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Toddler asking for biscuits & yoghurt after 2 mouthfuls of meal.... what to do?

117 replies

greenleaveseverywhere · 26/08/2024 17:37

She's 2.

Currently when I serve a meal, she will have 1 or 2 mouthfuls and then ask for yoghurt or biscuits.

I really don't know how to play this one as don't want to fall into the "one more mouthful" camp but equally, not comfortable with her living on biscuits and yoghurt.

Help?!!

OP posts:
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ineedtogwtoutbeforeitatoohot · 26/08/2024 17:58

greenleaveseverywhere · 26/08/2024 17:42

But then she says "noooo" and refuses the meal and I don't want to put pressure on her to eat what she doesn't want.

So then she will just have biscuits and yoghurt all the time then You arnt putting pressure on her to eat though if you just say after dinner and change the subject. Just do her a tiny dinner so it's not loads to eat you can gradually add more

ToBeDetermined · 26/08/2024 17:58

BananaPeanutToast · 26/08/2024 17:57

Also you can’t be that clued up because Waitrose and M&S certainly sell the same types of product. Don’t fool yourself that premium is any better

See you are still doing it, acting like I can’t read a label and am clueless as to what is in my food.

kitsuneghost · 26/08/2024 17:59

Tell her you have none

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GoldenCactus · 26/08/2024 17:59

ToBeDetermined · 26/08/2024 17:50

Well, depends on the ice lolly. I make my own by freezing natural no sugar added fruit juice. So there is hardly any sugar and they are mostly water. Same with the yogurt lollies I make. I think that’s what the poster meant by “healthy” ice lollies.

Edited

For someone so clued up on sweeteners, you have one fuck of a shock coming when you find out the sugar content of pure orange juice. You might as well be freezing original Coke into lollies.

itfeelsstupid · 26/08/2024 18:00

BananaPeanutToast · 26/08/2024 17:54

Are you sure? Everything ‘no added sugar’ is pretty much stuffed with artificial sweeteners

fgs 😂

karmakameleon · 26/08/2024 18:01

BananaPeanutToast · 26/08/2024 17:55

Wow. No need to be nasty. Most people don’t realise fruit yoghurts are considered UPF because of the thickeners and additives.

I just looked up petit filous (first big brand of children’s yogurt I could think of) and they use cornflour as a thickener so I wouldn’t consider that UPF. If you’re worried you can easily make fruit lollies at home with fruit purée mixed with natural yogurt or just the plain fruit (no sugar required).

To go back to the OP’s question, we just used to put everything on our toddler’s plate at once, including the pot of yogurt and fruit he’d be offered for ‘pudding’. Never made any fuss about what order he’d eat it in but there was an understanding that he’d need to make a decent effort with what was on his plate before getting seconds of anything.

BananaPeanutToast · 26/08/2024 18:02

ToBeDetermined · 26/08/2024 17:57

Sorry, but I think you are being a bit nasty by repeatedly disbelieving me when I say there are healthy ice lollies that are not pure sugar, artificially sweetened or UPFs.

I’m not. Fruit juice behaves like sugar water in the blood stream. It’s totally different than having the whole fruit containing the pulp. It’s not that different than giving them frozen Fanta. Do what works for you but there are no healthy lollies for two year olds made from juice.

You can puree and freeze down a range of fruit and veg that tastes good but has the full benefit of the whole food.

ToBeDetermined · 26/08/2024 18:03

GoldenCactus · 26/08/2024 17:59

For someone so clued up on sweeteners, you have one fuck of a shock coming when you find out the sugar content of pure orange juice. You might as well be freezing original Coke into lollies.

I wouldn’t be shocked as I am perfectly aware thank you. A bit of natural fructose is not unhealthy. I am also not shocked you think orange juice is nutritionally equivalent to original Coke.

itfeelsstupid · 26/08/2024 18:03

I don’t think you’re being nasty at all @BananaPeanutToast but in all honesty you are being really tedious. And it’s stopping the OP getting help.

katmarie · 26/08/2024 18:04

Mine are 4 and 6 now, both have been through phases of demanding crap rather than eating their dinner. I've always just said no, and that dinner is what is on the table, you don't have to eat it, but that's all there is. And that food can be rejected, but only if they give it a good try first. This has been largely successful, although they both have good days and bad days, and ds especially can be a bit fussy.

With treat foods we've got into a routine now where they get their treat (yogurt, fruit, small square of chocolate, or an ice pop) after they have put their pyjamas on for bed. So, there is no relationship to dinner, and there are no alternatives offered at dinner time if they don't eat. We compromise with that by making sure we serve some things they have liked previously at every meal, and sub some things in and out if we need to, eg ds loathes fish, so when the rest of us have fish, he gets chicken or sausages for example. I don't cook whole separate meals though, we all eta largely the same thing and together at the table too.

We serve new stuff alongside things we know they like, so we know they will eat something. We also talk a lot about the fun of trying new foods, and I tell them for example about the times I've travelled and tried new things and how much I enjoyed that. I try hard to avoid the battles and focus on the positives of new foods, new experiences etc.

