To the Moms of Toddlers.... Advice?

chunkamonk2012

I have a 5 yr old and a 5 month old and I don't have the problem but I'm sure its because I have an issue eating myself. I only fix enough on her plate that I know she will eat and if she wants more then I fix her alittle bit more. I don't make her eat but if she has it left on her plate I save it for later so that when she says shes hungry I heat it up and that is what she eats. I am proud to say that she is a healthy eater anyway, so she generally eats what I do.

You can do this, its mind over matter. Figure out what your goal is and tell that to yourself when you get tempted.

mebuthalf

1) give them less, and as you dish up plates have a Tupperware in line to put the leftovers in and away right away

2) eat something filling while they are eating. Maybe you aren't eating enough protein if their plates still look good after eating.

3) Teach them to put their own plates away so you don't see it.

Good luck!

CleminoleTech

As a Mom of college age kids, you may want to think in terms of "how stressed out am I right now?". Chances are you are just stressed and that calms you. That was it for me. I say, when the kids leave the table, turn on some music, either theirs or yours and dance around in fun...then see if you still feel the urge to eat. Just try this as an experiment.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I think you're really pushing off the blame off into the wrong place, too many fingers pointing in the wrong direction. When my 2 year old doesn't finish his lunch/dinner/(anything except cereal), it gets plastic wrapped and served to them again within the next 24 hours. Sometimes they eat a lot, sometimes they eat a little, but either way they always eat again. And mine is not picky, he eats what I eat and we eat together.

mmclachlan10

OMG, trust me... ALL toddler moms do it We don't want to be wasteful and throw away perfectly dried up, high calorie mac n cheese right?!?! I don't know what it is that makes us want to finish it off but I can relate to the great feeling you shared with us when you threw it in the trash!! (It's amazing how good little things like that mean to a mother lol). Honestly all you can do is toss the left overs! Your boys aren't going to turn to salads and they need the calories, I am sure they do a lot of running around. If I could log my 3 year old's activities in MFP I would have more calories freed up than I could ever consume in a day

Looking to the future though, eating your salads and fruits etc. in front of your boys will set a great example for the future. They may not want it now but as we all know, we watch and learn from our parents... their good and bad habits, so let's do our kids a favor and make sure that our good habits are out on display! If they pick up the bad words we say when we whisper... then we have to assume they are listening and watching the things we do and say out in the open

TheDrBuchanan

My advice to you is to eliminate food from your children's diet that you would not eat yourself. It's important to teach kids from a young age how to make good nutritional decisions, so that when they become adults they are not lost in the never-ending weight battles of our generation. That can be hard to do, true. But my pediatrician has assured me that kids their age (my son will be 3 in June) will not starve. They may exist primarily on milk for several days, but if all you are offering is healthy choices then eventually they will begin to eat better. Also, offer a variety of foods, and let them help you prepare them. My son watches and 'helps' me prep all my veggies on most nights. He now loves raw bell peppers and onions! And he'll try anything. Seriously. Last night, he ate a palm heart that I had on his salad. And liked it!!! Now, that's not to say that he's never had junk food, but it's just not a big deal or a necessity to him. He's just as happy eating broccoli as a cookie.

Once you get to this point, you will no longer feel guilty about eating their leftovers. And if it's about the portion control, just save their leftovers for lunch the next day!

Young28

Not alone!!! I usually shovel my 4 year olds leftovers onto my husbands plate.

Axiah

Try your hardest to transition them now to healthier foods. It doesn't have to be a drastic overnight change, but replacing the hotdogs and Mac and cheese gradually with healthier stuff could be better for everyone. You'll feel much less guilty eating pieces of leftover strawberries and plain roasted chicken. Good luck!

robot_potato

I struggled with this as well. I decided if i wasn't going to put it in my body, it shouldn't go in theirs either. I don't want them to have weight issues. It's a struggle at first, but your babies will not starve. If there is no other option, they will eat eventually. Mine had similar diets to your kids, and now they love all kinds of fruit and veg. They will eat near anything happily, including mushrooms, spinach, onions and peppers. My youngest is in love with squash and lentils. We still have treats, like pizza for dinner tonight, but we had carrots sticks on the side. Mine are 7 and 3 and i am so glad we changed our diets for the better.

