I have a 14mth old who is a great eater. She has a pretty consistent schedule but I'm wondering what other mothers/children are doing. Her schedule: 7am - 5 oz milk, 9:15am breakfast - pancakes, waffles, or french toast with some meat & fruit. 11:30a -3or4 oz milk, 1:30 lunch - jam, turkey or chicken sandwich & fruit, 4:30 - 3to4 oz milk, 6:30p dinner - a meat, veggie & pasta or potatoes, 7:45p 4to5 oz milk. Throughout the day she snacks on granola bars, the occasional cookie, cheerios and fruit chunks. She does have some dietary restrictions. She can't have too much dairy. She gets very constipated if she doesn't have 4oz of a 1 to 1 ratio prune juice to water everyday. Any advice, recommendations and/or input would be much appreciated.
Thank you to everyone who responded to my request. I tried just about everything that was suggested. After speaking to my doctor & trying to correct her constipation naturally we decided she needed a little more help. She is currently drinking a 6oz equal parts combination of water, apple juice & MiraLAX everyday. She is doing so well & isn't in pain everytime she goes.
L.,
Sounds like you're doing a great job with the food. Keep introducing new foods so she expands her tastes.
M.
Your schedule sounds good and seems like she has a pretty good variety of foods. I've got a 15 month old and here is her schedule. (She doesn't like milk so I try to add calcium into her diet in other ways)
Breakfast - protein pancakes (see recipe below), or scrambled egg with milk/cheese, or yogurt with banana/wheatgerm/dha vitamins/multivitamin w/ iron.
Snack - grapes, or puffs, I also just discovered from Whole Foods an organic fruity cheerios type cereal that she eally likes.
Lunch - turkey meatballs (from Trader Joe's), or chicken, or Barilla protein pasta (I use organic marinara sauce and add in pureed sweet potato, kale, spinach, etc.), or pizza, with grapes or some other fruit.
Snack - yogurt combo with honey wheat pretzels (from Trader Joe's)
Dinner - some variation of what I listed under lunch. She likes to try whatever we're eating and I've often been surprised that she likes food that has sauces, seasonings, etc.
For pancakes/waffles I've got a great protein pancake recipe that's a bit healthier than the usual Bisquick or frozen waffles.
2 eggs
1/2 c. cottage cheese
1 tbsp. oil
1/4 c. and 2 tbsp. oatmeal
1/2 c. applesauce
1 teas. vanilla
1/4 teas. cinnamon
1 banana cut up in small chunks
Blend or puree in the food processor everything but the banana. Get it to the consistency of pancake batter. Stir in the banana. You can make pancakes or waffles out of this batter. No need for syrup b/c they're sweet enough for the kids. Great for freezing and microwaving later for bfast or snack.
Also have you seen the Jessica Seinfeld book - Deceptively Delicious? You could make some of her recipes to get more veggies in.
Our son loves plain nori-the flat seaweed that sushi is rolled in. We tear it into small bits for him and he wolfs it down. It is a great veggie for kids in case you want to incorporate more.
Meat and dairy can cause constipation. I too have a child that is sensitive to dairy...mostly milk...she eats yogurt for her "milk" since it is much much easier to digest. She is much older so she is able to drink nonfat milk. We find that the nonfat milk doesn't give her any trouble. She does eat two servings of yogurt a day. There is a great bread we get made by orowheat "double fiber" . I thought it would taste terrible, but it actually has a sweeter taste. I smear peanut butter on it and honey or jam and it is a great source of fiber 6 grams. When my daughter was your child's age she too had bowel issues. She is much older now and all is well! =) hope this helps.
This diet sounds like the typical Standard American Diet (SAD) and could lead to the big 3 - diabetes, cancer and heart disease later in life. The constipation is an early warning. Please refer to the book, Real Food, What to Eat and Why, by Nina Plank for reference on a diet that will result in a long healthy, disease free life for you and your family. Blessings...
increase fiber, green foods, and water
Hi Leanna:
I have a couple of resources for you. First of all, you mentioned that "She can't have too much dairy." That makes me think she has allergies. Did you know allergies can now be CURED? Please visit naet.com and order the book "Say Good-Bye to Children's Allergies." Two of my grandchidren (and me) are treating with Dr. David Karaba at the East West Medical Group in Fullerton and love him. His telephone number is ###-###-####. I'll give you the book promo info at the bottom of this email.
The other resource for you is mypyramid.gov This is the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's site where you will find extensive dietary/nutritional information, and even interactive tools for adults children. Although it is designed for Americans over the age of 2, I suspect you will enjoy and appreciate the wealth of information it provides.
