How Much Food Do You Feed Children Who Want More....

[jen]

edit: By chub i am not refer to little chubby babies, i am referring to big chubby babies. They are adorable rolly pollies, but they often cannot do for themselves what they should be doing. And i don't have any proof or not, because we will probably never know, but i have a feeling these kids, if they don't lose that "chub" by at least 1 1/2 yrs, are in for a very hard life.
Meat on the bones is great, but if it's hanging over their belt, or they have muffin tops, it's a little too much, imo

yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nannyde]

I'm not discarding what Nan has suggested, I personally haven't done it, probably will not, but that's my choice.

I use the highchair when I am doing dishes, to keep baby where I can see him, safe and content with a toy, or a snack (depending on what time it is).

I always get the chunky babies, who shovel food in their face and 90% of it ends up in their lap or on the floor because they shovel it so fast, and their hands are so chubbed that they cannot pinch the food.

By slowing them down, with whatever method you use, whether it be mitted, small portions and making them wait in between, or any other method, they begin to enjoy the food a lot more, slow down on their own, and slowly they lose some of that chub, and become alot more active.

I find the chubs prefer to sit in one spot for the majority of the time they "play" but the less they eat the more active they become. And the less chubby they become too.

I'm not in the weight loss program here, but I keep the kids active, and many babies when first starting (yes I totally understand developmental stages ie crawling, walking, running etc) are mainly a bump on the floor. Then they quickly, very very quickly begin crawling, walking, and then running , usually within a 1-2 month period. And it does not matter if I've received them at 7 months or 1 yr.

Edit: by Chub I am not refer to little chubby babies, I am referring to BIG chubby babies. They are adorable rolly pollies, but they often cannot do for themselves what they should be doing. And I don't have any proof or not, because we will probably never know, but I have a feeling these kids, if they don't lose that "chub" by at least 1 1/2 yrs, are in for a very hard life.
Meat on the bones is great, but if it's hanging over their belt, or they have muffin tops, it's a little too much, IMO

I've had those chunkmeisters too. ::

I wouldn't do anything with kids that just drop food. That's not a problem. I'm only talking about double fisted eaters who stuff their mouth with both hands and swallow food whole at a fast rate.

I was just addressing this part of the OP's post: He inhales his food and is done a full plate usually within 5 mins of sitting down.

When they inhale the food it's good to put in some measures to slow them down. Five minutes for a full plate of food is SUPER fast. They can choke... they can swallow food whole... they can have pain right after they eat... they can have loose stools and it stimulates peristalsis if they overdo it too fast so they can "dump" food before it has finished the digestive process.

Not saying the OP's kid had any of these possible negative outcomes but I have seen that before in my three decades of caring for kids.

[dEHmom]

hahahahaha.....

LO I have today, had poo up his back this morning. I discovered it following the trail of green things on my floor which upon examination I figured were chunks of pickles or something. Not even completely sure. I couldn't figure out where it came from (nobody had pickles here)

Seemed like a perfect example of the pp's passing chunks of food comment.

::

[nannyde]

hahahahaha.....

LO I have today, had poo up his back this morning. I discovered it following the trail of green things on my floor which upon examination I figured were chunks of pickles or something. Not even completely sure. I couldn't figure out where it came from (nobody had pickles here)

Seemed like a perfect example of the pp's passing chunks of food comment.

::

Yes if you are having blow outs you might want to take a look at exactly how they are managing food.

If I have a kid that has blow outs I always talk to the parents about the whole feeding cycle so we can get to what is causing it. Sometimes it's just the food or illness but often the solution is within the eating process.

[dEHmom]

he did this probably within 10 minutes of getting here, yet he hadn't eaten yet this morning, so it was last nights supper. Usually I see last nights supper in the morning when I get him.

But he is a shoveler that's for sure.

[Lucy]

I would never bind a childs hands either. Mitten one of them for a short period of time and rotating the sides back and forth is the technique. Saying it is binding them is like saying we bind them when we put mittens on them to play in the snow.

You have managed to take a really simple technique that works really well and doesn't bother the child in any way and turned it into binding and cruelty. Do you think it is cruel to put mittens on a kids hand when they play out in the snow? My kids play out in the snow and have BOTH hands mitted for up to an hour. Is that cruel? Should we just not have them play in snow because it might damage them to have their hands bound with mittens?

Do you think it's cruel to put kids in car seats in five point restraints or strollers with five point restraints? We are... after all.... binding them into the seats?

You suggest just giving him small amounts but that shows you are not getting what she is saying. He will just have a slow down in between what is given to him not bite to bite. It makes the adult be involved in his every bite to bite where my technique allows the adult to do full servings of food at one time.

