16 month old upset when no snack given!

[ErinE]

Hi guys,

Thanks for all your responses. 

I think she probably is having a growth spurt.  If she's occupied and content, she doesn't seem to want to graze, but she's grazing more than usual at the moment.  I must be a bad mother though guys, because there are sweet things in the cupboard, like yoghurt covered raisins and mini-biscuits!!!  Is there no-one else out there who gives their toddler the pleasure of some chocolate from time-to-time??!!  I say that and cringe because that's probably what's she's looking for, so it's my own fault!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  What do I do? Just offer healthy snacks always and hope that she'll either continue to eat them and stop the tantrums?

She gets things like, raisins, cereals, cheese, breadsticks, oat biscs, organic goodies (packets of corn crisps).  She loved pureed fruit when younger, but now will only take grapes, melon and peaches.  She refuses apple/pears/bananas and used to take cucumbers but won't touch it now and peppers is a no-no also.  I don't know about anyone else out there but I've found fingerfoods etc a real problem (ie getting ideas for things to give her) 

Kate - Like your lo, at the moment, Erin wants to eat at 4.30 and I give her some fruit to tide her over til supper as it's cooking and then she's not eating it obviously!!!  E.g - today she was very hungry and polished off her porridge and toast and then had her 10 am snack.  She had an early lunch as we were out and then we went to friends and I had packed snacks for her (she was going for the bag as soon as we went into the house), then when we got home at 4pm, she pointed for the grapes which is fine and she couldn't get enough of them, then she didn't take much for dinner and is refusing her milk before bed.  She will no doubt be really hungry again in the morning. 

I will just have to curb the sweeter items I think and hope that she will be satisfied with all the healthier options!!!

Hugs
xx
 

[ks6]

Don't worry Erin, ds eats teddy grahams, too.  And for a while, he went through the "cookie" phase.  I just made sure our "cookies" were always fig newtons (made me feel better even though they aren't healthy either), and he eventually got tired of the same cookie and stopped asking for them.  I did find some of the toddler cookies are fortified with vitamins.  Gotta be better than regular ones, right? 

[binxyboo]

LOL, we have the teddy grahams too, Riley asks for "bahrs" (bears).

[nwmm]

Interesting on the raisins & craisins.  How do you serve them?  I always thought they were a chocking hazard.  They are on all the lists my Dr. gave us.  My lo is 15 months.

Good to know about the peaches.  I do serve them.  My lo eats almost everything, but is not super crazy about peaches.   Maybe I will try it in a jar food.

 

[Colin Macs Mom]

I just made sure our "cookies" were always fig newtons (made me feel better even though they aren't healthy either)

I give Colin fig newtons sometimes - we get the whole grain variety so I don't feel like they're too unhealthy. Better than the regular kind anyway. 

Interesting on the raisins & craisins.  How do you serve them?  I always thought they were a chocking hazard.  They are on all the lists my Dr. gave us.  My lo is 15 months.

I either put them in his oatmeal in the morning or give them just as they are. My LO is about 4 months older though, and we've never had a choking issue with them.

[ks6]

Raisins?  He has them in toast or soda bread.  I haven't given him any by themselves.  I was even worried about him choking on fruit snacks until recently. 

[Erin M]

I think it depends on your child.  Mine has been able to eat just about anything from pretty early on (an early teether!), but I would think it would be better as a supervised snack and not something just out for grazing.

Julie - yes, my dd has had chocolate too.  We don't make it a habit, but she's definitely had it on occasion.  I think it's not that she's ruining her dinner by eating earlier, it's just when her body is telling her to eat.  She actually sounds a lot like my dd - she will eat a ton of breakfast and can eat pretty much continually throughout the morning and to her nap.  After that she has a snack and some nights only a few bites of dinner.  I honestly think it's just when her body wants her to be eating.  And don't they always say that you should eat less as the day goes on anyway?  Just provide healthy foods for her and don't worry (easier said than done I know).

[M and N's Mom]

My DS is only 13 months and eats raisins fine.  At this point we only offer them when he is in the high chair and supervised though.

My DD, who is much older, would eat all day.  I made a sheet of pictures of fruits and vegetables and put it on the fridge.  I told her she could have anything on that page (providing we have it in the house) whenever she wants.  That way if she is too full to eat a meal because she had an apple, that's fine.  I don't want her to be too full to eat a meal because she had too many carbs or something less healthy.  It also gives her some freedom that it is her choice.