Helping a preschooler's diet

[clc053103]

I read the toddler thread and got a few tips, and am seeking some encouragement in improving my preschooler's diet.

DS is 4 and a big, big boy-both weight and height. He is getting quite a belly and the dr suggested we watch what he eats more so it doesn't become a bigger problem in later life. The big issue is that he eats very few foods. he was better as a toddler, but now he is really down to the basic kid junk. NO vegetables, no fruit other than apples. He used to like bananas but he goes on and off of them.

as background, I grew up in a household where you sat until you ate everything on your plate, like it or not, which resulted in me covering things in ketchup and having some issues with food in later life. So I would prefer not to take this route. Instead, we have told DS that he must try- just try- at least one item of the "adult meal selection" each night, decide if he likes it, and if he doesn't he can eat a stand by. Tonight was night 1 and it was horrendous. ended with DS not trying the food, being told to leave the table and go to his room and stay there unless he wanted to try it and get his full dinner. He came back several times saying he would try but didn't, and DH eventually put both the "taste test" item and his beloved slice of pizza in the trash while DS bawled. He eventually calmed down, but went to bed without dinner. and I feel horrible.

Anyone have any tips or suggestions on how they improved their DC's diet at this age? I have been avoiding deceptively delicious and the like because I am trying to get DS to make good food choices, not trick him into eating better by camoflauging veggies (not to mention, i think it would fail because it was different than his preferred brands of things!).

[hillview]

For us here are some things that work:
- I do NOT make food a battle. Provide options DS can eat and leave it at that. I do sometimes suggest he try another 2 bites but it is NEVER a final battle sort of thing. "How about you take 2 more bites of peas"
- both boys ask to be excused from the table and it is usually allowed immediately (no more eating)
- DH or I sit with the kids when they eat (sometimes it is grandpa)
- I try to serve veggies first when they are HUNGRY while I am finishing the rest of the meal
- I sometimes serve veggies with a dipping sauce (flavored yogurt or dressing)
- I sometimes serve fruit with a dipping sauce (peanut butter and apples or bananas)
- kids only are allowed things that are good foods. Typically there are no cookies/cakes/chocolate in the house. If he wants 2 yogurts that is sometimes ok. Cheese is ok. Crackers are limited.
- get DS involved in what you are making. I get DS #1 to help with the weekly menu and take him grocery shopping.
- ketchup is allowed if requested

Maybe provide some more specific examples of what you are thinking? Is the issue DS doesn't eat the right things? Enough of the right things? The wrong things? :)

OH and both my boys are off the charts in height and in ths 90% for weight so if they don't want to eat, I don't force it. They will not starve. Yesterday DS #2 had 2 bites and was "all done" fine. He slept through the night and was fine.
/hillary
/hillary

[neeleymartin]

For us here are some things that work:
- I do NOT make food a battle. Provide options DS can eat and leave it at that. I do sometimes suggest he try another 2 bites but it is NEVER a final battle sort of thing. "How about you take 2 more bites of peas"
- both boys ask to be excused from the table and it is usually allowed immediately (no more eating)
- DH or I sit with the kids when they eat (sometimes it is grandpa)
- I try to serve veggies first when they are HUNGRY while I am finishing the rest of the meal
- I sometimes serve veggies with a dipping sauce (flavored yogurt or dressing)
- I sometimes serve fruit with a dipping sauce (peanut butter and apples or bananas)
- kids only are allowed things that are good foods. Typically there are no cookies/cakes/chocolate in the house. If he wants 2 yogurts that is sometimes ok. Cheese is ok. Crackers are limited.
- get DS involved in what you are making. I get DS #1 to help with the weekly menu and take him grocery shopping.
- ketchup is allowed if requested

Maybe provide some more specific examples of what you are thinking? Is the issue DS doesn't eat the right things? Enough of the right things? The wrong things? :)

OH and both my boys are off the charts in height and in ths 90% for weight so if they don't want to eat, I don't force it. They will not starve. Yesterday DS #2 had 2 bites and was "all done" fine. He slept through the night and was fine.
/hillary
/hillary

good advice. you always have good food advice. thanks for the reminders hillary. :kisscheek:

[brittone2]

would this be helpful?
https://ellynsatter.com/commerce/product.jsp?prodId=1
her resources section w/ links:
https://ellynsatter.com/resources.jsp

Personally, I'm not a fan of the no thank you bite. I think it still sets up a power struggle. Don't give food more power than it has (IMO). Let him eat what he wants and just don't have a lot of non-acceptable foods at home so that what he has access to is reasonably healthy. If he refuses and refuses, he'll eventually get hungry. Getting into a battle of wills is loading food with more emotional value than it should have.

