I have a question for all you parents out there

[MandaMe1986]

Okay so like all of us I can't have sodium.  So I keep just about all premade stuff out of the house.  Now I have two 4 year old kids as a lot of you know. And I have been thinking a lot latley, I don't have stuff  normal kids eat.  I don't have boxed mac and cheese for them. I don't get them forzen pizza pockets, corn dogs, hot dogs for that matter.  I can't have them so I just don't get them.  Do you guys buy stuff like that for your kids?  I mean I want my little ones to be healthy of course, but I also want them to be kids.  They are healthy little ones a little  bit of sodium here and there isn't gonna kill them.  I don't know, I was just wondering if you guys keep stuff like that in your  house for your  children, or am I not all that crazy? 

[Beth35]

I have a three and four year old at home and although I buy healthy food for them to eat, I still buy them snacks that I can't have.  I don't give it to them all that much but I do have it in the house for them.

[MandaMe1986]

Thanks Beth. Like what kind of stuff do you buy them to have?  Everything I get them is ogranic and all natural.  I think I might go a little far. But I do get them like little fruit snaks and stuff. 

[Beth35]

I have to say that my kids enjoy eating fruit for snacks.  So I buy them lots of different fruits.  They also like things like cheese.  I will get crackers and put cheese on them.  When I buy them "treats" I will get them pretzels or potato chips but I won't eat them.  Sometimes I will buy them animal crackers or ice pops.  I buy cookies and cupcakes every few months but hardly ever.  I will take them to McDonalds once in a while too.  Fruit snacks once in a while as they are bad for teeth.  They also like carrots and celery with cream cheese on it. 

My kids actually prefer fruit over junk food. 

[MandaMe1986]

Mine do too.  So I usually don't think about it much.  I was just thinking that maybe its only cause they don't get that kind of stuff..  Well thanks, I don't feel all that bad  now. 

[twirl]

your children are learning healthy eating habits at such an early age -
what a good example you are giving your children
you should be proud of yourself
I am proud of you

[MandaMe1986]

Twirl I missed you! And thank  you.  I am proud, I think its good.  Haha. I just feel like a mean momma sometimes.  Don't let my kids have hot dogs.  I hear that is worng. 

[twirl]

I missed you also
do you know what goes into those weiners
I don't know but Lord, I have heard some awful rumors

[MandaMe1986]

Haha yes I have heard all those awful rumors too. I personally don't like hot dogs, never have.  Yes I am one of those weird kids. But my kids do. I have been told it is un American not to like hot dogs, and super un American not to let your children eat them either.

[Romona]

My kids will eat veggies if they are cut up and easy to grab. I don't see anything wrong with a treat once in a while.

[rose1999]

I think you're doing a great job, there are too many children eating unhealthy food, the more healthy their diet the better chance they have of growing into healthy adults - well done Manda 

[Sunny]

Teach them young how to eat healthy and it will last their lifetime. I did the same for my kids and they are now 18 and 19 yrs old.
However, I must admit, I do allow them some junk food now and then: Hot Pockets, chips, boxed mac & cheese. I rarely eat this myself but I don't see why they should have to have my own dietary standards imposed on them relentlessly.
(p.s., they are perfectly healthy and of normal weight).

[Beth35]

Yeah, my kids have hot dogs every now and again.  As long as they eat healthy most of the time I feel good about that.  With our without my health problems, I told myself that I would not let my kids eat a ton of junk food simply because of them possibly becoming overweight.  I am a teacher and I see so many little ones who are really big and it's tough on kids like that.  Not just health wise but socially.

[MandaMe1986]

Yeah I was a fat kid.  And it brakes my heart to think of my kids having to go through that.  So I try really hard to keep them healthy and active now. 

[kitkatz]

Let them have healthy snacks. It is good for them to learn these things early so they do not have to struggle with weight or food issues.

[monrein]

I think that we often tend to like the foods we grow up with as they are familiar and comforting. Stick with the healthy foods Manda (and all you others with little ones) your kids' health will make it all worth it.
 
 We have a godson from France who came here for 3 years in a row starting at 13 to spend time with us in the summer.  When the North American kids wanted boxed Mac and Cheese he was excited to try it but immediately spat it out and said how to him it tasted sweet and nothing like real cheese of which he eats a wide variety and every day.  He also found bread to be sweet and crackers and lots of other things.  He taught the kids here to try his version of grilled cheese, involving a chunk of french bread, split down the middle, topped with a slice of ham then slices of aged white cheddar and broiled.  They soon were all saying that the North American grilled cheese sandwiches were greasy and yucky.  He also needed to have a salad at every meal, with a variety of greens and only homemade vinaigrette as he found bottled dressings to be too sweet again.  The first summer he fell in love with potato chips and root beer, ate too much and gained weight but the next year he refused to eat much of that stuff because his friends told him he was starting to be pudgy and they teased him about being "an American (or Canadian for that matter) tourist" meaning that he was overweight.  He did fall in love with submarine sandwiches from Subway but was disgusted by the hot ones.
It was also very striking how much more Sam knew about different fruits and veggies (eggplant, pomegranates, fennel, as just a few examples) and he often talked about all the chemicals and unpronounceable ingredients in frozen pizza or other things at the store.  He always went food shopping with me and had strong opinions. He often asked why people didn't make their own pizza since his Mom made it and it was considered a fast meal to prepare.  She bought the dough from the bakery and whipped it up in a flash.  He liked my meals but his one big complaint was that I wasn't very good in the dessert department although I did one or two things that he liked enough to get the recipes.  When we went cheese shopping he was amazed at the huge selection of processed cheeses here and he called them "industrial" cheeses which were to be avoided in favour of smaller production, more local varieties.  Thank goodness Quebec supplies Ontario with some good cheeses.
He asked me to make a Tabbouleh salad once and so I started with a boxed version to which I add a lot of fresh ingredients, way more that required by the box's recipe.  I've always liked it but Sam was appalled and called his Dad to get the entirely fresh version, a bit more work but in the end I have to admit it was better tasting.
I was completely amazed at all this stuff coming from a 13 year old kid but having experienced the French way of food shopping and eating, I can't say I blame him.

