Eating issues with my Daughter

PurpleMunchkin

Hi There,

i wonder if anyone could give me a little bit of help or advice.

The background is i have spent most of my adult life battling with my weight. I have a 2 year old daughter and in no way want to pass these issues i have over to my daughter so when she was tiny i threw out all my diet books etc and i would never let her see me 'munching'

Anyway my little girl is a very happy little 2 year old, shes a cheeky mischevious little thing that is very active, we are out most days at the park, or the farm and she is always on the go at home, running around, climbing on furniture and dancing. I thought i was doing really well with her eating, she only has very occasional treats etc and i try really hard not to let her eat too much naughty stuff. (i'm going to list her daily food at the end of this message). She has always been small for her age and at the moment is in 9-12 month clothes even tho she is now just turned 2.

The problem is this, we went to a birthday party recently where she was all dressed up in a lovely little party outfit. Her skirt was a bit tight on her but more becuase it was a size too small rather than her being big. Anyway after the party i said to her daddy did you enjoy seeing her play with all her little friends etc (as he usually misses out on the play times) and he said that he thought she looked chubby compared to the other children. I was horrified with this, i dont think she is anyway chubby, she always looks the smallest of the group that she plays with.

I disagreed with my OH and he let the subject go, this was a week ago and i cant let it go. Im now conscious of everything she eats and im worried that even tho shes eating healthy things maybe i give her to much. Whereas before i would never worry about what she had, always knowing that i was doing the right thing, it has now become an issue for me. I hate that my OH has made me think like this and made it become an issue. It doesnt matter what he now says its like the damage is done and he cant undo what he said. Because i have had such a battle with weight i would hate to go the opposite way with my daughter, restricting what she ate etc.

Not really sure what im asking for, but maybe someone could have a look at her daily meal plan and see if they think its right for a 2 year old. I feel to self conscious talking about this to friends as i dont want them to instantly look at my size and assume that my daughter will end up the same.

So, this is what she has in a day

Breakie : Cereal, either 1 wheatabix or a bowl of porridge (made with about 3tbsp of ready break) usually followed by some grapes. She sometimes has a small slice of fruit bread too. She has this with half a cup of full fat milk.
Lunch : sandwhich made with 2 slices wholemeal bread, dairylee and either ham or chicken. She will also have a small chunk of cheese (smaller than a babybell) and some more grapes or a satsuma etc. She has a cup of water.
Snack : if she is awake mid afternoon she has a small cup of milk, half a banana and possible 1/2 a rich tea biscuit if she asks for one.
Dinner : always homemade she has what we have, her favourite is pasta which i guess she does eat a lot of, otherwise its things like sheppards pie, meat and mash potato, chilli or curry and rice. If its not pasta she tends to just pick at her food. This then is sometimes followed by a petite filous or something similar and 1/2 a cup of milk.

Very very occasionally she may have a couple of chocolate buttons or a very small peice of cake or something similar, but this really easy very occasionally.

What do others feed there little toddlers ??

Anyway sorry for the long long post and thanks in advance for any advice.

PurpleMunchkin

cazscoob

can i tell you that i dont think you need to worry my DS is 9 months wearing 12month clothes and probably eats double that your DD eats a day he also has near enough 3 pints of milk on top of that. every child is different some need more others need less.

my other son is 6 and he is so skinny he picks at his food but as he does eat and eats a varied diet i dont worry about it at all, as long as they are active and happy that is all that matters

ceebeeby

Purplemunchkin,

Please, please, please don't worry about your wee one.

She sounds as if she has a lovely life (off on trips) with a very healthy diet!

All toddlers are different, so it's no good comparing them.

I'd slap your other half (playfully!) and tell him she's perfect thanks!!!

If you remain worried at all, speak to your Health Visitor, but by the sounds of it, she eats fabulously

frugallass

it sounds like you're doing a great job by providing her with a varied and healthy diet - don't take his comments too seriously

PurpleMunchkin

Thanks for your replies. :beer:

I guess i know in my heart of hearts that im doing well by her and she is eating well. I think it just threw me what my OH said. I dont think he realises how much it has affected me. He has really made me question what im doing for my daughter.

Its so hard to know what is right, when they are so small and dependent on us so much. Especially when there is so much talk of unhealthy eating & obesity in our society at the moment.

Anyway thanks again, i feel a bit more at ease now

PurpleMunchkin

fsdss

the diet looks fine, and appropriate - if you're still worried then give her an additional vitamin drop for children (bought from the chemist at about 70p)and she's acting like a 2 year old should do.
just for peace of mind, pop with her to the hv and get her weight and height measured! - i'm sure everything will be fine

RoxieW

I wouldnt worry about her diet - perhaps she's just naturally abit bigger and diet has nothing to do with it? My 4 year old gets alot more 'treats' than your daughter and he's as skinny as a rake. We're just all built differently.

lrr_2

Diet good, I think problem here is the clothing as if it was tight it will look like she maybe was a little chubby regardless of age size on it but to be honest I wouldnt be happy him saying that either. Kids shouldnt be worried about their diets anyway unless there sitting playing on there video games all day eating junk and no exercise at all.

Reggie_Rebel

If your husband calls her chubby (when she is clearly not), punch him on the nose, call him ugly and give her an extra chocolate button

i_wanna_save_money!

Honestly, you have nothing to worry about. All children are different, and it sound as though she has a perfectly healthy diet and lifestyle so well done . Maybe you should explain to your OH how his comment has made you feel so he thinks next time before he speaks. If you need peace of mind get her weighed from your health visitor and I am sure she will put your mind at rest.

belfastgirl23

To be honest I think the question is a bit wrong here. The issue isn't at all to do with your daughter's diet or even whether or not she is chubby, more so your reaction. Children do go through stages of being chubby, often before they have a growth spurt. it's perfectly normal and by the sounds of it your DH didn't mean anything by it at all. But your reaction is really very strong and I think you've identified yourself that this has been an issue for you.

I think you've done really well in trying to keep these issues away from your daughter but honestly I also believe you might need some support to work through them yourself as well. While you can 'hide' things when your daughter is young it will get harder and harder as she gets older. Wouldn't it be better to deal with it once and for all? I don't have any great recommendations on this but others probably will have...

Good luck!