mmclachlan10

I like the idea of putting it on your husbands plate... thats too funny

walkwithme1

I have no trouble with my kids eating. They are 7 and 3 and eat grilled chicken, baked potato, salad, grilled zucchini and squash, salmon, asparagus. It's rare they get ravioli etc. because I don't want them to end up like I was. And no I don't have time for gourmet meals, I plan ahead and do most of my cooking in Sundays, I work full time and don't want to stay in the kitchen all night when I get home.
As for eating their left overs, I've never eaten what's left in their plates. It gets put up and reheated for another meal, but it's rare there are left overs because 1. I don't like them and 2. I give the kids just enough and if they want more to eat there is always fruit and veggies in the house.
Typically if they say they want somethig else and I offer veggies, they suddenly aren't hungry any more. I won't contribute to my children being obese and starting them out young with a wide variety of food has really helped me with my cooking, hubby and I get to eat what we like.
I also like to think that because I made the majority of their baby food it contributes to their like of such a wide variety of food now. I also let my 7 year old help, he helps pick out seasinings for our food every night. (loves lemon pepper and garlic) if they are involved I think they are more likely to eat it. And if it's healthy and you decide to clean their plates, not much guilt in it . Good luck!

cowsstealmythong

BUMP.
I gotta read this later when I have time...

kstep88

That was part of my problem until I became more serious about tracking my calories (not to say you aren't).
One day I realized "every bite counts" and I soon saw that those few bites from when I feed my daughter...WERE ADDING UP!
Now, I make her eat what I eat. If she wants a snack, it's an apple or some form of fruit. Dinner is what I cook, or sometimes I let her eat spaghetti because it's easy and she won't eat seafood... anyway- It is really hard. You have to set rules and try to be firm. It took about 24 hours for my daughter to understand that if she was hungry..she had to eat what I made her, and not junk. Now, we only buy her "junk food" on occasion.


( daughter #1 is 3 in May and daughter #2 will be 1 in June)---

my2boiz

try fixing yourself a healty snack or meal and eat at the same time your kids eat. I'm also a firm believer in feeding my kids the same thing i eat. My 5 year old doesn't get anything special cooked for him. If he doesn't eat what i give him then he doesn't eat. btw, he always ends up eating because he gets hungry. I plan on doing the same thing for my 7 month old. I already make all his baby food myself from fresh veggies and fruits. He WILL NOT eat the jar baby food at all now. Just no that it is possible. try saving all your kids leftovers just for a day to see how much extra food you are actually eating. You may be surprised. I agree with the above people who said give them smaller portions that way there is a better chance there won't be any leftovers. There are a lot of great cookbooks out for making kids favorites in health ways. One of them is by jessica seinfeild (jerry senfeilds wife) Cant remember the name, but it was all about hiding the healthy in the food and making it look the same.

raisingbabyk

If you keep feeding them unhealthy food they will never learn to like anything else, and it will not teach them healthy eating habits for their future.

My son is 1 and we did the "baby led weaning" method of starting solids. He's always eaten exactly what I eat.

Maybe start slowly switching their food for healthy foods, or hide it in things to slowly get them used to the taste.

blueeylb

i have a 4yr old girl and a 2yr old boy my daughter is somewhat picky and my son is just to busy exploring and being a 2yr old and only eats lunch when he wants. what i do is i'll make my daughter and myself lunch and eat at the table, while for my son i keep on hand the stage 2 thru 5 food pouches at the table with us. when he's ready and wants something he'll pound down the pouch no prob. at least i know he's getting his fruit and veggies and he really likes them,so do i they are mostly always on sale for under a buck! (and for anyone who would like to complain about this my doctor is totally happy with this idea no harm done and it helps him want to join us at the dinner table and not have to add the fighting and crying to the issue). Also for when my daughter has leftovers i pack them up fast as i'm teaching her to clear the table after we eat. after a while you'll look at the plate of food and wont have any erge to reach for theat piece when you notice how your bodies adjusting to you weight lose. good luck.

BethHanson

I didn't read all the posts, and maybe I'm posting the obvious but...what's wrong with putting their leftovers in the fridge for a quick and easy meal the next day? I love leftovers for my daughter, in fact, I'm a little upset when we don't have dinner leftovers to feed her for tomorrows lunch lol. It doesn't sound like the probably is that the kids are picky, but that you pick off their plates when they don't finish it all...put it in the fridge and save it for them tomorrow. Look at it as saving yourself some time tomorrow to get a little longer work out in, or make something extra healthy or special to go with their quick lunch of leftovers....Instead of treating yourself to their leftovers, treat yourself to not having to make another meal tomorrow.

