praise for ann douglas’download.e-bookshelf.de/download/0000/5699/06/l-g... · 2013. 7. 17. ·...

Praise for Ann Douglas’ Mother of All series:

Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler and Preschooler

“For sleep deprived Moms desperate to emerge from a bleary-eyed state of new-born or toddler exhaustion, help has arrived from parenting guru Ann Douglas.”

—Stacy DeBroff, author of The Mom Book: 4278 Tips from Moms for Moms and the founder of MomCentral.com

“A one-stop, no-guilt answer book on sleep where *every* bleary-eyed parent canfind wise, rational advice on any sleep issue from A to ZZZZZs.”

—Paula Spence, contributing editor to Parenting and Baby Talk magazines

The Mother of All Baby Books

“With humor, sensitivity, an easy, no jargon style, and a million ‘extras’ that theleading baby books on the shelves don’t cover, Ann Douglas holds nothing back.Finally, a baby book written for women of my generation!”

—M. Sara Rosenthal, author of The Breastfeeding Sourcebook,and founder of www.sarahealth.com

“The Mother of All Baby Books provides excellent advice for topics that are easilyoverlooked during the pregnancy/baby adventure. The real life examples do asuperb job supporting these topics in addition to giving you creative ideas on howyou can implement these helpful suggestions into your life.”

—Sandra Gookin, co-author of Parenting For Dummies, and Parenting For Dummies, 2nd Edition

The Mother of All Parenting Books

This book has all the answers that are missing from other parenting books! It’shonest, complete, well researched . . . and not preachy. Finally, a book I can handto parents with confidence that they will not end up feeling guilty.

—Dr. Cathryn Tobin, author of The Parent’s Problem Solver

The Mother of All Parenting Books is a comprehensive guidebook designed to helpmoms and dads cope with the day-to-day demands of parenting. Because this verypractical book is written in an easy-to-read, parent-friendly style, it is the kind ofbook parents can turn to again and again.

—Nancy Samalin, best-selling author of four parenting books includingLoving Your Child is Not Enough and Loving Without Spoiling

Medical Disclaimer

This book is designed to provide you with general information about someof the general food, nutrition, and mealtime behavior problems that babies,toddlers, and preschoolers may experience as well as some general healthand medical conditions that may contribute to those problems. It does notcontain medical advice. Rather, it is intended to provide information so thatyou can be a more informed health consumer and parent.

This book is not intended to provide a complete or exhaustive treatment ofthis subject, nor is it a substitute for advice from your physician, who knowsyou and your child best. Seek medical attention promptly for any specificmedical condition or problem that your child may have and do not adminis-ter medication to your child without obtaining medical advice.

All efforts were made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained inthis publication as of the date of writing. The author and the publisherexpressly disclaim any responsibility for any adverse effects arising from theuse or application of the information contained herein. While the partiesbelieve that the contents of this publication are accurate, a licensed medicalpractitioner should be consulted in the event that medical advice is desired.

The information contained in this book does not constitute a recommenda-tion or endorsement with respect to any company or product.

mealtimesolutionsThe Ultimate No-Worry Approach

for Each Age and Stage for your

baby, toddlerand preschooler

ANN DOUGLASAuthor of The Mother of All Pregnancy Books

WILEYJohn Wiley & Sonc Canada, Ltd.

Copyright © 2006 by Ann Douglas

All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be repro-duced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic or mechanical withoutthe prior written permission of the publisher. Any request for photocopying, recording,taping or information storage and retrieval systems of any part of this book shall bedirected in writing to The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). Foran Access Copyright license, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free 1-800-893-5777.

Care has been taken to trace ownership of copyright material contained in this book. Thepublisher will gladly receive any information that will enable them to rectify any referenceor credit line in subsequent editions.

National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data

Douglas, Ann, 1963- Mealtime solutions for your baby, toddler and preschooler : the

ultimate no-worry approach for each age and stage / Ann Douglas.

(The mother of all solutions) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13 978-0-470-83632-6ISBN-10 0-470-83632-6

1. Infants—Nutrition. 2. Toddlers—Nutrition. 3. Preschool children—Nutrition. 4. Child rearing. I. Title. II. Series.

RJ206.D69 2006 649'.3 C2005-906427-7

Production Credits:Cover design: Sharon Foster DesignIllustrations: Kathryn AdamsInterior text design: Sharon Foster Design/Pat LoiFront cover photo: © Picture Press/First LightBack cover photo: © Childcare Bananastock Collection/CorbisPrinter: Printcrafters

Authors and publisher have used their best efforts in preparing this book. John Wiley &Sons Canada, the sponsor, and the author make no representations or warranties withrespect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically dis-claim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Thereare no warranties that extend beyond the descriptions contained in this paragraph. Nowarranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials.The accuracy and completeness of the information provided herein and the opinionsstated herein are not guaranteed or warranted to produce any specific results, and theadvice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every individual. NeitherJohn Wiley & Sons Canada, the sponsor, nor the author shall be liable for any loss ofprofit or any other commercial damages including but not limited to special, incidental,consequential or other damages.

John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.6045 Freemont Blvd.Mississauga, OntarioL5R 4J3

Printed in Canada

1 2 3 4 5 PC 10 09 08 07 06

www.accesscopyright.ca

To Neil:

For reasons too numerous to put into a dedication.Thank you for your ongoing love and support.