[jbeany]

Beth, I wish my parents had given me healthier eating habits!  I don't think there's anything wrong with not buying them junk.  They will certainly be exposed to enough of it when they get older, so why feel guilty now?  You buy them some treats, and take them to McD's once in a while, so it's not like you are obsessing over every bite they eat - you are just feeding them the food they should be eating.  (When you become the mom who has to bring special food for her kid to all the birthday parties so they don't eat a bite of birthday cake, then you know you have a problem!) 

If my mother had done that, instead of stocking the house with an endless supply of chips and doughnuts, and giving me candy as a reward for every good thing I did, I might not have the issues I do with eating and weight control I've got now.

[pelagia]

My son managed to grow up without eating a bunch of junk food.  If he complained I always nicely explained to him that he was building a body that he would have to rely on for the rest of his life and that my job as his mother was to ensure that it was built with quality parts. 

Now he calls me from college to tell me that his misses my cooking and sometimes has cravings for broccoli or soy milk.    He doesn't eat much candy, doesn't drink soda and is generally not into junk food. 

[monrein]

 

My son managed to grow up without eating a bunch of junk food.  If he complained I always nicely explained to him that he was building a body that he would have to rely on for the rest of his life and that my job as his mother was to ensure that it was built with quality parts. 

Now he calls me from college to tell me that his misses my cooking and sometimes has cravings for broccoli or soy milk.    He doesn't eat much candy, doesn't drink soda and is generally not into junk food. 

[Jill D.]

MandyMe - I wish more parents fed their kids such healthy food. Good for you (and good for them!!) 

[skyedogrocks]

We have a 10 year old son and don't stock the house with a lot of foods that Rob can't eat.  Thankfully, my son loves fresh fruit, cheese sticks, yogurt.  Health stuff that even though Rob can't eat some of it, I know I am keeping my son healthy.  We have balanced dinners and I pack his lunch.  He loves my lunches so much that he prefers them over the school lunch.  His favorite is peanut butter and even though there is sodium and high calories, it's protein and I prefer that over processed luncheon meat.

His one weakness?  Chocolate chip cookies, so we allow him to have 2 cookies each day at lunchtime.  He's very active, does sports, plays outside and doesn't seek out a lot of junk food because he gets his cookie fix.

It's up to us as parents to not allow our children to become obese and not reward them with food.  Our rewards are books because he LOVES to read.  We also do not let our son play video games or watch tv during the daylight hours.  Once he comes home from school he completes his homework and then if it's not raining, he plays outside or goes to swimming or rockclimbing at the YMCA.  We don't overload his schedule, but make sure he is active enough.

[bette1]

As long as you are not overrestrictive your kids will be OK.  My mom was really into health food growing up but she became the food police and even forbade us from having birthday cake at our parties or eating junk outside of the house.  We went the opposite and now all of my brothers and sisters and I are overweight.  I think my mom should have allowed a little junk now and then and it would not have caused us to crave it so much.  just my 

I allow my daughter to have foods that I can't have, but she is not a junk eater.  She prefers homemade burgers and the like.  She eats lots of fruits and veggies and very few sweets.  She doesn't even like chocolate!

[jbeany]

Our parents have no idea how badly they are screwing us up, do they?  If my mother and her "clean plate club" only knew how hard I've fought to start recognizing when I've had enough so I'd could stop constantly overeating. . .

I used to babysit for kids whose godparents owned a candy store.  They could have candy whenever they wanted.  It was not a reward, or a treat - it was just there, and if they thought about it at all, it was just another set of chores to do - pack, wrap, ship.  If I took them into the grocery store, and gave them a dollar, they would run to the fresh fruit section and get blueberries or raspberries. 

[pelagia]

I agree that it is not a good idea to forbid certain foods, sweets, etc.  We just kept them out of the house most of the time.  My son always had an easter basket and went to birthday parties, ate sweets on the holidays, etc.  We did not use sweets as a reward and I did not like when the teachers did that.  I am going to his race this weekend and he asked me to bring his favorite cookies (I use 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour with 1/2 white flour and cut the sugar by half; the cookies also have white chocolate chips, dried cranberries and nuts so they are sweet enough) And he also asked me to bring a fruit salad 

[MandaMe1986]

Thanks everyone.  I agree with what a lot of you guys  have said. And I want my children to be healthy.  They are very actvie now and I want to keep it that way.  I just didn't know if I was taking it a little to far with not having stuff in the house.  And they do get treats every once and a while. It isn't like I never give them stuff, I just don't keep it in the house.  That way there snakes usually are fresh veggies or cheese and crackers.  So yeah thanks