Chunky toddlers means chunky later on?

[TravelingGal]

So you do worry about chunky toddlers? Do you think they outgrow it and think it''s much ado about nothing? Or do you agree that in this day and age, children have a harder time outgrowing chunkiness?

Here''s the article...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37838149/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/

and here is a BMI calcuator for kids:

http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/

I take the BMI calculator with a grain of salt. According to it, Amelia is underweight, which is a concern, but I just can''t keep up with her height. I wish this child ate more!

 

[lili]

J is underweight too.
I never take those measurement seriously, especially when it said that my ideal weight is 105. At 100 lbs when I was at my heaviest (not counting pregnancy) I looked very tubby.

 

[fieryred33143]

I don''t have a toddler yet (9 days!) but yes, I do worry about weight. My worry though is my own insecurities which I really, really need to work on because I do NOT want to project that on to her.

Either way, she''s not very chunky, at least I don''t think so. She''s 21.5lbs and 30in. I think she''s pretty average, if not then slim. We''re going to make a lot of effort to make sure she''s active since we were not as children and it carried into adult life.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 6/22/2010 2:17:35 PM
Author: lili
J is underweight too.
I never take those measurement seriously, especially when it said that my ideal weight is 105. At 100 lbs when I was at my heaviest (not counting pregnancy) I looked very tubby.

Tubby at 100 lbs, girl, you must be really petite...I''m jealous. I''d be a skeleton at 100.

With A, part of me just wants to start on the junk food. I won''t, of course, but I wonder if healthy eating (and my cooking) just isn''t all that appetizing to her. She likes fruit and whole wheat bread, and sometimes she likes lean meats, but there''s just not a lot of calories in all of this. I just keep thinking a couple of cheeseburgers might fatten her up!

But since she''s not the best eater, I plug along with the healthier stuff because I''m afraid she''ll only love the bad stuff if I were to do that and then my battle with her would be way worse. Lunch today is whole wheat pasta with red meat sauce and veggies (broc and green beans, which she''s eatedn before, and I''m going to try and sneak in spinach). I''ve tried to give her peanut butter for extra calories but she hated it. She chose to have vegemite on her toast instead, much to TGuy''s delight.

 

[lili]

TGal--
But you got 5 inches or more over me!
If you think I''m petite, you''d be floored to know that my sister didn''t even hit 100 when she delivered at first baby at full term!

Wow, A''s diet is pretty healthy!
That''s interesting that she doesn''t like the fattening stuff.
So, is she off whole milk?

J''s not a fan of peanut butter either, but she''s a fan of TJ''s triple peanut butter cookies

I''m not a good mom, so I don''t restrict junk food as much as I should.
By 2, she''s eaten practically all the junk that I''ve eaten (minus chocolate bars, hard candy and gum).

 

[PenelopeJane]

I think parents should worry about that only if they're stuffing their kids full of chips, cookies, doughnuts and cake for meals. But if you're offering healthy alternatives then...their weight is going to be what it is.

According to the kids BMI, DD is considered overweight which is just ridiculous. She is at 85th % but she's super tall, lean, and actually has a lot of muscle...plus I know what she's eating so I'm not worried. She's got a voracious appetite and eats every few hours. Always on the move and always hungry. I'm lucky that she loves asparagus, sprouts, berries and any kind of protein. DS is on his way to being an adventurous eater as well. Now all I have to worry about is the grocery bill!

 

[monarch64]

I don''t know about this one. My niece, who has been on solids since 6-8 months, is not chunky but she looks very...healthy. She''s probably just going to be a big girl. Her parents are 5''10" and 6''3" and are at healthy weights themselves. She was exclusively breast fed (sorry, I don''t know all the acronyms for this stuff) until she weaned herself at 8 months. She loves her veggies and fruits, she''ll eat basically anything you put in front of her, and she LOVES BUTTER. Like, she''ll eat an entire ramekin of butter if you let her have it.

She''s so active, though, that I doubt she turns out chunky as she gets older. She isn''t allowed much t.v. time and her parents are big into sports and outdoors stuff so I don''t foresee her having a weight issue.

