eating sticks of butter

[denaverbena]

1 yr old dd really wants to eat butter, I mean hold the whole stick and chew on it! If we leave it on the table she wants it and if i try and leave the room to distract her she remembers a while later and goes back to get it. Do you think her body is craving fats? My mom says she would catch me in the kitchen doing the same thing, so maybe it runs in the family Does anyone else's little ones do this?

[Lucy Alden]

Totally normal. All my kids, and my friends kids, have done this. I usually take a hunk and put it on a spoon so its not quite as messy. I believe there are trace minerals in butter that are hard to get in other food sources. I'd check out the Traditional Foods Forum. Those mamas have a ton of information on why real butter is good!

[Oriole]

I remember eating chunks of butter as a kid. :Puke

I'm quite healthy these days all around. No weird butter cravings.

[sleepgrins]

my 3yo dd still asks for "butter on my plate" when she sees it out. She doesn't want it melted on anything, so I just give her a tablespoon with her dinner sometimes. At least it's organic I guess

[KristyDi]

Originally Posted by Oriole

I remember eating chunks of butter as a kid. :Puke

I'm quite healthy these days all around. No weird butter cravings.

I did too! I used to make butter sandwiches. Slices of butter on folded over bread. I thought that was awesome.

[LCBMAX]

I never even bothered posting about this since I thought my 2 yo son inherited my love of butter and it was all my fault. When we can stand the price, I try to get a separate bar of the fancy organic spring-pastured-cow-cultured? butter that's just for his buttery pleasure, so when I do give him a spoonful or 3, I know he's eating the best quality. But honestly, I'm someone who considers popcorn and toast to be mere drug delivery devices for my butter fix, so I'm likely to be super tolerant about this behavior.

[prothyraia]

My 20 month old just did this today. We were baking cookies and I couldn't find the stick of butter that I'd gotten out...

[Shelsi]

I used to eat butter like that too. We used to roll them in sugar though and call them "shame sticks" LMAO

I also used to eat mayo right out of the jar with a spoon, yuck!

[lunarlady]

When I was a kid, I would share a whole stick of butter with my grandfather. He died of a heart attack at 65. Thankfully, I grew out of that craving around age 12, but I will still drink the melted butter left over from dunking crab or artichokes. Ah, delish butter. My DD loves butter too, and wants her toast served cold so she can lick the butter off the top. She gets so disapointed if it melts in. I treat it like chocolate or other sweets -- okay in moderation.

Remember, it is just churned cream, which is really only a few steps up from whole milk. Okay, that's a lifetime of why I like butter talking, but really, it has to be better for the kid than jelly beans, "fruit" snacks, or some of the other things kids are eating all over the place. So I say, give 'em a littl' pat o' butter!

[denaverbena]

Liked all the stories I give it to her whenever she asks now and she gets her fill, just a few little bites, She tries to feed it to me,but I can't stand the thought of plain raw butter, yuck! We'll have to pick up some of the organic grass-fed stuff.

[MamaPhD]

My niece used to lick a pad of butter with her eyes closed whenever we ate out when she was 4 or 5. Now in high school, she still savors the pure buttery goodness once in a while. She is slim and healthy, btw. None of her or my family does that though.

[karika]

dd1 did that (it was before we were dairy free). Their body wants something in there apparently. I went to supersupplements and got her a high quality cod liver oil. We called it her 'special butter' she still loves it. Lemon flavor is her favorite.

[One_Girl]

I saw this on new posts and it reminded me of dd. She used to do the same thing when she was little. My brother also liked butter a lot and had to have peanut butter and butter sandwiches for years. I think craving good fats is possible, but butter also has vitamin A, and sometimes other vitamins, in it and it may be that she is craving the butter to get that.

[Purple*Lotus]

My Uncle used to put the Crisco in the can on bread and eat it. My Grandmother was horrified

[Peony]

Both my DD's loved sticks of butter. DD1 is 7 and well beyond her stick eating days, DD2 is 3 and appears to be slowing down now.

[proudmamanow]

My 5 yo will still do this if we leave her alone with the butter...sigh!

And fwiw, I remember eating Crisco out of the fridge as a kid!

[Thalia]

DD is 32 months and butter has got to be her favorite food. We give her the organic cultured pasture fed stuff, and try to keep the amount somewhat reasonable. I'm sure she would eat half a stick if we offered it to her.

[JennaW]

My DD (almost 21 months) loves butter. I like to say her diet is 90% breastmilk, butter and oranges. I let her have as much as she wants but she is just tipping 20 pounds at 21 months so I am grateful for each pat she eats.

[JennaW]

And I just want to add that even if she was a big kid I would let her have the butter. I don't consider butter an unhealthy food, especially for growing toddlers (of all sizes) that need lots of fat, especially for brain development.

[Italiamom]

This thread has me craving a piece of toast with my butter!!

In all seriousness though, I think the suggestions from the ladies above me to just LET her eat butter are very sound, especially at this age. Their little brains NEED fat, and a good organic butter can provide healthy fat. And imagine how delighted your DD will be when she reaches for that butter and you say "OK!" and break her off a big pat to eat