s/o - What won't you let your toddler eat?

[Honey693]

After reading the other thread I'm curious about what people absolutely won't let their toddler eat. With DD there is absolutely no pop, artificial sweetners or potato chips (I'm fine with tortilla chips and salsa though). We try to avoid hfcs, but mistakes happen and I don't freak out and there's other food I'm not thrilled when someone feeds her (ie grandma, who she sees once a month, sharing french fries and chicken tenders), but those are my feed my kid that and feel the mama bear wrath foods. Even DH knows better than to eat potato chips when she's awake b/c I will lose it if she grabs one.

[Raine822]

Pop, nuts(for now), juice, candy is rare and only chocolate(no artificial flavors/gummy candies), kool-aid, Popsicle(unless homemade), canned fruit(with hfcs or added sugar)

My mother insisted on feeding DD these "fruit cups"-which were gelatin, sugar, art flavor, art color, and preservatives. We told her no so she bought them for DD as a gift. When she saw them unopened she fed one to DD behind my back and told DD "your mom's gonna kill me". I flipped.

[peainthepod]

No high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors/flavors, and we do our best to eat organic produce, hormone- and antibiotics-free meat and dairy, and avoid GMO. No caffeine which means no chocolate (Yet--he's only 19 months old. I eat lots of dark chocolate and will happily share soon enough.). Anything else is pretty much fair game.

I guess it sounds really restrictive but really it just means we don't eat fast food or frozen/boxed convenience foods, drink HFCS soda (natural cane sugar soda is a different story), or eat mainstream candy. I'm sure as he gets older and more independent, he'll have the occasional exception around other people, but I'll never buy them or provide them in my kitchen.

[YayJennie]

I don't mind occasional 100% juice, but I would never give my son kool aid or juice cocktails. And definitely no soda or caffeine, although I don't drink soda either, and have severely restricted my caffeine intake because I'm pregnant. No sugar candy (like starburst or skittles) either for, although I don't think I'd freak about maple syrup candies. And I definitely limit HFCS, but he still gets some foods with it in it sometimes.

Everything else, in moderation, would probably be OK with me (I started that other thread, so I'm still struggling with this, but I'm trying to be more OK with a bit of junk food in my son's diet!)

[verde]

After reading the other thread I'm curious about what people absolutely won't let their toddler eat.

Koolaid and soda -- no artificially flavored and colored drinks.

We're pretty strict with occasional treats but we're picky about those as well.

[melon]

no fake sweetener. I'd rather him have sugar than Splenda or whatever.
my mom cooks with that crap all the time.

[treeoflife3]

I'll let my kiddo TASTE most anything, but I try to avoid all the same things everyone else does for actual EATING... hfcs, fake 'food', too much sugar, sodas/juices... I try to stick to the more healthy whole/real food options, preferrably organic but we can't afford all organic and sometimes can't afford any haha.

Thankfully, the people that matter respect that. I know a couple people who think I'm depriving her by not giving her candy and juice but she is 15 months old. She doesn't need to even know what candy is and she doesn't need all the sugar in juice. someone once asked me 'but does she get fruit?!' well, yes. I give her the actual fruit...

My family and closest friends however know to ask if she can have something if they aren't sure and to otherwise only give wholesome healthy foods.

[karika]

Originally Posted by peainthepod

No high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors/flavors, and we do our best to eat organic produce, hormone- and antibiotics-free meat and dairy, and avoid GMO. No caffeine which means no chocolate (Yet--he's only 19 months old. I eat lots of dark chocolate and will happily share soon enough.). Anything else is pretty much fair game.

I guess it sounds really restrictive but really it just means we don't eat fast food or frozen/boxed convenience foods, drink HFCS soda (natural cane sugar soda is a different story), or eat mainstream candy. I'm sure as he gets older and more independent, he'll have the occasional exception around other people, but I'll never buy them or provide them in my kitchen.

Oops, except the chocolate part. I do eat dark, dairy free chocolate and enjoy life chocolate chips and my children eat them too. i do not see that I will ever buy or allow mainstream candy to be eaten here again. I protect us from GMO as best as I can, and all the major candies have a GMO ingredient now (not to mention the colorings and chemical flavorings). I have to add that I will not have dd2 taste anything made with cow's milk either. There will be no fast food of any type for dd2 (nor anymore for dd1) either. Unless a chain of environmentally conscious, sustainable thinkers that produce GFCFSF food pops up....

[MusicianDad]

My clothes...

Only partly kidding.

I also don't let him have junk food in general unless it's a very special occasion, such as a birthday party. Right now though, he things bananas and apples are treats. Over Christmas his step-aunt offered him a piece of chocolate his response was "No! I want a treat."

ETA: Yes, my parents both think we've made him a little crazy.

[happysmileylady]

Right now, the only thing that is 100% completely off limits is pop. Also, 99% of the time, juice has to be 100% juice only-as in the ingredient list says apple juice, or orange juice, and that's it. I am fairly certain that she's never had any other "juice" other than that, but I wouldn't say it's 100% off limits. I just don't buy other juices.

Other than that, I don't make anything forbidden fruit. There's quite a bit that I simply don't buy, such as jello cups or potato chips, but if she has it at a family member's house during a get together, I am not going to flip out. And as far as what we it, I think it's just wrong to eat in front of her and not let her have it, so if it's ok for us to eat, she can have a taste. I think it's even more wrong to hide food from her...if we have to hide it, we probably shouldn't have it anyway. So if I don't want her to have it, I generally just don't buy it.