We follow many of the PP's suggestions. Involve them in meal prep and shopping, serve veggies/fruit while you finish cooking the meal (my kids will sit at the peninsula while I am finishing dinner and eat baby carrots, sliced bell peppers, etc.). If I ask them if they want X veggies, they'll often say no. If I nonchalantly and with no expectation slice some stuff up on a plate and put it out there while I'm prepping dinner (and maybe grab a few bites myself), they usually end up digging in.

[cvanbrunt]

I would get rid of the "stand by" option. The stand by option sounds like he gets to choose whatever it is he likes. Why would he eat something different? At our house, dinner is what is served. You don't have to eat it but once dinner is over, there is nothing else to eat. And yes, there have been nights someone goes to bed without dinner. But that was their decision and no one has starved to death yet. It's not like I'm serving liver and onions; sometimes it is kid food that they choose (hot dog, mac-n-cheese, spaghetti) and sometimes it is the "adult" food. We don't really eat dessert but if they ask for a treat, vegetables must first be consumed. Otherwise, they don't have to eat anything. We were starting to have some mealtime battles and that is something I did not want. I've found that no late afternoon snacks and no television around mealtime has really improved things. Good luck, it's hard.

[hillview]

good advice. you always have good food advice. thanks for the reminders hillary. :kisscheek:

awwww thanks you made my night :)
/hillary

[hillview]

would this be helpful?
https://ellynsatter.com/commerce/product.jsp?prodId=1
her resources section w/ links:
https://ellynsatter.com/resources.jsp

Brit- I wanted to thank you for posting this! I saw it last time this topic came up and really appreciated it. It gave me some new tips and come context for how we roll.
THANKS!
/hillary

[Katigre]

What is an example of his typical day of eating?

Do you actively teach him about listening to his body for hunger/full cues? (It takes practice for little ones to learn that but I think it's important to teach)

Is the issue that he's eating too much food, not being active enough, eating when bored, etc...?

I too would eliminate the stand-by option. Serve a variety of food for dinner with at least one component that he'll like and don't make food a battle, but don't allow alternate dinners daily IMO.

I would make the rule that all eating happens at the table - no snacking in front of the TV or other screens. That has been shown to contribute to over-eating.

ETA: I actually AM a fan of Deceptively Delicious because part of picky eating is a picky palate, and by hiding vegetables in things it subtly trains the palate to accept more flavors. I don't think it's the only way to get vegetables in, I think they should also be visible offerings. But I don't think it's opposed to healthy eating - especially b/c it makes you cook more from scratch instead of using prepared foods. The main ones I do are butternut squash in macaroni and cheese (this adds a really nice flavor dimension - we all love it more prepared this way vs. without now!), carrots in spaghetti sauce (again, adds a nice flavor dimension and some sweetness), and pumpkin puree in oatmeal.

[DrSally]

Like Pp's I'm a big fan of self regulation. DS and DD get to stop and leave the table when they're done. Or tonight, a rare night when DS said he was hungry, so he had a cheese stick and half a banana after we put him to bed. DH was worried it was a stalling tactic, but he really only asks for food if he's hungry, so I figured he was hungry.

DS doesn't really like veggies, but I put them on his plate and, like Beth said, am very nonchalant about it. I found the more nonchalant I am about whatever it is I want him to eat, the more likely he is to eat it. If it's threatening to turn into an "I don't like this!" moment, I'll even look at the paper or something, so I won't even be watching him eating. This trick many times will get him to dig in and take that first bite on his own.

Keep in mind that this is the first night you've tried it, and it was a change for all of you. It was natural there would be high resistance, KWIM? Try not to get too emotional about it and I think that will help you all.

[Katigre]

Another thought...does he cook with you? I've found that DS will often be open to trying things when he's helping me cook that he would never eat at the table (like tonight he ate a bunch of spinach stems that I'd trimmed off on the counter, but if I'd put them on a plate he'd have ignored them).

