Kids & Nutrition Part 1: Kids are Not Just Little People

Let’s talk about kids and nutrition.

I’m starting a 3-part series on the subject. We’ll start with the first steps of infant/toddler foods, move into talking about why our national childhood chronic illness rates have jumped from 14% when I was a kid to 49% now, and then we’ll close in part 3 with tips and tricks for you, the parent, auntie, or grandparent who gets the joy of feeding children. What I won’t dive into infant feeding before 6 months—that requires its own series and I’m sure I’ll write something on that eventually! I also am saving the topic of how crucial pre-natal health is for the mom; that’s coming soon as well.

First foods.

Let’s start here. Seems like a good place. Giving a baby his or her first foods should be a super fun experience. And yet, for so many, it is a stressful mix of “am I doing this right?” or “I have no idea what I’m supposed to be feeding my baby because everyone has an opinion and none are the same.”

First of all mama, dad, grandma: what everyone else did doesn’t matter here. What matters is you, your baby, and your instincts. Everyone is going to have an opinion on just about everything related to your child, so let’s start believing yourself now. It will save you loads of confusion later, I promise. And with that in mind, I’m going to give you my beliefs and opinions as a mom, a holistic nutritionist, and someone who has spent nearly 15 years supporting moms and babies with regards to development. If you like what I have to offer, great. If you don’t, that’s ok too. You are the parent which means you get to decide.

Kids are not just little people.

Let’s start with rice cereal, since we’re doing this. It was all the rage when I was a kid. It was pretty much the standard when my generation was having their first mealtime experience. It was easy, thick, mixed well with formula or breast milk, and contained good “nutrition” by traditional standards.

What we know now is that introducing grains to a tiny gut that is 5-6 months old, is not ideal. They aren’t yet producing the enzymes (amylase) needed to break down starchy carbohydrates and fruit. They do, however, have the enzymes needed to break down fats and protein. There have also been several studies indicating that arsenic is found in rice, and this gets concentrated in baby cereal. Babies’ taste buds are also pre-disposed to liking sweet foods, perhaps because the mother’s breast milk is sweet in nature, and it is important to begin to expose the littles to a variety of non-sweet foods.

In the 6 to12-month-old stages of eating, mealtimes are an opportunity for play. They should be fun. The goal is not nutritive in nature; we want babies playing with a variety of tastes, textures, and colors. If they get some in their mouth, awesome! That’s just a bonus. This is also the chance to allow things to not be perfect. You heard me. Perfection is not realistic and the sooner you can model that for your kiddo in the high chair the better.

Perfect meal times do not exist.

Allow them to be messy and get food everywhere (hair, face, ears, you know the drill). This exposes your child to tactile experiences that are super important for learning about the world and can prevent aversions that might creep up later. Speaking from the view of someone that HATES my hands being dirty and also hates a mess, it’s important to put that aside while working on mealtimes with your kiddo. This is just practice for later when you have to, ahem, help carve pumpkins and dig out the insides (I’m shuttering in disgust at the thought of it….).

With that in mind, I always recommend starting with non-sweet foods that contain more fat and protein. Vegetable carbohydrates are also a good option. My favorite first foods include:

• Avocado (healthy fats, high in magnesium, and easy to change the texture and mix with breast milk), you can serve this mushed up with breast milk or in handheld sizes.

• Zucchini strips (loaded with beta-carotene, vitamin C, B6, folate, vitamin K, and copper)

• Bison or steak (rich source of protein, iron, selenium, zinc, and B6 and B12)

  • You want to give big cuts of meat, not cut up pieces which are choking hazards

• Acorn or butternut squash (tons of fiber and vitamins B6, C and folate)

It’s super tempting in this phase to rely heavily on processed baby foods from the store. I’m going to save you a whole lotta money right now: stop. Feed your child off of your plate if you are able, using large pieces they can hold and munch/suck on. Baby food purees are not a food group or a developmental phase. You really don’t need them, at least not yet. You also don’t need to spend hours prepping homemade baby food (guilty!). Sharing what you are already making at mealtime is the perfect way to expand your child’s palate while not losing your mind.

As your child enters toddlerdom, mealtime may become a time when she or he exerts their independence from you. Don’t take your foot off the gas yet and continue to introduce new foods at an increased frequency. Messes will be bigger and usually food throwing is a thing too. Stay cool, mom. You can introduce the idea of a “no-thank you” bowl around this age. And as hard as it is, try not to react when the food gets thrown, especially when it’s intentional. Think teenager who will definitely do everything you don’t want them to. Keep that poker face strong.

This is a good time to remind you to let your child dictate the volume of consumption. Force-feeding or “just one more bite” teaches them not to listen to their body. Watch for cues that they are done such as turning their face away, pursing their lips, or engaging in a food fight. Trust them. They are telling you they are done. Kids will balance out calorie consumption naturally (with a few rare exceptions and if this is your kiddo, you are likely already working with a nutritionist). If you feel like your son or daughter didn’t eat “enough” at breakfast, they will make up for it later. It’s just how their bodies work. Remember, kids are not just little people. They aren’t calorie counting and they don’t need you to either.

You’ll also likely notice more opinions on how they want to be fed and the foods they don’t like during this stage. Remain neutral when this happens. Over or underreacting can lead to kiddos taking cues from you instead of their taste buds. Have them watch you eat it. There are like 1000 steps to eating (well not actually, it’s more like 32), but being able to observe the food, smell it, touch it, then taste it are important components when a child isn’t ready to eat it just yet. You can help them build confidence by showing them how you eat it and labeling it for them. For example: you bite down on a piece of broccoli and say in an exaggerated manner: “oh wow, this broccoli is yummy, mmmmm. It is soft and squishy” (assuming steamed broccoli here).

As kiddos get older and develop chewing skills, what you can offer them can also evolve. An immature chew can start around 10 months but will take time and practice to mature well into preschooler age. Fun fact about chewing: we NEED it for facial development. Many of us, and now our children, aren’t getting the practice that we were designed for when it comes to this skill. This is detrimental to our jaw development and is part of why we see such a rapid rise in orthodontia needs.

It is also in this toddler phase (around12 months and definitely use your intuition on when your child is ready for this), that you can start to cut pieces into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Avocado is a great food to try first when you start to make this transition. Because it’s somewhat sticky, it also is a great base to combine with ground-up seeds such as hemp or even crushed nuts.

This is the stage when it becomes important for your child to start participating in family meals, if they weren’t already. Watching others try different foods and model chewing helps with their own development. Intentionally modeling taking bites and chewing can be a fun imitation game and bonding practice for you and your kiddo as well. Make it fun and be silly.

Need more practice? Teethers can actually be a great tool to help kids learn to bite, and you can even put food on them!

Ok, I just brain-dumped a ton of early feeding info on you! This age group, if you couldn’t tell, is a passion of mine. Early feeding and nutrition support can make all the difference down the road. If you are stuck on what to feed your kiddos during this age, or are struggling to move into new phases of food textures (aka your kid only eats purees), it’s time to schedule a session with a nutritionist. Not just to help your kiddo, but to help you too.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where we’ll talk about chronic illness in our pediatric population and come up with some actionable items that you can take to help your child be their healthiest!

Here’s to your (and your child’s) health!