How much fruit is too much fruit?

[puresweetie]

My 21 month old DS loves fruit. His love for it seems to have grown with the arrival of summer fruits - nectarines in particularly, and he now cries for it all the time. We've tried hiding the fruit bowl, hiding any traces of fruit so we can bring it out when we want - but he knows it's there!

We give him a piece of fruit with breakfast, then with lunch and supper. He's also fallen for those fruit wheels (the strips of dried fruit) and now prefers them to a sugar free biscuit after his sleep in the day. I'm pretending we don't have any more at the moment so he'll realise it's not on offer but he's hard to shake off!

He really will have a tantrum if we don't give it. Yesterday he sobbed and sobbed and beat the floor. I'm no push over so I will hold my ground because I worry that he's just getting too much sugar, even if it's a natural source - and I want his teeth to survive. But it's really tough going.

But how much fruit do you think is the right amount and what do your DC get?

But its a rather big assumption that they eat fruit because they are hungry. Mine eats it hungry or not because she likes it. There is no limit and she will NEVER refuse despite the size of meal she's eaten. I went round to my parents this afternoon, she'd asked for fruit before we got through the door (from mum). 10 minutes later she had another bowl because she'd asked my dad (who didnt realise she'd already had it). There is no way I could give her unlimited fruit. A friend was quite about restricting it until she had her round for a full day . It is better, yes, than snacking.on crap but I simply wouldnt give her rubbishy snacks and she knows that!

Gourd, Yes, I agree whole fruit is better than juice - but it doesn't make a stack of fruit per day okay for a baby. Sorry, I really get concerned about it because I don't think it is. As I and another poster said, it's the acid in the fruit as much as the sugar.

Also, you've made an assumption that the options are fruit or high calorie, sugar/salt filled snacks. My DS doesn't have those as an option and never has. He has a great, varied diet and eats really really well. I still maintain, like Brett, that he would eat fruit till the cows come home because he loves it; not to the detriment of other foods, which he also likes, but in addition to.

And then, with that in mind, I come back full circle - to how much fruit is too much for the reasons I've stated.

You clearly don't think I should be concerned; I think babies can eat too much fruit. We'll have to disagree!

Well calorie wise a 2yr old needs between 1000-1400 a day depending on activity levels. Generally speaking, 3 meals a day & 2 snacks is the ideal.

If you're out and about most days then hopefully not much opportunity for all day grazing on fruit.

In the same way that I wouldn't stress over a toddler refusing certain foods, I also wouldn't stress over a toddler showing a strong preference for fruit.

As long as he is drinking water and milk then I think 5 small portions a day, 3 of which are with his meals, is about right.

However, I am not a nutritionist, if you want exact amounts then there is alot of information online or maybe contact a nutritionist.

Remember, your job as a parent is to provide a healthy balanced diet, but it is not to make him eat it. A chilled out attitude towards food (within reason) goes a long way to preventing future battles with food.

Mobly,agreed with your post until the end.When a Gov gives guidelines,it is up to us whether we do it.But the point of a healthy diet is to make our children healthy hopefully,so they would have to eat it to get the health benefits.agree with not getting too stressed about it

OP my one comment would be that the fruit steps etc. are not as healthy as real fruit. Does your LO also eat apples? They are great for teeth. Most fruit is mainly fibre and water. If you can encourage your child to also drink water, and not brush teeth after eating acidic fruit, then I can't see any harm.
Is he getting enough water to drink? Sometimes as adults we can eat when we really are thirsty.

Amillionyears, as parents we have limits in our abilities, which is why I say you can provide a healthy diet, the easy part, but then you have to accept that you cannot make a toddler eat what you want them to eat. You can encourage, but if you think you can have that level of control over their diet then unless you have an exceptionally malleable toddler, I think it's an unrealistic view.

My 4yr old eats a large variety of fruit & veg, but he certainly went through various phases as a toddler where his diet wasn't as varied. I think if you just keep offering good foods, eating them yourself, talking about how good they are for you, they will come through the other side without any issues.

My 2yr old won't eat lettuce or tomatoes, peppers, so when I do sandwiches and salad, he just eats the cucumber, carrot, sweetcorn from his plate. I still provide the lettuce, tomatoes etc knowing one day he will try them.

If you badger them, and bribe, and get stressed, they will associate food with stress and that way lies battles. The last thing you want is for a toddler to realise that by refusing food they can upset you!

DS 23 months is a massive fruit fan too. Well he is really just a food machine. He generally gets a whole fruit after breakfast and dinner, or strawberries or grapes. We do try to vary other snacks, to things other than sweet (even if fruit), so oatcakes, plain yoghurt, cheddars, (low salt) pretzels, rice cakes, etc. but he also gets raisins, extra fruit, or a cereal type of bar when we're out.

I would try and keep standing your ground with the tantrums anyway, at least to try and stop those, and if you're wanting to, offer something else, or he gets nothing. Perhaps you could try consistency, ie. something like always after meals but not as snacks or vice versa to setup expectations for him? Agree with other posters in that it is hard to over do the fruit and it is healthy, but then again everything in moderation, variety is always good... Guess for some reason I am not keen on him always wanting something sweet, even if it is healthy fruit.

I wouldn't worry with regards to the nutrition, but personally would object on account of the costs!