This past week Birdie had her 2 year checkup. To sum it up, it was surprising and not surprising all at the same time.She's really tiny.
Totally tiny.
She's perfectly small.
Exactly, 20 lbs, 2 oz - with a "how did that get there, I swear I just changed her" wet diaper.
I feed her, I really do. What I don't do is intentionally butter her up, slip hidden fat grams in her waffles, or try and clog her arteries in an unnatural ways.
We eat healthy, but we do eat our fair share of burgers, hot dogs, ice cream and Mc Donalds. I mean, give me a break, we are American.
The pediatrician totally agrees with the foods we feed her. But she has urged me to change her eating habits. The way she eats is on the change.
As of this week, Birdie gets to eat whenever she is hungry. Gone are the days of 3 meals, 2 snacks a day, and eating at the dining room table. For her (and her only) it's a 24/7 open buffet. It's kinda like a Burger King drive thru - "your way, right away"....
I think it will work, I believe it's all mental with her. For example: I could make pancakes for breakfast. If I cut them up, slather them with butter, drizzle syrup all over them, give her a plate and a fork - the result? An untouched plate of pancakes.
On the other hand, I can make pancakes, give them to her silver-dollar size and let her carry them around and eat them at her leisure - the result? She'll eat a dozen!
To be honest, I was shocked that she still weighed 20 pounds! Surely she weighed around 23, even 24 pounds...
I know she's hungry - just today she bit me. A vampire like attack on my muffintop area (broke skin) while trying to get my attention...
So I ask for suggestions. I need nutrious options for snacks/meals that she can walk around with. That won't stain my sofa, or rot her teeth. I'm not gonna feed her fruit gummy bears and animal crackers all day.
27 comments:
Mon Jul 20, 10:50:00 PM
My son was the same kind of eater...he did better on the move, not stuck at a table. He ate a lot of Van's Organic Blueberry waffles (sans syrup and butter) back then.
Also, keeping a plate of apple slices in reach, if she likes them, is good because they're not super messy.
Mon Jul 20, 11:04:00 PM
Will she eat carrots? Cucumber slices perhaps (although only freshly cut; after a while they get mushy and could get messy)?
Cheese sticks for calories and protein. Hubs suggests breadsticks (the hard kind), pretzels...
I guess it depends how supervised she's gonna be when she's "free feeding." Is this basically under her control with foods kind of sitting around for her to pick up, or is it a matter of offering foods every half hour or so, while she's loose, to see if they get consumed right then?
I mean, I can give my 17 month old a pile of cheerios or animal crackers like you mentioned, and walk away and I won't find them crushed to dust in his bedroom carpet. I think the items mentioned above would all fit in that category (free feed).
On the other hand, I can give him half a banana if he's in his playpen and I'm doing stuff in and out of the room because I can be reasonably sure that he'll eat it right then (or remove it if he doesn't), BUT I couldn't leave a pile of banana slices in his room and not expect to find it mashed into corners.
May have more suggestions later if you can clarify.
Mon Jul 20, 11:28:00 PM
Waffles are good, so are frosted mini wheats. Grapes, granola bars, wagon wheel pasta (or bow tie, cork screw). Fresh sugar snap peas aren't messy either.
And dude, my kid was NINETEEN pounds at 4.5 months. He's now 16 months old and is 30 pounds 34 1/4 " tall. I'd love to schlep your tiny petite little thing around for a day--it would be a welcome break! :-)
Mon Jul 20, 11:34:00 PM
I just almost peed my pants laughing out loud when you said she almost bit you she was so hungry! how funny!
Tue Jul 21, 12:19:00 AM
Honestly? I don't think it will help, if my son is any indication. And, well, my older daughter too. My youngest is the only one of our kids who actually grows. The almost-8-year-old is 37 lbs, the 6yo is 28 lbs. Yes, 28 lbs!! They eat, but don't gain or grow. Son is on growth hormone injections and daughter probably could and should be, but we haven't gone that route with her. Anyway, all the food in the world won't help kids who are just MEANT to be tiny. You know what I'm saying? Don't force her, don't encourage her, but if she asks for food, let her eat. If she says no, don't plead with her to take just one more bite. We keep lots of things around, fruit, granola bars, crackers and cheese... ice cream is great! So they eat and eat, but for mine, there is still no gain. Oh, well.
