health

i was just reading a forum in the first year section about babies eating popsicles and hot dogs.

maybe i am crazy, but my boys havent had so much as chocolate on top their baby-chinos yet...
they have never had chocolate, ice cream, juice (only ever water or milk), cake (sugar-free loafs are a treat), or anything containing sugar!

the most sugar they eat comes form fruit or yogurt

im not sure when i will start introducing sweeter things into their diet, right now they dont know the difference between "juice" and "water" so there is no point giving them sugary bottles juice!

am i nuts?

 

You won't have to introduce it at home. It will slowly creep into their diets via birthday parties, school, etc. My kids didn't ask for sweets until they were around 2 because that's when they really started hitting the birthday-party circuit.

 

We are pretty similar, so no, you're not crazy. Our boys just had hot dogs (all beef) and ice cream (all natural peach) last week for the first time. And I don't plan to make it a habit. They've also never had chocolate or cake (partially because they are soy intolerant, but that just gives me a good excuse to not let people give it to them at parties, etc.). I also am avoiding juice - I'm afraid once they have that, they won't want water anymore, which is not only healthier for them, but also free.

Everyone in our family knows by now that the boys are soy intolerant and they are not to give them ANYTHING without asking me first. Even though avoiding soy is a pain, I'm glad I've had a reason to be strict with what they eat so that they can eat healthy.

 

My MIL and I don't see eye-to-eye on this particular issue at all. We were just "discussing" it yesterday, actually.

According to my pediatrician, juice doesn't actually have any real nutritional value for children. He said that back in the 80's the juice makers (Welsch's, Gerber, Dole, etc) began to push juice as a major component to a well-balanced diet. Through their marketing WIC, many pediatricians, and the general public have become convinced that it is necessary to introduce to toddlers during the second year. The way he explained it that made sense to me is that the very fact that we refer to a broad category of beverages as "juice" (not orange juice for vitamin C, or apple for... what vitamin is in apple juice...?) has turned it in to its own food group.

I remember, when my sister was small, that she went through a phase where all she drank was apple juice. My mom couldn't get Britt to drink water because of it. I don't want that battle!

But my MIL thinks I'm being "silly" and she is the primary caregiver during the day, so I suspect my girls will be given juice and I'll have to add it to my list of things that I need to get over. Argh.

 

Well I was pretty vigilant with my first child too Then we had a second, and she had sweet tea far earlier than i planned. And then we had the twins :laughing: My kids all eat very healthy, very balanced diets so I'm not opposed to them having sweet treats now

 

I don't do hotdogs but have done a bratworst with them (which they adored- as they do with anything dipped in ketchup :lol. I grew up with food issues where some things were treats and there were limits. I'm trying to do something different with mine in that I give them a balanced diet and let them choose what they eat. Mine are really good eaters and are way happier eating fruits and veggies than I ever have been (this may be due to my DH who likes a lot of different foods, I don't know). I didn't do much sweets before a year- I think their first cake was at their birthday party. Since then, they pretty much get sweets when we do- not every day but fairly often. Summer is here and we don't have air conditioning in the house we bought so this year they will probably get more popsicles- we cut 1 of the freeze and eat kind in 1/2 for them. Although I'm about to start freezing berries and giving those out, too. As to juice, give them juice with water (1 part juice, 2 parts water) as sort of a splash of flavor. They love water, though, as it's the only drink I give them out of a glass or have in my water bottle.

 

I was a total food nazi until they were about 18 months old.. then the birthday invites, playgroups, etc. started and we had to relax. Now I basically only provide healthy fresh food at home, only water or white milk to drink (with the occasional treat) and turn a blind eye when we're out. I want my kids to be kids too, so I am not going to stop them from joining in the fun. They really like fruits and veggies though, so why mess with it?

 

I agree with this. I was CRAZY with my first...he didn't have anything with sugar/processed for a very long time. Now with the girls I have been a lot more laid back I have let them have things Dannik was never allowed to eat at this age due to birthday parties, playdates, etc. We had 2 birthday partied this past weekend and at one the girls had cake and at the other they had their first juice box (they shared it which resulted in world war 3...silly me!). I figure if what I feed them at home is healthy that once in a while when we're out it's not a big deal if they get a treat. They still do not get juice at home, only milk or water and they think fruit is dessert...I'm not about to correct them on this one .

 

I agree with your approach and we basically do the same thing. Our boys go to daycare so its not as if we could be food nazis even if we wanted to. They eat what the daycare provides. And that means a cup of juice every other day or so. At first I asked if they could dilute the juice because I've always limited their juice intake and generally only give them juice to combat constipation. But I was told that the daycare workers have to give them full strength juice due to regulations (something about the kids otherwise not getting all of the specified vitamins and they have to follow guidelines on that stuff). I could have insisted that they give them water instead, but I didn't want to be a pain and figured 3 small cups of juice a week wasn't a big deal (they rarely ever finish a whole cup of anything, including milk and water). At home they still mainly just get water and milk and have never asked for juice so they haven't turned into sugar addicted toddlers. They also eat a lot of fruit and veggies so I think its fine if they sometimes eat good quality beef kosher hot dogs and some chicken nuggets I do have to get on to my mom though for giving them Doritos and sips of her diet soda. Aaargh! I told her that I don't want them developing bad eating habits at the age of 2 years old. Sheesh. Not to mention I think Doritos are still a choking hazard at this age with their sharp corners. Anyway, I guess we as parents pick and choose the battles we wish to fight to keep our kids healthy. We just have different ideas on what makes certain foods "bad"

 

My first son didn't even know what candy was when he went trick or treating until his third halloween! We really never kept deserts or candy in the house. I remember even rationing out raisins as rewards. Fast forward to kids 2 & 3 - they haven't had candy yet, but they have had much more cake and cookies than my first. It's partly that I am more layed back, but also we are around more junk with a five year old around.