Acknowledgments

Back when this book was just at the recipe stage, I sent an e-mail out askingfor parents who might be interested in being interviewed for a book onbabies, toddlers, preschoolers, and food. It didn’t take long for that e-mailto take on a life of its own. Thanks to a wonderful boost from the NationalAssociation of Mothers’ Centers (www.motherscenters.org), who were kindenough to tell their members that I was looking for parents to interview forthis book and its sister book, Sleeptime Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, andPreschooler: The Ultimate No Worry Approach for Each Age and Stage, my in-box soon overflowed with e-mails from parents who were eager to tell mewhat they had learned around the dinner table that might be helpful to otherparents who were struggling in the mealtime trenches.

Because those parents’ voices are the heart and soul of the books in TheMother of All Solutions™ series—along with the books’ sister series, The Mother of All® Books series—it only seems fitting to give those parentsstar-billing. So a huge thank you goes out to the following moms and dadsfor sharing so much of their lives with me:

Carolyn Amantea, Pam Aziz, Erin Bailey, Pam Baribeault, Doris S. Bauer,Christina Beemans, Karen Bester, Lidia Bhaskar, Tanys Bingham, SusanBlackmer, Erin Branchflower, Rowan Bupp, Karyn Byrne, Lora Carinci-Provenzano, Brandy Carrelli, Chris M. Casalo, Jodi Cecchi, Lolita Chakravarti,Helen Chanfat, Tracy Clark, Lisa Clarke, Jessica Corey-Butler, KJ Dell’Antonia,Aura Delorme, Kelly Demcher, Sharon DeVellis, Jennifer Dodds, StephanieDolejsi, Danielle Donders, Natalie Donders, Elisabeth Doyle, Lisa D’Souza,Jamie Duckworth, Kathy Dudych, Lori Eisen, Kimberly Ellery, Anna Epp,Naomi Epstein, Amanda Farris, Barbara Fauvelle, Christine Fiorini, KristyFrais, Bonnie Frampton Faust, Trudy A. Kelly Forsythe, Dawn Friedman,Jacqueline Goicoechea, Marla Good, Jenn Goodwin, Sarah Gratta, StaceyGreenberg, Cynthia Grimm, Joanne Guerard, Tracie Gustavsen, BarbHaines, Clare Harkin, Natasha Hartley, Rachel Hartman, Cheri Hearty,Jennifer Henderson, David Henley, Jenny Henley, Patti Hermes, Kelli Herold,Christine Hibbard, Julie Hornick-Martyk, Monica Hoyle, Brenda Hubbard,Heather Hudson, Chantal Hutchison, Sue Hunt, Gillian Hutchison Perry,Mary Ierullo, Olga Ingrahm, Nancy Irvin, Ali James, Nikita Jameson, BonnieJarvis, Shelley Jonker, Kelli Kemery, Jenna Kern-Rugile, Kari Kiazyk, SuzanneKing, Mary Lynn Kitaura, Joan Kogan, Michelle Kogan, Shaila Klosterman,Janine Lake, Robyn Lampman, Jennifer Lee, Josée Leon, Karen MarieLindsey, Kimberley Lok, Melanie Lopez, Carolyn Loy, Rowena Luk, Kira Lyttik,

Patricia Marrero, Sheena Martin, Sarah Masterson, Karen Mazza, WendyMacDonald, Shana McEachren, Melissa McEathron, Lisa MacLachlan,Amber McInnis, Shelagh McIntyre, Sharleen McKinnon, Kathleen Meckley,Trina Medves, Suzanne Meyers, Michelle R. Milczanowski, Rebecca Mills,Fiona Miyoshi, Laura Morrison, Corinna Mulligan, Patrizia Murrero, ChelseaNash Wolfe, Lesley Marian Neilson, Sharon Newton, Emily O’Brien, TamiO’Dette, Kerri Paquette, Amish Parikh, Gail Parikh, Julie Pellerin, JenniferPenick, Brenda Petersen, Michele K. Petick, Kirsty Phillips, Maria Phillips,Sarah Phillips, Stephanie Phoenix, Michelle Podnar, Jen Polk, StefaniaPomponi Butler, Lauren Proto, Keri Puglisi, Pearl Quan, Tracy Woodman-Raymond, Di Linh Reichman, Sarah Richards, Rebecca Richman, AmandaRoberts, Samantha Robinson, Judy Roche, Lisa Romeo, Lorna Ronald,Elizabeth Russell, Judith Santoro, Kris Schellekens, Dianne Scott, ChristineSilliphant, Leslie Solomonian, Alyssa Slansky, Christopher Smith, DeniseSmith, Marie Stone, Janine Straf, Ana Stranaghan, Kathy Succee, Susan Suh,Reanna Sutton, Cathleen Takahashi, Winnie Tam, Britton Taylor, Dana Taylor,Monica Taylor, Shannon Taylor, Laura Tedesco, Christine Tiernan, Jaime Trtik,Andrea Trump, Lisa Vallier, Claire Wafer, Sarah Waite, Pamela Wiktorski,Michelle Williamson, Christine Willson, Sue Wilson, Karen Winton, AmyWadsworth, Marina Wolanski, Ellery Wood, Tracy Woodman-Raymond

Thank you all.

