[Phoebe]

This just buggs me. There was a canned soup commercial on TV that I recall. The parents were siiting down to eat this "superior", "chunky" soup together. Mom says "now that the kids are gone, we can have the good stuff." Dh and I were appaled. So, you fed your kids total crap for food the whole time they were growing up and now that they're gone you bust out the stuff with all the chunks of veggie in them (no matter how processed the veggies may be). I think that mentality is totally wierd and it seems to be the norm! Seriously. Hot dogs are a staple for toddlers. WHY??? I have no problem with nitrate free, 100% organic beef/chicken/turkey dogs. But a Oscar Meyer wiener my child will not have (sparing a visit to the ball park maybe.)
Today I went to luch with an ex-coworker. His daughter is 13 months or so. He ordered her the chicken finger basket from the "kids menu". Not a big deal really, I just haven't considered ordering my 14 month old an actual meal from the kids menu. To me "kid" means a 6 year old but what ever. When she didn't eat her deep fried chicken and fries, he said he should have just ordered her a hot dog. "At this age, who cares whats in it, as long as they eat it." WTF??!! I am blown away by this. I do research alot of stuff and do alot of reading and I really think out my decisions regarding my child, maybe more than the average person. But this, damn, this is just basic common sense to me. No candy, no crap!! You're kid will like Coke and ice cream and SweetTarts...and HOT DOGS! No need to get them used to it.
I sat proudly at lunch as my son munched on his apple slices and cantaloupe peices, his water, and Oatios.

Don't get it...
amy

Had to vent....

 

[Jadzia]

I know exatly what you mean. Whenever I see kids out in public, like at Costco or somewhere I am always amazed at the crap the parents are buying and giving to their kids. Or that Supernanny show, they always show the parents feeding absolute junk to their kids-- then they wonder why they misbehave!

Personally, I think it is often people who have poor eating habits themselves. They complain about their kids not liking vegetables but the only veggies they serve is crap out of a can. I wouldn't eat those kinds of veggies either.

 

[nonconformnmom]

I agree with you, and at 14 months old, my children all ate everything I put in front of them. So I used that time to get them used to eating healthy vegetables, no sugar, and lots of whole grains and organic foods. We are vegetarian so every meal is a colorful, healthful offering.

However. Then my children turned two and beyond. And things changed. Now they won't touch their food unless it is very cleverly 'designed'. I have to hide the vegetables by grinding them up into tiny bits and mixing them in with bread crumbs and such.

: It's a sad, sad state of affairs. So with the soup commercial, I understood it as the 'chunky' soup was for adults because it had large egg noodles and big chunks of carrots etc. The kids' soup has tiny bits of vegetables and smaller, easier to chew and swallow noodles. For me, and probably for many families, this is not by our choice (the parents) but out of necessity because of stubborn toddlers who are, rightfully and properly so, exerting their independence by refusing food that is not presented to their very particular specifications.

 

[brijenn]

I think it has a lot to do with being naive. A lot of people don't know any better. They understand some food is "better" for you, but they don't understand that some food is actually "bad" for their health - they just think it makes them fat and that is where it ends. I don't think these people are bad parents, they just need to be educated more about nurtrition.

 

[VikingKvinna]

Last year we were on vacation in Cape Cod with my DP's sister (let's call her Becky) and her three kids, ages 2.5, 7, and 9. Now, my son was only a year old at that point and mostly still BFed, save the occasional chunk of tomato or Oatio or piece of banana. Thank goodness, because otherwise I'm sure "Becky" would have been trying to feed him the same &*!$ that she was feeding her kids -- hot dogs, little snack packs of Cheetos, Doritos, etc., Teddy Grahams, ice cream, "cheese" slices, McD's, cinnamon buns for breakfast, Ding Dongs, etc. You get the idea. The older kids -- that didn't bug me so much because, after all; they were on vacation. But the toddler? She'd have a cinnamon bun, half a hot dog, a few handfuls of Cheetos, some cookies, and maybe -- maybe -- part of an apple. All day long. Sure, I understand that toddlers are picky. I have one myself, now. But even the things that I "resort" to feeding him when he won't eat anything else are much more wholesome -- whole milk yogurt, scrambled egg, w.w. toast, w.w. pasta w/sauce, a smoothie w/fruit and baby spinach and juice and yogurt, organic cheddar and crackers, banana, apple, peas, corn. At least some of those foods have a passing acquaintance with the dirt, kwim? It just bummed me out to see this sweet little girl eating such junk. We're not going back this year (wholly unrelated reasons

) but I don't know what we'll do in future years when we go on vacation -- pack a cooler with healthful stuff, I guess, and stand my ground. It's tough with "Becky" anyway b/c she's very mainstream, and thinks she is the be-all and end-all of parenting experts, with all of her electronic "learning" toys and stuff. Totally the opposite of crunchy ol' me.