 

No, I don't think you are nuts. I don't remember when my kids had their first hot dog (maybe as they got closer to two??) and they hardly eat candy (they could take it and leave it) and they have cakes/cupcakes/ice cream for special occasions. As for juice, I usually buy the Capri Sun roaring waters because it's only 10 calories and sometimes I split it between their water cups for a treat.
I just think you have do what is best for your family...my kids have a pretty good diet, so I have no problem with them having treats.

 

Heh, my sister was just telling me a few weeks ago about how she was giving her 3.5 month old granddaughter tastes of ice cream. I don't see any reason to start kids off with food that's full of empty calories, and sugar.

That being said, I think there's a lot of room in a healthy diet for sweets, fats, and even some processed foods. I don't want my boys to learn to "value" certain foods over others because they are forbidden, but I did feed them a pretty restrictive diet when they were under 1. The first real sweet they had was their 1st birthday cake! In the second year I expanded their diets quite a bit, and did introduce some foods that are less healthy than others, but I want them to enjoy food and be sensible about it. Besides, I like me some ice cream, and it wouldn't be fair to eat it in front of them without offering any!

 

[quote name='Nate and Jack's Mom' date='06 June 2011 - 02:23 PM' timestamp='1307391803' post='1792972']
Heh, my sister was just telling me a few weeks ago about how she was giving her 3.5 month old granddaughter tastes of ice cream. I don't see any reason to start kids off with food that's full of empty calories, and sugar.
[/quote]

Wow. To me, this is very different. Young infants don't have a mature digestive system capable of handling ice cream. :faint:

 

Yeah. <_< This is me being non-judgmental. Can you hear it? I'm tryin' really hard...

 

[quote name='Nate and Jack's Mom' date='06 June 2011 - 02:56 PM' timestamp='1307393773' post='1792990']
Yeah. <_< This is me being non-judgmental. Can you hear it? I'm tryin' really hard...
[/quote]

:clapping: <--- This is me cheering you on. :lol:

 

I was pretty strict for the first year too. I am rather afraid of food allergies so I introduced any new foods or ingredients in mini amouts at home.

The first sweet treat we introduced at the end of the first year was cake/muffins/waffles/cookies - I do all our baking except for bread myself and have lots of healthy recipes (low in sugar, using whole wheat flour, lots of fruit etc.). This has always been a regular treat at our house on the weekends or when we have friends over, and DH and I decided that we were happy to keep this tradition with children. Plus they think baking with mom is a treat in itself.

My Dad loves icecream and he had adopted the same approach - he agrees with me that all the additives and junk in store-bought icecream is not a good idea for the children, so he makes his own, and the children are allowed that as a treat at my parents' house.

They are also allowed to have a bit of chocolate or a few bites of nutella toast if we have some or other treats such as hotdogs when we go to parties. Learning moderation with regard to sweet treats, dessert or a bit of junk food is part of a healthy varied diet. Sometimes they will need a reminder about moderation, but often after sharing a muffin they will go for the fruit and crackers instead which I always offer as an afternoon snack.

We do not give them juice or soda and I am still strict about that at other places too. They have water, fruit or herbal teas or milk to drink - and they think sprakling water is the best treat ever.

And I never let people give them sweets as a reward - it is one of my pet peeves when you go shopping or to the doctor, everyone is always offering sweets and that creates an unhealthy attitude to sweets in my mind.

 

This is exactly how I feel too! For example we went to an indoor play place today and the girls had french fries and gummy bears. When we got home they had apple slices and then chicken breasts, oranges, and steamed broccoli for dinner. I don't want to make sweets forbidden! My girls love healthy food so I don't feel like I need to obsess over what the eat 100% of the time.

 

Thanks, I need all the help I can get in this case! :laughing:

 

I think like anything else in life, the key is moderation. I don't believe in forbidding particular foods or giving any one food in excess. My boys eat a balanced, healthy diet. They have been offered bites of a hot dog from time to time, bites of ice cream (they don't seem to want it), and the like. We do not do juice, but I have let them have a sip now and then at a party or whatever.

I haven't read the other posts so I'm not sure what consensus is, but I don't think it's necessary to forbid any particular food if you're teaching your children proper, healthy eating habits. I also don't believe it's good to give too much of any one thing, especially if it lacks nutrients. I once watched a girlfriend put Pepsi in her son's sippy cup because "he wanted it." My issue there was more with teaching (modeling) proper habits than the soda itself.