Next, I would like to thank the book’s technical reviewers for their incrediblythorough, detailed, and thoughtful comments on the book’s manuscript:

• Laura Devine, RN, a nurse and family educator with the Ontario EarlyYears Centre in Peterborough, Ontario, and the mother of four fabulouspreteen and teenage boys;

• Marla Good, an editorial consultant and the proud mother of two-year-old Josephine (who, seemingly determined to prove to the world that notall toddlers hate vegetables, adopted a sweet potato as a special friendduring the writing of this book);

• Skylar Hill-Jackson, founder of Baby and Me Fitness, an organization thathas been offering innovative health and fitness programs to mothers andbabies in Toronto for over 20 years, including highly popular workshops onmaking natural baby foods, and the mother of two daughters and a son;

• Cathy L. Kerr, MA, an early childhood consultant who works with childrenwho have special needs (including feeding issues) and the mother of twoschool-age daughters;

• Wendy Reingold, RD, a registered dietitian in private practice who gavebirth to twins halfway through the writing of this book—and whononetheless managed to review chapters and breast-feed those babieswithout missing a beat. (Wendy, I am speechless.)

I would also like to thank the hard-working staff of Wiley Canada, especiallymy publisher Jennifer Smith, who is just as skilled an author cheerleader asshe is a publishing dynamo; my editors Joan Whitman (who exited stage leftto have baby number two after Chapter One) and Valerie Ahwee and LeahFairbank (who proved to be totally delightful understudies); project managerLiz McCurdy and project coordinator Pam Vokey (who have totally earned aplace in the Extreme Patience Hall of Fame as a result of their hard work onthis book and its twin); and marketing and publicity gurus Terry Palmer,Christiane Cote, Robin Dutta-Roy, Erin Kelly, Sarah Trimble, MeghanBrousseau et al. (who inspire me with their energy and enthusiasm). Thanksalso to Sharon Foster of Sharon Foster Design, who is literally The Motherof All Designers (she gives my books’ covers their snazzy looks) andKathryn Adams, The Mother of All Illustrators (she draws the tiny illustra-tions that makes the sidebars dance off the page). And Pat Loi—TheMother of All Interior Text Designers—thank you for finding a way to squishextra words onto the page (and in a way that doesn’t make it obvious thatyou’re doing that kind of squishing). Bravo!

Just a few more thank yous and I’ll wrap this up before you start having flash-backs to Oscar Night: I need to thank Sekoiaa Lake and Lisa Clarke for theirbehind-the-scenes administrative help and research assistance; my agent EdKnappman, of New England Publishing Associates, for being an all-roundgreat person; my trademark attorney Valerie G. Edward, B.Arts.Sci., LLB,ditto; my posse of virtual cheerleaders (a.k.a. blogging buddies), the variouslong-suffering friends and family members who phoned or e-mailed me tooffer support, encouragement, or the incentive of coffee/lunch/dinner/funonce I finished the book. (Clearly, they figured the carrot approach was morefitting than the stick approach, given the subject matter of this book.)

Finally, I’d like to extend an extra special thank you to my eight-year-old son,Ian, who has been waiting patiently for me to finish this book so that we cando some cooking together. (I’m not the best cook when I’m in book-writingmode. I don’t like to bring my laptop to the kitchen, and if I head back tomy desk when something’s on the stove, well, let’s just say that’s a recipefor disaster.) But there’s no need to worry about me writing books for awhile—not while this one’s fresh out of the oven. For now, I’m going tobreathe in the scent of a freshly completed manuscript. It’s one of thebest smells in the world.

About the Author

Ann Douglas is an award-winning pregnancy and parenting author. She isthe author of The Mother of All Pregnancy Books, The Mother of All BabyBooks, The Mother of All Toddler Books, The Mother of All Parenting Books,and The Mother of All Pregnancy Organizers (all part of the award-winningThe Mother of All® Books series) as well as the two debut titles in the newlylaunched The Mother of All™ Solutions series: Sleep Solutions for Your Baby,Toddler and Preschooler: The Ultimate No-Worry Approach for Each Age andStage and Mealtime Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler and Preschooler: TheUltimate No-Worry Approach for Each Age and Stage. She is also the co-authorof other highly popular titles in the pregnancy and parenting category,including The Unofficial Guide to Having a Baby and Trying Again: A Guideto Pregnancy After Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss (both co-authoredwith John R. Sussman, MD) and Choosing Childcare for Dummies®.

Ann delivers keynote addresses at parenting and health conferences acrossNorth America; teaches online pregnancy courses through WebMD.com, isan Expert Mom with ClubMom.com, delivers parenting workshops throughthe Ella Centre for Pregnancy and Parenting and workplace-based parentingtraining through Lifespeak Inc; serves as a member of the National AdvisoryBoard for Invest in Kids; and is the president of Page One Productions Inc.,an award-winning marketing and communications firm that specializes inmom-to-mom communications.

Ann writes columns for Conceive Magazine, Glow, and CanadianLiving.comand is a regular contributor to numerous other pregnancy and parentingpublications. She is frequently quoted in such publications as Parenting,Parents, Fit Pregnancy, American Baby, Working Mother, and Canadian Livingand is a popular radio, TV, and online chat guest.

Ann and her husband Neil have four children, ages 8 through 18. All four ofher children were breastfed, but that’s about the only thing they’ve ever hadin common on the food front—something that’s given Ann plenty of oppor-tunity (and incentive) to study eating habits and mealtime behavior in herown family food “laboratory.”

Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Food Fantasies, Food Reality Check . . . 1

Another Book about Feeding Babies, Toddlers, andPreschoolers? . . . 2

So What Is This New Series about Anyway? . . . 5

Want More Experts? We’ve Got Experts! . . . 6

The Slightly Harried Parent’s Quick Guide to This Book . . . 6

Same Old, Same Old ... . . . 9

C h a p t e r 1

What’s on Tap? In Praise of the Liquid Breakfast,Lunch, and Dinner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

The Good News Report: Reasons to Breast-feed Your Baby . . . 12

Getting Off to a Reasonably Stress-Free Start . . . 17

The Truth about Breast-feeding . . . 19

Breast-feeding Doesn’t Necessarily Come Easily for Every Mom andBaby 20 • It Takes Time to Hit Your Breast-feeding Stride 34 •Having a Breast-feeding Goal Can Help You Stay the Course 35 •The Pressure to Breast-feed Can Be Very Overwhelming 36

Top Breast-feeding Questions . . . 38

How Can I Tell Whether or Not Breast-feeding Is Actually Working?38 • Do I Need to Introduce a Bottle to My Breast-fed Baby? 39 •Realize That There Can Be Some Fallout from the Bottle-BreastTransition 41 • When Is the Best Time to Pump? 42 • I Heard Thatthe AAP Is Recommending That All Babies Be Put to Bed with aPacifier, But I’ve Also Heard That Pacifiers Interfere with Breast-feeding. Can You Explain This? 42 • Can Foods That I Eat Make MyBaby Fussy? 43 • Do I Have to Give Up All of My Vices While I’mBreast-feeding? 43 • How Long Should I Breast-feed My Baby? 44• Do Breast-fed Babies Need to Drink Water? 44 • Should YouWean from Breast to Formula or Straight to Cow’s Milk? 44 • WhatWorks Best When It Comes to Breast-feeding Twins? Breast-feedingThem Both at Once or One after Another? 44

Guilt Marketing: The Formula for Breast-feeding Success? . . . 47

The Not-So-Secret Formula: What’s on the Infant FormulaMenu? . . . 49

Shaken and Stirred 50 • Bottle-Feeding Basics 51

Solutions Central—The Last Word . . . 52

C h a p t e r 2

That Lovin’ Spoonful: Introducing Solids . . . . . . . .53

Is Your Baby Ready for Solids? . . . 54

Spotting the Signs of Readiness 56

No-Stress Feeding Tips for Parents and Babies . . . 57

Why Do They Have to Make Things So Complicated? 57 • WhatMothers Want Taken Off the Menu—Crazy-Making Baby FoodRules! 58 • Baby’s First Feeding: What You Need to Know 59

On Solid Ground: More Baby Feeding Success Tips . . . 65

Food Allergies and Intolerances . . . 68

Food Intolerances 68

Baby Food Making: The Basics . . . 73

Equipment 73 • Kitchen Hygiene 75 • The Best Baby Food YourBaby Ever Tasted 75 • The Big Chill 77 • Thawing and ReheatingBaby Food 78


C h a p t e r 3

Mr. Spaghetti Head: Added Tastes and Textures for Baby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81

Mealtime Milestones . . . 82

The Age of Independence 82 • The Age of Unpredictability 88 •The Age of Impatience 88 • The Age of Exploration 88 • The Ageof Communication 89

No Worries! Solutions to Your Top Baby Feeding Problems . . . 92

“My Baby’s Diet Is Totally Unbalanced. Help!” 92 • “I Can’tMake My Baby Eat!” 92 • “Is It Normal for My Baby to StartHating a Food That She Loved Last Week?”93 • “Should WeApplaud Every Time My Baby Tries a New Food?”93 • “How CanI Get Other People to Stop Feeding Her Things I Don’t Want Herto Have or to at Least Check with Me First?”93 • “How Can IDeal with Other People’s Advice about What I Should andShouldn’t Be Feeding My Baby?” 94 • “My Baby Doesn’t Seemto Like Table Foods at All. She Just Wants Baby Food.”95 • “MyFirst Baby Had No Trouble Adjusting to Foods with Texture, ButMy Second Baby Has Been Gagging on Everything.”96 • “MyBaby Doesn’t Have a Clue What to Do with Her Cup. She JustPlays with It.”98


C h a p t e r 4 :

Your Top Toddler Mealtime Mysteries Solved . . . . .99

The Rules of the Toddler Mealtime Game . . . 100

1. Your Toddler’s New Theme Song Is “My Way” 100 • 2. YourToddler Has You under Surveillance 105 • 3. Your Toddler HasThis Amateur Food Critic Thing Down to an Art 106 • 4. YourToddler Has Better Things to Do Than Come to the Dinner Table107 • 5. Your Toddler’s Appetite May Have Gone AWOL 108

Raising a Snack-Savvy Toddler . . . 119

Toddler Feeding FAQ . . . 121


C h a p t e r 5

The Discriminating Diner: Feeding Your Preschooler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126