~nick

 

[GuavaLava]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jadzia I know exatly what you mean. Whenever I see kids out in public, like at Costco or somewhere I am always amazed at the crap the parents are buying and giving to their kids. Or that Supernanny show, they always show the parents feeding absolute junk to their kids-- then they wonder why they misbehave!

I've never watched Supernanny, but I have caught a couple episodes of Nanny 911. Same thing on that show though. Kids eating sweets and junky foods all day. DH was the one that pointed it out actually.

 

[huggerwocky]

My daughter had canned soup this evening because she refused my cooked from scratch green bean stew

:

 

[alexsam]

It was mind blowing to me as well. In our supermarket, they have some prepackaged lunches from the deli. Not bad food- fresh wraps, sushi, salads, etc. and they started advertizing a kids selection which included cookies, fried chicken, chips and white bread. Ugh. And I was looking for baby friendly yogurt the other day and everything "kid sized" with cartoons and colors was FILLED with sugar & colors while the adult food was not. Why are people making kids food such garbage and grown up food healthier? Isn't it backwards (I mean, we should all eat well, but if I HAD to make a choice, I'd want DS and his growing body to have the better selection!)? As we Jews say... Oy veh.

As for picky toddlers- that's just what they do. But a toddler can't get food on their own. If they're not gonna eat the whole grain barley and lentil soup, maybe they'll have cheese? Or strawberries? Or even crackers? My sister-in-law came to visit with her 2 pre-schoolers (picky eaters, so she says...). I knew the deal when they came- she usually feeds them junk and it's almost painful to watch. So I headed her off

and made a HUGE amazing fruit salad, cut up all sorts of veggies to be ready on the go, froze juice for pops, etc. SURPRISE! The kids ate the fruit happily as snacks, they delighted in frozen juice and even ate the veggies when they were put on their plates. When they were left with me and their mom went out, if they were hungry, I gave them a list of healthful, varied foods and they could usually find something they liked. If not, they got hungrier and THEN picked from my list

No battle of wills or whining- that's what we've got to eat. If you're hungry, you have choices of things that are good for you and that you have liked in the past and if you don't want them, you don't have to have them, but there is not the option of junk.

 

[PJsmomma]

I think some people honestly have no clue--they believe the marketing.

Have you seen all the new "whole grain" "1/3 less sugar" etc--they think that feeding their children blue applesauce at least gets them some fruit

We go to church with a nurse who told me how much her children love oatmeal and she's so happy they're getting a healthy breakfast and then said "They eat that maple and brown sugar flavor everyday!"

Or the co-worker I had who said to me "Mmmm I just had a healthy lunch" so I asked what she had--a bologna sub with light mayo--so that makes it healthy? :LOL

 

[Gunter]

This has to be one of my biggest concerns (along with TV watching) about our babe being around friends and family who do not eat like DH and I do. I am vegtrn, mostly organic with lots of attention to nutrients with lots of whole/not processed food. (Currently eating way too many crackers, though.

: ) We live in the state of pork BBQ though!

I cannot imagine buying hot dogs or lots of junk food for KIDS! Why even have it in the house for the kids? Let the world outside corrupt them (tongue in cheek I write this) but inside the house, we have the choice to expose them to healthy food.

I like hearing that you all provide healthy options when kids get picky about what they will or will not eat. That's very encouraging. It's hard for me as a preggo to understand parents who provide foods that are so low in nutritional value. I get bothered when I hear, "That's all s/he'll eat. Cheeto's!" How does a three year old know WHAT a Cheeto is unless they are exposed to it?! Maybe I am just being nieve?

 

[KJP_starmama]

We visited some friends a couple of weeks ago, and I never saw their kids drink anything but Capri Sun juice-in-a-bag. They also ate a lot of "fruit snacks" (whatever those are) and lollipops. Our friends didn't even make macaroni and cheese ... they heated it up from a frozen dinner! And lots of goldfish and chicken nuggets! Blech!

Some people aren't very good cooks, and maybe they don't know how to fix healthier stuff. I'm kind of fighting with my 16-month old girl to continue eating her kale, broccoli, quinoa, sweet potatoes, lentils, etc. I started giving her one soy chicken nugget a day a few months ago, and she now thinks that's the best food ever. It'd be easier to just let her have her way, but I do want her to have a healthy body. It is a shame that more people aren't aware that kids need healthy diets as much as adults!

