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What can I add to their fruit portion in the afternoon to make it more substantial. I'm looking at the cost of fruit and it gets expensive when I give another portion if they want more. I want to add something simple to the fruit, on the side, any ideas?
I always provide a grain with pm snack. Morning is fruit with dairy
I add cheese/crackers/yogurt/granola bar/social tea cookie/applesauce/rice cake/nutrigrain bar/
Try adding cereal like Cheerios or crackers.
In the cooler months I often do toast with peanut butter (subject to allergies) and sliced bananas on top.
Use yoghurt and make small parfaits with layered cereal, yoghurt and fruit (doesn't need to be huge).
Veggies and dip is normally cheaper than fruit if you keep to the seasonal veg. You can cut carrots, celery, cucumber, salad peppers into sticks and that's a colourful selection for lower prices.
I sometimes make banana mini muffins or flax squares.
I avoid at all costs the granola bars, Nutragrain bars, pre-packed snacks - that gets expensive fast.
Tip - a couple of times a week, at naptime or when the children are playing quietly, I chop veggies to last a couple of days and then store in the fridge, pre-cut in lidded containers.
Same for grapes, melon, etc.
It means the boxes can be stacked which takes up less space but also everything is ready to go. I also find, being able to see clearly what's in there means less waste from veggies being lost at the back of the fridge until past their best.
I offer fruit almost 3x a day but because it's offered with a grain or a dairy they don't need a huge portion. I also find that some give big portions thinking the child needs it. I follow this as a guideline http://www.babycenter.com/0_age-by-a...ler_1736045.bc and adjust it if need be for each child. Obesity is a huge concern in children and I have found some children will just eat and eat if you don't stop them so it's important to find that balance of them being full but not over eating.
I cut up my fruit and veggies at the beginning of the week as well. It is so much easier than trying to do it when you have hungry kids at your feet lol.
For expense, I always have bananas and apples on hand as they are typically the cheapest fruit. Than I have cantaloupe or honeydew because one or two will last the whole week. Other fruit I buy are whatever is on sale that week. It helps the budget and also helps keep it different so they don't get bored.
Veggies for afternoon snack are also an option as they are sometimes cheaper than fruit. Mine aren't huge on uncooked veggies yet but they will eat snap peas, carrot sticks and pepper slices raw.
5 Little Monkeys, what is a portion size of fruit if you give it with something else?
I give about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup depending on what it is. If it's something like grapes or raspberries it's about 1/4 cup and if it's honeydew, apples, cantaloupe etc it's about 1/2 cup. Add this with a few crackers or yogurt and it's usually enough to tide them over until lunch or supper at home.
Typically, my snacks are only about a cup of food in total for the under 2's and 1 1/2 cups for the over 2's. In the summer it tends to be more as we are outside more often and they are burning off more energy. I also find that some kids don't drink enough so before they are given seconds, they have to drink at least half their cup of liquids. If they are still wanting more they are given a bit extra of food. I don't normally have cranky kids which I find happens when they are hungry....or maybe it's just me that gets cranky when I'm starving!! LOL
I suggest large cans of fruit from Costco. They can come packed in water with no sugar added. Not as great as fresh fruit, but easy to eat and can be used sporadically to keep the bills down.
Sillygirl, I always feel guilty when I use canned fruit but sometimes in the winter I use them when the fruit isn't the best tasting or the cheapest! The kids love it actually lol
This is great info. Thank you for the suggestions ladies.
Just wanted to add...I used to keep on serving and serving at snack time until they were full. This I still do at lunch; but my snack times are pre-portioned (of course, a generous portion: Example: 1/2 a banana, a container of yogurt (or any kind of thing my kids can dip into, they love it) and a grain of some sort (usually a homemade mini-muffin or cookie) and that's it, that's all. I found anymore and it was effecting their lunch and supper time appetites.
I used to as well but then I had several children with massive appetites and honestly, 6 day care children were eating more food then my 2 teens and I had for supper. It was insane.itQuote:
I used to keep on serving and serving at snack time until they were full.
Not any more. I have portion control, there is usually a bit of left overs if someone wants seconds but that's more there in case someone's lunch gets knocked over before being eaten.
I have one little boy here at the moment who is 22 months old, and if I gave him 5 bowls of lunch he'd still want more. His mother's view is that he will stop when he's had enough! But I'm sorry, I am not going to feed that child until he stops because his entire fees would go on food.
I feed appropriate portions, he's not starving, he's not upset with hunger and if she wants to feed him huge meals at home, then that's entirely up to her.
Rachael, I used to have a child in my care who would eat and eat and eat. It was insane!! Both his mom and I were bad for giving him cut up fruit while we prepped lunch or while I was feeding another little guy or if he appeared to want more food. His mom often said "I don't think he has the "I'm full" trigger in him!" I had him from 8 months to just over 2 years old. His mom had taken him to a doctor for a routine check up and the doctor said he was too chunky for his age (he was a big kid but had the cute little chunk to him still) and the doctor told us to quit giving him so much fruit! Here we thought we were being healthy by giving him fruit to munch on but because we were giving it here and there (he would shovel food in his mouth so we only gave him a little at a time) we didn't fully see the portion we were giving!! We started dishing out his portion on one plate and giving it to him a little at a time and when the main plate was empty that was it, no more food!!
