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General health

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Original poster

I'm putting this in this topic, although not sure where it should go!

40 replies

saltire · 03/04/2007 11:57

This is possibly a stupid question, but here goes.

Is it possible that a 2 year old child can be given too much fruit every day

OP posts:

MrsDoolittle · 03/04/2007 11:59

Doubt it, unless it's at the expense of protein and fat.
Also some fruit is very high in fructose, so there is a sugar issue too.

olivo · 03/04/2007 11:59

i would say yes. i know i get the runs if i have too much, so too much fibre for a child might make them unwell.
but i'm not a health professional!!

olivo · 03/04/2007 12:00

aaah, x posts mrs doolittle!

HuwEdwards · 03/04/2007 12:01

yes, although I guess it would only be an issue if it was a regular thing. It's amongst other things generally fibrous and a high fibre diet is not generally recommended for toddlers.

belgo · 03/04/2007 12:03

yes they can have too much fruit - it will give them the runs, and possibly mean they are not getting enough calories. I don't know how much is too much. One piece a day, sometimes two sounds right to me.

Original poster

saltire · 03/04/2007 12:07

Mindee1 (yes him again) has had very loose nappies every day I have had him for the past 2 weeks. I did mention it to his mum but she says "It's probably the fruit". They have 3 pieces of fruit every day after their evening meal, which is good, but she sends 5 pieces of fruit a day in his lunchbox, which she has asked to make sure he eats them "so he gets his 5 a day", Yesterday his nappy was full of what looked like kiwi fruit seeds and bits of undigested bluberries, sorry TMI i know. The nappies aren't like a tummy bug loose IYSWIM, but just loose. I am worried about the amount of fuit and fibre in general that he's getting, but wasn't sure if a child could get too much.

OP posts:

HuwEdwards · 03/04/2007 12:08

A portion for a toddler is not the same as a portion for an adult.

MrsDoolittle · 03/04/2007 12:11

Oh My God, poor child. Surely that would put him off!
Five a day includes fruit and vegetables.

I love fruit but I'm not sure I would if I had to eat so much a day.

wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe · 03/04/2007 12:17

way too much. Apart from the fact he's getting far too much fiber, fruit doesn't contain that many calories (one apple for instance contains approx 40 calories), so if he's filling up on fruit he won't have space for other foods and thus his calory intake would suffer. Also if he's gettingtoo much firer this can affect his digestion.

What else doe he eat other than all that fruit?

Original poster

saltire · 03/04/2007 12:23

His lunch box today contains

A dairylea dunker
A dairylea lunchables
2 wholegrain rolls (with the bits in) with cheese and tomato filling
A yoghurt
A jordans cereal bar
An apple
12 strawberries
A pear
A banana
A tupperware tub contatining bluberries
a Tin of Veg soup.

I have voiced my concerns before, but she says "oh but he loves fruit"

OP posts:

wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe · 03/04/2007 12:28

12 strawberries! i couldn't eat that many - let alone my ds when he was 2.

It is hard when he appears to enjoy the fruit, and his mum seems to be wanting to do the right thing, but it does have to be all about having a balanced diet. will he eat the other things in his lunch box as well as the fruit? does he have a preference for anything other than fruit? perhaps you could encourage him to eat the non fruit things first so he's more full up and doesn't have the appetite for all that fruit, then you can legitimately say he hadn't eaten it all. or do you think she will then just give him more after his tea?

belgo · 03/04/2007 12:28

does he eat all of that?

MrsDoolittle · 03/04/2007 12:30

That is horrifying

Dd loves fruit but I would never give her that much even if she wanted it.

It's true his calorie intake will suffer. He needs more wholegrain starches and fat, for that matter.

rebelmum1 · 03/04/2007 12:31

I think so, they're only little. I wouldn't give my dd a whole banana for example.

DumbledoresGirl · 03/04/2007 12:33

I couldn't eat all that for my lunch! and I have a pretty large appetite. How on earth does he manage?

And yes, you can have too much fruit. My neice had problems with diarrhoea and contintency and had to reduce her high fruit intake.

rebelmum1 · 03/04/2007 12:34

Oh just read the list! I'd buy mum a book on nutrition. It's going the other way and the fruit isn't being digested if there are bits in poo.

MellowMa · 03/04/2007 12:37

Message withdrawn

rebelmum1 · 03/04/2007 12:44

Gosh some people really are clueless

BigEggLittleEgg · 03/04/2007 12:50

Oh my god, just seen lunchbox contents! Why so much?!?!?!? Not even astounded at just the amount of fruit, but the sheer amount of FOOD.

Surely he doesn't need the dunker and the lunchables things, if he has TWO rolls, and likewise, what's with the cereal bar AND all that fruit AND a yoghurt?!??!

Really good he likes his fruit, but as someone else said, 12 strawberries are quite hard to stomach, even though they have v little calories.

No wonder he poos it all back out...

BigEggLittleEgg · 03/04/2007 12:52

Sorry just seen tin of veg soup as well. Is this ALL FOR LUNCH or for tea / supper as well? Wouldn't an "average" 2 year old have maybe the soup and one roll, and a bit of fruit and / or yoghurt, at most?

Blimey.

TwirlyN · 03/04/2007 12:59

Is that his food for the day. including mid am snack, pm snack, lunch and dinner? Or maybe the mother just wants to cover a few options. depending on how DS is feeling. I don't think it would be good for a little chappie to eat all of that. Do you hand back the fruit he doesn't at the end of the day?

Original poster

saltire · 03/04/2007 13:09

Sorry, we were having lunch,mindee sleeping just now. i alway prvide snakc for mindees, and all parents are aware of this. I rarely give them snacks out the lunch box (as a comparison yesterday Mindee 2 had a small roll, a yoghurt and a chooclate biscuit in his). Mindee 1 has eaten a roll and half the tim of soup, the aapple, dairylea dunker and had some milk.
in answer to some questions, that is pretty normal, i don't know how much he eats at home but i di know when he leaves me - anytime between 5.30 and 6.15 he gets a meal when they go home. The mum doesn't like me feeding him after 4.30 because of this. If there is anything left in the lunchbox she gets all upset and says "oh X, you need to eat all your food or you won't get strong and you'll go hungry". I have known her be in floods of tears at the morning drop off because he hasn't drank his breakfast milk or eaten all his breakfast.
I try really hard to say, that's what children do, sometimes they don't want to eat.

OP posts:

Original poster

saltire · 03/04/2007 13:10

Also, if there is fruit left in the box, she gives him to eat in the car on the way home.

OP posts:

olivo · 03/04/2007 13:12

TwirlyN · 03/04/2007 13:15

OMG his mother expects him to eat far too much. I would like to see her eat all that for her lunch. Is she even aware her ds nappies arn't quite right? Ohhh this is making me

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