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Original poster

What are the consequences of a seriously terrible diet in a toddler?

34 replies

PeckaRolloverAgain · 03/02/2007 18:58

Some of you may remember this thread about my sisters boyfriend's son.

Just wanted a bit more advice really.

They have been out today and she was horrified that for his lunch he gave him a plate of chip shop chips and then shook salt all over them.

What are the consequences of adding salt to an already salty diet in a 2 year old?

His typical diet consists solely of these foods.

Macdonalds, burger king, KFC, chippy chips, Greggs sausage rolls, sausages, white toast with butter, turkey pops (!). He drinks juice from a bottle and has a bottle of milk at bedtime.

We are looking for some sort of concrete evidence to give the Dad a shake to realise just how bad this diet is.

Thanks

OP posts:
WideWebWitch · 03/02/2007 19:12

Oh no Pecka, how sad that nothing changed, I do remember the thread (haven't checked it, will do in a minute). What about a dvd of the Jamie Oliver programmes? Any chance they'd watch it?

Original poster
PeckaRolloverAgain · 03/02/2007 21:10

bump

OP posts:
lisalisa · 03/02/2007 21:12

Message withdrawn

lulumama · 03/02/2007 21:12

well,

any fruit, veg, water, fibre?

i think that the consequences will be obesity, malnutrition, and a lack of awareness of how to eat properly and cook !!

poor skin, constipation, and if that diet continues into adulthood, heart disease and high blood pressure, diabetes , premature aging and death

SturdyAngel · 03/02/2007 21:16

Food Standards Agengy Salt website

mummydear · 03/02/2007 21:18

tell him to watch that TV programme ' Honey we're killing the kids' shows how a bad diet affects the children and shows life expectancy. Then shows how a change of diet can improve the childrens life now and in the future.

link here

SturdyAngel · 03/02/2007 21:19

CASH Consensus Action on Salt

batters · 03/02/2007 22:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
PeckaRolloverAgain · 04/02/2007 09:01

Hi

Thanks for the input.

I wish it was a joke - it isnt

There are lots of issues all tied together as one, honestly I was saying to my sister yesterday that he would be IDEAL for house of tiny tear aways.

When the dad was shaking the salt on the chips my sister had to say something and he said "Well, thats the only way he will eat them"

The dad I think, thinks its preferable that he eats SOMETHING even if it is salty chips

The little boy, god love him is given such control and power that he is ruling the roost.

Apparently little boys mum used to dip his dummy in to pot noodles when he was a baby - is it any wonder he likes salty food.

It makes me feel sick and my sister is very, very worried. She feels like she is fighting a losing battle though because he lives with his mum who doesnt seem to care enough to feed him properly, then he spends time at his Grandmas who thinks she is being a lovely grandma and spoiling him by giving him what he wants and I think the Dad is in the middle floundering and not really knowing what to do.

He doesnt eat a single piece of fruit, veg or anything. Not even cheese! or baked beans!

I forgot another food he will eat - weetabix, but it has to be the chocolate one

OP posts:
Dinosaur · 04/02/2007 09:14

Becka, what a terrible situation for your sister to be in.

The poor little boy .

I think I agree with batters that it goes beyond education and some sort of health professional needs to be involved.

On a diet like that, he'll never live to see 40 .

Dinosaur · 04/02/2007 09:15

Pecka, not Becka. Sorry.

Original poster
PeckaRolloverAgain · 04/02/2007 09:18

Dinosaur, Im pecka and becka Thanks

My sis is starting to become very worried about it, it must be awful. Being part of a childs life that you care about yet having to stand by and see him being treated like this.

The Dad just doesnt understand, he loves him and struggles with only seeing him at weekends.

In the short term what do you think of this idea? I suggested he was maybe put back on to formula milk as his bedtime drink as at least this is fortified with vitamins? His current diet has NO vitamins or minerals in barely - except the ones found in fat and milk. But with nothing fresh going in there must be huge nutritional shortfalls?