Kitchen Confidential . . . 127

Preschooler Brain Cam . . . 128

Feeding Your Preschooler: Moms’ Top Worries and Concerns . . . 135

“Do Preschoolers Need Vitamins?” 142 • “Will My PreschoolerEver Try New Foods?” 142 • “My Three-Year-Old Is the SlowestEater I Have Ever Seen. She Can Turn Eating a Banana into anAll-Day Affair.” 144 • “My Three-Year-Old Gobbles His Dinner.I’m Constantly Reminding Him to Slow Down Because I Worryabout Him Choking.” 145 • “My Four-Year-Old Used to Eat AllKinds of Vegetables When He Was a Baby. Now He’ll Eat Only aCouple of Types of Vegetables and Only If They’re Raw. Help!” 146• “My Three-Year-Old Hates Milk. Any Ideas on How I Can MakeMilk More Appealing and Encourage Her to Drink More of It?”147 • “Are Snacks Still Important for Preschoolers?” 150 • “ShouldI Let My Preschooler Help Herself to Snacks Whenever She’sHungry? Is It Okay If Those Are Healthy Snacks?” 151 • “AreRaisins a Suitable Snack for a Preschooler?” 152 • “Those Statsabout Childhood Obesity Really Concern Me. How can IEncourage My Preschooler to Be Physically Active?” 152


C h a p t e r 6

Dining in and Dining out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161

What’s on the Menu? . . . 162

Secrets of (Grocery) Shopping-Savvy Moms . . . 165

Dollars and Cents 166

How to Make Dinner with a Baby in Your Arms (and OtherSecrets of Kitchen-Savvy Moms) . . . 171

Save Time in the Kitchen . . . 173

(You Can Never Have) Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen . . . 174

The Big Chill . . . 178

Make Family Mealtimes Matter . . . 179

The Savvy Parent’s Guide to Dining out . . . 181

More Dining, Less Whining 182 • Finding the Carrot Stick in aHaystack of French Fries 184


C h a p t e r 7

No More Food Fights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188

No More Whining and Dining: Strategies for Parenting aPicky Eater . . . 89

When Picky Becomes a Problem . . . 200


C h a p t e r 8

When Your Child Is Sick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202

Feed a Fever ... . . . 203

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) . . . 208

Food Allergies . . . 209

Diabetes in Young Children . . . 210

Weighty Matters . . . 212


Food Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215

Food Tool 1: Basic Baby Food Purées . . . 215

Food Tool 2: Baby Food Cuisine: Mix and Match Purées . . . 223

Food Tool 3: Baby Food Textures Guide . . . 225

Food Tool 4: Meal and Snack Ideas for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers . . . 227

Food Tool 5: Moms’ Favorite On-line Recipes for Babies,Toddlers, and Preschoolers (Plus a Few Mom-InventedRecipes, Too) . . . 231

Food Tool 6: Quick Tips on Shopping Smart for HealthyConvenience Foods . . . 239

Food Tool 7: Old Recipe, New Twist: Making Favorite FamilyRecipes Healthier . . . 244

Appendices: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247

Appendix A: Directory of Organizations . . . 247

Appendix B: Directory of On-line Resources . . . 251

Appendix C: Further Reading . . . 265

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271

Introduction

O dds are yo u r definition of “a memorable meal” hase vo l ved somewhat since you became a parent. Forget thefancy restaurant, candlelight, and romantic music: yo u’re

m o re likely to note the time and date of this milestone moment (orto post a blow - by - b l ow re-enactment of the meal in question in yo u rblog) if you get through an entire family dinner without a single oneof your dining companions (a) threatening to go on a food strikebecause they hate the menu du jour; (b) taking one bite of their mealand then triumphantly announcing “All done!”; or (c) whining to getd own from the dinner table before yo u’ve carried your plate to thetable. And as for what’s showing up on the dinner table these days,chances are there have been some major shifts on that front, too,unless, of course, you we re always in the habit of dining on suchgourmet fare as strained carrots, alphabet pasta, and fishsticks. Yum!

Food Fantasies, Food Reality CheckRemember what mealt i m e s were like when you were a kid—how your annoying little sister used to throw hissy fits every timeyour mother served any meal that violated one of her dinnertimerules of engagement, and how she was a l l owed to get away with it?If your picky little sister was like mine, her food rules probablywent something like this: (1) no food shall ever touch any other

food; (2) casserole is just a fancy word for disgusting. And, do youalso remember swearing that there was no way you would ever letany kid of yours pull that kind of stuff once you became a grownup?

Who knows? Maybe you even managed to carry those “my kidwill never be like that” fantasies well into adulthood, smilingsmugly to yourself as you dined with other parents and theirequally picky offspring, or when you spotted people who clearlyshould never have been allowed to be parents as they inflicted theirunruly brats on other restaurant patrons. And then you became aparent yourself and your children refused to follow your blueprintfor mealtime perfection. The baby became high-chair phobic, thetoddler thought it was a big joke to try to eat your dinner insteadof his own, and the preschooler decided she wanted to eat onlythose foods that she had seen advertised on TV. How could yourvisions of doing this food thing right have gone so terribly wrong?

A n o t h e r Book about Feeding Babies,Toddlers, and Preschoolers?

Yo u’re pro b a b ly wo n d e r i n g why I decided to chime in withmy two cents on the subject of feeding kids. It’s not as if there’s abook shortage in this particular subject. Pretty much every parent-ing expert, cookbook author, nutritionist, and pediatrician on theplanet has ventured into this turf, and if they haven’t written abook on this subject yet, they’re probably being chased down rightthis second by some publisher waving a book contract. The reasonis obvious: parents are hungry for information on what it takes toget kids off to a healthy start nutrition-wise. And given that today’sgeneration of kids are more overweight and less fit than ever before,the stakes have never been greater. But, still, that’s no excuse forwriting another book unless you think you have something uniqueto add to the discussion, so I had to think long and hard before Iagreed to write this book. What would a book in this series bring

Mealtime Solutions for your Baby, Toddler and Preschooler2

I n t r o d u c t i o n 3

to the table that would be of unique benefit to parents and theirchildren? What did I have to say that would help other parentsgrapple with this big-stakes issue? Here’s what I came up with asmy reasons for tackling this project long before I ever sat down towrite the first chapter of this book.

