You could try starting with sweeter versions, like this recipe for maple glazed carrots (from the About.com section "Veggie Reciples Our Kids Eat"). Baby steps Also, the parents of the little girl I nanny for use half 100% fruit juice (pomegranate, mostly) and half water - the kids can't tell the difference and it makes it much healthier.
8 Medium sized carrots
1/2 c Fresh orange juice
3 T Maple syrup
1 Pinch of nutmeg
3 T Butter
PREPARATION:
Peel carrots; cut into sticks. Pour the orange juice into a 4 cup microwave safe dish. Heat 1 minute at high . Add the carrots. Stir to coat the carrots with the orange juice. Cover and microwave 8 to 9 minutes at high.
Stir again, then add the remianing ingredients. Microwave, uncovered 2 minutes at high. Stir then check for doneness. If necessary, cook another 1 minute at High.
Even whole juice really isn't all that great a beverage for small children (or adults for that matter), especially as more than an occasional treat, because the calorie count rises so much more quickly than the nutrients, and from a bottle the sugars (natural or not) pool around the bases of the teeth and rot the teeth (until you've seen a severe case of bottlemouth, from parents putting their babies and toddlers to bed with a bottle of milk or juice, it's hard to imagine how bad this can be, sometimes rotting teeth, before they emerge from the gums).
There really isn't much difference between apple juice and Kool-Aid. It's really a shame, because if kids' tastebuds aren't warped by concentrated sweetness, they do love fresh fruit. I remember as kids, we would beg for whole oranges when they were out of season (we didn't have to beg when they were cheap) so we could make slices or wedges (we called "smiley's). I never did learn to like fruit juices unless they were diluted, even orange juice (the acid always burned the corners of my mouth, no matter how little I drank).
Still, you have to start somewhere, and people don't always deal well with drastic change.
Probably already said, but water down the juice a little bit more each day, until it's just flavored water -- Also, maybe suggest to her it's easier for your to just make the same lunch for everyone -- if he's hungry enough, he will eat it (we had to do that with our son when he was younger). Maybe even start by telliing him he has to eat two or three bites of the "good stuff" before he can have his junk food. I doubt you can change her mind -- parent's are stubborn!! I think most of us feel what we are doing is okay, or we wouldn't be doing it. Good luck, they are luck to have you for a babysitter!!!
Well, today was Beans 'n Weenies day for David.... yay!
So, I revolted. I made spagetti today for my kids for lunch using 97% lean beef and whole grain noodles. I decided to give some to David for lunch too. I also made some veggies (I cook fresh garlic, onion, zuccini and mushroom in some EVOO). I picked out the zuccini pieces for my kids, and some for David as well. I gave him his first bite of spagetti and he LOVED it! Next bite.... a chunk of zuccini. I put it in his mouth and he immediately spit it out and made a face like he was about to vomit. But, I told him sternly "David, bite. David, eat it". I held out another bite of spagetti and told him to eat the bite of zuccini and he'd have another bite of spagetti. AND HE ATE THE ZUCCINI!!!! So, we continued that way the entire lunch. Bite of spagetti, bite of zuccini. With each bite of zuccini, he looked less and less grossed out by it. He probably ate 5 or 6 good size chunks of it!! Everytime he'd eat a bite of it, I'd praise him. Tell him how proud I was of him, etc.
At the end of lunch, I decided to see if he'd eat some fresh fruit. I tried grapes and bananas. He held both up to his tongue and licked them very cautiously. Then immediately threw them down and turned his face. He wouldn't even try them! Tomorrow I'll try apples and pineapple. I do know he likes watermelon. We don't have any watermelon right now though.
I try not to give him his juice when he's here. I either give him the 100% fruit juice we have or water. I looked closer at the label on his juice and it says it's 50% less sugar than regular fruit juice. But contains less than 2% of natural and artificial flavors. The first 2 ingredients are water and high fructose corn syrup. It also says "not a significant source of fiber, vitamin A, iron and Vitamin C. I compared this to my kids juice that says "contains pure filtered water, concentrated apple juice, vitamin C" He will hardly drink the fruit juice I give him, so he mainly drinks water - even that is a last resort for him.
Things got rocky with us and his parents last week. I watch David for $50 a week. Since they are our friends, we decided to watch him for a sharp discount compared to a daycare (daycares charge between $100-$125 a week!). Somewhere along the way they decided they couldn't afford $50 a week and decided they'd just pay me $30 a week!! They still owe me for the past 2 weeks. So, I told them I couldn't watch him for less than $50 a week! For $30 a week, as long as he's here everyday (from 7:30am until 5 or 5:30 PM / 5 days a week), that's about $0.60 an HOUR! So, once they couldn't find anyone else to watch him, they decided they'd just have to "come up with" $50 a week. I have yet to see any money from them (other than the $30 they gave the hubby for gas a week ago so he could get to work). If they go another 2 weeks without paying me anything, I will be telling them that I can't watch David anymore. I feel kind of like I'm being used by them for cheap babysitting. Yes, we're their friends, and if they ever needed a date night, we'd gladly watch him for free! But, having him here 5 days a week, close to 10 hours a day is a JOB. I don't think they see it that way. I think they see it as we're their friends so we should watch him for whatever they can afford. It wouldn't bother me so much if they weren't going out to eat 2-3 times a week, she drives down nearly 40 miles one way once a week to have lunch with him (waste of gas!), he somehow has all this money to buy xbox games, etc. Yet, they can't afford $20 more per week for someone to watch their son. If they acted a little worse off then they tell us they are, it'd be a little easier to believe. Heck, aside from the fair, I can't remember the last time we had enough extra cash sitting around to go out to eat!
