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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:

DumbledoresGirl · 03/04/2007 13:17

Is she a big woman? I honestly could not eat all he has in his lunchbox and so find the amount she expects a 2 yo to eat horrifying. My 4 yo ds has just eaten one vegemite sandwich, an avocado and a packet of crisps. That is about par for the course for him.

Original poster

saltire · 03/04/2007 13:22

DG, how are you?

Anyway they (the parents)are both very skinny, although food seems to be an issue with them (or one of a few). I used to mind mindee 1's brother. He came to me when he was 6 months old. At the time he was still getting 6oz bottles every 4 hours- they used to send only enough for the hours i had him. By 9 months he was still on 4hourly bottles. I tried gently telling them that perhaps they should start introducing some sort of solids, such as puree, to no effect. Then one day shr turned up with the baby, and sandwiches for him, because "the health visitor said we had to start introducing food, especially finger food". that was it, no more bottles, no slowly introducing him to weaning or anything.

OP posts:

wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe · 03/04/2007 13:25

could you cut up the fruit and make it into a fruit salad for him? that way he is essentially being given all the fruit, but just eating what he wants, and then you can discard the rest. that way you're not really deceiving the mother but you are limiting his intake somewhat.

Original poster

saltire · 03/04/2007 13:25

Here is the same mum

OP posts:

DumbledoresGirl · 03/04/2007 13:25

I wonder how you keep you keep your cool with her. She sounds a bit clueless to me!

I am OK thanks. Dh is away AGAIN this week and this time I have been left to care for ds3 who had an operation last week and is still very much in the recovery stage, but, you know, you are right, you get used to being alone after a time. I will crack if there is a hint of sickness of course, but at the moment......

Original poster

saltire · 03/04/2007 13:29

It's only recently that she seems to have got worse! Her drop off in the morning now take 15 minutes. You should read some of my threads in childminders.

You have my email still, so email me if you want, hopefully i won't feel as sore and be able to email you a bit more regularly

OP posts:

DumbledoresGirl · 03/04/2007 13:31

Sore?

let me transfer this to email!..............

wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe · 03/04/2007 13:35

sounds to me as if she has some major guilt/or insecurity going on. by piling in the fruit etc she wants to be sure that it is her who is giving her child all this nutritious food - the perfume would indicate to me that she actually feels extremely guilty about leaving him, and that she has major insecurities and feels perhaps that he will become more attached to you than her?

if that make sense?

she would do my head in.

which would probably explain why I could never be a cm.

wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe · 03/04/2007 13:39

the comment about "I hope you can smell my perfume on him" is an indirect way of saying "he's my child not yours".

has something changed in her life? relationship problems perhaps?

bobsmum · 03/04/2007 13:51

Saltire - I got a great poster free from Organix. It has the portion sizes for 5 a day cut down into appropriate sizes for 1-2,3-4 over 5 etc. It's been really helpful for us and might be a good visual clue for the parent in question?

For example 1 think slice of cucumber is one portion for a 1-2 y o. 1/4 of an apple and one very small carrot. It's much less than you would think.

Children shouldn't be expected to hit 5 a day until they're at least 3 AFAIK.

bobsmum · 03/04/2007 13:53

thick slice of cucumber

soak · 03/04/2007 14:49

I would be tempted to throw some of the fruit away (or share it with other mindees) and tell parent that he ate it all - I know its wrong to lie to the parent but this woman is tapped!

star1976 · 03/04/2007 15:07

Oh my god! My DS and mindee both love their fruit, but I always provide it in the form of a fruit salad (3 diff fruits) after their lunch. They eat what they fancy and the rest usually ends up on the floor!

I was told that fruit/veg portions can be measured by the size of the palm of your hand. So in a toddler, that is really small!

Have to admit I find that certain fruit and veg (sweetcorn, blueberries, for example) usually come out the other end whole no matter who eats them.

Original poster

saltire · 03/04/2007 15:09

DH thinks i should just tell her that he has eaten it all, and either pop the remaining fruit on our fridge, or give it to other mindees or chuck it out.

OP posts:

maximummummy · 03/04/2007 22:42

yes i agree a child that age can't be expected to eat all that & an evening meal with 3 more pieces of fruit mother is clearly a mentalist!!!! i'd share the fruit with other midees, @ snack time give him something from lunchbox and try having another word with his (honking of perfume)mum !!!

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