Results tagged “food” from Momtourage: Need Advice?

Parents often tell me that their toddler doesn't eat anything, yet most of those toddlers are growing and developing fine. First step is to check with your pediatrician and make sure that your daughter is truly gaining weight and growing appropriately. Here are a few reasons why she may not be eating what you think she should:

Unlike adults, children often don't tire of eating the same thing every day. As long as it is healthy and he eats it, I wouldn't worry too much about repetition. When he stops eating it, then it's time to get creative or try new items.

Around this age, parents either tell me that their child won't eat anything, or that they eat all day long, so yes, it is very common. Your daughter may be going through a growth spurt and therefore is truly hungry.

Try a half-and-half meal: buy half the dinner at a fast-food place, and make the other half with food from home. For example, go through the drive-thru, buy everyone's favorite sandwich, skip the fries, bring the food home and serve it with a fruit plate, salad or vegetable dish that you prepare.

You might not need to broach the subject at all. She is already declining desserts and seconds so you don't need to tell her to stop eating but you will need to protect her from misinformation. Most girls her age learn what they know about food from advertisers. They incorrectly believe foods carrying nutrition claims such as "low fat", "sugar-free" or "lite" are always better choices than regular foods, and your daughter may eat these highly-advertised foods thinking they do not count. I find snack foods and drinks marketed to kids her age can be a tremendous source of unnecessary calories.

Your 10-month-olds are still at an age where they enjoy putting things in their mouths. It's part of being an infant and hard to prevent. So, how do you know which items are safe to suck and which aren't? That's the million-dollar question that scientists and environmentalists are trying to figure out.

Age twelve is not too young to make this decision, and it provides her with an ideal opportunity to take on a little more personal responsibility -- very important as she moves into the teen years. There are two major considerations here: what she needs to be a healthy vegetarian, and how she'll get the foods and nutrients she needs in a family that isn't vegetarian.

That's a great question. You can actually eat any wholesome food but you want to avoid foods, vitamins or substances that could harm the baby if consumed in large amounts before you know you are pregnant.