If a kid is parked in front of the t.v. all the time, doesn''t get outside much, and is given free reign over their diet, and the parents aren''t healthy themselves, I think that might be a recipe for weight disaster if the toddler is already "chunky," yes.

 

[Jennifer W]

I could be totally wrong about this, so take it with a grain of salt, but I do believe children at the Amelias'' ages have a pretty good control mechanism. They will usually eat enough to sustain them when they are hungry and actually recognise the signals and stop when they''ve had enough. I don''t encourage her either to eat or stop eating, I just I give her a good choice of fruit, veggies, lean meat and wholegrains, and that''s it. Even if she''s skinny, at least her little body isn''t having to process trans fats, refined sugar and cholesterol in high doses. If weight isn''t affecting development and growth, then unless it''s very low or very high, I wouldn''t personally try to influence it.

Some days, she barely eats a bite, others she''s like a bottomless pit. All that said, she''s right on the 50th% for both height and weight, so I am not at all worried. Maybe if she was over or under weight I wouldn''t be so laid back about it. It''s easy for me to talk about feeding toddlers, because I never had a problem with it...

I don''t know how easy it would be for an overweight toddler to outgrow chunkyness and I suspect there are too many individual circumstances to really generalise, but I would say that when the cause of the chunkiness is poor nutrition and lack of activity, that''s a pattern that is difficult to break out of at any age. For parents as well as children. (Ask me how I know...

)

Jen

 

[lili]

Penelope--
Really? I''ve seen a picture of your girl and she''s nowhere near overweight.

 

[Jennifer W]

lili, I think the percentile thing is odd. I mean, Amelia is at 50th percentile for weight and height, yet when she''s undressed, you can see bones. I don''t get it.

 

[janinegirly]

I do think these indicators, charts/guidelines,etc. are misleading. I tried C's, but turns out doesn't work for the under 2 set, but I'm sure it would say she is way under. She's consistently been in 15-25% for height/weight. To me, alot of this is relative (skinny baby here might be considered chunky in another country) and things like frame, bone structure make a difference. In C's case, if you looked at her she definitely does not look underweight, huge belly and chunky cheeks. And A is tall and skinny, but very healthy looking and your DH is talll if I remember correctly so alot is genetics as well.

I also recall a friend who was the fattest baby I'd ever seen (based on baby pictures) with rolls on top of rolls and now she is ridiculously skinny and small boned. And then I think back to when my sister was little and she and her best friend were like a comedy team--same age but my sister towered over her! And they turned out the same height, same frame in the end.

 

[PenelopeJane]

monarch & jen, good points. Those are all important factors. Some activity and healthy eating habits is a good start.

lili, I know, but according to the BMI she is... so I hope parents listen to their instincts and not a scale completely. DD is tall... we have a niece that is 1 year older and they''re the same height, give or take a few centimeters

btw, must be nice to be built so tiny!

 

[lili]

Like Janine said, bone structure is not taken into consideration for these measurements.
J is really small-boned, so at 24lbs, she definitely does not look skinny (well, when she''s clothed she does).
But she does have a belly, big thighs and meaty butt.
Whereas some of her classmates are much heavier than her (though about the same height) have ribs showing.

 

[Blackpaw]

Date: 6/22/2010 2:23:34 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 6/22/2010 2:17:35 PM

Author: lili

J is underweight too.

I never take those measurement seriously, especially when it said that my ideal weight is 105. At 100 lbs when I was at my heaviest (not counting pregnancy) I looked very tubby.

Tubby at 100 lbs, girl, you must be really petite...I''m jealous. I''d be a skeleton at 100.


With A, part of me just wants to start on the junk food. I won''t, of course, but I wonder if healthy eating (and my cooking) just isn''t all that appetizing to her. She likes fruit and whole wheat bread, and sometimes she likes lean meats, but there''s just not a lot of calories in all of this. I just keep thinking a couple of cheeseburgers might fatten her up!