Tue Jul 21, 12:19:00 AM
Sorry that was really rambly! lol
Tue Jul 21, 08:03:00 AM
I have to fatten up my son who is also 20 pounds at 2 years old, and the easiest way I have found is to put powdered/dry milk in his vitamin d milk with some strawberry syrup for good measure. 1 sippy cup is like 330 calories. Sometimes I'll put chicken nuggets out while he plays so he snacks on those. I also make scrambled eggs for breakfast and mix it with heavy whipping cream and he dips it in ranch...not the greatest but for the few bites he takes I try to make them count! Good luck, I know it's frustrating :-)
Tue Jul 21, 08:13:00 AM
Do you use those Snack Trap contraptions? If you aren't familiar, they're little bowls with handles and a plastic lid. The lid has a flexible opening that allows the kids to stick their hand in to get a snack, but the snack doesn't spill everywhere as they're walking around. I've packed mine with cheese or peanut butter crackers from Trader Joe's, nuts, dried fruit, Snap Pea Crisps, etc.
My daughter was (and still is) pretty small for her age. She was barely over 20 lbs at her 2 year checkup as well. She's now 7 and not much over 40 lbs. And yet she can put away a bag of Chex mix like a pro. Let's just say she doesn't get her metabolism from my side of the family.
Tue Jul 21, 08:40:00 AM
Hey Emily! 2 of my 5 are natural peanuts too! They sometimes eat everyone else in the house nearly OUT of the house! And yet, they're tiny. Ironically they're also the two who had the highest birth weights...anyway... We LOVE smoothies (in cups with spill proof strawa) over here! Plain yogurt, any kind of fruit, and some OJ. You can add wheat germ or flax seed oil too. But mostly, I wouldn't worry too much about it. My Elyse isn't even on the growth chart. She's 6 now, and hasn't made the chart since 9 mos. And Howard (2) is only in the 2% for weight, and the 80% for height. SKINNY!!!
Good Luck,
Wendi
Tue Jul 21, 08:46:00 AM
I would say any kind of dried fruit. My son loves anything with hummus on it - carrots, cucumbers, but I realize that is not a walk around food. Good luck!!!
Tue Jul 21, 09:14:00 AM
Julia has been biting me pretty consistently lately - your post made me laugh. I need to give you this kid recipe book that my mom gave me from 1960/70 (seriously) -- lots of fun, healthy snacks for kiddos.
Tue Jul 21, 09:18:00 AM
Mayonnaise shakes? -Mr. Blonde
Tue Jul 21, 09:37:00 AM
Ok, what CRACKS me up is that Phinny, who is not quite 8 mos. old, is 20 lbs. Ha!!!
Tue Jul 21, 09:44:00 AM
Cheese sticks are a big hit in our house. In fact, anything that looks like a stick seems to work - waffles cut up into strips (with cream cheese, cottage cheese or peanut butter for dipping at the table). Same with french toast sticks, pretzel sticks, and carrot sticks (maybe slightly cooked then chilled if you are worried about firmness).
Luckily, as soon as food leaves the table in our house and starts to wander, we have our trusty housecleaning machine, the Dog, to pick up any messes on the floor. Still believe we should have named him Hoover instead of Coach :)
Tue Jul 21, 09:45:00 AM
My niece is the same way. Teeny Tiny. She is a twin and they were born preemie. (1lb 13 oz teeny!) Anyways, she is just over 2 years now and still only 21 lbs. But she is a grazer too like Birdie. More likely to eat more often than a bunch at a time. They did Carnation Breakfast in her milk for a while and that seemed to help (but then her brother would get mad he didn't get the good stuff!). If she likes to snack and in smaller sizes go with that!
Tue Jul 21, 09:45:00 AM
I know you want walk around food ideas but it's been so long since my child was that age that I cannot remember what I gave him to eat on the go. What about wheat crackers, carrots, celery sticks with a little container of natural peanut butter or hummus to dip them in at her leisure. It's easy to make homemade hummus if you'd like the recipe. Blue Bunny makes a frozen yogurt that's good for smoothies if you process it with skim milk or juice and fresh fruit so she can have a shake to sip on.
Tue Jul 21, 10:32:00 AM
My daughter is just the same - 3 1/2 and only 28 pounds. We started letting her do the walking-while-eating thing recently, and I think it has helped. She likes granola bars, string cheese, slivers of red bell pepper (weird, also not sofa-friendly), cucumbers, rolled-up lunchmeat (turkey and ham are her favorites) and tortillas with peanut butter spread inside (also might not be sofa-friendly).
