Author Topic: A bad habit  (Read 3832 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline AMJ

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 1
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 901
  • Location: Canada
A bad habit
« on: November 26, 2014, 20:47:42 pm »
Hello to all.

I'm looking for an advice on how to stop my 19 months old DD playing with toys while eating. I've started puting a toy on her table when she started solids as per advice of my mom. After all she raised two kids and we turned out ok, lol. Now DD won't eat lunch or dinner unless there is a toy to play. She can eat about half of her breakfast by herself, sometime all of it, and she is ok to eat snacks on her own(there are times when she askes for toys like when she is tired etc) but for the most part she ok although better with a moning sack.

Another question I have is about protein. I can't get her to eat chicken or meat or fish unless it's mixed up with other foods. For example she dislikes eating chicken even in a soup, I cook it so it's soft and shred it but she spits it out. Or she will take few spoons of soup but then will  keep all the chicken in her mouth until there is too much and then spits it out. Is this just a stage?

Thanks in advance!



Offline Buntybear

  • Food Allergies
  • Forum Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 130
  • Posts: 9686
  • Just the wheat allergy to go now!
  • Location: UK
Re: A bad habit
« Reply #1 on: November 27, 2014, 20:57:51 pm »
Hi,

Toys - we never offered toys at the dinner table so not BTDT but I am wondering if it is something she will grow out of? Dos it particularly bother you? If it does then have you tried going cold turkey?

Protein- I think lots of LOs are not keen on the texture of meat. I really found between 1 and 2 YOs Olly really went through phases with food. Keep persevering and offer it in lots of forms. Do you offer lots of finger foods for her to chew on?

Offline creations

  • Feeding Solid Food & EASY
  • Forum Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 496
  • Posts: 21993
  • Location: UK
Re: A bad habit
« Reply #2 on: November 28, 2014, 08:40:27 am »
I think it's a very personal choice whether to have toys at meal times or not. We never have but I can understand many homes not minding and some homes take advantage of 'toys' at dinner when LOs are bigger by setting out letter tiles to make up words or write one another funny messages, when I consider school age children with spelling tests or sight reading words to learn, dinner might even be one of the best times to learn some of those things with positive interaction from parents - just thinking some kids can't focus until they eat but there is so little time after dinner for homework plus play plus baths etc.

For protein how about bean fritters or lentil burgers? Mine ate beans more readily than meat and fish but I kept offering the meat and fish to expose him.  Eggs?  Mine likes an omelet or eggy bread but doesn't like scrambled or boiled eggs.


Offline zeri

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 55
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 4129
  • Location: Canada
    • coffeebeing
Re: A bad habit
« Reply #3 on: November 28, 2014, 13:51:06 pm »
Wed have a no toy at the table rule, but becuse toys get played with instead of dinner getting eaten. What does your mom say - did you guys grow out of it or did she have to intervene? For protein- eggs, beans, quinoa; my kids love edamame beans and they are a complete protein (http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/9873/2) It could be a stage, i know my dd went through one, but my ds is a natural vegetarian and i have a really hard time getting him to eat meat even now.
~Lisa~
http://fivecentcandy.wordpress.com/
http://coffeebeing.blogspot.ca/

Spirited Gigglet 2008         Sweet Pickle 2010

Offline AMJ

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 1
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 901
  • Location: Canada
Re: A bad habit
« Reply #4 on: November 29, 2014, 20:09:43 pm »

 Hi ladies, thanks for your replies!

Buntybear, to be honest the toys on the table during eating would not bother me if they would not distract her from eating. Just like Zeri said " the toys get played with instead of dinner getting eaten". DD can take few bites of food without any toys, either by using a fork/spoon or me feeding her but then she starts whining, refusing food, asking for toys. When I put a toys on the table she starts playing and doesn't eat on her own, but I am able to feed her no problem for the most part. This worries me because it's hard to say when she is actually full and if I'm overfeeding her. She is just distracted with toys from eating.  Also I worry that she is not learning healthy eating habits.
Going cold turkey leads to meltdown, and no food being eaten. IT's ok for snack but not for lunch which is before nap, or dinner.
I offer her finger foods but not protein usually. For example, rice cakes, grapes, cheese, bread, avocado, banana, veggies, other fruits, raisins, eggs.

Creations, you have a good point but again playing with toys stops eating.
to be honest i don't give her beans, I'm not used to eating them myself I think that's why but if you don't mid sharing your bean fritters and lentil burger recipes that would be great! She eats omelets pretty good but her dr said to give her eggs only twice a week.

Zeri, you said it exactly how it is with my DD"toys get played with instead of dinner getting eaten". My mom said that eventually we outgrown it but we were much older then. I just want to teach her healthy eating habits and not shove food in her mouth when she is playing.
DD desnt like quinoa, or edamame bean, who do you serve bean?

thanks to all!



