To want my 1 year old to eat healthy food and be left alone about it?

[littlesez]

Ok so I am sure IABU but just wondering if there is anyone who agrees with me eeeeek!

My daughter is 14 months, she eats what I eat which happens to be healthy stuff and often steals it from my plate I dont let her eat sweets, chocolate, cakes, crisps, juice and such but often feel as though people (other mums) think I am being mean Like I am depriving her in some way, just by general comments.

From my girl being a few months old I had MIL (who is generally lovely and just wants to help) asking me to give her some rusk at bedtime and suggesting formula because I had done so well to get this far BF

FIL has started to comment now. She doesnt have meat as I don't eat it, and she doesnt have dairy for a few reasons. He has lectured me about how important Iron and Calcium are for her. My response was that she gets plenty in her diet. He was then questioning me about what she drinks. Have you tried her with ribena? my response is that she has water.

I just don't understand! she eats plenty, loves her food and is healthy so why mess with it?

I know when she is old enough she will go and eat what she wants but while she is a baby I just want her to eat the right stuff and don't think i am depriving her.

I'm not hopping mad or anything just wish people would stop questioning me about what she eats/doesnt eat

Sure Start are local council children's centres - they run free things like toddler groups, baby massage, health visitor clinics etc. Some have nurseries attached too.

I can't get past what a shame it is that such "crappy" foods (subjective, I know) are sold in the first place.

Otherwise we wouldn't have to go through this conflict with friends and family about depriving and making kids feel different, vs giving them the best start till they can decide for themselves.

Thanks, Missus. So yup, a bit like Head Start here.

LIttlesez, YANBU. Your DD will have a lifetime to eat all these crappy "treats" (God I do hate that crap food qualifies as a treat) so you might as well keep her away from it as long as you can. Look for fortified alternative milks when you stop BFing - there is a rice milk that has Vit D and calcium added to it - and make sure that your DD has lots of Vit C in her diet as well as the dark green veg so that iron is absorbed as well as it can be from non-meat sources.

Sugar is not necessary in the diet as a refined substance - it is obtained from the carbohydrates in the diet, which should be as natural as possible. FWIW, I am pretty lax on the subject of chocolate for DS (now 2.4) because DH and I eat a little most days, so I'm not going to be hypocritical about it. So far, he is pretty good at having one piece and not creating a Scene if he doesn't get more, so I'm happy with the way it's going.

However, I do keep him off wheat as I spent a very miserable time with my guts as a child and I don't want him to suffer the same - there are plenty of good grain alternatives that we eat lots of so he doesn't miss out on most things, except if we go somewhere there are cakes etc. Having said that, I will let him have the occasional biscuit if everyone else is having one, but if I say "No", he accepts that.

Ds eats healthily (he has porridge without sugar, I don't ). It is easy to do the younger they are however there comes a time when you simply cannot control what they eat all the time. Ds (5) eats crap at parties. I'm not bothered as I know the majority of his diet is healthy. I think it is important not to obsess about food as that rubs off on dcs.

Littlemisshappy

I don't know which website you have got that from ? The UK one doesn't say anything about age.The Austraian one says its ok for 1-3 YOs

www.ribena.com.au/Ribena-Facts.aspx
T

'As a responsible manufacturer, we recommend that Ribena juice drinks are not suitable for toddlers under 36 months. This helps prevent toddlers 'filling-up' on juice drinks and then failing to eat their meals.
That's a ridiculous statement -using that logic you wouldn't be able to give a toddler water.ie filling their stomachs up and not giving any vitamins minerals of calories.

Littlesez agree with dinky and SM. YANBU. She is your DD and you are doing brilliantly with her.
Totally understand your concerns ref the dairy thing. My friends DD has a terrible dairy allergy and she has recently had a new baby and has been advised to be very careful with him.

I think you should think about introducing meat sooner rather than later as if you leave it too late she might have an issue with the texture which can apparently happen. Apart from that, she is eating healthily and getting all her food groups.