Portion control is a big thing and one that I think society in whole has gone overboard with. I know for myself, I wish I had been taught portion control earlier on!!
Totally highjacking the thread but with all the talk of portion control I'd love your thoughts on my daughter! I have a 19month old. She has always had a HUGE appetite. I've asked the doctor many times, and have even written out food logs with the amounts of what she eats and he keeps saying to let her decide when she is full.
At her 18month checkup she was above the 98th percentile for height and just below the 95th percentile for weight. At 15months she was 85th for both and at 12months she was 75th for both. She is climbing equally for both weight and height but advanced up the percentiles with great speed. She's tall and skinny (solid but skinny).
She has little to no interest in breads and crackers. Her go to food is protein (meats and beans as she is still dairy intolerant). She only eats at meal and snack time (no grazing). Always in her high chair. No tv on. But she eats so much! She had 4 toddler servings of homemade chili at lunch today (which combined was more than my adult serving).
Still not 100% sure when and if we should cut her off. We figure that since she is growing so rapidly (in height not outwards) and she is such a busy child that she needs the food she is eating. Everything is homemade and healthy. We limit the fruits (as the sugar does quickly add up) she loves salads and veggies.
I totally understand limiting the fruit or snacky foods (crackers etc - not that she eats much of these) as they aren't that nutritious and/or are sugary but would you limit the amount of veggies and beans (she will eat blackbeans, kidney beans, chickpeas etc by the cup full). Last night at supper she had 3 servings of cooked beets. It just seems odd to tell a toddler, "no you can't have anymore beets"!
Thoughts?
She sounds like she is healthy and what she is eating a lot of isn't junk or excessive carbs or sugar so I would say let her eat ! Lol
I was going to add that I have started doing snack as a veggie and carb , not dairy or fruit . I realized sitting and writing out my menu for dayhome that although it was nutritious and interesting it was still too much sugar .
For our 3:00 snack , I have been doing pretzels and grapes ( I know the sodium is a bit high but they get about 6 long pretzels with grapes and cheese , like a kabob .
I'm phasing out morning snack some days as our lunches are a bit more substantial . I'm water only here and we have a drink rule here too 5lm !!!
It's so hard because sometimes kids can't verbally tell us when they're full and if they just continue to eat it's hard for us to know. I have one child who just stops eating or if I'm feeding him something he won't open his mouth. I love it lol. Im not a fan of saying "eat everything on the plate" unless it's clear that they haven't ate enough to be even close to being full.
Lee bee, it sounds like your daughter is a good eater!! If the doctor isn't concerned than it's probably okay. I've never given my dck's beets....I should try!!
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Originally Posted by 5 Little Monkeys
My daughter lets us know clearly when she's done. She says 'done' which helps, but long before she could talk she'd get the point across. We've also never fed her from 6months on we just put what we were eating in front of her and let her go at it (baby led weaning) so no purees or anything. She had mastered eating big strips of steak by 7months. She is quite the foody. She loves spicy food and foods highly flavoured with herbs and spices. Crackers and breads are boring and bland!
If you do feed the kids beets let the parents know. Not only do they stain the kids hands (short term) they make their poops a bit scary if it's unexpected! Might be worse when they eat as much as my daughter does but I have to stop remind myself she had eaten beets because it comes out blood red colour! It might freak some parents out!!
Thanks!!! I'll have to remember that! It's like when they eat blueberries and it comes out blue lol
Quinoa flakes (like oatmeal) and chia seed pudding are great, healthy fillers for snacks or lunch time sides. You can add fruit to either or have them on their own. Quinoa flakes are similar to oats - they're super quick to make and versatile, mashed banana and cinnamon are a favourite with the kids here. My personal favourite for breakfast is quinoa flakes with pureed strawberries, a few chopped walnuts and dark chocolate chips and a sprinkling of unsweetened coconut on top.
Something we've found too is that our grocery store has a clearance rack for fruit & veggies, we find a lot of great produce marked down by 50%, we got bags of organic apples and pears for a couple dollars, they lasted in our fridge for a couple weeks while we used them up. Bananas we pay $0.50 for a bunch and usually still have to let them ripen. We check the clearance rack first now to see what's there!
5LM, do NOT feel guilty. Aside from the odd 'organic momma' most of us parents are reliant on pre-packed snacks. My only saving grace is that there are a few that have low sugar and some nutritional value...but you have to search. Seriously...do you know that Veggie Sticks are the equivalent of air filled Ruffles? You can eat more, but still the same crap. It may have brushed up against a veggie, but certainly not enough content to ear 'brand' status. LOL
Cate, can I come over to your house to eat? :)
Hahaha.....anytime :)Quote:
Originally Posted by SillyGirl_C