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Originally Posted by edzard
Don't worry too much you have a toddler and they go thru phases, well all kids go thru phases of eating. I have a 10 yr old an 8 yr old and there are probably 10 cousins that we live close to and baby sit and play with, all ranging in age from 16-2 yrs old, so I am around kids lots!
First to note is when kids are about to go thru a growth spurt they will eat like there is no tomorrow, then suddenly they will stop eating, sometimes half as much as before. My thought on this is that they are better at paying attention to their bodies signal than we are, they know when they need to eat and when they don't.
Second, kids won't starve themselves unless there is something wrong medically, so unless they are looking unhealthy (and from the foods he eats it doesn't sound like it!) or losing weight take a deep breath!
Third, look at ALL the food he eats, moms have a tendency to feed the kids snacks and such all day long and then forget they ate only an hour ago. I have a sister in law who will feed her kids snacks all day, up to the point where dinner is 10 min. away and she will give them fruit or yogurts. Then serve a nice healthy dinner and worry because they only ate 3 bites and won't eat anymore she is afraid they are going to starve or be malnourished! You really have to pay attention to what and when you feed them, I am a firm believer in snacks but being careful not to get too close to dinner time and maybe even feeding dinner/lunch like foods during the snack if they are not eating them during the meals, that can help keep them eating right.
Hope this helps, just keep exposing them to good healthy foods and having them try that one bite and your on your way to a great eater, even if the toddler years get a bit picky! My kids were always asked to eat one bite, and sometimes forced to eat that bite before they could leave the table. Some might view that as cruel but now my kids will try almost anything and like foods most of their friends shun. Thai, Indian (punjabi chole mmm), Mediterranean, Vietnamese, they will eat all these and like them because we made them try different tastes when they were young.
Good luck and have fun!
Thank you so much, you are a pro!
I guess I have never been around too much babies and I worry too much about his health, specially his nutrition. I want to raise him the way my grandparents and my mom raised me, exposed to all variety of foods ( I picked up the bad habits on my own
).
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Originally Posted by ICUwishing
Hi, Renacer! My son's almost 10 at this point and absolutely fearless when it comes to food (he tackled a plate of escargot on our cruise and bragged about it when he got home). I think kids naturally gravitate to colorful foods with different mouthfeels, and really all we had to do was make sure he had small servings of whatever we were eating, and to take him out to the garden and show him what was growing out there. And yes, he would go through a week, several times a year, where he ate very little. It almost always preceded a noticeable growth spurt! Or sometimes a tooth would fall out, too, come to think of it ... then it was right back to business.
I was reading about your lovely garden, I bet it's beautiful down there. I grew up like that, my grandpa had land and that was his hobby. I guess that's why I never had a problem with fruits, vegetables and edible roots. I want to theach my baby the same, my husband is kind of picky and I would not want Lorcan (my son) to be limited. He's been with a little cold this past days and wasn't eating, I alarmed and created this thread. I appreciate your response very much.
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Originally Posted by paperSkin
As long as your child is a healthy weight I don't think you should worry too much. You can find out from your doctor about the weight charts. Also the tip about timing the food is so crucial. My kids eat at very particular times.. if I miss that time there will be a battle between us. They go from hungry to starving to not interested in a matter of 30 minutes. So I have to be ahead of them or they won't eat.
The other thing I find really helps is if you involve them in the cooking process somehow. Even if it is watching. My Mom's fail safe for when my kids aren't eating and they are with her is to have a french toast party. They make the french toast together and eat it together.
You are right, he loves to be with me in the kitchen! He's too young but I let him "help me" even if it is trowing something in the garbage for him is a celebration. I used to be worried about his weight in the past, he seemed not to be putting a lot of it but the Pediatrician always told me he was in the right track. I guess in my culture we are used to chubby babies and that's ahy I was always asking questions about his weight. He is almost 19m and only 26 pounds, he has come a long way if I take in consideration all the challenges that he had since he was born.
Thank for responding!
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Originally Posted by tommy
I just thought I would add to this really good advice, that one of the things I was really concerned about was passing my food issues on to my son. I completely eliminated the idea of food as a reward or treat. I never made him eat if he was not hungry. In my specific case that has worked out well. He truly only eats when he is hungry. He is 18 now. I would love to be there! He was exposed to all kinds of foods and is an adventurous eater for the most part, like Vietnamese pho soup as his comfort food, will grill Korean tabletop Q as a resto, is my taste tester for home made salsa and guacamole, etc. But he does not really ever get cravings because nothing has been off limits I think. Everyone is different, but I thought I would share my experience.
That's exactly what is happening. As a child I grew up exposed to all variety of food BUT we weren't supervised in terms of sodas/junk (such as cheetos, ice cream...In my culture a hot dog and such things are not considered a meal) so when I was more independent I would not control the amount of junk. When I was pregnant the diagnosed me with "gestetional diabetes" and I took care of myself because of my baby. I don't want him to go the same path and I want to set a good example for him to see if he can prevent from developing it.
Thank you for sharing, I really appreciate it!
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Originally Posted by Hyacinth
I'd say just keep offering different whole foods to your child, cooked and raw. Every few months, I'd offer something I know my son didn't like, and he'd say "but I don't like that." I'd say, "Try it again. Your taste buds change and you might like it now." A lot of the time, he'd end up liking the food!
My mom used to add vegetables to everything ... spinach leaves on a hot dog, etc.
That's a good tip, sometimes you just give up and say "he doesn't like it". I agree that taste buds change, my mother says I used to love beets as a child and ate them in frenzy...I don't even recall touching a beet as a teen, but I would love other veggies. Your mom's idea is a great one, thanks for sharing it with me!