But since she''s not the best eater, I plug along with the healthier stuff because I''m afraid she''ll only love the bad stuff if I were to do that and then my battle with her would be way worse. Lunch today is whole wheat pasta with red meat sauce and veggies (broc and green beans, which she''s eatedn before, and I''m going to try and sneak in spinach). I''ve tried to give her peanut butter for extra calories but she hated it. She chose to have vegemite on her toast instead, much to TGuy''s delight.

YAY - vegemite

 

[cara]

Yes BMI is a somewhat crude tool, as it doesn't take into account bone structure or muscle mass and there is plenty of healthy variety in those measures. I've known adult athletes that would have been categorized as overweight when they were in phenomenal shape with low or healthy body-fat percentages because of their frame size + muscle load relative to height. However, many many well-muscled athletes will have healthy BMIs so it is really only in outlier body-types and certain sports (that favor lots of muscle weight) that this is a real concern.

And people and parents can easily delude themselves or 'not see' a problem when one is there - so the BMI is a useful tool in that regard. The article points out that parents would miscategorize their overweight/obese kids as healthy or even underweight, and this is a problem, as if you think your overweight child is underweight you might push them to eat more and eat more caloric foods when in fact they need different encouragement and options (and often more exercise). As a society, we have more and more overweight and obese people so it looks more 'normal' and can be hard to have the right frame of reference. Anyway, I think having pediatricians actually calculate kids' BMI and then make some kind of evaluation on the kid at hand is warranted. The doc is in a position to look at the kid and see they have a stout frame and maybe ignore a borderline BMI or see if the kid has a normal frame with a little extra padding and make a comment on it to the parent. The BMI calculation gives the doctor an objective reference position to start from, and a reminder to address the issue. And hopefully *some* parents will see it as a wake-up call and make positive changes to the family's eating habits as a result. Hopefully, right?

ETA: Also, while the lay-press said 'toddlers' the researchers actually looked at 2-5 yro. Not sure at what age would be best, but surely by 4-5 years old 'baby fat' is less of an issue? You don't want to wait too long or else the kids' habits and preferences are too well-established.

 

[iheartscience]

I think that article is fascinating and definitely applies to someone I know IRL. I think maybe most parents just see the best in their child and can''t imagine that something is "wrong" with their kid. Very interesting...

 

[steph72276]

I don't necessarily think being a chunky toddler means they will be chunky later in life, but I do believe that's where parents can establish healthy eating habits that hopefully stick with the kid. A was in the healthy range at 67%. A few weeks ago at the same weight at his doctor's visit, he was in the 50th percentile for both height and weight. I am kind of surprised he is that high on the scale for BMI because he is pretty long and lean...I have to either put a belt on most of his pants or buy ones that have the band inside that can be adjusted. He has always eaten pretty healthy and I've had him involved in team sports since he was 2. TGal, as long as your pedi isn't worried about her weight, I wouldn't worry either. If you do want to broaden her food horizons though, I would suggest doing things to make the food fun for her. Like making or buying healthy dips to go with fruits and veggies. Andrew will literally eat anything that is dipped. Also, does she like yogurt? There are these tubes called gogurts which generally gross me out because you eat them from the tube, but it makes it fun for them to eat, and Andrew reaches for those a lot for snacks. We buy the Simply Gogurts b/c they are all natural. Disney makes cheese cut up like characters. You can get mini cookie cutters and cut some sandwhiches on whole grain up into shapes. Maybe loosen up the healthy strings just a tad bit and let her have baked chips or fruit dipped in a tiny amount of dark chocolate or fruit sorbet. This method of making things fun has really worked with A. He eats most anything including sushi!

 

[MustangGal]

Kyle''s too young for the chart, but he would probably come back underweight too. He''s 15% in weight and 50% in height, yet has a "milk gut" and doesn''t look boney at all.