Here's the book info:
"Say Good-bye to Children’s Allergies
By - Devi S. Nambudripad, M.D., D.C., L.Ac., R.N., Ph.D.
In Say Good-bye to Children’s Allergies, Dr. Devi S. Nambudripad, the developer of NAET®, will help you understand your child’s illness and will assist you in finding the right help to achieve better health for your child. This book will show you how certain commonly used products in your foods and environment can cause health problems in your child; how you can test your child in your privacy of your own home using the Nambudripad’s Testing Techniques described in the book. This book will educate you how your child’s health problems can relate to allergy, a traditionally under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed condition; and, how allergies can manifest into myriad symptoms that might seem unrelated. The author also provides remedies for mild conditions of common childhood ailments arising from allergies and how to find help in assisting your child find the right help for serious problems such as, asthma, hay-fever, common colds, sinus problems, milk allergy, peanut allergy, sugar allergy, hives, gastritis, vomiting, colic for newborns, ear infections, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, bronchitis, drug reactions, and many other conditions. Dr. Nambudripad explains how allergies are often the underlying causes to pediatric problems and how NAET® testing procedures and NAET® treatments can offer relief from these allergies. The book is supported by NAET® practitioners’ testimonials and patients’ success stories."
has her pediatrician done the allergy thing?
more fruit and veggies, raw, applesauce, add a bit of juice to her water so she will drink more water, any 100% juice, or lemon or lime or real fruit, raspberries, strawberries, cut up or mashed, something she swollow easily,
Hi! My grandson , is 4, kept the same eating habits and when we asked his doc about it they did a test on his digestive track and found that he has a problem digesting his food with in 20 min. of eating it , I guess its very rare and he eats and is not over weight there is a small procedure that can fix the trouble. Other wise you have a lovely child who is a healthy eater and theres nothing wrong with that, being they grow so fast. God bless.
Hi L.,
I would try to give your baby less foods with white flour. Try whole grain pastas and breads with more fiber, it will help with her constipation. My baby is 12 months old. I follow the rainbow technique and give her foods from all colors of the rainbow through out the day (fruits and veggies). I give my baby fish and whole grain pastas as well.
I don't give any Gerber finger foods because a lot of them aren't that healthy. Cheerios are great instead.
J.
Hi L.,
Congratulations on having a good eater. It looks like you just need to add more vegetabbles during the day and that might help the problem. Try adding some to lunch.
Edamame is a great snack and you can buy them packaged for children in the market. You might just have to cut them in half for her because they might be too big.
If she has dairy problems, maybe substitute some soy milk for regular milk.
Good luck.
L.
Sounds like you have a pretty good schedule going. I am not sure what your question is though.
As long as your peds doctor says that her weight is under control and she is getting plenty of outside time to run around and burn the calorie intake. Every child is different.
How about whole grains, they are far higher in natural fiber. Check the amount of fiber in meat:0, pancakes, etc:0, potato with skin:1-2, pasta:0 or maybe 1, so she is not getting enough fiber for a complete evacuation of her bowels. Common problem, just increase the fiber, try wheat bran and oat bran 1:1, with water, bring to a boil, stir a bit, turn off and let sit to absorb the remaining water and cool to eat. Add raw foods, vegies, no dip she doesn't need the calories, she also needs to develope a taste of raw simple foods. Beans are also a great source of fiber, any bean. Try hummus, it is a garbonzo bean base with various tasty vegies and olive oil usually. Or make your own. Milk is constipating, try yogurt, it is a natural intestional flora stimulator. Salad is also a great source of fiber, get a book on fiber amounts and serve her foods accordingly.
Regards, E. H
sounds like you have a similar schedule to my daughter who's 12 months. you definitely want to add more water, though. our pediatrician said NO JUICE, even adding it to the water because of the sugar content. adding a little fresh lemon is a good alternative if your little one doesn't like water. the mom with the pancake recipe has some great food tips, too! if the recipe is too much then trader joes has multi grain pancake mix that really good...just add a little cinnamon for flavor and maybe some chopped apples and no syrup is needed.
good luck...and be careful with all the advice given. your pediatrician is the best source for questions.
Hi L.,
Pay attention to how much white flour products you're feeding your daughter. Not only are they constipating, but they replace foods that have a higher fiber content. Now's a great time to introduce your daughter to whole wheat products: pasta, cereals, breads, pancakes, etc. and increase the amount of fruits and veges she's eating. If she won't eat veges, a good trick is to blend them into a fruit smoothie -- hides the taste and is very nutricious! You can make smoothies with soy milk or with no milk. Use ice as a thickener. Also, increase her fluid intake. Start these habits now for a lifetime of healthy eating!
R.