OP posts:
lulumama · 04/02/2007 09:18

some sort of intervention is needed

i would like to think it was gross ignorance, rather than deliberate neglect and laziness that leads to him being fed this.

dipping his dummy in pot noodle

why ?????? why????

poor poor little boy

lulumama · 04/02/2007 09:20

children eating this sort of diet are malnourished...which makes you think of starving children, but you can be malnourished eating this sort of diet....

i don;t know, adding vitamins or giving him follow on milk might well just give reason to continue feeding him sh*t as they might feel the vitamins make up for the rubbish he is eating

Original poster
PeckaRolloverAgain · 04/02/2007 09:21

I think on the Dads side its gross ignorance and a desire to please his little boy on the days he does have him mixed in with not realising that it would probably be better he ate nothing than some of this shit.

His mother, Im not so sure - Ive heard some terrible stories (the dummy pot noodle one, the aggressive behaviour during weaning etc etc) so Im inclined to think he may be being neglected BUT I dont want to say that rashly when I havent actually witness it myself.

OP posts:
lulumama · 04/02/2007 09:23

pecka (hug) very hard for you isn;t it, honey? i don;t know what is classed as neglect , but certainly when you haven;t seen the behaviour yourself, then it is even harder

can you cook some nice simple fresh meals for the dad..so at weekends, he can feed him homecooked meals,?

maybe have them over to you and do some cooking with them?

maybe start with something easy , like maybe making flapkjacks or fairy cakes, and then progress to 'real' food?

Original poster
PeckaRolloverAgain · 04/02/2007 09:26

I have invited them before but think the Dad gets embarassed at his behaviour so declined. I dont think he has ever sat at the table either His meals are normally eaten in the car from a box.

God its awful isnt it.

Sis has spent days with him when he has literally eaten nothing all day, even when offered the junk.

OP posts:
PeachesMcLean · 04/02/2007 09:27

God that sounds awful.
Do they still have a health visitor? I know there's a variety of opinions about HVs posted on here, but certainly mine was very good when there was a proper problem to deal with. I'd be tempted to go and see theirs. If she can't intervene, can any of the other agencies / charities do anything? As you say, the food isn't the only problem here.

PeachesMcLean · 04/02/2007 09:28

Pecka, big hugs for you too. the boy's lucky to have someone trying to sort things out for him.

Original poster
PeckaRolloverAgain · 04/02/2007 09:29

I feel really guilty writing all of this He is a lovely little boy really and the Dad, Grandma etc do really love him but they are just so arghhghgh I dont know ignorant, misguided, apathetic?

but cant help thinking I wish I could scoop him up and bring him here - yes it would be a hard slog but I think with patience and loads of time we could get him eating a half decent diet.

OP posts:
lulumama · 04/02/2007 09:43

why guilty? you are trying to help....it is a horrible situation

Lullabyloo · 04/02/2007 09:50

You have nothing to feel guilty about
you are simply a lovely caring lady trying to make changes for this poor lo.
i was at the local swimming pool last week where two young mum's were swimming with their 15m (ish)lo's(great)
the children's bottles were in the pool with them floating about in the water.
After their swim i met them again in the cafe -a bottle of fizzy orange was purchased & poured into each of their bottles & they were given a portion of chips each and told to eat their tea up because there would be else till breakfast.
I could have cried...
It's a pity that we have classes to tell us how to give birth & breastfeed but nothing to educate people as to how to nurture their children afterwards.So often it isn't neglect,just plain ignorance & people not realising that cooking from scratch is so much cheaper than buying junk food.

amidaiwish · 04/02/2007 09:50

does he poo? i know my dcs wouldn't eating only that.
it might take an issue like that for them to realise something has to change, you know something concrete, a visible health issue?

lulumama · 04/02/2007 09:50

lully ..you should do classes for cooking for babies and toddlers !

Lullabyloo · 04/02/2007 09:52

someone should
i was a nanny for 16 years & even the wealthiest of families were still feeding their children utter crap.