The biggest reason the pop is off limits is dental. I have suffered quite a few dental problems as the result of pop consumption that began in my teen years. DH got dentures at age 37 because his teeth are just genetically bad. I am not going to accelerate any dental problems she might be destined to by allowing her to start with pop this early, before she even HAS all ehr teeth.

[treeoflife3]

Originally Posted by happysmileylady

Other than that, I don't make anything forbidden fruit. There's quite a bit that I simply don't buy, such as jello cups or potato chips, but if she has it at a family member's house during a get together, I am not going to flip out. And as far as what we it, I think it's just wrong to eat in front of her and not let her have it, so if it's ok for us to eat, she can have a taste. I think it's even more wrong to hide food from her...if we have to hide it, we probably shouldn't have it anyway. So if I don't want her to have it, I generally just don't buy it.

That is how we are as well, especially the bolded. If I don't want her to have it, it is probably for health reasons so I probably don't need it either. If I DO make the choice to have it, then I see nothing wrong with giving her at least a small taste because obviously I've weighed the pros and cons of having something that isn't good for us.

If I really don't want her to have it, I just don't buy it. Some things I won't let her have at others' house that I won't buy, such as candy, but otherwise if we are there, that is the only time she'd get the chance to taste something I won't buy for us. At her current age though, giving her ANYTHING is enough so I can give her water instead of the juice cocktail others are drinking for now. Easy enough.

[RaeEllen]

No meat or meat products (jello, rennet, etc). No juice. No candy. It's not that we never have these in the house, but I figure why give them to her until she really wants them. (Except for the meat. That won't be in the house and she willl have to make an informed decision if she wants to eat meat)

[Baby_Cakes]

No meat, dairy, or animal products, no soda...that's probably about it. I dilute juice -- she doesn't ever get it straight. And if I'm eating chips she's welcome to share. I wasn't always this way, but I've loosened up over the past few months!

[CherryBomb]

Originally Posted by happysmileylady

Other than that, I don't make anything forbidden fruit. There's quite a bit that I simply don't buy, such as jello cups or potato chips, but if she has it at a family member's house during a get together, I am not going to flip out. And as far as what we it, I think it's just wrong to eat in front of her and not let her have it, so if it's ok for us to eat, she can have a taste. I think it's even more wrong to hide food from her...if we have to hide it, we probably shouldn't have it anyway. So if I don't want her to have it, I generally just don't buy it.

This is basically how we are. My toddler turned 2 in March. She's kiddo number three and I guess I've laxed up a lot. I'm not really into making things forbidden, unless there's an allergy or something. If grandma gives her kool aid once a month it's just not a big deal to me anymore. My kids are all pretty healthy eaters so I don't stress about them getting junk occasionally.

[gagin37]

nothing with whey in it. no juice, soda, no fast food. sadly I have to be very vigilant about what fruit he eats because he reacts to it so badly. Absolutely no strawberries, cherries, pineapple, cranberries, or oranges. We don't do potato chips, but sometimes we have tortilla chips (like once a month). I try not to give him food with HFCS, but once in a while it sneaks in. I try not to worry if it's very rare, and in tiny amounts. He occasionally gets a bite or two of dark chocolate (we gets organic dark chocolate covered raisins for a treat once in a while, he LOVES them and they don't seem to bother his stomach).

[junipervt]

DD does not eat anything w. 'fake' stuff in it (colors, sweeteners, msg, etc), caffeine (chocolate, coffee, soda), high fructose corn syrup, or anything w/ a lot of sugar like candy.

I have no problem telling her that something I am eating / drinking is not for her & she seems fine w/ it. In our home some things like chocolate, coffee & beer are just for adults.

[hollytheteacher]

Originally Posted by junipervt

DD does not eat anything w. 'fake' stuff in it (colors, sweeteners, msg, etc), caffeine (chocolate, coffee, soda), high fructose corn syrup, or anything w/ a lot of sugar like candy.

I have no problem telling her that something I am eating / drinking is not for her & she seems fine w/ it. In our home some things like chocolate, coffee & beer are just for adults.

Same in our house except ds can have chocolate (only the "good" kind though) like Lake Champlain chocolate (local and yummy).

He also knows that soda is not for kids (dh drinks it) and is always flabbergasted when he sees other kids at the park drinking soda "dat silly mama! soda is only for grown ups!"

[claras_mom]

No choking hazards (which, as far as I'm concerned includes chips).

We don't drink soda; I dilute what little juice she gets.

She is allowed small tastes of dark chocolate, cake and ice cream but no other candy.

We limit dairy, because it seems †o irritate her tummy a little.

[Oliver'sMom]

We live by an "everything in moderation" motto. There isn't any food or drink that is completely off limits for ds. Granted, he's 3.5 now. When he was under the age of two I had more strict rules. Also, I don't buy soda or junk food or fast food, so ds doesn't have much opportunity to have this stuff. If we're at a party or a friend's house or travelling or something though, pretty much anything goes.

[EdnaMarie]

Okay, there's what I feed them, and then there's what they eat.

We eat whole foods. Pretty much the only thing processed are whole wheat pastas. Well. Unless you count drying the beans, drying spices, etc. The list of what they don't eat is pretty much anything that doesn't meet the definition of "food or spices".

However, I do not refuse them treats given by old ladies at the grocery store, by loving family members, and so on. Birthday cakes and frosting have sugar. And so on. Once or twice a year we do eat fast food when it's a serious emergency.

Everything in moderation. I have had to be this way because we have a very loving, generous family on both sides that loves to shove candy and cookies in babies' mouths (not all day, but on occasion). And who am I to deny my babies gramma-lovin' and uncle-spoilin'?