RE: Do your babies follow your diet?
Well, I have never bought white bread, so Sarah has always eaten whole wheat bread. I have switched us over to whole GRAIN breads now, and Sarah has followed suit. She actually LOVES brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and couscous, so that has been no problem.
But I definitely still buy higher fat dairy for her. She eats toddler yogurts (1% t 2% milkfat) and drinks 1% or 2% milk. (Actually, this is one area where I cheat. I can't be bothered with more than 1 kind of milk, so I also use what she drinks.) And she won't eat salad yet, so I give her other veggies that she does like. I try in general not to let her eat too many sugar products. She does get a couple Fig Newtons every day for snack or dessert, but I am switching to a "better" variety after we finish our huge box from Costco!
So I think its very important to make sure they get enough fat, but in general, she eats what we eat. One thing this diet has made me realize is how many carbs I feed her. It sort of opened my eyes as to how easy it is to start slipping down the carb road. AND it also made me aware of how often I finished her food! Yikes!
Also, if you go to Whole Foods or Trader Joes they usually have a "better" version of the staple foods that kids like, ones with no trans fats and made with whole grain. They have good versions of Goldfish, Cheerios, crackers, graham crackers, etc. I just look for those versions now.
HTH,
Beth, mom to older DD (8/01) and younger DD (10/06) and always missing Leah (4/22 - 5/1/05)