• The Mom factor. What has been missing from the bookstoreshelves is a book that takes a truly mother-centered approach tothe issue of feeding a young child—a book that taps into theconsiderable mother wisdom on this subject (after all, whoknows more about feeding babies, toddlers, and preschoolersthan moms) and that factors in all the worry and “mother guilt”that is so much a part of this issue for mothers. Just as previousgenerations of pregnancy books were guilty of overlooking thefact that pregnancy actually had something to do with the mom(e.g., it wasn’t all about “the fetus”), food books have been guiltyof being so focused on solving the child’s feeding problem thatthey’ve forgotten to consider how breast-feeding problems, foodrefusal issues, and other feeding concerns affect a mother whenfeeding is so much a part of how mothers nurt u re their childre n .This, of course, ties into the entire childhood obesity issue,which can have its roots in the early years, and that motherstend to feel particularly guilty about. These are important issuesthat deserve to be examined through the lens of motherhood.

• No one-size-fits-all solution: Rather than pretend that ao n e -size-fits-all mealtime solution—or variations on that sametheme—will meet the needs of all parents and all childre nw i t ho u t taking into account the sometimes complex and messyvariables that go into any parenting equation, this book:

° provides you with a crash course in the basics of nutritionand eating during the baby, toddler, and preschooler stagesso that you can understand what is happening to your childdevelopmentally and ensure that your food expectations ofyour child are both age appropriate and realistic.

° e n s u res that menu ideas and suggestions reflect the day-to-dayrealities of busy parents as well as the typical preschool palate.

° g i ves you the low - d own on specific strategies to increase theodds that a particular child will develop a healthy re l a t i o n s h i pwith food.

° s u m m a r i zes the best and most accurate nutrition informationthat was available as this book was going to print.

° includes a smorgasbord of checklists, charts, and other tools,including a handy food log, to help you troubleshoot yo u rc h i l d’s eating problems in a low - s t ress and parent-friendly way.

° p rovides you with an exhaustive list of suggested food andnutrition re s o u rces so you can stay on top of new deve l o p-ments in the exciting and eve r - e volving world of food andn u t r i t i o n .

• The no-worry approach: I can’t eliminate all of the worry ofbeing a parent (especially since food-related worries tend to beparticularly insidious), but I can reassure you that other parentsh a ve experienced many of the same “n o r m a l” (but crazy-making)eating behaviors in their kids. And because this book containsideas, tips, strategies, and stories from the more than 240 pare n t swho agreed to be interviewed, it won’t be me talking awaythroughout this entire book. Not only would that be boring,yo u’d only be getting my point of view as opposed to the col-l e c t i ve wisdom of many parents of babies, toddlers, andpreschoolers. (More about that in a minute.)

• And as a bonus—no guilt: I wish there was an official “g u i l t - f re ezone” sticker on the cover that would alert you that I’m notgoing to do a guilt number on you in this book. No bashingyou because you let your child have a piece of chocolate cake onhis first birthday—or because you didn’t. Your pare n t i n gchoices are your choices. Enough said. It’s my job to provideyou with the most accurate, unbiased information I can and to



present it in a non-bossy way. That’s the approach that madeThe Mother of All books series a highly trusted informationsource for parents, so I’m going to stick with it in The Motherof All Solutions series as well.

So What Is This New Seriesabout Anyway?

The Mother of All Solutions is the sister series to The Motherof All Books series. Like all siblings, they’ve got some things incommon, but there are also some key differences. While the booksin The Mother of All Books series are designed to follow each ageand stage—The Mother of All Pregnancy Books, The Mother of Al lBa by Books, The Mother of All Toddler Books, and The Mother of Al lPa renting Books are each devoted to a particular chapter in your lifeas a mom or a mom-to-be—the books in The Mother of AllSolutions series zero in on a key parenting problem that you maybe facing at a particular stage of motherhood. The two kickoff titlesin the series—Mea ltimes Solutions for Your Ba by, To d d l e r, andPre s c h o o l e r and Sleep Solutions for Your Ba by, To d d l e r, andPre s c h o o l e r—focus on two perennial challenges for parents withchildren under the age of three: encouraging healthy eating habitsin young children right from day one and helping your child tobecome a great sleeper.

If you’ve read The Mother of All Books series, you know howcentral “mother wisdom” was to the success of that series. We’recarrying on that tradition with The Mother of All Solutions. Youcan expect that same “real-world” tone and feel to these books:practical tips, ideas, and solutions that can only come from anothermom or dad who is being worn down by a toddler who is into thethird day of a macaroni-and-cheese food jag.

Caught the “dad”? We’ve got a growing number of dads provid-ing input, too, because their perspective is truly invaluable. Whenyour toddler’s food whims are flip-flopping or your baby has been


crying for three hours straight and no one is getting any sleep, it’seasy for moms and dads to lose sight of the fact that they arep l a y i ng for the same team. This series tries to bridge that gap byhaving both moms and dads actively engaged in the dialogue.