Plus when kids help prepare a meal they take more ownership of it.

[egoldber]

I actually AM a fan of Deceptively Delicious because part of picky eating is a picky palate, and by hiding vegetables in things it subtly trains the palate to accept more flavors.

FWIW, this type of hiding can REALLY backfire with a kid with sensory issues or anxiety. Many of kids issues around food have to do with being actually uncomfortable with the food itself or an intense real to them fear of the unknown. If you offer them an acceptable food, but have hidden something in it that changes the expected taste/texture, what often happens is they start refusing that food as well.

My older DD has some serious food aversions. Forcing her to try things and hiding things has never worked for her. It goes much better if she is allowed to make the decision to try it or eat it on her own. I ask her to try new things, but never force because it only makes her more stubborn. I shoudln't even say stubborn, because it truly is more like a fear-flight response. Now that she is older we talk about the importance of eating a wide variety of foods for our health and she will sometimes choose to try a new food and occasionally she likes them.

While Satter's methods do work, I think that every family needs to to decide what they are comfortable with. And as a parent, I am simply not comfortable with my kid always choosing to eat only bread for dinner for an extended period of time, not when there are alternate proteins and vegetables that she will eat when given the opportunity.

I guess I would feel differently if what my kid chose to eat eat only chicken nuggets and fries, but those are actually two of the many things that she will not eat. ;)

[clc053103]

Thank you all for the input! I will read Brittone's suggested links as well, but wanted to answer some questions that were posted first.

For DS the issue would definitely be quality of food, not quantity. He eats more than enough to be over 100th percentile in weight and by the dr's assessment, a little overweight.

We eat together, as a family, every night. DS eats until he is finished, and then asks to be excused. If he hasn't eaten much I may suggest another spoonful of applesauce, but other than that, he is allowed to leave- we don't do the "clean plate club". DS cooks with me almost every night and sets the table- he particularly loves the salad spinner, as we have a salad every night. Even spinning the lettuce has not enticed him enough to eat one vegetable!!

Here's a typical day:

bfast: dry cereal, apples or turkey bacon, and 8 oz of milk with a vitamin(I dont' have an issue with this meal)

lunch: pb and j on light whole wheat, apples, yogurt, and if all that is eaten, a treat like animal crackers, a 100 cal pack or a sugar free popsicle. this meal isn't too bad, except when at school it's a jelly sandwich due to peanut allergies. they don't have heat-up and he hasn't wanted to eat hot foods in a thermos- they said the pasta and mac and cheese got gooey and he didn't like the consistency.

snack: depending what he ate at lunch, may have no snack, or may have more apple which I push over anything else, animal crackers or whole grain goldfish. I try to discourage more than 1 snack a day as I find he asks sometimes simply if it's a slow day and he's bored. I encourage another activity to see if he just needs something to do, or is truly hungry.

dinner: this is the meal that bothers me. Too much processed stuff!! chef boyardee, pizza, easy mac, chicken nuggets. While he will eat the purdue nuggets, he won't eat any other brand of mac and cheese despite how disgusting I think easy mac is, and won't eat freshly made pasta, just chef boyardee. Also have tried homemade pizza on whole wheat crust which didn't go over. In addition to this, will typically have a yogurt or natural applesauce. He will eat just about all of this.

Dessert: weight watcher or skinny cow ice cream treat.

Beth brings up a good point about hiding the veggies in food. While not diagnosed with sensory issues, DS is a spirited child, and what she said makes sense to me. I once hid finely chopped cooked carrots in his mac and cheese, which he immediately found (though I could barely see it) and he became hysterical. He then refused mac and cheese for a very long time.

I really appreciate the time you all took to respond and offer helpful suggestions!!

[egoldber]

Just some ideas......

If it were me, I would work on one meal at a time. Perhaps start with healthier lunch alternatives. What does he eat at home when not in school for lunch? My older DD gets a pretty limited repertoire for lunches:

soynut butter sandwich (she actually does not like jelly/jam LOL!)...perhaos this would work for you as a PB substitute?
ham and whole grain crackers
cheese and whole grain crackers
hummos with pita triangles
Black beans and rice
leftover homemade pizza (we do whole wheat crust now, but worked up to that)

Will he not eat any pastas at all? I find that whole wheat pasta tends to hold it's texture better than regular pasta. Barilla has a variety with added protein that you may want to consider.

