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Parenting

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Original poster

DD2 16 months just eaten 47th banana in 14 days

28 replies

ArsMamatoria · 20/02/2011 22:59

That is on top of her normal food. And that is rationing her to 3 or 4 a day.

WTF? I've made DD1 whisper the word banana in my ear because if DD2 hears it she'll start looking wild-eyed round the kitchen for one.

She wakes up in the night and, eyes still shut, she says 'Nana, nana, nana, NANA, NANA!'

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harecare · 20/02/2011 23:03

I only allow half a banana a day max for dd2 who is 16 months. Her older sister who is 3 is only just allowed to have a whole one. I don't know if I'm being incredibly stingy, but more than that of just one food seems too much to me.

Original poster

ArsMamatoria · 21/02/2011 08:52

Wow, really?

Thing is it's on top of her normal varied diet. She's eating three times as much of that as well, so as a proportion 3 to 4 bananas is not that greater than usual.

Just that when I add it up it does seem a bit much.

She's very active, freakishly strong and so it all gets burnt up in an instant. She's suddenly shot up as well.

OP posts:

Roo83 · 21/02/2011 10:22

Could you try offering her an alternative? If she likes fruit how about strawberries,or raspberries as they are also very sweet so likely to be a hit. My ds used to get constipated if he had more than 1 bananna every other day,so watch out for that. At least it's bananas though and not chocolate or crisps!

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MoonFaceMamaaaaargh · 21/02/2011 14:26

I remember reading in the BLW book about a toddler that ate some crazy amount of boiled eggs in one sitting.

I think aslong as it's not having any adverse affects let her have them.

No doubt she'll get over it. I remember going through a massive orange phase (fruit, not skin tone) when was a kid. I'm over it now.

MoonUnitAlpha · 21/02/2011 14:28

Has it not made her constipated?

3 or 4 a day sounds like a huge amount to me.

ednurse · 21/02/2011 14:29

3 or 4 sounds a lot....

mrsgordonfreeman · 21/02/2011 14:30

My dd is around the same age and has suddenly become obsessed with bananas as well.

She usually eats about one molecule of food per day so I was a bit taken aback when she polished off a whole banana on the train the other day.

She's also obsessed with blueberries.

I'm sure it's fine. I get DH to change her nappy though.

Pagwatch · 21/02/2011 14:32

Stop buying them fortwo weeks. That is far too much.

Ds2 had massive food intolerances and the first sign was always him massively craving that food.

Just because it is fruit does not make massively craving a food a good thing.

Pagwatch · 21/02/2011 14:33

massive over use of massive there.....

DirtyMartini · 21/02/2011 14:36

Very funny to think of her talking about bananas in her sleep and looking around for them in crazed manner

I'd think it's probably just about OK if she's not constipated. Maybe she'll tire of them?

I recall a time when DS would happily scoff two whole bananas a day and he suffered no ill effects - he was probably around that age. He has always been a fruit monster and we have always gone along with it (luckily, as he has entirely disdained green veg since about 2.5 years).

DirtyMartini · 21/02/2011 14:37

Oh actually Pag is probably right, intolerance never occurred to me. Hope not, but it sounds like good advice :(

Pag, didn't you used to be all lower case?

Pagwatch · 21/02/2011 14:40

You are the second person to notice that !

This is freaking me out. I would never notice a change in case. Am I very unobservant?

ImFab · 21/02/2011 14:41

You are not the only one to ask this but I think that many a day is far too much.

lulalullabye · 21/02/2011 14:41

Bananas are high in potassium and eaten in excessive quantities can cause heart arythmias(irregular heart rate) and other problems. I would strongly recommend no mor than one a day for someone that little.

Voddy · 21/02/2011 14:43

I'm sure I read somewhere that adults should limit the amiunt of bananas they have due to potassium, not sute if it's true or not. But if so, a toddler prob shouldn't be having that many. Sorry if info is wrong.

winnybella · 21/02/2011 14:43

Oh, no, that's way too many.

What lulalullabye said. Risk of potassium overdose.

Voddy · 21/02/2011 14:46

Oh x-posts.

FiveFeetTwo · 21/02/2011 14:48

Bananas also have a medium GL and that many for one so tiny could play havoc with her blood sugar.

Original poster

ArsMamatoria · 21/02/2011 18:31

Gulp. No constipation but will check out the other points.

Cheers.

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thisisyesterday · 21/02/2011 18:35

That does seem excessive. that said, ds3 is constantly asking for them, but i think that's because it's the only food word he knows and he loves that when he says it a banana gets handed to him!

Original poster

ArsMamatoria · 21/02/2011 18:44

Ok here's what I found:

"If your child isn't getting enough potassium or if he has lost too much potassium when he is sick (like when he has vomiting and diarrhea that leads to dehydration or excessive sweating), then he may start to show effects of a potassium deficiency (hypokalemia). These symptoms of potassium deficiency can include muscle weakness and heart rhythm abnormalities, which usually require immediate medical attention.

Keep in mind that getting too much potassium (hyperkalemia), is just as dangerous as not having enough. However, it is unusual to get too much potassium just from your diet without also taking a potassium supplement of some kind or having some kind of kidney problem.

Recommended intakes for potassium range from 3,000mg per day for a toddler to 4,700mg per day for a teenager. While few parents will actually have to count how much potassium their child is getting each day, reviewing this list of foods rich in potassium can help ensure that your child isn't leaving all or most of these foods out of his diet and may not be getting enough potassium."

The average banana contains 400mg of potassium. So that leaves 2,800mg for the rest of her diet. So I doubt she's been overdosing heavily enough to cause problems.

I read elsewhere that an adult would need to eat over 30 bananas per day for it to become problematic.

The week before she started demanding them all the time, she had a horrible vomiting bug. No signs of muscle weakenss though - she chimney climbs between the wall and her cot and does pull-ups on the kitchen table.

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Original poster

ArsMamatoria · 21/02/2011 18:53

Umm, since when did 3000 minus 400 = 2,800?

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MoonUnitAlpha · 21/02/2011 19:36

So she's getting half her recommended amount of potassium just from the bananas?

DerangedSibyl · 21/02/2011 19:45

Offer her more at meals.

I'm guessing she's fixated on bananas because she's hungry and they're satistfying. Try her with a big bowl of cheesy pasta. Like you say, she's just been ill, so she'll have a massive calorie deficit to make up.

Original poster

ArsMamatoria · 21/02/2011 19:53

Err, 3000 minus 400 x 3 or 4 is certainly not 2,800. Fucking hell. Why can't I do a simple sum tonight?

RDA for an adult is 3500mg, for a toddler 3000mg. Intake over 12,000mg (for an adult)on a daily basis becomes problematic.

So she hasn't been eating enough to cause harm, but probably still a few too many to be ideal.

Righto, rationing begins...

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