Saturday, June 30, 2012

Bad Advice

While we were splashing away at the beach the other day, I found myself following my daughter around as she toddled her way around beach blankets and other people. She was admired by everyone in her adorable swimsuit and commented about how tiny she is. This I'm used to. Yes, she is tiny and she's been moving since she was about 5 months (she learned quick that it was move it or get plowed over).
I happened to meet another mother who also had a tiny daughter, who had just turned one and was a pound shy of my daughter's weight. We talked a little bit about them and then she asked what my pediatrician says about her growth. I shrugged and said that she is constantly reassuring me that "She is Indeed Growing, slowly, but she's growing."  Then the other mom said that her ped told them to stop feeding her fruits/veg and to give her fattening things like mayonaise, cake, icecream, etc. The father was nearby and made the comment "Who gives their kid straight Mayo?".  I was shocked. I told her I wouldn't give her that stuff and just keep giving her the healthy foods. There are plenty of healthy fatty foods that you can give your kids like nuts and avacados. Ok, maybe peanut butter or cashew butter instead of straight nuts, but still. Most of those foods are high in sugar! I would rather my child gain slowly but beg for carrots over cake. That kind of diet gets them used to a bad diet and sugar fluctuations that will just lead to a bad eating habit roller coaster.

I understand worrying about a child gaining weight, especially if they are formula fed and the parents stop giving it at 1 in exchange for whole milk, but come on Cake? Really? Hummus is much more healthy and just as fattening. Granted it takes some being crafty on the parents part to get them to eat it, but it's worth it in the long run.

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