blueeyedcristi

I can't believe nobody has said anything yet. Please DO NOT feed leftovers to your dogs. Their bodies are not meant to have the majority of human foods. Here is just one article I found that tells you what is and isn't safe for your animals. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/24544541/ns/today-today_pets_and_animals/t/people-foods-can-kill-your-pet/

j3nnal3igh13

OK HOLD UP!!! First, thanks for all the (great) advice. Greatly appericated. 2nd, I need to clarify. I DO NOT FEED MY CHILDREN PROCESSED CRAP ALL DAY!! I made this post as a rant about my temptation for yesterday. My children do eat healtly. They eat a great breakfast of eggs, fruit and toast. Snacks throughout the day are always fruit and veggies. Supper they eat what ever I make them. Which is usually meat and veggies. (Not like I need to tell everyone our daily menu) To everyone who said I'm setting my children up for a battle with their weight like I am... thanks. But no. They get one or two so called "crappy" lunches a week because I am a busy mom. We've all been there. We're not all perfect. Thank you very much for taking my (what I thought, kinda funny) rant and making it sound like I'm a horrible mom teaching my boys TERRIBLE food habits. I'm creating a better lifestyle for myself. Why would I force all my old habits on my kids? Maybe I should have clarified better. That's my fault. Should have just asked, what do you do when faced with temptation???

TheDrBuchanan

It's OK, mama. That's the problem with the internet - things like tone of voice and sarcasm get lost.
But thanks for clarifying the **real** issue you're having! I do often eat the leftovers off of my 2-year-old's plate. My strategy is one of the following: either put less on his plate and refill as needed, give myself a smaller portion so that it doesn't matter that I'm taking in a little bit more, or just ziploc that plate away for tomorrow!
Hope these serious solutions help!

shmunster

Yep I used to do the same but now it either goes straight in the bin, or I give it to the dogs, then its gone

8kidsmom

If they are having much left over, put less on their plates.

TeresaC79

If you are trying to eat healthier, why not provide your children with healthier options. My kids eat what I eat and know no differently.

TeresaC79

OMG, trust me... ALL toddler moms do it We don't want to be wasteful and throw away perfectly dried up, high calorie mac n cheese right?!?! I don't know what it is that makes us want to finish it off but I can relate to the great feeling you shared with us when you threw it in the trash!! (It's amazing how good little things like that mean to a mother lol). Honestly all you can do is toss the left overs! Your boys aren't going to turn to salads and they need the calories, I am sure they do a lot of running around. If I could log my 3 year old's activities in MFP I would have more calories freed up than I could ever consume in a day

Looking to the future though, eating your salads and fruits etc. in front of your boys will set a great example for the future. They may not want it now but as we all know, we watch and learn from our parents... their good and bad habits, so let's do our kids a favor and make sure that our good habits are out on display! If they pick up the bad words we say when we whisper... then we have to assume they are listening and watching the things we do and say out in the open

No they don't. I have three under six and I have never eaten off their plate.

HopeFaithLove71

My advice to you is to eliminate food from your children's diet that you would not eat yourself. It's important to teach kids from a young age how to make good nutritional decisions, so that when they become adults they are not lost in the never-ending weight battles of our generation. That can be hard to do, true. But my pediatrician has assured me that kids their age (my son will be 3 in June) will not starve. They may exist primarily on milk for several days, but if all you are offering is healthy choices then eventually they will begin to eat better. Also, offer a variety of foods, and let them help you prepare them. My son watches and 'helps' me prep all my veggies on most nights. He now loves raw bell peppers and onions! And he'll try anything. Seriously. Last night, he ate a palm heart that I had on his salad. And liked it!!! Now, that's not to say that he's never had junk food, but it's just not a big deal or a necessity to him. He's just as happy eating broccoli as a cookie.

Once you get to this point, you will no longer feel guilty about eating their leftovers. And if it's about the portion control, just save their leftovers for lunch the next day!

this

It's great that you only feed them the processed food on occassion As some of the other posters mentioned, you can pack it up. Or perhaps since it's not that often anyway, just make smaller portions and toss the leftovers?


My little one (2yo) eats everything, but she only knows fruits, veggies, etc. She loves baby carrots, oranges, apples, baby spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, beans, lentils (I don't buy processed foods). She was raised on them. All of my 5 children 2yrs thru 21yrs love their fruits and veggies. My only picky eaters were my step-babies, but the oldest (13) adjusted and now raids the veggie bins (pre cut for ease of snacking), lol The youngest I'm still working on

lilmisskrys24

I have a 2 year old boy and a 3 yr old girl. They eat decently healthy. Sure, every now and then is a quick pizza in the over but for the most part, they eat what everyone else eats. Fruit after every meal, and normally some sort of dessert (last night it was those fruit chillers).