I did put my nephew''s stats in, and he came back overweight. He is a big kid, and was huge and obese looking as in infant, yet now at 3/5 years he is starting to look better proportioned. He''s just got a bigger structure which that doesn''t take into accoutn at all.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 6/22/2010 3:07:44 PM
Author: lili
Like Janine said, bone structure is not taken into consideration for these measurements.
J is really small-boned, so at 24lbs, she definitely does not look skinny (well, when she''s clothed she does).
But she does have a belly, big thighs and meaty butt.
Whereas some of her classmates are much heavier than her (though about the same height) have ribs showing.

Amelia is 27 lbs and I think she has a couple of inches on J. Except for her tummy, she''s pretty slim all over, including the normal chunky toddler areas, like thighs. It''s kind of scary for me because these days if I were to compare, most kids her age are shorter and are a bit chunkier/thicker. They look the norm now, not Amelia.

My friend''s son is a little chunky, but doesn''t look to be overweight in clothes. But if you take off his pants, that''s where all the fat is. He has thick, pudgy legs. He''s active, so it''s kind of strange he''s pudgy at all. But he does eat a lot of junk food. It will be interesting to see if he grows slimmer, or if he only gets pudgier. I have noticed that sometimes he has growth spurts that even him all out again.

I just wonder how kids these days will grow out of toddler fat when it''s not uncommon to see under 5 year olds playing video games and being more sedentary than when we were toddlers.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 6/22/2010 4:27:34 PM
Author: FL Steph
I don''t necessarily think being a chunky toddler means they will be chunky later in life, but I do believe that''s where parents can establish healthy eating habits that hopefully stick with the kid. A was in the healthy range at 67%. A few weeks ago at the same weight at his doctor''s visit, he was in the 50th percentile for both height and weight. I am kind of surprised he is that high on the scale for BMI because he is pretty long and lean...I have to either put a belt on most of his pants or buy ones that have the band inside that can be adjusted. He has always eating pretty healthy and I''ve had him involved in team sports since he was 2. TGal, as long as your pedi isn''t worried about her weight, I wouldn''t worry either. If you do want to broaden her food horizons though, I would suggest doing things to make the food fun for her. Like making or buying healthy dips to go with fruits and veggies. Andrew will literally eat anything that is dipped. Also, does she like yogurt? There are these tubes called gogurts which generally gross me out because you eat them from the tube, but it makes it fun for them to eat, and Andrew reaches for those a lot for snacks. We buy the Simply Gogurts b/c they are all natural. Disney makes cheese cut up like characters. You can get mini cookie cutters and cut some sandwhiches on whole grain up into shapes. Maybe loosen up the healthy strings just a tad bit and let her have baked chips or fruit dipped in a tiny amount of dark chocolate or fruit sorbet. This method of making things fun has really worked with A. He eats most anything including sushi!

I give her baked chips (or - gasp! - even normal tortilla chips in small doses) and water crackers because her treat is salt (she loves saltier foods). And I''ve tried dips...no dice. I keep trying because tastes change every day. She used to like yogurt, but that''s changed. She dislikes anything sweet except fruit. I recently tried yogurt dipped cookies as an experiment, and she didn''t even chew the first bite...spat it out. Used to like graham crackers but no longer. For snacks, she likes string cheese, dried fruit (cranberries especially) and nuts/crackers.

I''ll take any and all other ideas...I keep plugging away at this kid.

 

[KimberlyH]

I think our view of normal is skewed, 1/3 of all children are overweight now. I don''t necessarily think a chunky toddler means an overweight kiddo, as long as parents are feeding the child healthy foods and the kid is active he/she should be fine.

My LC made a comment that we were going to make a rolly polly breast fed baby out of my very petite little girl. At almost 4 months she is no where near rolly polly and I doubt she will grow to be. It''s funny how strongly people react to her size. Everywhere we go it''s "She''s so small!" which she is, but I also think it''s because so many babies/kids are so big. It makes my husband crazy, he lies about her age to strangers because he''s tired of hearing about how little she is. It will be interesting to see what happens as she continues to grow and develop.

 

[janinegirly]

Tgal: I suppose C does have the toddler chubby legs and cheeks (seems like they all have the bellly!), but her legs are thinning out. I like it though, they are looking strong and longer now, but not by A''s standards I''m sure!

