s/o - What won't you let your toddler eat? - Page 2

[mokey4]

For the most part, DD eats what we eat. So we try to eat better. But she is 16 months old, and there are certain things we do consume that are still off-limits for her. Once she can ask for them by name (and is less easily appeased by a substitute) I might change my tune, or we'll have to stop buying these things and consuming them ourselves. I don't know, we'll see.

So for now, the only beverages DD gets are water and milk (usually just breastmilk). No juice, no soda, no anything else. Someday we'll give her diluted juice, but for now I don't see any need. I'm putting soda off as long as possible, and I think I'll have to get DH to stop drinking/buying it (he's better than he was but still wants it on occasion).

Food- no cookies, chips, or candy of any kind. We don't eat a lot of these things, and when we do we try to not do it when DD is around. DH has a bit of a chip problem, and when he's eating them DD asks but we give her a cracker instead. A whole grain, low salt, preferably organic cracker .

But as for regular meal foods we're pretty easy-going. We very rarely eat fast food, and when we do it's usually something like a falafel or pizza, not burgers. We did BLW with DD, so she really does get to eat whatever we eat. I wish we bought more organic & quality meats, but we're poor so we just do the best we can.

[Heidi74]

Normally, we eat healthy-quite a bit of organic foods, hardly anything processed, etc. We drink water and milk at home, with an occasional glass of OJ. Otherwise, we don't really buy juice, and only have soda once in a blue moon.

For my almost three year old, the things I am most opposed to him having are a lot of artificial colors. I won't freak out if he has an occasional handful of M&Ms, but don't like him having things like Kool Aid, Jello, and such. Artificial sweetners are also a no-no. We're also holding off on peanuts for a while longer, though I have started giving him cashews lately. Otherwise, coffee and any other such adult beverages are a no-no.. He didn't have ice cream and cake until he was almost a year and a half. (Well, some banana cake on his first birthday) and didn't have candy until age two. I think he's tasted soda a couple of times in the last year. He gets a small glass of diluted juice at an early childhood program we go to a couple of times a week.

I've relaxed a bit with my 11 month old--mainly because what brother gets, he will throw a fit if he doesn't get. This means that he has had a small serving of ice cream more than once recently, and I'm not as paranoid about sugar as I was with his brother. He has also tasted diluted juice once or twice, but I try to distract him with water. Because of his age, I am stricter with him though--absolutely no artifical gunk and all the obvious chokable foods like nuts, hot dogs, whole grapes, that whole list. Also steering clear of a few highly allergenic foods until he is at least a year. We do BLW, so he typically eats what we eat.

Other than those things, I'll let them try just about anything. But everything in moderation, of course.

[ashleyhaugh]

the only thing that we truly avoid 100% are artificial sweetners, because i have pretty bad reactions to them. hes allergic to dairy so that does limit some of the junk options. we eat out more than we should. i try to limit candy, cookies, and other junk, but he gets them tsometimes.... i dont give him soda, but i know his dad has before. we try to limit the hfcs, but its in everything, so he gets some of that too...

as far as allergens and/or choking hazards, well he gets all of that... i used to joke when he was younger that his favorite foods were choking hazards, lol

[Jaxinator]

Soda and fake juices and most fast food. I have a Taco Bell weakness, so my son will get a quesadilla, but that's it.
The soda and juices are so pointless to me, I can't see the point in them at all, might as well suck on a sugar cube. I do buy 100% juice, then cut it 50/50 with water.
As a treat he gets fizzy juice which is either apple or pear juice with carbonation.

[baglady]

I try not to restrict much. I will say no to him eating anything with fake sugar.

I try to fill the pantry with and prepare healthy meals and snacks. I'd say 95% of our meals are at home, so for the most part he eats a healthful diet. If we are at a restaurant or someone's house and he has a french fry or a chicken nugget I don't stress out. I think those things are unhealthy but they are probably only really detrimental if they are eaten as part of a typical American diet. I think because we eat healthfully, occasional junk won't add to or harm anything.

I want DS to grow up with a healthy relationship to food and I fear being too restrictive.

[~savah~]

I try my best not to let dd eat anything with hfcs, artificial flavorings/colorings/sweeteners, nitrites or nitrates or msg. I do let her have sips of soda as long as they are caffeine free and made with real sugar. At home we eat 99% organic but if we are out and someone offers her a non-organic string cheese it's not the end of the world. She also doesn't eat anything with gluten because she is very sensitive to it.

[crunchy_mommy]

No meat, fish, dairy, eggs, or other animal products.
No juice or soda.
No refined sugars, artificial colors/sweeteners/flavorings.
Minimal soy, gluten, processed foods.

We're super strict with food but the general rule is he can eat anything I can & he can't have anything I won't eat. Oh and chocolate... he's only allowed very small tastes until he's older due to caffeine (though he seems to have other plans and once grabbed DH's last piece, stuffed it in his mouth, and said "YUM YUM" as DH tries to fish it out ).

[Jayray]

No chocolate, candy or soda. No artificial sweeteners of any kind. At the moment, I'm kind of anti-juice. I don't even usually drink juice. I think of it as a treat. At this point, I still want DS (12 mo) to think of water as the main beverage (after bm), so I don't want him whining for juice yet.

I still haven't introduced cow's milk as a beverage and I feel kind of funny about it.

Otherwise I let DS have little tastes of almost anything, but if it's ice cream or brownies or cookies or something like that, I only give him tiny amounts. I can't get away with eating anything without giving him a taste!!

[dividedsky]

no candy until they can ask for it. then, in moderation.

same goes for sugary drinks (juice, soda, etc). people seriously think i'm crazy because i don't give my boys juice to drink... "give them something with taste!". but seriously, why start a bad habit? why does a beverage need to taste like something? they like to drink water when they're thirsty. so do i. i think it's actually pretty normal