Toddler in the house...eliminating carbs?

 My Tod does not swallow fruits...the only one that he will swallow is banana...I tried everything like grapes ...strawberries....any berries...he will chew and not swallow.

He does eat and swallow  carbby snacks animal crackers, cookies, cheez it....
I place his cookies in a separate box in my laundry room...well, but I know where it is.


just a quick update on my son...he is underweight be was born premy at 1lbs 4oz...and he hates to eat...he is 3yrs and in the 1%...he does not gain weight...and we are just praying that he will continue to grow...he is quite short for his age. His doc is like feed him what he wants...anyways...He was in the NICU for 5months...you get the idea...


How do I balance that...like all the singles in the forum...I want to clean my house...and stuff....how to I proceed...

Do you guys have any other suggestions..?

Thank you...

I have one that doesn't eat much either. He's managed to get to 20 so he survived. Now his BMI is something like 16, but he's actually fairly healthy.

I think the big thing is not to introduce unhealthy eating as a way to get them to eat SOMETHING. Because eventually he'll eat more and the weight will come on. And, even if it doesn't, unhealthy eating is ... unhealthy!

Have you tried those RTD shakes that are made to supplement nutrition like Ensure, Boost, etc.? Or making him a healthy shake of fruits and milk and protein powder?  You could make him a shake when you make yours only put extra stuff in his like fruits and nuts.

You guys are great...I love the responses that i get here...

Shakes is perfect...he always wants to taste my shake...so I guess fruit shake will be great.

As to adding protein...i can't his doc said that it not good for kids...specifically for premies...given that they went throught so much....with meds and stuff...as babies...

I will try the shakes...I will clean his box then....

Thanks,
Marika

DON'T BRING TRIGGER FOODS INTO YOUR HOUSE!!!! With a toddler, you have control and no one needs animal crackers. There must be healthier food to feed a picky toddler than animal crackers that do not have any nutritional value. Bananas are okay for him. Try some REAL Cheddar cheese, not fake chemical cheese whiz. Cookies aren't even good for him. Does he drink milk? Perhaps, talking with a dietitian who has specialized knowledge with preemies and nutrition could be helpful.

Toddlers are notorious for being picky eaters. I'm sure that there are more nutritious foods that can be tried. Maybe, he needs softer, dense protein type foods.Will he eat foods that have been pureed or ground into a softer consistency? That might make it easier for him to swallow. Ditto for pureeing strawberries or any other berries. Will he eat oatmeal or rice cereal that you could add some protein powder and/or pureed fruit to it? If he drinks milk, you could even add some protein to it. Whey protein, like Beneprotein, is a pure protein and doesn't have any additives added to it. It is so pure that it is used for tube feedings.

I am single and just don't bring trigger foods into the house. If something becomes problematic, I throw it away.

When I was two months out, I couldn't even get enough fluids and protein in, much less cookies or chocolate. That came, after I was in maintenance.

This forum can be a great support for you as you begin your journey. Listen to Lee. She is a pro.

Gail

You guys are great...I love the responses that i get here...

Shakes is perfect...he always wants to taste my shake...so I guess fruit shake will be great.

As to adding protein...i can't his doc said that it not good for kids...specifically for premies...given that they went throught so much....with meds and stuff...as babies...


Get this he hate anything that is "pureed"..it grosses him out...he gag...on apple sauce...puree potato....

I will try the shakes...I will clean his box then....

Thanks guys,
Marika

Well, I can't blame him for that. Pureed food grosses me out, too. I guess the extra protein would be too hard on his little kidneys.

If he drinks full fat milk, that would be great in a shake, if his doc is okay with full fat regular milk. It would be a great way to get in more fruit and I'm sure that you could think of other things to add to it, to bump up the nutritional value. Will he eat avocado? Avocado can be mixed with just about anything, adds more calories, and is considered a healthy fat.

Being a picky eater is a common occurrence amongst toddlers and probably, most kids in general. Does he like sweet potato? That can be made into roasted fries ( most kids like finger foods), microwaved, steamed, etc. Healthy, healthy nutrition. Full of vitamins and minerals. No need to add all the sugar that most people add to it. I just bake a sweet potato and add some cinnamon. Yummy, but I didn't start doing this, until this last fall and I was well into maintenance. Of course, I only eat about 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup, which is enough.

I wonder, if he would eat Tofu? About a year ago, I was in Whole Foods, buying some marinated Tofu. I asked the woman next to me, if it was good, and she said that she was buying it for her toodler, who loved it. Blew me away.
Silken Tofu can be mixed with just about anything, including smoothies, soups, peanut butter,greek yogurt, etc. More protein and nutrition.

Gail

 When my son was a baby, I made all of his food in a vitamin food processor.  I'm glad I didn't know that I could buy baby food at the store.  I made things lie granola with oats, seed, nuts and honey.  When baked it was crunchy and great fist food.  I layered homemade yogurt with granola and berries and called them Saturdaes instead of sundaes.  I grew most of our organic food and threw everything into the blender.  If your son doesn't eat much, make it as high in nutrition as possible.  Junk food is not a friend to either of you.

You're on a life saving mission.  If you were a diabetic, you would not eat your son's cookies because they might kill you.  Allow your sleeve to improve your life and the quality of life you will have with your son.

You'll have time to experiment in maintenance.  Nows the time to be your own "adult" that insists on good decision making.

Yum, I want a Saturdae!!

 LOL... They were a staple  food in my farmhouse!

 Lee,

You are like a rock star....I feel so bad because most of the time I buy my son's food and here you were making everything from crash and growing it...WOW...

I will make a note of it. 

Get this my huby is a diabetic and he is been telling me to get rid of all the cookies, he always said that i need to hear it from outside to understand...OH well...Thanks for been that outside voice.

I like the idea of tofu too...I will try that too.

YR