Rant - "Give you 1 yr old all the french fries she wants." HUH?

[mamak05]

We took dd for her one year physical yesterday and the NP was concerned about her weight gain (she's holding steady at 20 lbs for the past 2 months). The NP told us to put butter on all her food and let her eat as many french fries as she wants to see if she can gain weight. Well, when she was born she weighed 6.6 and now she weighs 20.5, so obviously she can.

She did not ask us how we are feeding her (fruits, vegs, beans and 8-12 times a day of mama's milk - 90% of her diet is milk) and also told me to start giving her whole milk in a cup. Nor did she ask about our activity level, which increased quite a bit since the last physical - dd is practicing walking everywhere.

I am not planning to wean and there is NO WAY I am giving my child french fries. What the heck?? And whole milk from a cow is better than mine? I just don't get it.

I appreciate that growth charts are out there, but you only have to look at my child to know that she is growing and developing well. And why, when children born after the year 2000 have a one in three chance of developing diabetes would we start a habit like french fries?

I educate myself and do a lot of reading about parenting, breastfeeding and nutrition, but lots of people don't. RIght now, I bet a lot of moms of breastfed babies who have talked with this NP are worrying about their weight and thinking they need to feed them french fries to fatten them up!

Ergg... just needed to vent - thanks for "listening."

[JennP]

I'm sure that is about what dd weighed at a year. I see nothing worng with it as long as she is healthy and not loosing.

Skip the FF a hard habit to break I agree.

Jenn

[Daisie125]

Yeesh! Maybe baked sweet potato fries, and even then not all a baby wants.

Gaining weight from fattening foods is not a healthy option for anyone, expecially a child. "Underweight" or not.

[oldcrunchymom]

This is what the docs say every time they see my (3rd percentile in a good year) ds. "Let him eat all the [insert fatty food here] he wants." I swear, they must have a universal script they're required to memorize.

[aisraeltax]

i think i woudl have called her on that. FF are just NOT healthy. period. and i suspect she doesnt mean making your own fries. I do make sweet pot fries with EVOO and i dont think those are too fattening and are much tastier than regular fries but jeez...that NP is clueless!

[Robin926]

Wow, that's pretty horrible! IF you were concerned about fattening her up, why not encourage healthy fats, like avocados or olive oil? Sheesh!

[mamak05]

Originally Posted by aisraeltax

i think i woudl have called her on that. FF are just NOT healthy. period. and i suspect she doesnt mean making your own fries. I do make sweet pot fries with EVOO and i dont think those are too fattening and are much tastier than regular fries but jeez...that NP is clueless!

Yeah - she did not mean make your own! I did question her on the butter and frech fries to which she replied that she wasn't advocating it forever just for the next couple of months to help dd gain wieght.

But still, healthy fats like the next poster suggested - avacodo, olive oil, flax, omega3s - those would be better than saturated fats in FFs.

[Hey Mama!]

20lbs at 1 year is not underweight! Your doctor is crazy. :

[muckemom]

Yeah... um, does this guy mean actual french fries???? Because DS looooves "baby's fries" which is basically a sweet potato with some soy butter and cinnamon baked and cut into strips... maybe your doc means something like that? He can't possibly mean saturated fat, trans-fat smothered FRIED white potato... :

[paquerette]

I don't get why they recommend fatty foods to fatten up instead of carbohydrates. Didn't they learn anything from the Atkins craze? If anything, they should be suggesting more pasta and breads and rice; ideally whole grain type stuff but still. I think the only way that pushing more animal fats like dairy and fatty meat helps is because of the growth hormones in the non-organic stuff. :

[Haydee]

I get that at my DS's physicals. What is even more frustrating is that I'll schedule both DC's physicals for the same day, and they'll tell me to give DS extra fatty food, and to completely eliminate any fatty food from DD's diet. Because, you know, when I cook I make two meals all the time! One with real butter and whole milk and some extra fat just for kicks, and the other with skim milk and no butter at all and I put it though a "de-fat" machine. I roll my eyes at them and tell the doctor I'll just start making DD watch DS eat his dessert as well as hers.

What do they think I do? Starve DS and overfeed DD?? :

Just tell them that when your DC's cholestoral is through the roof you'll remember who reccomended it. :

[Ruthla]

It's very normal for babies to slow down in weight gain, or even maintain for a while, when they first get active. I think it's much more important to establish healthy eating habits in toddlers than it is to worry about current weight gain or lack thereof, esp when the child is still nursing so much.

I don't agree that all saturated fats are "unhealthy" though. I see butter as a "healthy fat" in the same catagory as avacados and olive oil. French fries are a problem if they're fried in partially hydrogenated oil, (or if they're fried in polyunsaturated oils that turn into trans fats when heated.)

[mamak05]

[QUOTE=mammakerry
Just tell them that when your DC's cholestoral is through the roof you'll remember who reccomended it. :[/QUOTE]

No kidding!!

[lilyka]

Yur baby is a year right? 20 pounds is average and she has than tripled her birth weight which is also right at average. It is also very average to level out or even decrease a little between 12 and 17 months becuase they start walking.

[kewb]

I have the opposite problem. My dd tops the chart for both height and weight (she is not overweight but at the top of "the acceptable" range). Last year the doc told me I should start watching what she eats (age 5) because she was topping the chart. I asked if she was overweight. No. I was ticked at him because the way he said watch what she eats gave me the feeling he thought I was letting her chow down on all kinds of bad things. I called him on it. He then gave me a portion control speech. No inquiries into how active she is, what kind of activities she is in, etc. I also called him on the fact that he made no such comment when her older brother was the same age and a chart topper. I was upset when I left but then I started thinking about it. I know my dd is healthy and developing normally. I know she is not leading a sedentary life. I know that soon enough she will be obsessing about her body image. I did not need to start it at the age of 5.

The point of my long rant. You know your child best. Continue following a smart diet and healthy lifestyle and your dd will be fine. And poo on that NP.

[alegna]

Dump the dr. My dd basically didn't gain from about 9 months to 22 months. Perfectly normal and healthy.

-Angela

[Storm Bride]

I don't think my dd (3) has put on a single pound in the last year. She's just too active for that. But, she's also healthy as can be. I'm certainly not worried about...and wouldn't even consider addressing it with endless french fries! That's beyond bizarre!

[Zach'smom]

Originally Posted by kewb

I have the opposite problem. My dd tops the chart for both height and weight (she is not overweight but at the top of "the acceptable" range). Last year the doc told me I should start watching what she eats (age 5) because she was topping the chart. I asked if she was overweight. No. I was ticked at him because the way he said watch what she eats gave me the feeling he thought I was letting her chow down on all kinds of bad things. I called him on it. He then gave me a portion control speech. No inquiries into how active she is, what kind of activities she is in, etc. I also called him on the fact that he made no such comment when her older brother fine. And poo on that NP.

Has your DD always been at the top of the charts for height and weight? What is the "acceptable range"? DS has always been off the charts for his height and weight. But has followed his own growth curve. Ped has never told me to watch what he eats or to put a brick or anything on his head to slow down his growth.

I hate those stupid charts anyway.

[2Sweeties1Angel]

DD weighed right at 20 lbs at 1 year. Now at 18 months she weighs 25 lbs--she had a little growth spurt.

[mirlee]

As someone whose child never cracks the 8%, don't worry about it. My guy is the 8th for weight and 5th for height. I don't care. He is eating and growing. Your child is eating and growing.

Now, those sweet potatoes with the soy butter and cinnamon..yum