Food Has Taken over My 6 Year Old

Hi C.,

The only suggestion I have is to not buy the junky stuff. IF it's not in the house the she can 't eat it. It's okay to have a snack after dinner. My kids have a snack before bed. I limit what they can have. some nights they have apple slices or grapes, or celery with peanut butter, other times they may have a granola bar. sometimes I give in and let them have cookies, or Ice cream or stuff like that, but not every night.
Don't make the unhealthy stuff available to her.

Hi C., I agree with the first response. If you don't buy unhealthy stuff, she won't have it to eat. My kids are big eaters too. My 3 yr old will eat as much if not more than my 5 yr old. I just make sure they only have "good" stuff to eat. They don't get snacks after dinner if they haven't eaten their dinner. I only allow them 3 small portions of "junk" snacks a day; ie fruits snacks, chips, cookies, etc. Then it is fresh fruit, raisins, vegetables, cheese, etc. If your daughter is really hungry and you only offer her healthy choices, then she will pick one. If she doesn't pick one, then she is not that hungry. She will not starve if she skips a meal or snack. It may not be easy to deal with the tanturms or fits at first, but you are the ultimate boss. We are in charge of taking good care of our kids, not satisifying their wants. As far as your husband, you need to have a heart to heart with him and tell him your concerns. Make sure he understands that this something you feel strongly about. He doesn't have to agree, but he needs to respect your concerns. If he doesn't support you then you really need to be strict with only buying healthy snacks. If you don't have them in the house, he can't give in to her. We stress that it is good food that makes us strong and healthy. Talk to her and set the example. We all know junk food taste good and we all like it, but it has to be in moderation. Good luck, I am commend you for being concerned, we have to instill good eating habits early on. Good luck. Let us know it turns out.
A.

hide the healthy. i have made healthy revisions of recipes and my son loves them so far i've tried ice cream and chocolate pudding and everytime i make, my son just tears it up, there's hardly any left for me.

Will she drink a smoothie or "milk shake". You could get fruits and veggies in her that way and she will think she is having an unhealthy snack. I know that sounds bad but it is a thought. You can use all kinds of berries(frozen or fresh), bananas, mangoes, whatever you find. Veggies that hide well are carrots, cucumbers, and any squash just mix them with the fruit.

I make chocolate banana or berry smoothies. I use soy chocolate milk(about 8 oz) and half a banana or a handful of berries and ice. Blend it up and it is ready to go. You could also add some peanut butter to the banana one. It is really good. It is easy to get the good stuff in them.

You could also try making some bean dips (white bean or garbanzo bean) with some veggie chips. Look on Foodnetwork.com for some easy recipes.

One other idea is to have a snack drawer or shelf that she knows she can have anything from. Fruits, veggies for dipping, granola bars, yogurt, cheese, low fat popcorn (the mini bags), everything healthy or whole grain. I hope that you find some things that she will like and that she starts eating healthier. Good luck! Sorry to be so long winded.