Am I starving my toddler?

[anniefrangipani]

17mo DD, still breastfeeding, sleeps 7-7 with one or two wake ups. Naps 11-1pm, feeds to sleep, eats three meals a day plus one snack.

We started weaning at 6mo and did BLW exclusively. She has always shared our meals, will quite happily eat steak or pasta or gooseberries or whatever we're having. We've always tried not to make too much of a fuss of her eating, and just let food be it's own reward.

Occasionally she'll turn her nose up and refuse to eat anything at all. We don't make a fuss about that either.

She still happily shares our meals - tea last night was homemade burgers, brioche buns, mature cheddar, corn on the cob, sugar snap peas. She had about a quarter of a burger, a piece of bun, a few bits of cheese, half a corn cob, about five or six sugar snaps. She had a few bites of everything, but didn't finish any of it or I would have given her more.

Tonight's dinner is steak and cauliflower cheese. She'll have a couple of strips of steak, a couple of florets of cauliflower, a tablespoon of peas, a few carrot circles. She's unlikely to eat it all, though if she does there'll be more.

Breakfast rhis morning was porridge with dried cranberries and dried blueberries. She ate five teaspoons, which I would consider a lot for her. Plus she stole two raspberries from DP (offered her more, plus some ham, but she wasn't interested).

Am I starving her? I've never given her a whole packet of crisps. Or a whole ice cream. Or a whole slice of cake or a whole sandwich. It, frankly, wouldn't occur to me to. But every time I log on to Facebook, people with kids the same age are holding ice creams, and my mother has been complaining that I'm starving her since DD was 10w old (I have been ignoring her, obviously, but maybe she's not entirely wrong?)

AIBU by not offering enough food?

The only thing my 2yo will eat all of is a packet of crisps or an ice cream 🤣

Ooh I do love a bragberry and boastnugget thread!

Seems like a lot of processed and red meat you are feeding her but otherwise seems fine.

DD is 22 months and very very rarely gets chocolate or ice cream- and only a couple of mouthfuls if she does. Rather than crisps I would give her rice cakes or breadsticks.

It's the opposite on social media!

Everyone boasts about how ney a thimble full of sugar has passed little Dorothy/Oscar/Bertie's lips... They would just rather munch on an asparagus stick (only when they are in season of course!)

One of the best pieces of advice my very wise mum friend with 4 kids ever gave me was to never be smug about what my kids eat because eventually they all go through the beige phase. My DD loved nothing more than steamed veg and plain Greek yoghurt at 18 months - now at 2 she turns her nose up at pretty much everything except fruit, jam on toast, sausages and cheese biscuits!

How long until this thread is pulled?

it's a wind up surely?

Too many sugar snap peas, they are very carby

Definitely need to up the protein .

On a more serious note, i have a mother a bit like this.

On bf- but you don’t know how much she’s had, you’re starving her! Your milk might not be rich enough, she’s starving. Is she feeding again? You’re starving her. Child needs a proper bottle of formula then she won’t need feeding in the night, she’s only waking because you’re starving her with inferior breastmilk. Can I give her a bottle? It’s not fair only you can feed her..

On weaning- aren’t you weaning yet? She must be so bored with milk, she’ll be starving. She needs some good solid food then she won’t needing feeding so often. You’re starving her just giving milk. from about 3m to 6m...

After weaning- can I give her a chocolate button? She’s starving look. i’ll make it white chocolate if you’re worried about mess. All that fruit and vegetables isn’t very filling, it can’t be good for them. I bet she’s love an ice cream. She must be starving having carrot sticks for dinner, can i give her a bit of chocolate?

People are really funny about food and babies sometimes. It strikes me as really odd that for about the first two years all people worry about is the child having more food, making them take an extra oz of milk, that last spoon of puree, negotiating with toddler to make them eat more dinner they don’t want, bribing with sweets and puddings. weighing them constantly to make sure they put weight on.

Then we’re surprised kids end up fat...

Sounds like you are doing well to me ! I would ignore PP saying you are boasting ,didnt read like that at all .You are right to give her healthy food and leave out the sweeties ATM .Obviously as she gets a little older she will probably have a likeness for Ice cream /choc buttons and so on but dont have to start too early ! My own son used to pick cherries rather than pick /mix when he was younger .(Not a stealth boast BTW ) he still liked some chocolate and a cake from the Bakers for a treat .

Cackling my face off at "freeze dried bragberries"

It doesn't sound at all as though you are starving her. I am sure she would let you know if she was hungry. What she wars sounds very reasonable to me.

Does she play?

If she plays, she is getting enough food.

Really healthy balanced diet, OP (that is how I weaned my children as well)

Babies/toddlers/young children need a diet that is at least 30% FAT.

Full cream milk, cream, full cream yoghurt, cheese, egg yolks, butter, animal fat (fatty mince, lamb with fat etc)

The brain is the largest growing organ of a baby's body and it is made up of FAT.

Do not neglect the fat content, it adds up to IQ later.

homemade burgers, brioche buns, mature cheddar, corn on the cob, sugar snap peas

!!!!

You r hilarious OP!!

Good point. Stupid people feed their dc mainly fruit and veg because of a distorted idea of healthy (for adults). Then wonder why their child isn't thriving.
If the only protein is gained by suckling on a steak (so mainly blood and meat juice?) it doesn't seem ideal to me.

At 16 months I’m sure she’s eating the steak, not just sucking it. My 12 month old eats steak.

It does sound like maybe you need to educate yourself a little on portion sizes and appropriate nutrition if you think a whole bag of crisps etc is necessary for a 1 year old! There is lots of information available online.

However it does sound like you maybe having instilled great eating habits yet and your DD needs to be eating at the table from her own plate, and starting to use cutlery at that age. Growing toddlers need lots of protein too.

JUST ANSWER ABOUT HER WEIGHT FFS

My boy is exactly the same age and seems to have exactly the same rough day (minus the 2 hour nap, you lucky mummy!). We do exactly the same. Keep up the good work 👍🏼

How is brioche better than a normal burger bun? if anything it's packed with more sugar 🤣

OP is using this post to brag.
She knows she is not starving her toddler.
She's on here to have a sly boast

Thats what I meant to post, not the one above ^^

It’s only relevant if she’s underweight.

Don’t get the crisps or ice cream point. I don’t think many parents would give a small child salt or sugar laden processed rubbish.

OP ain’t coming back

Height and weight? You haven't said.

I agree about the plate sharing, I would give her own plate to eat from. Just in case she thinks it's acceptable to help herself to anybodies when let loose.