Does he like dips? Maybe send in veggies and a small dip container.

I find that my kids eat better when I send in several smaller containers of things than a single large entree. I also always include a cheese stick and milk so that there is some extra protein. I think kids needs that to make them feel more full and get them through the day.

If it were me, I'd also consider ditching the snack packs. Maybe replace them with a small homemade snack item, like a banana muffin, a real oatmeal cookie, etc.

FWIW, his diet seems relatively low in fat and protein. Both of these things may help him to feel more full instead of eating lots of carbs to fill up.

ETA: Sarah eats a high protein breakfast because she does not like many protein sources. But she will eat eggs and lowfat turkey sausage, so she has that pretty much every morning for breakfast.

[brittone2]

For lunch, I personally would not make the snack (popsicle, animal crackers, 100 calorie snack pack) contingent upon eating the other stuff. IMO when this happens, you are making lunch seem like an undesirable event to get to the "good" stuff. IMO it risks loading the snack foods with reward status, and I honestly think that's the connection that a lot of adults suffer from because we were raised this way.

What if you made a homemade popscicle? Honestly, I'd go that route before a sugar free one. There are some great recipes out there and you could use things like fruit, yogurt, etc. and lightly sweeten. It would be a transition, but we have things like that available and honestly, I don't care when my kids eat them, kwim? They are a real food.

I'm not a Satter purist. I've never read her books, but we follow quite a bit of her advice just from other places I've done reading through the years. In our house, I am okay with our kids choosing to eat leftovers, making their own PB&J, or getting some unsweetened whole fat greek yogurt if they don't like our meal, but I won't short order cook and we don't do separate kid food like mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, etc.

I 2nd Beth's suggestion to try upping fat and protein a bit...it really helps with a feeling of fullness/satiety.

[clc053103]

Thanks for the replies! I see some good ideas here- I am going to look into soy nut butter and another mom at school recommended sunflower seed butter. Homemade oatmeal cookies sound good, if I sprinkle a few choc chips in them that would be more enticing but I will try a plain one first. Unfortunately, the only muffins he will eat is chocolate chip- I've tried!! But I love any excuse to bake! I sometimes buy the 100% fruit bars instead of the sf- sounds like that may be a better choice too.

At home for lunch he eats pretty much the same thing as he does at school- but the sandwich has peanut butter on it. Since its one of his few sources of protein, I allow it any day he wants it, and I use the jelly sparingly (and sometimes he decides he no longer likes jelly, and i eliminate it). DS wont eat hummus b/c he doesn't like the smell (we always have hummus at our house!) - he also doesn't like dips. Liking the cheese stick idea- last week when DS and I were making a whole wheat crusted pizza at home he was willing to try shredded mozzerella and I told him "that's what's in mommy's cheese sticks" because I eat them as a snack every day! So I will push that. DH and I are huge fans of barilla plus and we also buy delicious whole wheat pasta and orzo at the farmers market, and nope! He won't eat it!! But as I said, I am determined to keep trying!

Rather than attempting to overhaul his entire diet, I am going to put my focus on making small changes to up the protien/fat and reduce carbs. I will continue to encourage him to at least try a new food and ask that he at least try a bite of our dinner- he'll never know he likes something if he doesn't try it.

I just requested one of satter's books from the library, perhaps I can pull something out of it. I am reading one of her articles now and I do like some of the things she has to say on healthy weight.

Thanks again for the brainstorming and the encouragement!

[hillview]

Ok I have commented my thoughts. Just my personal opinion :)


bfast: dry cereal, apples or turkey bacon, and 8 oz of milk with a vitamin(I dont' have an issue with this meal)

On my gut, I'd suggest no turkey bacon and substitute cheese.
Cheese nutritional info http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/8/2
Turkey Bacon info
I'd add a fruit here. Apples etc.



lunch: pb and j on light whole wheat, apples, yogurt, and if all that is eaten, a treat like animal crackers, a 100 cal pack or a sugar free popsicle. this meal isn't too bad, except when at school it's a jelly sandwich due to peanut allergies. they don't have heat-up and he hasn't wanted to eat hot foods in a thermos- they said the pasta and mac and cheese got gooey and he didn't like the consistency.

