Children that are allowed to eat/graze constantly?

Tenyearstogo

Torry_Quine wrote: »

Then the parent would be giving the child the appropriate food at the appropriate time.

Define appropriate time.

notanewuser

Torry_Quine wrote: »

Then the parent would be giving the child the appropriate food at the appropriate time.

But that's the point. The appropriate time is when they are hungry (which isn't to a timescale or when the parent says) and the amount/foodstuff should be determined by the child, not the parent.

If you we're coming to my house for dinner, I wouldn't assume to know exactly how hungry you'd be, or how much you would eat. So I would make plenty. I'd be thought of as very rude to not cook enough food. How is it any different with a child.

mumps

When was this golden age when children had three meals a day and snacks hadn't been invented?

notanewuser

mumps wrote: »

When was this golden age when children had three meals a day and snacks hadn't been invented?

Snacks were a marketing gimmick thought up in the 60s (I believe).

Torry_Quine

Tenyearstogo wrote: »

Define appropriate time.

Meal times as already discussed.

notanewuser wrote: »

But that's the point. The appropriate time is when they are hungry (which isn't to a timescale or when the parent says) and the amount/foodstuff should be determined by the child, not the parent.

If you we're coming to my house for dinner, I wouldn't assume to know exactly how hungry you'd be, or how much you would eat. So I would make plenty. I'd be thought of as very rude to not cook enough food. How is it any different with a child.

If I'm going to someone's home for a meal then depending on the time of day and what the meal is would determine what is expected. If I was hosting then I would prepare the amount that is the general expectation.

mumps wrote: »

When was this golden age when children had three meals a day and snacks hadn't been invented?

There probaly were snacks of some kind when I was young but I never had them. A piece of fruit was a treat if we ate all our meals and that's all.

notanewuser

Torry, you know that babies don't come with a manual, don't you? There have been lots of books and "advisors" that have recommended getting babies into strict routines that fit the parents' day and having no flexibility. Most who attempt this fail, because babies haven't evolved to follow timetables. They sleep when they need to. When they learn a new skill they can't sleep for desire to practice it. They eat what they need to. They poop when they need to.

We wouldn't have evolved/survived this long if we didn't instinctively know what we/our babies needed.

Gillyx

All children are completely different too, generally my 15 month old takes what he wants at meals, sometimes it's loads sometimes it's 2 bites, but however much he eats he doesn't eat again until the next meal, and very seldom will cry or moan for food. I don't tend to offer anything in between because he doesn't appear to need it. He has an afternoon snack because the gap between lunch and dinner is quite long and he does always gobble it up, but I offer it and he never seems to 'ask' for it.

So like grown up adults, all children will be different and what suits one won't suit another.

andygb

notanewuser wrote: »

I'm 35.

You're telling me that as a 20 month old toddler (as pigpen has) you were regimented to 3 meals a day and nothing else?

I am nearly 55, and when I was young things were obviously very different to today, and judging by the obesity levels and various allergies/food intolerances, the diet and discipline from the 60's/70's was obviously much better.
From a very young age, we ate what our parents ate, and when we were at school, we ate what we were presented with - no choice, no stupid pizzas or turkey twizzlers, hardly any chips. You couldn't go out at lunchtimes and raid the local chippy or tuck shop. It may have been bland food, but it was a balanced diet.
At home, our house must have been like ToryQuines, because you would not dare leave any food, or else you would stay at the table until it had gone. You certainly would not get an option of different food.
Our relation's children play the parents like utter fools. When they are out shopping the children start to cry when they are outside MaccyD's or Nandos, but mysteriously stop grizzling when they have had their fill.
It has nothing to do with hunger, it is just a childs mwthod of getting their own way, and the parent taking the easy option of keeping them quiet.

Torry_Quine

andygb wrote: »

I am nearly 55, and when I was young things were obviously very different to today, and judging by the obesity levels and various allergies/food intolerances, the diet and discipline from the 60's/70's was obviously much better.
From a very young age, we ate what our parents ate, and when we were at school, we ate what we were presented with - no choice, no stupid pizzas or turkey twizzlers, hardly any chips. You couldn't go out at lunchtimes and raid the local chippy or tuck shop. It may have been bland food, but it was a balanced diet.
At home, our house must have been like ToryQuines, because you would not dare leave any food, or else you would stay at the table until it had gone. You certainly would not get an option of different food.
Our relation's children play the parents like utter fools. When they are out shopping the children start to cry when they are outside MaccyD's or Nandos, but mysteriously stop grizzling when they have had their fill.
It has nothing to do with hunger, it is just a childs mwthod of getting their own way, and the parent taking the easy option of keeping them quiet.

Could have written this myself, thanks. I was beginning to think my childhood was an aberattion!:o:o

marisco_2

My sons' diets are pretty similar to that which I had as a child. My main focus is on them having 3 main healthy meals a day, made mostly from scratch.

I introduced them to a very wide range of foods from when I started to wean them. They will now pretty much eat whatever is put in front of them and are quite adventurous with their tastes.

They enjoy all kinds of fruits and these are available to them as snacks. Chocolate, crisps, sweets etc are an occassional treat. They enjoy milk and fruit juice but dont guzzle it away like it is going out of fashion. During the day they mainly stick to water.