FlSteph: team sports by age 2, really? Wow! I like your suggestions on healthy dips...I hear toddlers love dipping, any suggestions on which ones or where to find the healthier versions?

My LO is actually a pretty decent eater but she does go through phases and gets bored if I make the same thing over and over. For me pasta always works at least if it''s with a sauce. She''s good with cheese, fruit, some meats and sometimes broccoli. Avocado is an easy win too. I''m not strict on pizza (we recently went to a restaurant that makes it with all natural ingredients from local farms etc), and C has always loved it. I think the biggest issue for me is distraction or repetition...once she''s bored, she wants out! Oh and my very mediocre cooking.

 

[steph72276]

Hmmm. okay I will post any other ideas I can think of, but really she sounds like she eats healthy snacks now so that''s good. It sounds like she is okay as far as weight. I''m pretty sure A was right at 30 lbs from age 2-3, then went through a big growth spurt. Like you said, I would just keep offering her things b/c taste change easily when they are that young.

 

[janinegirly]

Date: 6/22/2010 4:40:41 PM
Author: KimberlyH
I think our view of normal is skewed, 1/3 of all children are overweight now. I don''t necessarily think a chunky toddler means an overweight kiddo, as long as parents are feeding the child healthy foods and the kid is active he/she should be fine.

My LC made a comment that we were going to make a rolly polly breast fed baby out of my very petite little girl. At almost 4 months she is no where near rolly polly and I doubt she will grow to be. It''s funny how strongly people react to her size. Everywhere we go it''s ''She''s so small!'' which she is, but I also think it''s because so many babies/kids are so big. It makes my husband crazy, he lies about her age to strangers because he''s tired of hearing about how little she is. It will be interesting to see what happens as she continues to grow and develop.

I agree...whch is why I don''t pay attention to the growth charts/percentiles as much as I used to. If many babies are fatter these days, then really what''s the measure for the norm? My one friend has a DD who is 4 months and 17lbs which is 5lbs or so less than my 20 month old!

 

[lili]

Date: 6/22/2010 4:37:02 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 6/22/2010 4:27:34 PM

Author: FL Steph

I don't necessarily think being a chunky toddler means they will be chunky later in life, but I do believe that's where parents can establish healthy eating habits that hopefully stick with the kid. A was in the healthy range at 67%. A few weeks ago at the same weight at his doctor's visit, he was in the 50th percentile for both height and weight. I am kind of surprised he is that high on the scale for BMI because he is pretty long and lean...I have to either put a belt on most of his pants or buy ones that have the band inside that can be adjusted. He has always eating pretty healthy and I've had him involved in team sports since he was 2. TGal, as long as your pedi isn't worried about her weight, I wouldn't worry either. If you do want to broaden her food horizons though, I would suggest doing things to make the food fun for her. Like making or buying healthy dips to go with fruits and veggies. Andrew will literally eat anything that is dipped. Also, does she like yogurt? There are these tubes called gogurts which generally gross me out because you eat them from the tube, but it makes it fun for them to eat, and Andrew reaches for those a lot for snacks. We buy the Simply Gogurts b/c they are all natural. Disney makes cheese cut up like characters. You can get mini cookie cutters and cut some sandwhiches on whole grain up into shapes. Maybe loosen up the healthy strings just a tad bit and let her have baked chips or fruit dipped in a tiny amount of dark chocolate or fruit sorbet. This method of making things fun has really worked with A. He eats most anything including sushi!

I give her baked chips (or - gasp! - even normal tortilla chips in small doses) and water crackers because her treat is salt (she loves saltier foods). And I've tried dips...no dice. I keep trying because tastes change every day. She used to like yogurt, but that's changed. She dislikes anything sweet except fruit. I recently tried yogurt dipped cookies as an experiment, and she didn't even chew the first bite...spat it out. Used to like graham crackers but no longer. For snacks, she likes string cheese, dried fruit (cranberries especially) and nuts/crackers.


