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September 2011 Moms
T&HLove
member
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(PIP) A Taste of Toddlerhood
T&HLove
member
Last night, G and I went to "A Taste of Toddlerhood." It was geared towards 18-36 mo. They had several tables set up with different healthy snack ideas.
1. Zucchini and swiss cheese, dipped in hummus
2. black olives and garbanzo beans
3. zucchini muffins
4. "trail mix" They provided baggies and bowls of pretzels, raisins, cheezits, cheerios with scoops, so the kids could mix their own snack.
4. tortillas with cream cheese, turkey, and shredded carrots. It was set up so the kids could help spread the cream cheese and assemble their own wrap.
They also had a table with plates set up so you could see what appropriate serving sizes look like for each age. I was kind of surprised by it. I think G eats *close to* that amount, but I have always thought she needs to eat more.. so now I am more confident in that.
I took the picture with my phone, so its not the best quality. That's turkey, apple sauce, and corn.
ETA: The sign says : "A serving is one level tablespoon for each year of your child's age"
They also had a dietitian there so you could ask questions. I asked her about getting G to eat veggies. She basically said just keep trying. I wish there was an easier answer than that 
haha
She also said that, at this age, it is our job to put a healthy meal on the table and the child's job to eat as much of it as he/she wants, if any. If you continue to give favorites because they won't eat what you put out, then they will never have a reason to try anything new. She said, when you try something new, ask them to taste everything on the plate. (one small bite counts as a taste- don't force them to eat more than they want.) Give them 2-3 things they like with 1 thing new.
She said not to worry about them starving, because they will have a snack in a few short hours, but the point is to not give in at that particular meal time. It's not saying you can't give them what they want, or a favorite for their snack or next meal.
One of the handouts provided also mentions that your toddler needs to know how much food they need. Basically, he/she needs to learn when they are hungry and what that feels like. That way, they don't over eat or eat out of boredom. So, its not necessarily a bad thing for them to be hungry before the next meal or snack time.
And finally, their stomach is about the size of their fist, so that doesn't leave room for unhealthy options. Junk food will fill them up, and they won't get the nutrients they really need.
The dietician said they should be eating 6 times a day breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, bedtime snack. That seemed a little excessive to me, and G goes to bed shortly after dinner, so there's really no room for a snack there, although she does nurse.
Ok, sorry this was long, but I felt someone else might benefit from some of the information... I know a few of us have wondered when it's okay to tell them "eat what I serve, or don't eat." and it seems the answer, is now.
(Also, I understand that is a bit of a parenting choice. I'm just sharing what a dietician told me.)
p>"What did my fingers do before they held you? What did my heart do with it's love?"
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Re: (PIP) A Taste of Toddlerhood
I love that you got to do something like that!
I am a big fan of the parent deciding what to eat and the kid deciding how much and even when to a certain extent. I wish she ate more variety of foods, but every single kid I know ages 2-5 is
"What did my fingers do before they held you? What did my heart do with it's love?"
That's such a neat event. Was it at a local hospital or library or something? I'd like to keep an eye out for something like that in our area.
Add me to the list of people surprised about the serving sizes. I need to work on not making her eat m
Awesome!
I do two things that this lady talked about. Making a plate and not backing down at that meal - they can have a snack later so they won't starve. And I put a couple things on his plate that I kno
"What did my fingers do before they held you? What did my heart do with it's love?"