My daughter is 12 months old and really enjoys her solids. She’s exclusively breastfed and we’ve been doing BLW and some spoon feeding too. When she was spoon fed it was either food that I had made (yay magic bullet!) or organic jars. Obviously her days of being fed by us have ended (except for messy things like yogurt and soup etc). I’m pretty health conscious and have done a metric ton of reading about food and the effect food has on our bodies. All of this research and reading was done waaay prior to becoming pregnant. I’m a workout fanatic and like to maximize my workout efforts by eating the right things. So again, this research has been with me for a while. My issue is that I know I think about food differently than other people in my life….mainly my family, my boyfriend’s family and the ladies at daycare. And I’m struggling to not freak out when I read on her daycare sheet that my little girl had Cheese Nibs for a snack one afternoon. Or when I caught her aunt giving her ice cream. Or when someone has given her goldfish crackers. It’s just a couple tablespoons, right? It’s just 5 or 6 gold fish, isn’t it? Not the end of the world. But inside I am SICK. Sick to my stomach that my daughter was just given a bunch of sodium, artificial ingredients and preservatives. I plaster on a smile and try try try to let it go. But man, it’s hard. At daycare I bring my daughters food everyday but I let the daycare ladies know that if she’s still hungry and out of her own meals she can have some of the daycare provided snacks….hence the Cheese Nibs. And yes, she does have snacks that I leave at daycare. But sometimes they forget….or I suspect that it’s just easier to give everyone the same thing.
A rational person could point out that I make crappy food choices too. And that is true. But I guess my thinking is that if I get down on a Mountain Dew, pork rinds and a butter burger for lunch I know exactly what it’s doing to my body. My kid doesn’t. That’s why I’m there…..to make decisions that she can’t. I’m just finding it very difficult to get the point across to other people….especially without sound like a crazy food obsessed freak. Maybe I am. Anyone else struggling?
Sorry that this has been so all over the place…. and so long!
A rational person could point out that I make crappy food choices too. And that is true. But I guess my thinking is that if I get down on a Mountain Dew, pork rinds and a butter burger for lunch I know exactly what it’s doing to my body. My kid doesn’t. That’s why I’m there…..to make decisions that she can’t. I’m just finding it very difficult to get the point across to other people….especially without sound like a crazy food obsessed freak. Maybe I am. Anyone else struggling?
Sorry that this has been so all over the place…. and so long!
. My oldest DD is 3 years old right now and I was blessed enough to have 9 months of maternity leave. During that time I only feed her whole foods and was even giving her things like flax and kelp. I didn't even introduce wheat until 1 year. Given, I have many food sensitivites myself and that was one of the reasons that I am careful about the things she ate but I also realize the importance of food. I also have the same mindset as you in that she didn't have a choice what she ate nor did she realize the effect her food choices could have on her body. Her first daycare set-up was an in-home daycare and even though they had been in business for 17 years I got the strangest looks. One day I sent hummus with DD and I got ten million questions about it. And they weren't just innocent questions....I felt like they were attacking questions and trying to make me feel guilty for not letting my DD eat whatever they served there because it would be easier for them and DD wouldn't feel "left out". We transitioned DD into a larger daycare facility 6 months later and they were WAY more understanding. I still send food with DD occasionally especially if cake is one of the "snacks" for the day (I just can't come to grips with giving DD cake as a snack....it's a dessert!!!). Thankfully I have a little bit of an excuse to be vigilent about DD's food choices because she ended up being allergic to dairy. But even if she wasn't I would still feel the same way I do. I still cringe when she gets "pee pee" candy (for going potty on the toilet) or when she eats cake at a birthday party but I'm starting to let go a little more. Plus having DD2 since then has kind of forced me to. I just can't prepare all of DD1s meals and snacks like I used to. I just make sure her meals at home are nutritous and wholesome. The daycare doesn't serve breakfast so I send breakfast with DD1 in the morning and it's oatmeal with spinach and either blueberries, strawberries or some other fresh fruit. I even throw some goat's milk yogurt in there occasionally. All of the teachers have commented how DD devours her oatmeal 
. My DH and I laugh because the day DD1 gets served oatmeal in a restaurant she's going to ask where the spinach is, lol! All this to say that I don't think you are crazy. I think everyone has their priorities and other people should respect that. Making sure your child is fed nutritious food is a priority for you and you shouldn't feel guilty about that. I think you'll relax a bit more as your DD gets older and eats larger amounts of food so you won't worry about the little that she does eat being either good or bad. You'll know if she has a little bit of a processed food she can still have room for some nutritious food later. Also, she'll be able to make her own choices. One thing you can start doing is talking to your DD about the effects of food. I tell DD1 that fruits, veggies, whole grains, and clean protein help her body grow and that cake and ice cream will not. She understands that cake and ice creams are "treats" and not to be expected every day. We've also taught DD1 that "dessert" is fruit, a cereal bar or granola bar. Just a few ideas for the future. Don't worry, momma.....you are doing a great job.