 

[*green*faery*]

Ok, I use to work at a vegetarian health food restaurant. It amazed me how many times parent would come in with bags of fast food. They would order "healthy" food from our menu for themselves and the kids would eat the fast food. (this was a sit down restaurant!) It seamed messed up! We had plenty of things to choose from, not just salads, plenty of things that where not completely healthy, but a little better then other places. Its just sad!

I know kids can be very picky. My niece "only" likes chicken nuggets and French fries, oh and the frozen PB&J with crust already cut off that her Mom buys. But cut up some fruit and put it in front of her and she eats it like there is no tomorrow ( but her mom doesnt). So it seams like even if your kid is picky and they will still usually eat some things that are healthy for them.

*erin*

 

[Mommay]

I think it's a sad state of affairs too. I remember when my neice was about a year old, I was over at her house and was dismayed at what she was being fed. One night it was a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese, and I remember thinking that a 99 cent box of m&c could not be that nutritious. She didn't even seem to be enjoying it, but that was the only thing she supposedly would eat. My sister-in-law and her husband took her to mcD's for the first time when she was like 13 months old. And they were both biology majors in college! DH and I could not believe it. What 13 month old needs McD's? (much less anyone at any age). At another time, we all went to a diner, and their "special" meals included ice cream, but the ice cream was like frozen chemical soup, without any recognizable dariy taste and brightly colored. So though I let ds sometimes have ice cream, I decided to pass. But that's all my neice had for dinner. SIL's DH kind of picked up on my hesitation and thought maybe my neice should skip it too, but SIL got mad about that (I think she doesn't want to take any cues from me even just a little. She's nice and all, but maybe feels a little guilty that she never breastfed and doesn't understand the whole AP thing.)

One thing that I observed with them is that my neice very much reflects the eating habits of her mother. My SIL picks at her food and does not really enjoy eating from what I can tell. She also does not eat very healthfully. I don't know if I can generalize upon that, but I do think that DS does pick up on my attitude towards food. I love food. Ane weirdly, I love healthy food. I live for kale (I actually get greedy about it), seaweed, and just veggies in general. And I tell ds all the time, this is so good. Yum, yum, yum. You don't want the kale? Okay I'll eat it! And my ds does have a really great appetite. He's never been picky and though he doesn't like certain foods, is willing to try a variety of food and will eat well. Like today, he was stuffing plain nori in his mouth like it was candy.

I think parents who give their kids hot dogs think that is what they think is considered yummy.

 

[NYCVeg]

I always find supermarket shopping depressing for this reason. Just yesterday, the woman in front of me had two little kids and a cart that contained....ice cream, ice cream cones, mini doughnuts, Trix yogurt (scary--have you seen this stuff?), Lucky Charms, and a juice drink. Nothing else. \

I know that toddlers are picky (although that's NOT an excuse to head for the Oreos and Cheeze Puffs), but I think some of it has to do with a failure to take kids seriously as people. I do think there are some parents who save the "good stuff" for themselves and then feed their kids frozen dinners because "Who cares? They're just kids...they're not going to eat most of it anyway." I would frankly be shocked if most "mainstream" parents thought about how the chicken nuggets they're feeding their kids now might affect their health down the line...because health care in the US is devoted almost entirely to treating condition, not to preventing them. To say nothing of the woeful state of nutritional education, particularly when most of the "information" consumers get is provided by food lobbies or fad diet books.

 

[babyj]

I agree completely! This is one of my pet peeves! I really can't say anymore to what's already written. My most recent experience with this was at a friend's house. We were making dinner - grilled chicken (free-range) w/ lemon and evoo, organic baby greens w/ sweet peas, bell peppers, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, olives & green onions (evoo&balsamic to dress) brown rice and for dessert; strawberries, just purchased at the farm stand, marinated in balsamic vinegar. I'm chopping veggies and my friend says "OK, now what are we going to fix the kids?" Huh? My ds, 3.5 yrs, eats the same things I do. I thought the dinner was for everyone not just the adults. Then she said that she didn't really care if her son ate or not because he'd eaten a bunch at MCds that afternoon! Too sad! She always compliments me on how my son eats so healthfully....well, he's always been feed that way. He's been to MCds a few times for parties but that's it.