Tue Jul 21, 11:01:00 AM
Ella is 20 lbs also. She eats, too, she really does. I feed her whenever she's hungry, she's just little.
Sounds like she and Birdie are still two peas in a very tiny pod.
Tue Jul 21, 11:59:00 AM
You can pack a lot of punch with "shakes". We call them that, although they are actually fruit smoothies. Simply favorite: whole milk yogurt, frozen mango from TJ's, OJ (or other juice), and a banana. You can add soy or other protein powder too if you want!
Tue Jul 21, 12:51:00 PM
Hi Emily-
I give my son Bolthouse Green Goodness juice, its in the produce section. I mix it with water in a sippy cup. It has broccoli and spinich, as well as a million other natural things, but it tastes great. Kinda like pineapple! It may not fatten her up but it is a good way to get in alot of nutrients to help growth! Its kinda expensive but I give it to him once a day and it last me two weeks.
Lindsay
Tue Jul 21, 01:29:00 PM
Maybe it's a second child thing because my 2 yr old is the same stinkin' way!
Does she like peanut butter? I know it can be messy but I make my son cracker sandwiches with it and it's not TOO bad. And he will eat fruit til the cows come home and is constantly walking around with a banana or an apple. Oh and cheese sticks (like string cheese) - he LOVES those!
Good luck - she's such a cute little girl!
Tue Jul 21, 02:33:00 PM
chill out. Every child is different. She'll grow. Think about all the energy she burns! The important thing is to get a foundation for healthy eating paved, which you are doing. They do the BMI scores for all kids in AR schools. I don't think it's a great idea, because my niece and nephew eat healthier than my son, yet he'll always be thinner than them. My other two nephews are overly concerned about their foods, and again, Kyler is taller and thinner than them. Depending on the kid, the "grazing" approach can actually lead to less food intake. . .again, every child is different. Good luck!
Tue Jul 21, 07:22:00 PM
tina burritos and pizza seem to fatten me up.
Tue Jul 21, 09:21:00 PM
If you can do nuts, Audrey loves cashews - will eat them all the time. Cheese sticks, yogurt, and wholegrain crackers, are also staples around our house.
Wed Jul 22, 01:50:00 PM
If it makes you feel better my little son is tiny too. He weighed in at 24lbs. at his 2.5 year apt. and we like you eat healthy and our fair share of junk and drive thru food too. In just 3 months he goes for his 3 year apt. and I dont seem to think he has even gained much since last time. Its just the way some kids are I think. We walk around with string cheese, nilla wafers, craisens, raisens, pretzel sticks, carrots, apples, Cliff Kids Twizlers (great..mo mess at all and equal to one serving of fruit). Those are our thoughts!
Wed Jul 22, 06:37:00 PM
I just wanted to say that my older daughter will be three in September and she's only about 22 pounds or so. She's just petite. I have no worries (and neither does my doctor). She eats well, is active, and is super healthy - so I just let it be. :)
Sat Aug 08, 08:37:00 PM
Hi Emily... It has been so long since I visited I didn't even know you were expecting. Sorry for the absence.
Charlotte just had her check-up too and came in at 23 lbs fully dressed and with a similarly wet diaper. :) She had been 3% percentile 6 weeks earlier and now is suddenly 10.
We do some grazing around here too. Our favorite foods are multi-grain cheerios, gold fish, lunchable juniors (you can make the homemade kind too), pretzels, peanut butter crackers, and granola bars.
Somehow too, in the 6 weeks between her appts, she decided she liked milk. She hasn't ever even wanted to touch the stuff, then all of a sudden one day wanted some of mine. So, even though it had a hint of chocolate syrup in it (hey, I'm pregnant and i wanted chocolate milk), I let her taste it and since then she has about 4-6 ozs of 2% milk a day. I think that is what made the main difference for us in that short time.
Does Birdie drink milk? Oh, and I'm glad your doctor isn't freaking you out, but I understand the concern. I took our doctor a food chart just to show that she was getting enough food each day. Maybe, if it will make you and the doc feel better, just keep a food journal for a week and see what happens. I'd be happy to send you mine. It is in Excel and easy to use.
Guess I should have come around more often, it seems I am pretty babbly tonight!
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