Okay...well, that's my vent for the day! I did get David to eat Zuccini!! WHOOHOO!!! But things with his parents are getting more and more rough
Last edited by LondonJulz; 10-10-2007 at 05:30 PM.
Even if they are 'friends' you are being taken advantage of. Here I pay £3.50 (approx $7) an hour for my 8 y.o to be looked after for 3 hours a day (one hour before and 2 hours after school). Please don't allow this to continue.
If they were your "friends" they wouldn't be taking advantage of you like this. Watching their child should be invaluable to them and they should appreciate more than they obviously do. At $50 a week, I'm sure they know they are getting an incredible bargain, they are just abusing it. You don't owe them anything, if you decide not to watch him anymore, please don't feel guilty, you have done more than your share. I have a friend that does daycare and she is abused much like you constantly, it's the love of kids that keeps her going, but eventually, enough is enough. You could watch the child of someone you "aren't friends with" and make three times as much. Good luck.
What about the tax credit people get for child care. If they are not taking advantage of it, they should. And if they are taking advantage of it, they're making a profit by having you babysit.
My step son eats a diet like that, only maybe add sugary drinks, chicken nuggets and french fries. It really is because his mother feeds him like that, and makes chicken nuggets when its something he doesn't like, really a bad idea as a child gets older. My step son has the opposite problem, he is very underweight and small. Its because of his diet.
Does "David" have developmental delays or odd social behaviors?? Kids with PDD or Aspergers or Autism often are very restricted eaters. The good old "If they get hungry enough they will eat the healthy food" does not work with them. Just a thought.
We have a daughter who eats healthy and a son with mild Aspergers who does not, even though we have used the same techniques with him. He is not allowed to subsist on junk, but won't eat fruits or veggies either. His main foods are milk, mac&cheese, peanut butter, hot dogs, etc.
You might try a bingo card posted on the refrigerator. The bingo card should have a theme, like fruits or veggies or new tastes. Each time one of your children or David eats a new fruit or veggie or tastes a new food, they cover a space. WHen they get 5 in a row, they get BINGO. They could earn a prize or reward he covets.
Hey Michelle - thanks for your advise! I am not watching "David" anymore though. We are still in communication with his mom and dad (mainly because his dad and my hubby work together), but we moved about 30 minutes away so it was inconvenient for them to have to bring him to our new house in the mornings. His grandmother now watches him.
I have often wondered if he had some sort of developmental delays or other problems. I'm not being rude. He's nearly 2 (he'll be 2 next month) and doesn't say any words - he just grunts or screeches depending on the mood he's trying to convey. He reminded me of a caveman with the way he grunted. Our daughter is about a month and a half younger than "David" and her vocabulary is through the roof. I know it was a source of frustration for Davids parents when they came to pick him up and our daughter would be blabbering in near-sentences and David wouldn't even say anything. (YES, I do realize that every child is different and every child reaches milestones at different times - I was just surprised that at nearly 2 years old, he's not even trying to say any words).
So - there is a little bit of an update. David now stays with his grandma during the days. I know he's been sick 3 times in the past month that he's been there. His grandmother is really obese and from what David's dad has told us she sits around all day and watches TV and eats Cheetoh's. But she's watching David for free. So, you get what you pay for I guess.
And, they have yet to pay me for the first 3 weeks I babysat and the last week that I babysat, so I'm not really all that enthused about having what conversation that we do have. Oh well, live and learn.
Also, the parents of the little girl I nanny for use half 100% fruit juice (pomegranate, mostly) and half water - the kids can't tell the difference and it makes it much healthier. 
Next bite.... a chunk of zuccini. I put it in his mouth and he immediately spit it out and made a face like he was about to vomit. But, I told him sternly "David, bite. David, eat it". I held out another bite of spagetti and told him to eat the bite of zuccini and he'd have another bite of spagetti. AND HE ATE THE ZUCCINI!!!! So, we continued that way the entire lunch. Bite of spagetti, bite of zuccini. With each bite of zuccini, he looked less and less grossed out by it. He probably ate 5 or 6 good size chunks of it!! 
Everytime he'd eat a bite of it, I'd praise him. Tell him how proud I was of him, etc.
