Courtney Bush Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 i have 21mo. old twins who are fruit-aholics! I know kids go through phases where they only want to eat a certain food group, but it's getting to the point where they'll eat 2 bananas each, 2 clementines each and if i let them strawberries and blueberries all day long... am i being too militant by trying to limit them?? I offer them well rounded meals w/proteins & veggies, which they'll pick at but soon enough i'll hear the screams for "nana! nana!" throughout our entire dinner time. they seriously ruin dinner w/their screaming every night w/o fail because they want nothing to do w/what I've made and only want to eat fruit. any suggestions?? do i have to hide the fruit bowl?? Also while I'm at it, too much milk? i know dairy isn't looked upon too fondly here, but is it really ok to take away the whole milk before 2? they could seriously drink milk all day long and fight me on it quite often. oh and I might as well ask, too much nut butters for my 5yr. old?! LOL... as you can see, my kids tend to like 1 thing and obsess over it! thank you in advance for the advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Hi Courtney! First of all - real, whole food is better for your kids than processed foods, so you're already winning. Go you! Now, if they were my kids (and, honestly, mine used to be this way), I might be concerned at their refusal of other food in favor of the fruit. Kids are pretty much always going to go for the sweetest thing they can get, and it's our job to teach them that they need more than just the sweet stuff to get all the nutrients they need. So, I wouldn't take away their fruit all together, but I would only offer limited amounts after they've eaten other foods. As for the screaming...that's a control issue. They're going to scream as long as they think you're going to give in. If you set the guidelines, and stick to them, they'll come around. Yes, it's really okay to take away the milk. They are not baby cows There's nothing in that milk that they can't get (in a much more useful-to-their-body format) in other foods. My girls liked (canned) coconut milk, and it gave them a good source of healthy fat. Nuts can be inflammatory, especially if we get more of the type of fat (N-6) in nuts than we do of the type in, say, grass-fed beef or wild-caught fish (N-3). So, if his food variety is good, I wouldn't worry about it. But if, like your other kiddos, he refuses other foods... Hope this helps!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courtney Bush Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 thank you for the reply robin! not sure why, but i never considered giving them coconut milk! that is a great idea... what other ways can I get some calcium into them? we're honestly not big fish eaters (and when i say "we" i mean "me" and I'm the one cooking so... lol) as far as the n-6's... i have thought about that, but we eat venison most nights that my husband and I have harvested so I do think we get a healthy dose of n-3's, plus i only buy the omega-3 eggs. I think what I'm going to do is start weening them off of the cows milk (they're 2nd birthday is right around the corner anyway) and introducing the coconut milk and not giving them the fruit w/their meals but only after, if they ask -- up until now, I was giving them a variety of things at each meal, but I realize that this just makes them fill up on the "good stuff" first and throw all the rest on the floor :/ I'm also going to have to get a little more creative w/coming up w/good finger-food protein options for the gang -- I've been making such great recipes from the Well Fed book lately that my husband and I love, but they're not going over so great w/the kiddos. Just so sick of dinner time being a bust Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 We've definitely been there. If you've got wild venison, a) I'm jealous and 2) that's awesome! I'm not a big fish-eater myself. I think your plan sounds great, and it's just going to take some time. My oldest was two and a half when we started this, my youngest was one, and now they are CHAMPION eaters. Seriously, four different vegetables (by choice!) at dinner the other night. The hard work pays off in spades! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moluv Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 My kids are doing better all the time, less fruit, more balance. But we have only been at it a few weeks so I'm still not too worried about their balance. They figure things out too- like how hungry they'll get if they don't eat meat. I've had to cater to their simpler tastes and not expect them to eat complex recipes. Raw veggies, cold meat, fruit, pistachios, water. They like being able to serve themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin D Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 My daughter has gotten to the fruit all the time phase as well, and I find it annoying, especially since I'm trying to pack lunches/snacks for her at daycare and they eat a ton of fruit there--and she apparently wonders why she doesn't have it 3 times a day like the other kids do. We give her her food in stages--vegetables and meat first and then, if she eats all or most of those two things she'll get some fruit. And I agree with the other Robin (sorry, Robin, you're now the "other" Robin ), as well, it's a control issue plain and simple. We have had more than a couple dinners the last few months in which V has screamed through dinner. I've actually turned to her and said, "V, you are ruining dinner. Please don't scream." Removing the fruit from sight will definitely help. One thing we also discovered recently was that giving V a plastic fork from her play kitchen makes her feel like a big girl and actually cuts down on the tantrum throwing. She wants to have control over her food so she gets her fork, makes stabbing motions and then puts it down and eats with her hands. Hey, whatever works! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaseyD Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 My daughter is a serious fruit addict, and I think this might be happening because apparently the grandparent's are pacifing her with sugar - a lot. But, that's a whole different issue... I hide the fruit. I rotate the hiding spots, too. I don't give her fruit at meals usually, or if I do, it is random and only after she has taken out the other foods on her plate. I will sometimes just not buy fruit for several days, just to force a break. Or, I will buy a fruit she is not too into. I seriously spend too much mental energy on this issue. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moluv Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 My kids eat loads of fruit- and nuts- it drives ME nuts. Tonight I was a proud mama watching them both ask for seconds of meatballs with dried spinach flakes mixed in, butternut squash and raw veggies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courtney Bush Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 @caseyd we are definitely in the "well at grandmas house!" Boat over here as well.... My inlaws watch the crew on Mondays and thurs. (which I am beyond grateful for) but its a food free for all over there! As soon as they open the door the kids race for the pantry and poor a bowl of cereal! No joke.... I picked them up yesterday and they were seriously the most out of control, whiny, crazy kids ever! But I was told that "they didn't want to eat what you packed today" so instead the boys ate pineapple, crackers and Cheerios all day and lily (my 5 yr. old) only ate cereal and crackers. I'm just torn about being the food police at someone else's house especially when I know how hard it is to handle 3 kids 5 and under on a good day.... But I'm sure not liking the kids that are coming back home w/me either and all the hard work I have to put in to get them back on track before the next time they go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moluv Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 It takes my kids so many days to recover from getting grained and sugared, and I know they can't enjoy feeling stressed and angry any more than I do. So I had to turn into the Food Gastapo. My MIL will feed them what I pack and call me if she is confused, but my little one cries a lot about it because she eats nothing but processed food and it's confusing. We are in the process of enrolling him in a sugar free art preschool and I will work more to pay for it (partially paying for it by installing a garden at the preschool). My parents will not listen to me about food and do whatever they dang well please, so sadly, I can't use my parents as babysitters anymore. We visit but I don't leave the kids there. I'm looking for more babysitters. The stakes are too high. I'm tired of watching my kidsfight and have tantrums knowing that if they eat clean for a week they wont have either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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