the site Actions Speak Louder than Words - so cute!
I agree with midwife - PearFreak, you do have a great parenting philosophy. Also, I don't think that Gerber is "going to fix toddler nutrition" - I think that they are raising awareness by having parents make their pledge.
