Concerned about 3 year olds diet

Mister Fister

Im concerned about my boys diet, he is 3 years old and in my opinion eats way to much rubbish. Im not around during the week but at the weekend he would have bags of crisps, chocolate lolipops etc throughout the day and then something like chips n sausages for dinner. although he would have something healthy on sundays his mother tends to use alot of butter margarine etc on his bread and patatoes.

From what i can see over the course of a weekend there is way to much fat in his diet I think he does eat healthy during the week but i think he would have crisps chocolate etc everyday.

In my opinion this is a horrible amount of rubbish for a 3 year old to be eating. Can you please give me your taughts here? how much rubbish would you let your child have over a weekend and also during the week?

littlebug

Mister Fister wrote: »

Im concerned about my boys diet, he is 3 years old and in my opinion eats way to much rubbish. Im not around during the week but at the weekend he would have bags of crisps, chocolate lolipops etc throughout the day and then something like chips n sausages for dinner. although he would have something healthy on sundays his mother tends to use alot of butter margarine etc on his bread and patatoes.

From what i can see over the course of a weekend there is way to much fat in his diet I think he does eat healthy during the week but i think he would have crisps chocolate etc everyday.

In my opinion this is a horrible amount of rubbish for a 3 year old to be eating. Can you please give me your taughts here? how much rubbish would you let your child have over a weekend and also during the week?

wow I think you're right..that does sounds like he's eating a lot of crAp. Crisps and chocolate everyday is not a healthy diet! Have you spoken to his mother about this?
I have a 3 year old boy too and believe me he would live on crisps if he was let. In terms of crisps or chocolate I'd personally maybe give him one bag of crisps during the week (if that). There has been more chocolate than usual lately with the Easter leftovers but at that he doesn't get it everyday and when he does its only a small piece. We don't usually keep biscuits or cake in the house so when we do have them it's a big treat.

All that said I know my son gets a lot more rubbish at his childminders, she spoils him a bit but it doesn't generally transfer to home. My son is by no means a good eater. he won't eat any fruit or veg and would live on bread, ham, cheese, yogurt and the occasional bowl of cereal. I'm just waiting for the day it will all change and he will sit down to a healthy dinner with the rest of us:(

Mr Magnolia

Certainly doesn't seem like a healthy diet for a young child. Have you spoken to the child's mother. Is she prepared to try and instigate change?

Oryx

In an ideal world our children would live on fruit and vegetables, but in the real world they eat junk. Its hard to prevent it, to be honest. I have two kids, the pickiest eaters you ever saw and they too would live on junk if they were let. I try to compensate by giving them cut up fruit and homemade baking, instead of chocolate, but once they go elsewhere they do get spoiled.

I actually wouldnt panic. I wouldnt see butter as the worst thing to give him, if it means hes eating his spuds as well. As long as his diet is varied and low in salt, Id say hell do ok.

deisemum

I think you're right to be concerned. A low fat diet is not recommended for children under five but equally a high fat diet isn't good either. A person's eating pattern is normally developed in their early years.

There's no real harm in the occasional treat as long as the rest of the time children eat a fairly healthy diet. There's also a child's dental health to consider. It's more the frequency than the amount of sugar that their teeth are exposed to that counts.

I know you said you're not around during the week but are at the weekend. Who's giving your child the chocolate and crisps at the weekend? I think you need to cut back on the amount he gets. If someone else apart from his mother is over indulging then you need to tell them to clear it with you before they give anything or else to cut right back and only allow one treat.

Have you and his mother discussed his diet? It not then I think ye should. It's better if ye're both working off the same song sheet. I'm a childminder and I provide fairly healthy meals but the children do get the occasional treat. The parents are happy with that and if they have nuggets or beef burgers I normally make them myself. I think a lot of the old traditional meals like the ones I had in my childhood back in the 60's are more satisfying comfort foods. We didn't get a lot of sweets but got homemade desserts or cake on a Sunday.

We nearly always had a dessert and it was usually custard with peach slices, stewed fruit, rice pudding or semolina occasionally a slice of ice cream.

I think if children get too much such it tends to make a lot of them more hyper than they normally are.

Public Health Nurses normally have leaflets on healthy eating. Most schools now insist on a healthy eating policy and limit the treats to special days or 1 jelly on a friday if pupils have behaved all week.

It's all down to balance

deisemum

I meant to add that there is now so much salt and sugar and flavouring in so much food nowadays that children don't often know what unprocessed food tastes like.

MLE

KtK wrote: »

In an ideal world our children would live on fruit and vegetables, but in the real world they eat junk. Its hard to prevent it, to be honest. I have two kids, the pickiest eaters you ever saw and they too would live on junk if they were let. I try to compensate by giving them cut up fruit and homemade baking, instead of chocolate, but once they go elsewhere they do get spoiled.

I actually wouldnt panic. I wouldnt see butter as the worst thing to give him, if it means hes eating his spuds as well. As long as his diet is varied and low in salt, Id say hell do ok.

+1

3 year olds are notoriously picky eaters and its very hard on the main caregiver to ensure that they eat all the good things we all have read that they should eat. I dont agree with giving too much junk either, you have to strike a balance.

In saying that I dont think its healthy either to be too strict and try and force a child to eat something that they just wont. Children pick up on stresses of the parent very easily even if the parent is trying to hide the stress. This can lead to other problem so you have to be careful of this too.