I'll take any and all other ideas...I keep plugging away at this kid.

Did you try the new TJ yogurt stars?
Ok, not the best thing in the world, but sure is packed w/ calories.


If A likes pasta, you can try it w/ one of TJ pesto sauce.
J is not a huge fan of tomato sauce, but will eat pasta plain or any sauce.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 6/22/2010 4:41:06 PM
Author: janinegirly
Tgal: I suppose C does have the toddler chubby legs and cheeks (seems like they all have the bellly!), but her legs are thinning out. I like it though, they are looking strong and longer now, but not by A''s standards I''m sure!

FlSteph: team sports by age 2, really? Wow! I like your suggestions on healthy dips...I hear toddlers love dipping, any suggestions on which ones or where to find the healthier versions?

My LO is actually a pretty decent eater but she does go through phases and gets bored if I make the same thing over and over. For me pasta always works at least if it''s with a sauce. She''s good with cheese, fruit, some meats and sometimes broccoli. Avocado is an easy win too. I''m not strict on pizza (we recently went to a restaurant that makes it with all natural ingredients from local farms etc), and C has always loved it. I think the biggest issue for me is distraction or repetition...once she''s bored, she wants out! Oh and my very mediocre cooking.

I so could have wrote this. And I miss the day she used to love avocado. I reintroduce every other week, but so far, no dice. I used to mix with it orzo pasta and lemon and it was pretty much a sure thing.

My cousins husband made turkey meatloaf, which she did eat the other day so I''ll probably bring that into rotation. Kids are so weird. One day, she ate a plateful of broccoli on her own. Then never again.

The most annoying thing is cooking something up from scratch and then she''ll have none of it. At least the pasta for lunch was a success...she ate an entire bowl, even though she has a low fever.

Kimberly, I agree that perception of normal seems to be a bit skewed these days.

 

[iheartscience]

Okay, according to this article: link, which is linked to in the article TGal put up, being chubby as a baby and toddler IS linked to being overweight as a teenager.

Here''s a quote:

"They found that participants had started gaining weight in infancy at an average rate of .08 excess BMI units per month, or just under 1 BMI point per year. On average, this progression toward obesity began when the children were three months old. And more than 50 percent of the children became overweight at or before they turned 2, while 90 percent did before reaching age 5."

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 6/22/2010 4:45:47 PM
Author: lili

Date: 6/22/2010 4:37:02 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 6/22/2010 4:27:34 PM

Author: FL Steph

I don''t necessarily think being a chunky toddler means they will be chunky later in life, but I do believe that''s where parents can establish healthy eating habits that hopefully stick with the kid. A was in the healthy range at 67%. A few weeks ago at the same weight at his doctor''s visit, he was in the 50th percentile for both height and weight. I am kind of surprised he is that high on the scale for BMI because he is pretty long and lean...I have to either put a belt on most of his pants or buy ones that have the band inside that can be adjusted. He has always eating pretty healthy and I''ve had him involved in team sports since he was 2. TGal, as long as your pedi isn''t worried about her weight, I wouldn''t worry either. If you do want to broaden her food horizons though, I would suggest doing things to make the food fun for her. Like making or buying healthy dips to go with fruits and veggies. Andrew will literally eat anything that is dipped. Also, does she like yogurt? There are these tubes called gogurts which generally gross me out because you eat them from the tube, but it makes it fun for them to eat, and Andrew reaches for those a lot for snacks. We buy the Simply Gogurts b/c they are all natural. Disney makes cheese cut up like characters. You can get mini cookie cutters and cut some sandwhiches on whole grain up into shapes. Maybe loosen up the healthy strings just a tad bit and let her have baked chips or fruit dipped in a tiny amount of dark chocolate or fruit sorbet. This method of making things fun has really worked with A. He eats most anything including sushi!

I give her baked chips (or - gasp! - even normal tortilla chips in small doses) and water crackers because her treat is salt (she loves saltier foods). And I''ve tried dips...no dice. I keep trying because tastes change every day. She used to like yogurt, but that''s changed. She dislikes anything sweet except fruit. I recently tried yogurt dipped cookies as an experiment, and she didn''t even chew the first bite...spat it out. Used to like graham crackers but no longer. For snacks, she likes string cheese, dried fruit (cranberries especially) and nuts/crackers.