I'd omit the treats you mention above and substitute in a fruit or use the yogurt (this our standard). What you described is used for occasional treats but not daily.



snack: depending what he ate at lunch, may have no snack, or may have more apple which I push over anything else, animal crackers or whole grain goldfish. I try to discourage more than 1 snack a day as I find he asks sometimes simply if it's a slow day and he's bored. I encourage another activity to see if he just needs something to do, or is truly hungry.

Fruit or veg might be the way to go here. If he is hungry he will eat it if he isn't then he won't starve. Alternative option would be cheese or other protein. I'd omit the crackers etc. Also I find serving water or ice water can work well as a proxy snack. That said my kids do usually get a snack before dinner.


dinner: this is the meal that bothers me. Too much processed stuff!! chef boyardee, pizza, easy mac, chicken nuggets. While he will eat the purdue nuggets, he won't eat any other brand of mac and cheese despite how disgusting I think easy mac is, and won't eat freshly made pasta, just chef boyardee. Also have tried homemade pizza on whole wheat crust which didn't go over. In addition to this, will typically have a yogurt or natural applesauce. He will eat just about all of this.

Dessert: weight watcher or skinny cow ice cream treat.


I agree, of the meals, I'd focus on this one first. One yogurt a day is enough IMO. I'd omit ALL the processed foods above and try something new -- let him help you pick/make etc. I'd just stop buying the above. He won't starve. If you don't have it he can't eat it. I'd also skip ice cream with all the junk in the weight watchers etc I'd go with Sorbet with just sugar and fruit. Even cheese and crackers with fruit might be a start. Quesadillas? Grilled Cheese? Sloppy Joe's with turkey or buffalo? Lasagna? Pancakes? Eggs?

GOOD LUCK -- good for you to try to make some changes.
/hillary

[brittone2]

For snacks, maybe try some different presentation too. There's a great thread on MDC called "toddler snack tray" or something like that. Sometimes w/ my kids if they get into a rut I offer a snack tray like that and pull it out a few times a day for lunch and or snacks and they start consuming more veggies and healthful snacks again. Some mamas use a muffin tin or a fun container like that. You can try things like a few nuts (if he's okay with chewing them), a few sliced veggies (different veggie in each compartment), some cheese cubes, a few pieces of whole grain pita or crackers in one, etc. and see if he goes for any of it. Don't put a TON in it so that if he rejects it for a few days you don't feel like there is a lot of waste, but it might be something to offer for snacks or whatever.

Will he do smoothies? Do you think you could sell it to him as a milkshake? We also freeze smoothie concoctions into popscicles. Even if you have to add some sugar, it would probably be a better option than many commercial popscicles and ice cream. YOu could gradually reduce the sugar over time as his tastebuds acclimate. My kids have been known to eat our "popscicles" for breakfast in the summer, and I have no problem with that as ours are essentially healthy smoothies that have been frozen.

[clc053103]

I am so loving the idea of the snack tray out of muffin tins!!! Perhaps a fun presentation of the snack tray will help too. I haven't tried crackers in a while. Maybe whole grain pita with a peanut butter dip to try to get him "into" the idea of dipping food? then we could move on to trying hummus again or a veggie and dip?

DS won't eat a smoothie- or a milkshake. He's just a strange child! LOL! He used to love cheese cubes as a toddler and even grilled cheese- he used to get a lot more variety in his diet. Perhaps if I start by trying to reinstate some lost favorites (like ham and cheese roll ups) that may be a better way to start.

Hillary, I never thought breakfast for dinner but what a great idea! If he helps me make the waffles or pancakes he is more likely to eat it. He doesn't like eggs...he didnt like them as an toddler either.

I knew I came to the right place!!!!

[brittone2]

I am so loving the idea of the snack tray out of muffin tins!!! Perhaps a fun presentation of the snack tray will help too.

Seriously, google that MDC thread if you haven't yet. There are a few on the topic, but there is one really loooooooooong one with an enormous compilation of ideas to try in the snack tray. It is a great thread :)

YOu could try doing it w/ low expectations and sample some yourself nonchalantly. Maybe he'll decide to dive in. If he gets into it, you could rattle off ideas and brainstorm together on healthy things to try putting in there.

[Katigre]

Thanks for posting a daily meal sample - that was helpful.