Offline zeri

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 55
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 4129
  • Location: Canada
    • coffeebeing
Re: A bad habit
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2014, 03:00:33 am »
both my kids love edamame beans, we buy then frozen and just steam them for a few minutes and shake a wee bit of sea salt on.
~Lisa~
http://fivecentcandy.wordpress.com/
http://coffeebeing.blogspot.ca/

Spirited Gigglet 2008         Sweet Pickle 2010

Offline creations

  • Feeding Solid Food & EASY
  • Forum Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 496
  • Posts: 21993
  • Location: UK
Re: A bad habit
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2014, 10:35:04 am »
I don't have a set recipe as such for bean/lentil burgers, I used to just make it up each time.
I used canned beans (eg borloti, kidney, canalini, black eyed...) as I find them so much easier and convenient. Drain thoroughly and pat with kitchen paper to reduce the moisture then make them into a smooth or chunky paste by whizzing them in a blender (or whizzing half and keeping half whole, depends what consistency you want) along with some flavours such as spices or a spoon of tom puree or ketchup. I usually added flour and an egg too.
If your mix is quite dry you can roll spoon fulls into balls, flatten and fry (or oven bake) in patties. If it's wet you can dollop a spoon full into a frying pan (like little pancakes) wait until they 'set' before flipping over.  You can also fill mini muffin tins with the mixture and pop it in the oven to firm up into mini bean loaves.  Because the beans are already cooked and because egg doesn't take long to cook you don't have to worry about the cooking time, just when they are browns and firm.

here's an example
1 can black eyed beans, drained
1 egg
3tbl sp self raising flour
1 tbl sp tomato puree
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
touch of white pepper
Whizz, fry.

You could follow any recipe that you fancied on-line really. I would just reduce the salt in most recipes and cook small portions.

What's the reason for giving her eggs only twice per week? I used to give mine an omelet every morning when he wasn't eating other protein as at least then I knew he'd had a good portion in the day and I didn't have to stress over what he may or may not eat the rest of the day, it freed me up to experiment and expose him to other proteins without worrying that he really needed to have it.

Peas are high in protein, does she like those?


Offline AMJ

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 1
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 901
  • Location: Canada
Re: A bad habit
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2014, 14:04:16 pm »
Thank you Zeri I'll give them another try. Sorry for s silly question but are you supposed to eat edamame whole or just what's inside?

Creations, thanks so much for sharing I will give those a try. I just have to make sure they don't end up too dry as she won't eat it for sure. She likes her food moist.

Hm I don't really remember why Dr told us to give her eggs only twice a week. That was when she was 6m old starting solids.

I had no idea peas are high in protein. Do you mean green peas? She eats them pretty good. I'll increase them then.

Thank you ladies!



Offline creations

  • Feeding Solid Food & EASY
  • Forum Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 496
  • Posts: 21993
  • Location: UK
Re: A bad habit
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2014, 22:08:31 pm »
I'm not a pea expert but yes peas are high in protein, pretty sure all peas, I think marrow-fat peas are extra high (because DP recently told me).  Depending on her tastes there are lots of ways to serve them too, as a veggie side obviously, but also in fritters, as a puree, pea soup, pea pancakes.


Offline creations

  • Feeding Solid Food & EASY
  • Forum Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 496
  • Posts: 21993
  • Location: UK
Re: A bad habit
« Reply #9 on: November 30, 2014, 22:11:10 pm »
Oh hummus is great too, shop bought or home made
Here's a recently posted recipe
Re: Quick chickpea/hummus question!!


Offline AMJ

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 1
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 901
  • Location: Canada
Re: A bad habit
« Reply #10 on: December 01, 2014, 07:33:12 am »
Great link creations, thanks I will try making it. I tried giving her a store bought hummus but she didn't like it at all.



Offline zeri

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 55
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 4129
  • Location: Canada
    • coffeebeing
Re: A bad habit
« Reply #11 on: December 02, 2014, 02:41:22 am »
are you supposed to eat edamame whole or just what's inside?
just the inside, in fact when the kids were small i bought them shelled and frozen. otherwise, our costco in Canada sells organic one in steamer bags, but you spend a lot of time shelling!
~Lisa~
http://fivecentcandy.wordpress.com/
http://coffeebeing.blogspot.ca/

Spirited Gigglet 2008         Sweet Pickle 2010

Offline AMJ

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 1
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 901
  • Location: Canada
Re: A bad habit
« Reply #12 on: December 02, 2014, 07:26:28 am »
Great I'll given then another try. Last time I made them she was much younger so hopefully now will be more interested.

Yesterday I found this kid's soup recipe with lots of veggies, beans and chicken. To my surprise she picked out the beans first, ate them and asked for more! And previously she used to spit them out. But I did cooked them for a very long time to make them soft. :)

The other day I made her mashed potatoes peas and salmon for dinner and she wouldn't eat any of it until I put stacking cups on her table. She was busy playing and I fed her all of her dinner without any problem.
« Last Edit: December 02, 2014, 07:28:14 am by AMJ »



Offline zeri

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 55
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 4129
  • Location: Canada
    • coffeebeing
Re: A bad habit
« Reply #13 on: December 04, 2014, 14:34:22 pm »
how has it been going?
~Lisa~
http://fivecentcandy.wordpress.com/
http://coffeebeing.blogspot.ca/

Spirited Gigglet 2008         Sweet Pickle 2010

Offline AMJ

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 1
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 901
  • Location: Canada
Re: A bad habit
« Reply #14 on: December 05, 2014, 13:09:26 pm »
Hi with regards to protein it's been great but with toys not really. She won't eat anything but her favourite foods without toys on the table and even with toys I have to feed it to her.

Thanks for checking up on us!