Redpunto

SOme days my kids live on junk food and other days itd be all healthy but I think my two eat in moderation but one thing that worries me is that 1 bag of crisps contains the total amount of salt a child should be eating in a day so I try not to allow a bag of crisps every day or choc bars. If they have choc its usuallys a little mini size one.

If hes eating the healthy stuff as well as the rubbish then i wouldnt be worried but if all the nutrients hes getting is from the rubbish then his diet might be lackin.

Quality

Do you live with mam and baby? Can you talk to her about his diet?


Maybe you can help introduce new foods into his diet..

My little fella is gas, If I had a packet of crisps in one hand and an apple in the other he would go for the apple.

There are so many nice fruits out there that can be used as treats for kids.

Blueberries, Strawberrys, Pineapple, Mandarins, Kiwi slices ...

My kids love when I do a platter of fruit for them.

They also love the junk as well, I only allow them snack size or a half bag of crisps.

Oryx

Quality wrote: »

They also love the junk as well, I only allow them snack size or a half bag of crisps.

I realised its not pregnancy that can make a girl put on weight, its the constantly eating the other half of the bag of crisps.

Fruit is really a brilliant thing to give them, if you make the plate all colourful, they think its better than cake.

Mine dont eat veg much, but they love grated carrot and of all things, beetroot. I think its the colour!

Quality

KtK wrote: »

I realised its not pregnancy that can make a girl put on weight, its the constantly eating the other half of the bag of crisps.

!

Dont talk to me, I buy the national confectionary company jellies in the big packs and just give the kids a few, I end up milling the rest of them!!:(:(

deisemum

KtK wrote: »

I realised its not pregnancy that can make a girl put on weight, its the constantly eating the other half of the bag of crisps.

This has got to be the truest comment on this thread

littlebug

KtK wrote: »

I realised its not pregnancy that can make a girl put on weight, its the constantly eating the other half of the bag of crisps.

lol so true... after my holier than thou post up above I'll admit that's the real reason I don't have cakes and biscuits in the house. It's got nothing to do with the children's diet at all- I just know I'd eat them all

luckat

Mister Fister, you're either a separated weekend dad or someone who's working away and home at the weekend, right?

Either way, the weekend *may* be the time for treats. I used to do this with my kid - there was a Saturday Sweets rule: he could have sweets and junk on Saturdays, but not on other days.

On the other hand, he may be eating this way all the time, which wouldn't be great. But getting into a big head-to-head over what he's eating will spoil your weekends together, and isn't (if I'm not impertinent in saying it) the way to go about things.

Maybe you might get the little lad interested in cooking food with you, and explain to him that if you're going to enjoy food you need to be a bit hungry - so no sweets or crisps while you're cooking, but a big *feast* when you've cooked!

But take it easy on what you expect him to like. Some kids love spicy foods, but kids can have absolute horrors of some foods. I still remember how I used to gag at the taste of liver and spinach. I love spinach now, and would like liver if I could have it (high cholesterol, alas).

Abi

Mister Fister wrote: »

Im concerned about my boys diet, he is 3 years old and in my opinion eats way to much rubbish. Im not around during the week but at the weekend he would have bags of crisps, chocolate lolipops etc throughout the day and then something like chips n sausages for dinner. although he would have something healthy on sundays his mother tends to use alot of butter margarine etc on his bread and patatoes.

From what i can see over the course of a weekend there is way to much fat in his diet I think he does eat healthy during the week but i think he would have crisps chocolate etc everyday.

In my opinion this is a horrible amount of rubbish for a 3 year old to be eating. Can you please give me your taughts here? how much rubbish would you let your child have over a weekend and also during the week?

It does seem alot. Have you spoken to Mom about it? Be careful how you approach the conversation however, if you take the pointy finger approach you might be in for the mule-effect. No Mom wants to be directly or indirectly called a bad one. Have you, yourself tried introducing new healthier foods? I dont agree with using sweets/ crisps / choc etc as a reward. I have a weekly reward chart for those things, and they each get a small toy if they did well.

I expect that the junk food is quick fix for a busy mom, and the sweets an in-between meals incentive to be good/quiet etc.

I think with a little organisation, some healthy fresh meals can be always ready for your boy. Im not saying I never give my kids chips & sausages, I do, but infrequently. At the age of three, its going to be hard to reset his appetite, but it can be done. I think I know what his mother is doing with the butter too. I used to throw in a little knob of butter as it made the food slightly blander, and the kids took to it easier. If I put in a thumbnail before, I reduced it to a little finger nail before getting rid of it altogether.

Was your little boy on jar food for long?

hunnymonster

KtK wrote: »

In an ideal world our children would live on fruit and vegetables, .....

This is actually a common misconception. The same healthy eating guidelines as apply to adults are not suitable for preschool children. If they eat too much fruit and veg they don't have enough room for other foods, particularly dairy and fat and so may miss out on the minerals and vitamins in these groups (Ca, vit A,D and E). That's not to say junk is the answer, just that they need different foods than adults.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/apr/13/children.health

deisemum

hunnymonster wrote: »

This is actually a common misconception. The same healthy eating guidelines as apply to adults are not suitable for preschool children. If they eat too much fruit and veg they don't have enough room for other foods, particularly dairy and fat and so may miss out on the minerals and vitamins in these groups (Ca, vit A,D and E). That's not to say junk is the answer, just that they need different foods than adults.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/apr/13/children.health

+1

Greenbelt malnutrition has been reported on for the last 20 years approx.