Would you suggest that children should not be in strollers because they are restrained? Wouldn't it be best for the parent to just HOLD AND CARRY the kid instead of pushing around a restrained kid? That's the same thing you are saying here. It's better for the adult to be involved in every bite to bite instead of having something that does not harm the child in ANY WAY like being strapped into a stroller, high chair, car seat, or having mittens on in the cold.

Well, the comparison is laughable, so I won't go there. This is my OPINION, and I'm really not interested in a back-and-forth. I see the blocking off of one's hand during a meal - one who is of the age to USE both hands for the purposes of getting food to mouth - similar in irritance to putting scotch tape on a cat's paws. Seems to me the child would get very annoyed by it. I just see it as mean. I'm glad it works for you, but I could no more do that than I could put a dunce cap on a child. Sorry.

[nannyde]

Well, the comparison is laughable, so I won't go there. This is my OPINION, and I'm really not interested in a back-and-forth. I see the blocking off of one's hand during a meal - one who is of the age to USE both hands for the purposes of getting food to mouth - similar in irritance to putting scotch tape on a cat's paws. Seems to me the child would get very annoyed by it. I just see it as mean. I'm glad it works for you, but I could no more do that than I could put a dunce cap on a child. Sorry.

Nope no anoyance. You can imagine it but it's not real.

Children naturally want to play around in a car. Doesn't meant we let them do it.
They want to crawl out of a stroller. Doesn't mean we let them do it.
They want to jump out of the grocery cart. Doesn't mean we let them do it.
They want to play in the snow without mittens. Doesn't mean we let them do it.

Just because the child CAN do something doesn't mean it's in their best interest. Safety first.

[jen]

Nope no anoyance. You can imagine it but it's not real.

Children naturally want to play around in a car. Doesn't meant we let them do it.
They want to crawl out of a stroller. Doesn't mean we let them do it.
They want to jump out of the grocery cart. Doesn't mean we let them do it.
They want to play in the snow without mittens. Doesn't mean we let them do it.

Just because the child CAN do something doesn't mean it's in their best interest. Safety first.

Just a comment, but true none-the-less...It's wrong to say "doesn't mean we let them do it" because, sadly, LOTS of people do it every day...

[Lucy]

Not sure where the segue to "letting them do it" came from. I'm not addressing all those other activities. And I would not let a child eat so fast that they stand a chance of choking. I would either, A) give them smaller bits at a time, or B) help feed them myself. I'm all about safety too. I'd just prefer not to incapacitate the tool that is their hand.

Also, I'd rather not have other talking points thrown in when I'm quoted. I didn't bring up playing in snow, or sitting in carseats, strollers, and high chairs. And my adjective was "harsh", not "cruel". It just feels like it puts words in my mouth to take my short, to-the-point statement of:

• "I, personally, would never bind any child's hand to prevent them from eating the amount their body needs that day. Please check with the parents if you have a concern over the amount he is eating before you take any harsh measures."

And turn it into (paraphrasing)

• It's not cruel to put mittens on kids to play in the snow!
• It's not cruel to put a seatbelt on them in a carseat!
• It's not cruel to use the waist belts in strollers and high chairs!
• Do you think they should be held in a car?
• Do you think they should be held when walking around?

I neither said, nor suggested, ANY of that.

Thanks for your input.

[youretooloud]

Not sure where the segue to "letting them do it" came from. I'm not addressing all those other activities.

I have to agree with this.

Eating a meal with one hand in a sew up t-shirt has nothing to do with sitting in a car seat.

My own husband eats too fast. He's even choked a few times, I would never suggest he eat with only one hand in order to slow down. I would never ask him to "Put on this shirt with one sleeve sewn closed... tomorrow you can wear it backwards" Because it's disrespectful to him. (he wouldn't do it anyway)

I don't even put a bib on the two year olds because they feel like they are too old for it. I'll take their shirt off if we are having red sauce, or something messy, but I don't ask them to wear bibs. I like that they feel like they are in control. I like to give them dignity and respect.

I also don't have time to make tiny little bits of food, and honestly, I think I'd run out of patience for that before the child got full, so he'd feel hungry the rest of the day. I never want a child to feel like hungry here.


One time, I asked on Mothering.com about their experience at daycare. (adults remembering their childhood) Almost all of them said "I was always hungry, she never let us eat enough to eat" So, I've never forgotten that, and I make sure they eat what they want. Until it's gone. If the food is gone, I say "All gone". I wouldn't make more food.. but, if I have it, they can eat it.