Want More Experts? We’ve Got Experts!Of course, this book wasn’t based on the input from parentsalone, although they really were the true experts driving theMealtime Solutions mothership from start to finish. Not only didI conduct exhaustive research by pouring through all the leadingnutrition and pediatric journals and reading thousands of food-related articles from science, parenting, and other magazines andnewspapers published over the past 15 years or so (to say nothingof dropping an obscene amount of money in the food books aisleof my favorite bookstore), I also had the manuscript vetted by apanel of experts who were handpicked by me, not only because oftheir outstanding credentials and real-world experience, but alsobecause they each brought a unique perspective to the technicalreview panel. You can “meet” the expert reviewers who offeredequal measures of encouragement and great technical advice byflipping to the acknowledgments page of this book.

The Slightly Harried Parent’s QuickGuide to This Book

If yo u’re try i n g to whip up dinner while reading this book,you probably want the low-down on how this book works andwhere you can find the information you need—and fast. Here’s aquick overview. (You can find more details in the Table of Contentsas well as a keyword guide in the Index.)

I n t r o

d u c t i o n

7This Section of the Book Focuses on ... You'll Want to Read This If

You Have a

Baby Toddler Preschooler

(Birth to (Ages One (Ages Three

Age One) and Two) and Four)

Chapter i:What's on Tap?: In Praise of the LiquidBreakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Reasons to breast-feed, getting breast-feeding off to areasonably stress-free start, and more.

Chapter 2:That Lovin' Spoonful: Introducing Solids

Introducing solid foods—the when and the how; alsoa guide to making your own baby food.

Chapter 3:Mr. Spaghetti Head: Added Tastesand Textures for Baby

Introducing your baby to added tastes and textures.

Chapter 4:Your Top Toddler MealtimeMysteries Solved

Toddler mealtime strategies, snack tips, and more.

Chapter 5:The Discriminating Diner: FeedingYour Preschooler

Your top preschooler mealtime worries and concerns.

Chapter 6:Dining in and Dining out

Timesaving mealtime tips and the secrets to diningout with young children.

continued on p. 8

Mealtim

e Solu

tion

s for yo

ur B

aby, Tod

dler an

d Presch

oo

ler8

This Section of the Book Focuses on ... You'll Want to Read This IfYou Have a

Baby Toddler Preschooler(Birth to (Ages One (Ages ThreeAge One) and Two) and Four)

Chapter 7:

No More Food Fights

Strategies for parenting a "picky eater.

Chapter 8:

When Your Child Is SickNutrition and health concerns.

Food and Nutrition Tools In this section you'll find recipes for basic baby food

purees; tips on combining purees; a baby food texture

guide; meal and snack ideas for babies, toddlers, and

preschoolers; moms' favorite online recipes (plus a

few mom-invented recipes, too); a convenience food

label decoder; a list of food staples for babies, toddlers,

and preschoolers; and tips on adapting favorite family

recipes to make them healthier.

Reference Tools A directory of organizations, on-line resources, and

« Appendix A: Directory of Organizations books about food and nutrition.

• Appendix B: Directory of On-line Resources

• Appendix C: Further Reading

Index


Same Old, Same Old ...If yo u’ve re a d the other books in this series, the look and feelof the book will be familiar. You’ll even recognize a few of the ever-popular icons that alert you to noteworthy facts, figures, or themuch-loved mom quotes.

MOM’S THE WORD: Insights and advice from other pare n t s .

MOT HE R WISDO M: Bright ideas, practical tips, popculture tidbits, and more.

FOO D FO R TH OU GH T: Facts and figures related to thealways fascinating subject of feeding young children.

FRIDGE N OT ES: Leads on food and nutrition resourcesthat are definitely worth checking out.

So, as you can see, Mealtime Solutions for Your Ba by, To d d l e rand Pre s c h o o l e r is quite unlike any other book about feeding childre nyou may have read. It’s comprehensive, thoroughly researched, funto read, and based on real-world advice from other moms and dadswho’ve done their time at the family dinner table, and who want topass their best mealtime solution tips along to you. Now, that’ssomething to raise a glass to, even if that “glass” happens to be asippy cup that has been dragged through a plate of spaghetti a doze ntimes. Bon appetit!

Ann Douglas

P.S.

When you reach the final page of the last chapter of this book (goahead, flip to the back—I won’t tell anyone), yo u’ll see that I am bigon the idea of parents swapping ideas with other parents. I hopeyo u’ll pass along to some other slightly desperate parent some of themealtime solutions that we re helpful to you. I also hope that yo u’l lwrite to me to pass along some of those tips so that I can ensure that

f u t u re editions of this book are as helpful as possible to other pare n t s .You can write to me care of my publisher—you can find their coor-dinates on the copyright page of this or any of my titles or contactme via my website at www. h a v i n g - a - b a by.com. I always love to hearmy re a d e r s’ suggestions, tips, ideas, and comments, so please keepthem coming!


C h a p t e r 1 :

What’s on Tap? In Praise of the

Liquid Breakfast,Lunch, and Dinner

Everyone has their own ideas and beliefs about when you should do just about everything when raising your children.I think you have to be prepared for that—be informed andrealize that you are the expert on your child. You can takeeverything in and then decide what you are going to do.

