does this sound like a balanced day's food intake?

[CassnBeth]

My daughter isn't even turning one until Thursday but, since she eats more like a toddler, I am going to put this here.

Could I get some feedback on my daughter's diet? My own feelings about it keep swinging wildly from thinking she doesn't get enough fruit/veggies to worry about her fat intake so I could use some other opinions. Yesterday was a pretty typical day and she ate...

Breakfast -- a slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter
Lunch -- half a nectarine, half a kiwi, about 3/4 of a cup of rice/pork/tomatoes mixed
Dinner -- second half of the nectarine, about 1/3 of a cup of peas, a scrambled egg

Instead of snacks between those meals, DD gets 3 ounces of breastmilk (that's all I can get her to take) in a bottle before each nap, 4 ounces at bedtime and she suddenly started sleeping all night long so nothing for twelve hours overnight. At each meal she gets however much food she asks for; she says "more more" if she is still hungry so the portions are set by her, not me. What do people think?

[alegna]

That sounds like a LOT of food for a 1yr old. My first thought would be to encourage more breastmilk.

-Angela

[fruitfulmomma]

If you don't already, I would offer a bottle of milk first thing in the morning before breakfast. It is easily digestible and would still allow her room for other foods.

I think her food choices look fine and I do think it is good for her to maintain portion control herself. As far as fat, not sure if you mean she is getting too much or too little, but based on your menu I would be wanting her to get more, maybe add some butter to the toast, veggies, and eggs.

I wouldn't be really concerned about it. Continue to offer her both breast milk and wholesome foods and I'm sure she'll be fine.

[Jayray]

That sounds very similar to what my DS eats and I basically do the same--let him eat until he's finished. He might even eat a little more and he nurses several times a day and several times a night!!! I don't know where it all goes!

[CassnBeth]

Whoops -- I should have explained. This is all the breastmilk I can get in to my daughter.

We have been struggling with this since she was born. She has never latched and won't take bottles unless she is sleepy. I can MAYBE get two ounces more into her if I offer right after her afternoon nap but, otherwise, that's it. It is not at all uncommon for her to decide she wants to just comfort nurse at the bottle and not take any liquid at all. And, no, there isn't a lipase issue and she doesn't do any better on someone else's breastmilk. Formula was a complete refusal and she's dairy intolerant so I'm not too keen on formula for her anyway.

DD weighed seven pounds eight ounces at birth and is now about eighteen pounds and 30/31 inches tall. We're going to ask for a referral at her one year appointment to get her checked for more intolerances because I have no idea what her body is doing with all this food. Even putting canola oil on all her veggies she doesn't seem to gain much.

[LadyCatherine185]

It sounds to me like she needs more protein/fat. Try avocado, shredded chicken, beans, etc. My milk dried up a few months ago due to pregnancy, so we give DS (also dairy sensitive) Coconut Milk, which has a lot of "good" fats in it. You can also add Coconut Oil to her foods.

[Jayray]

After thinking about it (and witnessing him eat most of a piece of spanakopita by himself at lunch), I realized that DS probably eats a bit more than your DD. And he doesn't gain very much either. He's only in the 25th percentile.

Have you tried tofu or any other soy products? Can she handle yogurt or is all dairy out? I also second avocado. DS likes it best when it's mixed with something--like made into guacamole. I figured out that DS likes food a lot better when it's seasoned. He doesn't like the plain, flavorless baby-versions of food.

[riverscout]

I don't see that there is any problem with her diet. She is eating better than either of mine were at that age. Good variety in my opinion...fruits, veggies, meats, grains, eggs, nut butters...I wish my 20 month old ate that well .

If you're concerned about the breastmilk issue, what about yogurt as a sub? I know you said she's dairy intolerant, but sometimes people with dairy intolerances can handle yogurt. The coconut milk a PP mentioned might be good too. It's in the dairy case at my store with the cow's milk, and it's pretty yummy.

As for her size, again I don't see the problem. She is a little slimmer than my daughter was at that age but a good bit taller (mine was almost 21lbs and 29 inches but she was also 8.5 lbs at birth). And if memory serves, my daughter was always up in the 80 to 90 something percentile.

I think bringing up at her one year visit sounds like a good idea. I'd bet your pediatrician will put your mind at ease.

[SilverFish]

have you tried giving her breastmilk in a cup? mixed into other foods? as a slushy or in popsicle form? if she's against bottles, she might be more into other forms of taking liquids... sippy cups, curly straws, etc.

some people have also had luck with making cheese or yogurt with breastmilk. i'm not sure how those compare in fat content with other milks and dairy products, but it might be an intriguing way for her to take more breastmilk.

[MountainMamaGC]

She sounds fine to me. I wouldnt do canola oil (GMO). I would do coconut oil or avocado. My DD cant do cows milk but she handles goats milk perfectly.

Its sounds like you are nursing as much as you can and you certainly cant force a child to breastfeed.

My DD is very petite, but she is healthy and meeting milestones so her weight and size (3%) has never been an issue for me.