Today we were at a function that served food including cake. My son served himself fruit, cheese and crackers. I was secretly very proud of him that he didn't want the cake. At home we talk about "treat" foods that people eat at special occasions but not every day. When friends or neighbors come to play at our house we pop popcorn or make blueberry muffins (using ww pastry flour). I've never had a kid complain yet!

 

[bri276]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brijenn I think it has a lot to do with being naive. A lot of people don't know any better. They understand some food is "better" for you, but they don't understand that some food is actually "bad" for their health - they just think it makes them fat and that is where it ends. I don't think these people are bad parents, they just need to be educated more about nurtrition.

I agree completely. People in general do not READ. Not even the back of labels on crap they give their kids. People do love their children and most just aren't aware of how much of a difference healthy food can make- they don't even know what's really healthy to begin with!! It's mostly ignorance with some laziness mixed in. And for the record- I'm ok with chicken fingers at the restaurant if it means keeping the 2 yr old in the high chair. As long as at home there are fruits and veggies and whole grains!! lol

 

[mama23k]

:

 

[peaceful_mama]

A big hearty I AGREE with all of this!! My baby is 8 mos. old and he's fed w.g. toast with avocado, w.g. cereal and the rest of his 'diet' is fruits and veggies. He gets the OCCASIONAL teething cookie when we're out--he loves 'em. And cheerios on his tray occasionally, though mostly I try to have some kind of fruit or veggie ready for immediate munching while he waits for the rest of the meal. And my diet's getting healthier as I start sharing things with him--I also think it helps him in learning to enjoy healthy stuff when I'm eating part of a banana or whatever with him--he's not going to eat it all anyway.

Kids know what 'reality' you present them. I don't plan on educating my son that there is a such thing as cheetos, chips, etc. He will learn this soon enough when he's old enough to have lunchtime at school, go to parties, Grandpa will teach him that, etc.
He will NOT be 13 mos. old eating fries at McDonalds...to me what you do at that age if they can sit and like it is go somewhere that's got a good salad bar and veggies with meals--you get the unlimited salad bar and give them what they can chew off that along with stuff they can chew like cooked veggies off your plate.

He's also going to be raised ENTIRELY differently than I was. 'Reality' at my house will be you eat what Mom makes, or if you don't want that, then you'll wait till the next meal/snacktime or until you decide that yeah, you're hungry, you will eat it. That doesn't mean I'm going to *force* anything on him, it just means that I'm not making a separate meal. I am fully convinced that he will not allow himself to starve.

('Reality' at my mom's table was she'd make me a separate can of chili, mashed potatoes, a TV dinner, whatever I wanted. As a result, even traveling, they had to bring 'my food' till I was probably 7 at least, and I didn't eat vegetables or fruit on *any* kind of regular basis till I was old enough to buy them myself and decide I was doing it cause it's good for me.)

On another note, I was shocked at my friend's house by what gets marketed as 'health food' to kids. The words WHOLE GRAIN now appear in big letters on boxes of Reese Puffs cereal--yes, it's chocolate pb like the candy bar! Overall, they eat pretty healthy--her 5/yo will eat most any veggie, but stuff like that is around too. (they will also happily eat less sugared things like Cheerios or Rice Krispies, and a lot of times when I'm there that is what they're eating, this was more of a 'treat.' But I'm STILL shocked at the fact that something that sugar-y and bad they're trying to make appear a 'healthy' food.)

 

[jitterbug]

I was recently out one afternoon and I saw a woman feeding her child cheezies (bright, orange coloured chips). I was shocked. He could not have been more than 3 years old. First of all, I don't think any child that age should be eating Cheetos and you don't feed your child Cheetos as an afternoon snack. Sometimes I think ignorance is bliss. I get so upset just thinking of what well-intentioned people will try to feed my child at parties, outings, etc. I'm also shocked and what other parents are feeding their children because they don't know any better. Just because there is a baby on the box doesn't mean that it's nutritious. For example, Arrowroot cookies -- white flour and sugar. I could go on and on. I want to teach my child the importance of portion control and treats. It's hard to do these days.

 

[jitterbug]

I have to add to this because I need to vent a bit. My MIL babysat my 9-month old daughter recently for a couple of hours and let her have a sip of her ginger ale! I was shocked and so upset when I heard about this. She knows how important good nutrition is to me and who would give a 9-month old a taste of ginger ale? When she mentioned this (as if there was nothing wrong with this picture) my DH knew my blood was boiling and said ginger ale is for parties. I was so grateful because I knew something had to be said but I couldn't control my temper if I opened my mouth to say anything. We left it at that but it just makes me think that once she's older there's no telling what she'll be eating over there.