I think the pp are right that if your child is very perceptive and picky about their food to not try to hide it since it can create stronger aversions.

I would cut out the snack packs - those have trans fat in them which contribute to weight issues. I'd also skip the weight watchers/light stuff. I don't think that's healthy for kids to eat - better for them to eat whole foods instead of packaged 'healthy' items (which are often low calorie/low fat but not nec. healthy).

How much high fructose corn syrup is in the foods he eats (breads, etc...)? That is also associated with weight gain and metabolism issues because our bodies process fructose differently than glucose (regular sugar). Despite the recent marketing campaign by the corn syrup manufacturers, it is worse for the body to consume and for a child I'd be reading labels very carefully to avoid it in our food (articles here (http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/79/4/537) and here (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325091811.htm))

I'd also look at reducing the canned foods your DS eats (like chef boyardee) b/c in addition to the food, they are very high in BPA which alters the metabolism and is associated with obesity and can increase the production of fat cells. (articles here (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1956069/Baby-bottles-may-cause-obesity.html) and here (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1956069/Baby-bottles-may-cause-obesity.html) A lot of people think that BPA is just in bad plastic but it's also in canned food lining and canned pasta is one of the highest leaching sources (article here (http://www.ewg.org/reports/bisphenola))

I love the snack tray idea too. HTH!

[clc053103]

that thread is so awesome!!!! I am thinking of starting with a 6 compartment tray and calling it a lunch tray- filling it with a mix of new foods and old favorites that may go together. My initial thought is whole wheat pita, peanut butter, hummus, carrots, bananas, and cheese. thinking some can dip in each other, he can make a little sandwich with the cheese, etc. perhaps he will start "eating outside the box"! LOL!

[brittone2]

that thread is so awesome!!!! I am thinking of starting with a 6 compartment tray and calling it a lunch tray- filling it with a mix of new foods and old favorites that may go together. My initial thought is whole wheat pita, peanut butter, hummus, carrots, bananas, and cheese. thinking some can dip in each other, he can make a little sandwich with the cheese, etc. perhaps he will start "eating outside the box"! LOL!

I hope it does the trick. Give it time if it doesn't grab his interest right away. I think of it a bit like an alternative to lunchables. Kids like those choices and compartments and a chance to assemble.

Crossing my fingers for you. I seriously love that MDC thread. Revisiting it has always given me inspiration when we've been in a rut :thumbsup:

[clc053103]

I just pulled out the 100 calorie packs to check and they are actually trans fat free. but still there are better alternatives. I love Special K bars- and DS always asks for a bite would they be considered an acceptable "prepackaged" alternative? I am going to start looking for recipes for home baked snack packs though- but nice to have an on hand backup for the school lunchbox.

I JUST was talking to my neighbor this afternoon about the BPA in canned foods! I had no idea!! I only buy the plastic chef boyardee tubs that are #5- which I believe is BPA free.

[Katigre]

Do the ingredients list 'partially hydrogenated oil'? If they're the Nabisco 100 calorie packs (or store brand generic) that was an ingredient last time I read the labels and that's a trans fat but it's probably just under the amount that requires labeling. I think it is really stinky that they're allowed to include those ingredients but not disclose it's presence on nutrition information.

ETA: The plastic should be BPA-free if it's #5 but sometimes they still find traces in there which is maddening (there was just a recent news article about that). I'd avoid microwaving in the bowls if at all possible (not sure if you are or not) b/c microwaving causes the plastic to break down and leach into the food and there are other chemicals of concern besides BPA (but if you heat in other containers like glass or corningware that reduces that issue significantly).

[brittone2]

I just pulled out the 100 calorie packs to check and they are actually trans fat free. but still there are better alternatives. I love Special K bars- and DS always asks for a bite would they be considered an acceptable "prepackaged" alternative? I am going to start looking for recipes for home baked snack packs though- but nice to have an on hand backup for the school lunchbox.

I JUST was talking to my neighbor this afternoon about the BPA in canned foods! I had no idea!! I only buy the plastic chef boyardee tubs that are #5- which I believe is BPA free.