I have heard it put this way: “When you eat chicken, you chew on the meat and spit out the bones.”

—robin, 31, mother of three

A nnounce to the world that you’re having a baby andyou’ll receive all kinds of advice about feeding yourbaby—good advice, bad advice, and the kind that people

glean from supermarket tabloids. If you thought the conversation was getting rather political

when everyone started debating all the labor hot topics in child-birth class—natural childbirth vs. fully medicated deliveries; vaginalbirth after Caesareans (VBACs) vs. repeat Caesareans; obstetrician vs.midwife—I’ve got news for you: that was just the warm-up act.The breast-feeding vs. formula-feeding debate is even more polarized,

people are even more passionate, and someone in your life is evenmore apt to play the guilt card. Just ask any mom who has ever ven-tured out in public with a bottle of expressed breast milk—and whohas been shocked to see how wildly her value on “the motherhoodstock exchange” fluctuates based on what other people perceive to bethe contents of that bottle. It can be a pretty eye-opening experience.

In this chapter, we’ll discuss both breast-feeding and formula-feeding—why you might want to breast-feed your baby; what youneed to know to get breast-feeding off to the best possible start;how to troubleshoot some of the most common breast-feedingproblems during the early weeks and months; answers to somefrequently asked breast-feeding questions; and some basic factsabout infant formula, including some key tips on formula preparationto safeguard your baby’s health and well-being.

Because the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CanadianPaediatric Society consider exclusive breast-feeding to be the normfor babies under the age of six months, that is how this chapter isstructured—with breast-feeding treated as the standard methodof feeding babies and formula-feeding as an alternative (or sup-plementary) feeding method.

The Good News Report: Reasons toBreast-feed Your Baby

You’re no doubt familiar with at least a handful of the benefitsof breast-feeding for mothers and babies or society in general(see Table 1.1).

When you ask mothers why they breast-feed their babies, theyalmost always cite the health benefits for their baby and sometimes


FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Colostrum, the first milk that your breasts produce, provides

babies with vital protection against illness during their earliest weeks when

they might otherwise be vulnerable to illness and disease. The World Health

Organization refers to colostrum as “baby’s first immunization.” Colostrum

also promotes good digestive health by encouraging the growth of bifidus

flora (a healthy type of bacteria) in your baby’s digestive system.

What’s on Tap? In Praise of the Liquid Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner 13

Table 1.1

The Benefits of Breast-feeding

How Breast-feeding Is Beneficial for Babies

Physical healthbenefits forbabies

Breast-feeding reduces the incidence and/or severity of

• diarrhea

• lower respiratory infection

• otitis media (ear infection)

• bacteremia (an invasion of the bloodstream by bacteria)

• bacterial meningitis (an infection that causes infectionof the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord)

• botulism (food poisoning)

• urinary tract infections

• necrotizing enterocolitis (a gastrointestinal diseasethat affects mainly premature infants)

Breast-feeding may provide some protection against

• infant mortality in general

• sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

• insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

• Crohn’s disease

• ulcerative colitis

• lymphoma

• allergic diseases

• chronic digestive diseases

• heart disease and stroke

• cavities and orthodontic problems

for themselves as well. And why not? Breast-feeding deliverstremendous health benefits to both mothers and babies. It is truly“the gold standard” against which all other infant feeding methodsare compared—and, so far, no other infant feeding method is ableto come even close to measuring up. As the American Academy ofPediatrics noted in its policy statement Breastfeeding and the Useof Human Milk (updated February 1, 2005), “Human milk isuniquely superior for infant feeding and is species-specific; allsubstitute feeding options differ markedly from it.”

continued on p. 14

Table 1.1 (Continued)

How Breast-feeding Is Beneficial for Babies

How Breast-feeding Is Beneficial for Mothers


Emotionalhealth benefitsfor babies

Breast-feeding provides regular opportunities for skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby, encouragingemotional security and mother-child bonding.

Developmentalbenefits forbabies

• Breast-feeding is the natural way to ease a baby’stransition from life inside the womb to life outsidethe womb, and to encourage that baby’s optimaldevelopment.

• Breast-feeding promotes healthy cognitive develop-ment. School-age children who were breast-fed duringinfancy score higher on cognitive and intelligence teststhan their formula-fed counterparts.

• Breast-feeding encourages healthy eating habits.Breast-fed babies have greater control over the amountof food consumed at each serving, so breastfeedingmay lay the groundwork for healthy eating habits.

Physical healthbenefits formothers

• Breast-feeding boosts oxytocin levels, thereby reducingthe amount of postpartum bleeding and encouragingthe mother’s uterus to return to its pre-pregnancy sizemore rapidly.

• Exclusive breast-feeding reduces the risk of anemia bydelaying the return of the first post-pregnancy menstrualcycle by 20–30 weeks.

• Breast-feeding reduces the rate of maternal obesity.Breast-feeding moms are more likely to return to theirpre-pregnancy weight than mothers who are not breast-feeding. They are also less likely to become obese.

• Breast-feeding delivers significant health benefits laterin life. Women who breast-fed their babies are lesssusceptible to ovarian cancer, pre-menopausal breastcancer, and osteoporosis.

Emotionalhealth benefitsfor mothers

• Breast-feeding can help to ease the transition tomotherhood by making motherhood easier. Not onlyis it a more convenient method of feeding a baby, it’salso a highly valuable mothering tool.

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