Some nights it's hard, they turn their noses up at things they loved previously which drives me nuts. But then in the same way, they decide they like things they previously hated. So you win some you lose some. Except on the fish thing, I think ds is pretty much committed to hating fish now.

ToBeDetermined · 26/08/2024 18:04

BananaPeanutToast · 26/08/2024 18:02

I’m not. Fruit juice behaves like sugar water in the blood stream. It’s totally different than having the whole fruit containing the pulp. It’s not that different than giving them frozen Fanta. Do what works for you but there are no healthy lollies for two year olds made from juice.

You can puree and freeze down a range of fruit and veg that tastes good but has the full benefit of the whole food.

I disagree. You have made a number of erroneous assumptions as to what is in them so why should I listen to your condemning them as a bad/unhealthy food?

Iggityziggety · 26/08/2024 18:04

I tell DD she has to eat x spoonfuls of chicken, potatoes, veg before she can have what she wants. That way she eats something sensible and I feel like I haven't just caved. If she says no I leave her to eat her dinner or not, if she doesn't and says she's hungry at bedtime she'll either have cold dinner or a crumpet or something.

florasl · 26/08/2024 18:05

We only give yogurt/biscuits as snack so they eating them isn’t dependant on anything else. We just say ‘sorry, that’s not on the menu today. We can have it at snack time’.

We also don’t do pudding, I often serve fruit alongside dinner but not after.

BananaPeanutToast · 26/08/2024 18:05

ToBeDetermined · 26/08/2024 18:03

I wouldn’t be shocked as I am perfectly aware thank you. A bit of natural fructose is not unhealthy. I am also not shocked you think orange juice is nutritionally equivalent to original Coke.

Google Tropicana. There are some Doctor led podcasts that agree EXACTLY that. Rangan Chatterjee has an excellent episode with a professor of dietetics where they discuss exactly this.

ToBeDetermined · 26/08/2024 18:05

“If you’re worried you can easily make fruit lollies at home with fruit purée mixed with natural yogurt or just the plain fruit (no sugar required).”

Exactly, which is how I make mine. I have said I make my own ice lollies from the start. If only peanuts had listened.

HoppityBun · 26/08/2024 18:06

Endure the savoury for the sweet treat? That’s old fashioned. Be careful what you’re teaching about food.

BananaPeanutToast · 26/08/2024 18:06

ToBeDetermined · 26/08/2024 18:04

I disagree. You have made a number of erroneous assumptions as to what is in them so why should I listen to your condemning them as a bad/unhealthy food?

You rock on love.

kitsuneghost · 26/08/2024 18:06

ToBeDetermined · 26/08/2024 17:53

You must be shopping in a budget grocery shop to only see UPF versions.

Where are you getting non upf fruit yogurts?
Haven't seen them in any shops I have been in
The closest I have seen is fage mango and passion fruit and that is still upf as it has natural flavourings.

ToBeDetermined · 26/08/2024 18:06

BananaPeanutToast · 26/08/2024 18:05

Google Tropicana. There are some Doctor led podcasts that agree EXACTLY that. Rangan Chatterjee has an excellent episode with a professor of dietetics where they discuss exactly this.

I don’t buy or drink Tropicana. Really this is very tedious.

ToBeDetermined · 26/08/2024 18:07

kitsuneghost · 26/08/2024 18:06

Where are you getting non upf fruit yogurts?
Haven't seen them in any shops I have been in
The closest I have seen is fage mango and passion fruit and that is still upf as it has natural flavourings.

I buy plain yogurt and add a handful of berries, whizz to a purée and freeze.

BananaPeanutToast · 26/08/2024 18:07

ToBeDetermined · 26/08/2024 18:05

“If you’re worried you can easily make fruit lollies at home with fruit purée mixed with natural yogurt or just the plain fruit (no sugar required).”

Exactly, which is how I make mine. I have said I make my own ice lollies from the start. If only peanuts had listened.

You said you made them from purchased no added sugar juice snd had to check the pack? Not that you puréed the whole fruit yourself?

DiscoBeat · 26/08/2024 18:08

Could you make some healthy savoury biscuits to have with the main meal? Little bit of Greek yogurt on the side?

BananaPeanutToast · 26/08/2024 18:08

ToBeDetermined · 26/08/2024 18:06

I don’t buy or drink Tropicana. Really this is very tedious.

All those juices are made the same way, regardless of brand.

As I said, you rock on and do you.

wonderstuff · 26/08/2024 18:08

In our house the deal was eat dinner, if you left it and were hungry later it was bread and butter. I wouldn't push food they disliked after a few goes, but did expect trying, although accepted if they said they were full. I would allow yoghurt after a reasonable attempt at dinner, but biscuits were more an occaisional treat or calming strategy when out.

I do agree that orange juice is full of sugar - would allow it watered down or in a lolly as an occaisional treat (depends on size of lolly I guess) OJ does have similar amounts of sugar to cola, obvioulsy has some nutritional value, I am more worried about it's affect on my kids teeth than nutritional content really.

StarSlinger · 26/08/2024 18:09

BananaPeanutToast · 26/08/2024 18:07

You said you made them from purchased no added sugar juice snd had to check the pack? Not that you puréed the whole fruit yourself?

Go start your own thread and stop derailing this one.

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