White or Brown Bread????????

[Traceypayne]

Can anyone help HV says should not give brown bread to toddlers as no good for them. I only eat brown bread and my son does eats it too, anyone know why or if should not give brown. Not convinced on her anyway as she told me to starve my son till he eats.

What a load of bollox!!! Sorry, but that's mad. White bread is cr*p (although very nice, toadtes and buttered...)

DSs both have only ever had wholemeal bread and DD will be having the same.

ignore her

i can't give it to my toddlers, as it gives them diarrheoa, but if your ds is fine with it then get on with it.

Utter rot

Tell her to put it in writing and say exactly WHY it is bad. She must be a half wit.

thats pants I've been told to give my DD brown bread as goes with her healthy diet!

I tell ya I do wonder WHERE the NHS finds their health visitors. That is very bad advice, and she should probably be reported. Sames goes for HVs who go round telling new parents that fromage frais is a good source of calcium. Oh yes, and the artifical sweetners are good for them because they don't cause tooth decay.

I've herad them say this, due to levels of fibre or some rubbish.
We only have wholemeal.

And what does your HV think that kids ate before factory processing took all the good stuff out of flour so that we could add preservatives and additives to make white bread??

a lot of places advise not to give brown bread all the time e.g. babycentre:

High-fibre foods

A high fibre diet is not suitable for babies or young children. Occasional use of wholemeal bread, pasta and grains is fine, but too many of them could fill up your child's tummy, not allowing room for other foods. Do not add bran to your baby's food since it prevents some important minerals from being absorbed. Do offer your child a variety of different starchy foods, including wholegrain varieties, but don't use wholegrain foods exclusively until your child is five years old.

We use a mixture of white/brown/wholemeal bread depending on what I feel like buying on a particular day.

I was told this as well and have read it in various guides. I fed ds the same as what we have - ie lovely healthy wholemeal home-made bread. There was no way I was buying white bread for him, I think it's crap. I made sure his diet was high in fat and rich in nutrients anyway.

We nearly only have brown bread, rice and pasta. Hmm, this may be why my kids often have diarrhea, but they're not unwell, so I am disinclined to stop.

I think this is hysterical crap dd(2.4) eats what we do, ie wholemeal toast in the morning and she is thriving.
Oh no does this makes me a BAD mother!!

LOL my friend loathes looking after ds because of the consistency of his poos

I think it is a darn sight healthier than the little rabbit dropping style ones.

Well, yes, runny poos are a bit more disgusting, but they are healthier.

Wtf? That has to be the funniest piece of advice from an HV I've ever heard!

Told by doc to give my ds brown bread and other high fibre foods to help with his constipation. He is fine and loves it. dd (8 months) also has it. Unfortunately dp and I were brought up on a diet of white and can't give it up (love white toast) so we have a mixture in this house.

I use the best of both bread. Is that ok?

actually, I have heard that advice many times, and actually that is a perfectly reasonable explanation (that wholemeal products are more difficult to digest, might reduce the appetite and more difficult to extract nutrients from). I think it is a bit extreme to say it is NO GOOD for them and certainly advising you to starve him till he eats sounds bizarre in the extreme.

But, we develop our likes and dislikes towards food at a very young age. You and your DP most likely like white bread because that is what you were fed. This is why I shove whole grains fruit and veg down my young children: because I want them to grow up liking these foods. This HV advice is damaging not only to their current health but to their adult health. This kind of eating breeds high cholestrol, heart attacks, strokes, and so on.

Oh oh oh, I forgot...

HIYA LIPPY

I agree with Harpsi. The fibre is a bit much for their gut. They need fat and stodge, toddlers, unlike their parents. Not that I advocate starving or anything.

White unbleached organic from a proper baker is nice. That's my story (especially as too much fibre irritates my IBS, I have belatedly discovered - do not ask me for details or I'll give them) and I'm sticking to eat it.

So I wouldn't starve him, obviously, but there is in fact more basis in fact than there is for many HV statements.

Can I just say (very quietly) that white bread is the only one fortified with any vitamins and minerals. It is illegal to add any to brown bread and most naturally occurring ones do not survive the baking process.

I make my own bread and do a light wholemeal usually, but occasionally make a white loaf. My children are perfectly happy with wholemeal bread because that is what they've always had. However, I have heard that too much fibre isn't good for very small children, and can prevent them absorbing enough nutrients.

Really Jan? Illegal to fortify wholmeal, granary, etc.????? Oh, tell me more.

Oh, and it's not like my kids never eat white bread (I am not always there to feed them). In fact a couple of weeks ago I said that she couldn't have the "manky white bread" and DD said "I LIKE manky white bread ".

we all eat granary bread :)