Anyways, I guess I'm a hard as/s. If my kids don't eat, I don't force them but I certainly don't make them anything else either. If they aren't hungry, they aren't hungry. If they choose not to eat and come to me an hour later, I pull their dinner out of the microwave.

^^Same here...

I honestly have never had that problem. I normally don't eat at the same time as my 3yr old... And he's not picky, gets fruit with his lunch and veggies with dinner. He's normally eating off of my plate not the other way around Lol...Just dump it in the garbage right away if they don't finish it? Good luck!

Me too! My son just turned 3 a couple weeks ago. I don't feed him junky food and he loves salad too. Hes always grabbing at my food.. Maybe if you had a goal in mind, you could tell yourself no. Do you have an event coming up this summer, like a wedding, reunion, vacation? Something you want to look good for? Every time I want to slack off I remind myself of this bachelorette party I'm going to in Vegas in June and I want to look good in a bikini, so I don't eat badly (but those Vegas buffets have my name on them lol). Give yourself a small treat here and there and start making them better food that is still tasty and like we teach our kids, keep your hands to yourself!

Blessedmommy_2x

I have two toddlers as well: a 3 & 2 year old. I struggle with the same thing... trying to finish their food for them. NOW what I normally do if they don't eat it I throw it in the microwave so it is out of sight out of mind. Also once i started this journey I told myself we were ALL going to eat healthier.So that helps. They still eat foods I don't eat much of, like mac and cheese and stuff like that but I also try to prepare it in a healthier way so that we are ALL eating better.

astrasburger

OK HOLD UP!!! First, thanks for all the (great) advice. Greatly appericated. 2nd, I need to clarify. I DO NOT FEED MY CHILDREN PROCESSED CRAP ALL DAY!! I made this post as a rant about my temptation for yesterday. My children do eat healtly. They eat a great breakfast of eggs, fruit and toast. Snacks throughout the day are always fruit and veggies. Supper they eat what ever I make them. Which is usually meat and veggies. (Not like I need to tell everyone our daily menu) To everyone who said I'm setting my children up for a battle with their weight like I am... thanks. But no. They get one or two so called "crappy" lunches a week because I am a busy mom. We've all been there. We're not all perfect. Thank you very much for taking my (what I thought, kinda funny) rant and making it sound like I'm a horrible mom teaching my boys TERRIBLE food habits. I'm creating a better lifestyle for myself. Why would I force all my old habits on my kids? Maybe I should have clarified better. That's my fault. Should have just asked, what do you do when faced with temptation???

^^^^This^^^^
Agreed...there are a lot of ignorant post and assuming posts on here. I got what you were saying. Calories are calories so whether you are eating apples or grilled chicken it's still calories and when you allot for a certain amount of calories a day for your meals,eating your child's food (chicken, apples, whatever!) adds to extra calories. Just bites here and there...mine is when i feed the twins yogurt i find that i grab bites off their spoon to catch the stuff dripping.. Or when the kids want to "share" a bite...they are imitating me with their "encouraging" smiles and waving their food in my face to take a bite...which i do with "grand" exaggeration and I just found when i did it...I logged it. It has gotten easier to make a conscious effort to not take those little bites (not gorging all of their food lol!).

I have a lot of admiration for all moms...it's hard having kids let alone 3 toddlers (two of the same age). The fact that you are taking time for yourself to take care of yourself is a task all in itself. Good for you! Don't let everyone get you down on here. I belong on a couple birth/baby boards and that's why i don't post anything because everyone has an opinion on everyone else's parenting style.

You are obviously rocking it as a mommy because having twins is tough...being pregnant for the last 3 years is extremely tough too. You almost forget what it's like to have your body back to itself! I nursed all 3 until they were a year so adjusting my mind and the "eyes in my stomach" to my "pre-nursing twins" ways.

Good luck with the rest of the posts on here...should be interesting:) PM me if you want to encourage each other!

kristinL16

My mom told me something like this when my oldest was younger and I try to keep it in mind when I have the urge to eat the kids' leftovers (or that little bit of something that is left in the pan).

"Either way it goes to waste. It either goes to your waist, or to waste in the garbage.

I prefer to waste in the garbage"

astrasburger

"Either way it goes to waste. It either goes to your waist, or to waste in the garbage.

I prefer to waste in the garbage"

^^^love this!