It's frustrating isn't it?
I think I'm actually fairly lax with DSs diet (far more so than I was 6 months ago!) but I still ended up getting into a fight with DH grandma over easter because I wouldn't allow DS (2yo) to have 6 full size easter eggs and an adult sized slice of chocolate gateaux.
Everyone seemed to completely overlook the fact that he hadn't eaten any of his lunch because he said he wasn't hungry!!
I was made to feel like crap for being so 'strict' and was told that I couldn't 'control' him forever and that I won't be able to stop other people feeding him what they like when I'm not there (which is why none of you are allowed to babysit!)
Stuff like this makes me not want to bother visiting family at christmas/easter and other special occasions.

TryHarder - my point was that it isn't to the detriment of taste to ds1, he prefers cereal without sugar because that's what he's used to. I don't actually see that because I eat something I should give it to ds. I drink vodka but I wouldn't let him & I don't imagine you'd suggest I did.

YANBU, not at all.

DS has a similar diet, never has been to smack-donalds, never eats any crap unless we are unfortunate enough to go to some fat-kid party.

Idiots say to me, "you are being mean, depriving him of biscuts/chocolate/cheeseburgers".

Do I go up to them and say, "You are being mean, depriving your fat kids from mange tout, hummous, bean sprouts, sun-dried tomatoes, mango, passionfruit, healthy breakfast cereals"? No, I don't. I let them get on with fattening up their little piglets.

And they should bloody well leave me alone when they feel threatened watching my kid eat a carrot whilst theirs are hyperventilating on Haribo.

Morons.

Eating healthy is all well and good but I must admit the anal parents who over analyse every little kilocalorie/fat/sugar gram before they will let it enter Cuthberts mouth really make me food is food- we put it in our bodies for energy and also for enjoyment- yes you would put the finest quality fuel you could afford in your car but at the end of the day we are people with emotions, not machines.

Food (and drink) is a social, enjoyable and sensual experience. It should be embraced and enjoyed, after all you can eat a ton of lentils and mung beans and be the healthiest person on the planet and still get ran over by a bus tommorow.

FTR my kids have been fed in moderation and my DD whos 5 and has school dinners always chooses grapes/pineapple/kiwi fruit for her pudding rather than chocolate sponge or other stodge.

So all kids who dont live on organic grown out of their overbearing mother's arse vegetables must be 'fat kids' hey?

Nice pressumption- are your kids four eyed jesus sandal wearing losers who are picked on at school Snobear?

I don't think YABU. I too limit the amount the sweets, chocolate and crisps that my DS's eat.They do get them just not all day every day. That way they appreciate them more as the treats they should be. they don't get fizzy drinks either and never have. DS1 says he doesn't like the taste of "bubble juice" DS2 at the moment will only drink milk or water.

When they started on solids they both got liquidised versions of whatever i was eating regardless of what it was although i did do less garlic and herbs in the kids version of spaghetti bolognese, despite assurances from my mother that they won't eat that muck.

Stick to your guns, smile sweetly at the in-laws and let it all wash over you.

RedRedWine, my darling, has someone licked the red off your candy? You seem very...put out...on a few threads lately.

Why because my opinion isnt splattered with 'oh no hunnybun your likkle fwuffy pwincess deserves only what dearest mummy says and everyone else is just howwid and doesnt understand'

PMSL! No, you just seem irritated by lots of stuff.

Thats because sadly im not a CheerfulYank

Ah well, we can't all be can we. I wasn't being bitchy or anything, just genuinely curious. As you were then!

Cheerfulyank its nice to see people from different countries on here. love your pictures btw they are lovely. I am happy when my dd is not driving me mad he he he

Oh thanks piglet! We can't afford to travel right now so I love talking to people from other places too. Most of the American sites I've been on aren't as...something, not quite sure what, as Mumsnet so this is the one for me. I guess I just enjoy the conversations more. Your dd is beautiful!

Thanks Cheerfulyank, wish i could upload more always have problems with uploading photos on here. I have and Auntie and cousins in Maryland love the US really want to go with dh and dd but i dont think i could stand an 8 hour flight with her just yet. We went to Italy to visit relatives and the flight was bad enough 2.5 hours . Your little boy sam is so cute . sorry ive hyjacked the thread as i dont know how to do the message thing.

I do love Mumsnet its really good cant stay off it especially the AIBU threads always so interesting and a good laugh

Yes, we just drove 5 hours to visit my parents and it was...interesting! Maryland is lovely though, I really like the east coast. I'm trying to post more recent pics but not managing thus far.

Sorry for the hijack!

I know its so hard to post new pictures on here