Friday, September 7, 2007
Snack time
I don't know about you other moms, but I find I am constantly worried about how much Kaylin is eating. She's a skinny minnie and the doctor and I have been watching her weight and growth closely to make sure she isn't dropping too much. How much she eats at meals always fluctuates, sometimes it's a lot, sometimes it's very little, and I know that is a common thing with toddlers. It helps me to look at how much she is getting in a week instead of a day. Anyway, I'm struggling with snacks. How much is an appropriate serving for a snack? Kaylin's constantly running around, so I'm lucky to get anything in her. Because of her allergies, we're a bit limited with food, but usually it's crackers and some fruit. But since she doesn't eat much at "snack time," I feel like I'm constantly running after her, trying to shove food in her face in a desperate attempt to get her to eat anything. I think most people have three meals and two snacks per day, but Kaylin "grazes" because she doesn't sit still and theres my whole worry thing, so I try to get her to eat something small every hour or so--a cracker here, a bit of fruit there, etc. So long explanation, but what I'm getting at is this: what, and especially how much, do you feed your kiddos at a typical snack time? and how many times a day do you have snack time? I know I need to stop worrying, but it's a work in progress. :)
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6 comments:
What percentile is she in for weight? Matthew was always in a very low percentile, usually around the 12th and he's finally up to the 25th. Is she allergic to milk products?? Cheese is great for protein. Matthew is a super picky eater and doesn't eat much either and is the worlds most active kid, so I always wonder how he can keep going. They seem to get everything they need though. OUr snacks are: cheese, crackers, fruit, raisins, fruit bits, yogurt, raisin bread, toast, and I think that's about it! I know how hard it is not to worry!
She's in about the 15th percentile i think. She started a lot higher, can't quite remember, maybe around 50, so she's been consistently dropping. Although I guess she's stayed about 15th for the last half a year or so, so I guess that's good. Yes, she's allergic to dairy, so unfortunately that takes out a lot of snack ideas. I try to give her soy yogurt and cheese, Kaylin's really active too, and she poops like 3-4 times a day, so I wonder how she keeps anything in her. I guess she must be getting something. So how much of those snacks do you feed him at each snack time? (What's your portion size?)
Cheese: a string cheese
Crackers 3-6 wheat crackers or a handful of fishies
Fruit: he'll eat a whole piece of whatever fruit as long as I cut it up
Raisins: probably a quarter cup? Or maybe like 15 raisins?
Fruit bits: same
Yogurt: A whole kids size yogurt, sometimes a whole adult size yogurt, sometimes he eats less.
Raisin bread: a whole piece (he'll eat most of it)
Toast: same, but will generally eat half.
I think the grazing comes from being so active, they need bits all day to keep them going. I'm the same way, I need lots of small meals, I can't go long periods without food or I'll get weak.
Hope that helps!!
Oh, and applesauce, maybe half a cup? is a favorite too. And pretzels sometimes. Can you do Almond butter instead of peanut butter or is it all nuts that's she's allergic to? Matthew hates it, but I'm hoping soon he'll start liking it to make lunches easier!
Do you have any snack ideas that I'm missing?
Hi AL! How was your birthday?? I hope you got my card in the snail mail in time!! Love Ya!! (listening to Cruisin' with Huey & Gwynneth, reminds me of you) XOXO
anna was in about the 3rd percentile for weight until she turned 2--now she's about 50th. yosef is barely on the charts, and biniam's weight is so low it's NOT on the charts. my kids all have good appetites. we do 3 meals a day, and a snack or two--a granola bar, or cheese, raisins, whatever.
i really don't worry about how much my kids are eating, they have tons of energy. the doctor DID mention the main thing is their percentile over time--is it mostly consistent. at any rate, if she seems healthy and full of energy, she'll probably eat when she's hungry. it's hard being a mommy!
Thanks for the tips and encouragement girls! She's growing and has lots of energy so I probably shouldn't worry. But of course, easier said than done. I'm going to make it my goal to try not to fixate so much on what she's eating and how much she's eating.
Kelly--got your card, thanks so much, it was so cute! Had a good day, too.
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