I''ll take any and all other ideas...I keep plugging away at this kid.

Did you try the new TJ yogurt stars?

Those are the exact ones I tried with her...she looked horrified. Damn, I love em though!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 6/22/2010 4:44:42 PM
Author: FL Steph
Hmmm. okay I will post any other ideas I can think of, but really she sounds like she eats healthy snacks now so that''s good. It sounds like she is okay as far as weight. I''m pretty sure A was right at 30 lbs from age 2-3, then went through a big growth spurt. Like you said, I would just keep offering her things b/c taste change easily when they are that young.

Thanks Steph. I take any and all advice seriously when it comes to eating.

And just because I fail, doesn''t mean it doesn''t come back into rotation. It''s nuts how fickle her tastes are.

Her doc wasn''t concerned about her weight at ALL because she''s so tall. And she doesn''t look frail...I think she''s kind of big boned. But it''s really hard when my mom looks at her with concern because all the kids at the playground look like they''re well fed!

I''ll try those yogurt snack things...my friend brought some over a couple of months ago and it didn''t work then. Might be worth a shot since she will no longer have greek yogurt (which she used to love).

 

[lili]

Date: 6/22/2010 4:49:31 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 6/22/2010 4:45:47 PM

Author: lili

Date: 6/22/2010 4:37:02 PM

Author: TravelingGal

Date: 6/22/2010 4:27:34 PM


Author: FL Steph


I don''t necessarily think being a chunky toddler means they will be chunky later in life, but I do believe that''s where parents can establish healthy eating habits that hopefully stick with the kid. A was in the healthy range at 67%. A few weeks ago at the same weight at his doctor''s visit, he was in the 50th percentile for both height and weight. I am kind of surprised he is that high on the scale for BMI because he is pretty long and lean...I have to either put a belt on most of his pants or buy ones that have the band inside that can be adjusted. He has always eating pretty healthy and I''ve had him involved in team sports since he was 2. TGal, as long as your pedi isn''t worried about her weight, I wouldn''t worry either. If you do want to broaden her food horizons though, I would suggest doing things to make the food fun for her. Like making or buying healthy dips to go with fruits and veggies. Andrew will literally eat anything that is dipped. Also, does she like yogurt? There are these tubes called gogurts which generally gross me out because you eat them from the tube, but it makes it fun for them to eat, and Andrew reaches for those a lot for snacks. We buy the Simply Gogurts b/c they are all natural. Disney makes cheese cut up like characters. You can get mini cookie cutters and cut some sandwhiches on whole grain up into shapes. Maybe loosen up the healthy strings just a tad bit and let her have baked chips or fruit dipped in a tiny amount of dark chocolate or fruit sorbet. This method of making things fun has really worked with A. He eats most anything including sushi!

I give her baked chips (or - gasp! - even normal tortilla chips in small doses) and water crackers because her treat is salt (she loves saltier foods). And I''ve tried dips...no dice. I keep trying because tastes change every day. She used to like yogurt, but that''s changed. She dislikes anything sweet except fruit. I recently tried yogurt dipped cookies as an experiment, and she didn''t even chew the first bite...spat it out. Used to like graham crackers but no longer. For snacks, she likes string cheese, dried fruit (cranberries especially) and nuts/crackers.



I''ll take any and all other ideas...I keep plugging away at this kid.

Did you try the new TJ yogurt stars?

Those are the exact ones I tried with her...she looked horrified. Damn, I love em though!

LOL....J couldn''t get enough of them.
After the initial nibble, she popped the whole star in her mouth and asked for more.
After 5 stars, I told her that she''s got enough and save them for tomorrow.
She then asked for the bag "I want to look at the bag".
And stupid me, let her see and hold the bag, and before I know it, she''s got her hand in there and retrieved 2 more cookies.