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Offline dache

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A few questions
« on: November 24, 2014, 10:28:22 am »
DD is been eating solids for a few months now and she`s been doing fine except some allergy issues.
Lately, in the past few weeks we`ve experienced  some difficulties. She is spitting up food,this means that she is full or she does not like the meal. She also started standing up in the high chair and she meal time has become a bit of a struggle, she stands up, I sit her down, she cries her head of, eats a bit and then we do the cycle again.
My questions are:
1. Is this standing up and moving in the chair a phase?
2. When she spits up the food at the beginning of the meal do I offer something else?
3. Ive been doing sort of BLW, cooking the same what we are having with out salt. She`ll be 1 before Christmas, can I start adding a bit to her food? Or should I just stop cooking separately and give her from our food?
4. What to offer for snack? Until now I`ve been giving her only fruit.
5. Right now dinner is at 5/5.30. I want to drop her df. Should I move dinner time latter?



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Re: A few questions
« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2014, 19:33:18 pm »
Hi, I'll see if I can answer your questions
1. Is this standing up and moving in the chair a phase?
Sounds like she's either not hungry or uncomfortable (any teething for instance which might be putting her off meal times) or that she wants the challenge of a climb. I'd probably set up some climbing activities away from meal times and see it that fulfils her need.  I'd probably also be quite firm that she mustn't stand in the chair as it's dangerous so either sit and at or be lifted out and meal time is over.  If you lift her down and she comes back a few mins later I would give her another chance to sit for her food but not several as it would then become a game of lifting in and out which isn't what meals are about.  Other may have other ideas for you too.

2. When she spits up the food at the beginning of the meal do I offer something else?
Sorry I'm not familiar with her allergies etc. I would serve something she likes along with the less familiar or new foods so she has a choice.

3. Ive been doing sort of BLW, cooking the same what we are having with out salt. She`ll be 1 before Christmas, can I start adding a bit to her food? Or should I just stop cooking separately and give her from our food?
I wouldn't start adding salt to any of her food which you cook.  Rather than adding salt to her food you might find her intake of foods with some salt in increases as she gets bigger and her appetite increase (and as she drops milk). For instance if she has crackers they usually have salt, any processed foods if you use those, cheese, olives, bread etc.  The increase in her salt allowance is small and I'd personally use it up in other foods. for instance my DS like canned tuna and mackerel which I always had to be careful of how much he had and not serve up too often but I could be a bit more relaxed the older he got.
WRT the meals you cook for the family, if really depends how much salt you add (or other salty ingredients such as soy sauce, stock cubes, fish sauce etc), she's probably fine to have some of what you are cooking if the salt isn't too high.  Just take into account how much salt she is getting from her various meals and snacks.
http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/824.aspx?CategoryID=51

4. What to offer for snack? Until now I`ve been giving her only fruit.
Snacks can be any kind of food you want them to be really, so long as they are healthy. A couple of small crackers, a pancake, a piece of chapati or toast, a snack bowl of sweetcorn or peas, batons of sweet pepper, a cube of cheese, a sugar free oat flap jack or mini muffin... the list is endless. I'd probably decide what snacks to give based on ease for taking out and about if needed, and balancing up her food groups if needed.  Toddlers often need lots of carbs servings through the day so a bread stick can be a simple snack.

5. Right now dinner is at 5/5.30. I want to drop her df. Should I move dinner time latter?
I wouldn't. Many LOs need to eat early. They have a tendency to lose their appetite if dinner comes too late. If you are concerned she may be hungry at BT or in the night (1yos rarely wake from hunger - if you wean the DF over a few days she'll catch on that she's to take more calories in during the day instead) I would instead offer a supper after dinner. Supper can be a small solids snack and a drink of milk (whatever sort you are happy for her to have. Full fat cows milk is fine from 1yo so long as there is no allergy) or water given between dinner time and BT. Perhaps an hour or so before BT and continue to offer the BT milk if that's what she usually has. I didn't introduce a supper until I dropped the BT milk.

hope this helps


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Re: A few questions
« Reply #2 on: November 28, 2014, 19:29:42 pm »
Thanks for taking the time to answer all my questions  :) Some follow ups now.

1.I dont let her stand up, but she is very persistent  and has meltdowns, a few in one meal. Its been a bit better today
Im trying to figure out if she is still hungry or she only gets up when she is done. And she gets a lot of practice climbing on the walker and trying to climb on the sofa. You think that the discomfort of teething makes her lose interest in food and she gets up?
2. She cant have any milk but its not that kind of spitting up,she just spits out the food.Like she does not like it. If that`s the case, should I offer her another option? I dont want to teach her bad habits.

Everything is fresh-fruit and vegges. And 95% of her meals are made from scratch. The formula is lactose free soy formula.She eats bread, and that`s about it. No other food that I can think of that has salt.  And we do not use a lot of salt in our food. But if I add the snacks you mentioned (which are a great idea, thanks) it wold mean that her salt intake will increase. What about other spices? Like cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg,sugar? I know I sound crazy! I over analyze everything when it comes to food, she has sensitive tummy and I had enough of crying so dont want to cause her pain.
Im weaning her of of both 11am and 11 pm bottle now, so I offer more food instead of moving dinner time. If she is hungry I give her a small snack.



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Re: A few questions
« Reply #3 on: November 29, 2014, 08:41:25 am »
If you're offering something you know she likes alongside foods she is not used to or you are not sure she likes and she continues to stand in her chair I'd just get her down. I'd take it that meal time is over..  Teething can certainly put LOs off their food for a while, you might find there are things she will still eat but a more limited diet. Mine liked bread sticks when teething as they gave him something hard to gnaw with his sore gums which eases the pain.

What about other spices? Like cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg,sugar?
Herbs and spices are fine so long as you are sure there is no allergy etc. I didn't wait 3 days between trying new foods or spices but it you feel more comfortable to do so then that's fine too. The only reaction I saw here was from garam masala which I sprinkled on potato wedges, my DS came up in a skin rash everywhere the food touched (red blotches on his hands and face) so I washed him thoroughly and kept an eye on him the rest of the day, he was fine, no tummy pain or diarrhoea etc.
I wouldn't add sugar to anything and I would check what sort of vanilla you use (some bottles the vanilla is in sugar syrup) but vanilla is fine, things like cinnamon and other spices are fine too.

It's possible to make most foods with no added sugar and no/low salt content which I would do for a while yet.