As someone with insulin-resistant tendencies because of having PCOS (although no weight issues), I would definitely look into the BPA thing. It has been tied to insulin resistance and "central adiposity" (abdominal fat, and abdominal fat is a hallmark of insulin resistance in many people) in some studies. That's what got me interested in the BPA issue years ago, since I already have PCOS and insulin-resistance issues, it is something that was important to me to get out of my own diet and to avoid for my kids (eta: I consider them to already be at risk of insulin related issues since they share my genetics, so they don't need any more push toward insulin resistance than they'll already be dealing with genetically)

Since your son is also eating a lot of carbier foods and not that much protein/fat, he may have a lot of insulin ups and downs which can leave some people feeling perpetually hungry and unsatisfied. That's why getting more protein and natural fats would be beneficial IMO (like, I prefer my kids to eat full fat unsweetened greek yogurt w/ fruit we add ourselves vs. 2% or non-fat yogurt that is sweetened. Those presweetened yogurts are usually LOADED with sugar).

I think I'd skip the prepackaged stuff as much as possible. If it is there, it is either going to be very tempting for him to think about (and maybe less likely to try some of the non-preferred foods) or you may feel tempted to use it as a reward (you only get a snack pack or Special K bar if you eat XYZ first, which makes those snacks extra appealing...more appealing than they need to be). There are so many other snack options. The transition might be a little rocky but he'll get there. I think it is easier if you keep the unhealthy, super-preferred foods out of the house for a bit and then maybe consider re-introducing in moderation down the road once he gets past only eating the prepackaged stuff.

[Katigre]

What yogurt is he eating? I have had a terrible time finding yogurt that is kid-friendly but lower in sugar. Even little 4 oz cups can have 20g of sugar which is insane!!!

I've started using the Trader Joe's probiotic yogurts (come in little 4 oz cups which are a good size for a 3 year old) and also the Horizon Organics Little Blends which only have 10g of sugar and are fruit/veggie combos (DS's favorite is strawberry carrot - and when you look in the yogurt you can taste both flavors but they're very nice and pleasant, not vegetabley or gross).

[clc053103]

What yogurt is he eating? I have had a terrible time finding yogurt that is kid-friendly but lower in sugar. Even little 4 oz cups can have 20g of sugar which is insane!!!

I've started using the Trader Joe's probiotic yogurts (come in little 4 oz cups which are a good size for a 3 year old) and also the Horizon Organics Little Blends which only have 10g of sugar and are fruit/veggie combos (DS's favorite is strawberry carrot - and when you look in the yogurt you can taste both flavors but they're very nice and pleasant, not vegetabley or gross).

lately we've been using Yoplait (blues clues etc) whic is 13 g of sugar- a little better but not great- and the drinkable bottle kind which is smaller but 10 g. we JUST got a TJ's nearby so thank you for the tip!

I personally love the greek style yogurt and will explore that for DS as well, thanks for the idea!

I also checked the label of the snack packs again- no partially hydrogenated oil- they must have reformulated. Regardless, you really have me thinking of new alternatives to prepackaged items- DH and I are big on fresh foods, and I would love to see DS grow up appreciating fresh foods. I've already found some recipes for whole wheat oatmeal cookies to get started!

As for BPA- we already switched over to SIGG bottles, so I think only canned goods would be a source for DS (and he eats nothing out of a can, not even soup). I don't mind heating things up on the stove either.

I will continue to check this thread, and hope these ideas can also help other moms out there looking to revamp their preschooler's diet.

[hillview]

OOOH love the muffin tin idea. I remember it and used it then TOTALLY forgot it. Need to go back to it again.

I am so glad you started this as it is really helping me too!

Sometimes it helps me to understand what other people's kids eat :)
Here is what my kids had yesterday:
breakfast - bagel with cream cheese, raspberries, low fat milk
lunch - split pea soup, apples and low fat milk
snack - cheerios (organic) with 4-5 oz of apple cider watered down
dinner - quesadillas with cheese and eggs, grapes, peas, yogurt with milk again

Just for an example. :) We should start a menu thread!!
/hillary

[DrSally]

Something I've started doing with the yogurt is buying regular yogurt (Target or Yo-plus), something wo/HFCS, and mixing it with a plain yogurt with no sugar. I generally have a big tub of the latter for baked oatmeal, so it works out that way. I personally perfer greek yogurt, but DS doesn't like it.

ETA: and yes, soybutter and sunbutter are excellent pb substitutes. DS love his soybutter.