Feeding your kids

Thank you. My son has always eaten low carb, with the exception of 1-2 fruits on most days, and I'm proud of how healthy he eats. But I'm worried that he never wants to stop eating and already seems to want to eat instead of feel his hard emotions.

Toddlers are generally feast or famine. Mine both went through times where all they wanted to do was eat, and times where they would barely take bites of a meal.

I have a nearly 12-year old daughter who can eat her father under the table but is normal (even petite) in size. I've had to let go a little bit and realize all I can do is offer her reasonable food options and realize that growing kids sometimes eat a lot more than we'd expect they can/should for their size. But, I think limiting food (unreasonably, they don't need to be eating every hour of the day) is just going to cause issues.

I can say that I grew up in a household where I was not allowed snacks at all and I remember moving into my first apartment and having the realization that I could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Then I promptly went out and bought honeybuns and bagel sandwiches to eat at the same meal.

I try to focus more on eating mindfully, slowing down, enjoying the quality of food, and choosing reasonable side dish options. We went out the other night and they both chose Mac & Cheese with a side salad. A balance I guess?

At 2 years old, I would simply offer him healthy snacks. If he is a healthy weight, then there isn't much need for concern at this age. There may be a phase coming up where it seems like he doesn't eat much at all. Both are normal. I remember when my son, who is now 15, went to the refrigerator every 15 minutes, it seemed. He was always thin, and remains thin now. And, he seems to be at the refrigerator every 15 minutes again. LOL. I know it's hard not to worry, seeing where we have been. If you give him healthy foods, though, he will be fine. It's hard to overeat on celery and carrot sticks. :)

Even at the peak of my obesity I watched what my kids ate. I identified early on that part of the reason for my obesity was my Mom's poor relationship with food. She pretty much let me have whatever/whenever, and I was obese as a toddler. Anyways, to make a long story short, from the beginning I pretty much cooked very healthy, offered healthy snacks, and diluted juice, and gave them both multivitamins. I don't cook any different for them than I did before. I just cook less because I don't eat as much. I also kept/keep them very active in sports. Neither of my kids are overweight. One is 19 and the other 7. You can't be obsessive with it, but I also talk to them about health, eating right, and caring for their bodies. Now I'm practicing what I'm preaching!

Yes, that's the difference now! I practice what I preach. My oldest daughter was ridiculously small. Born at 5lbs 9oz and her original pediatrician was constantly concerned about how small she was. She was always in the 2nd-5th percentile for height and weight. She was 14lbs at her 1-year check up!

At 12 months they said we couldn't stop giving her bottles because she needed the calories and when I told them the only things she ate consistently were chicken nuggets, Gerber pasta pickups, and Mac & Cheese he told me to 'give her what she'll eat'. At that point, I changed her pediatrician to a woman who happened to be about 5'0" tall and about 90lbs. She told us it was likely that Isis was just a small person and to stop supplementing with milk and give her healthy food.

The whole time, my husband was telling me that until 6th grade he was the smallest kid in his class and she was going to catch up at some point. She's now in 6th grade and is petite but much closer to average than she's ever been (I think about 30-35th percentile for weight).

That's great she caught up being on the other end of the spectrum can be just as hard. Especially as a teenager when image is EVERYTHING!

It seems like you're already focused on providing healthy options, but you're concerned that he's eating to feel better, alleviate boredom, etc. Firstly, give yourself a pat on the back for being such a thoughtful and caring mom! That's about 90% of the job.

I would suggest working on coping skills with him when he's not upset or asking for food. (Like bubble breathing, cuddling a stuffed animal, coloring a "blob of feelings", etc. Then when you notice he is asking for food in order to soothe himself, you can try to postpone the snack and employ one of the coping skills. So you could say, "sure, I'll get you a snack in just a minute, but first let's do our bubble breaths". That way you aren't saying no to food (therefore making it a "thing") but you're building his ability to self soothe. Toddlers are tricky, but you've got plenty of time to work on this stuff!