How would you react to this?

Question

I am very careful about what food I give my 11 month old daughter... i read the labels on EVERYTHING. Not wanting her to have sugar or too much other crap (corn syrup, other gross additives). My sitter always says something along the lines of "when she's older she's going to want it and then get sick because she's not used to it" or "she's so skinny, she needs all the fat she can get" (which is true, she is small for her age, but I want to fatten her up with nutritious stuff not crap) or "she's going to be allergic to it if you don't start her on it soon". I know most of this is b.s., but it's a very close relationship and I don't want to damage it. My daughter loves going there and I love having her there but I don't like her nutrion ideas. Oh and her husband and her 10yr old are very overweight... she realizes it but aparantly doesn't understand the correlation between their junk food habits and their obesity.

Thanks for any advice!!

Answer 1

I would ignore it and make sure she isn't feeding my child that on the side.

Answer 2

Let me tell you the best thing I ever did with my daughter who is now 6 is when she was younger I I never ever gave her candy, instead I gave her fruits, and veggies with dip and told her that was her treat. She did not have her first piece of candy until she was a little over 4, to this day if you ask her if she would rather have an apple or a bag of M&M she will take the apple any day, plus she eats any veggie I put in front of her I do mean any from peas to brussel sprouts , so with that being said, I do allow my daughter to eat junk food, don't get me wrong she can eat chips with the best of them but when she is younger I kept her away from those things not because I was worried about her being fat but because I did not want her to be like other kids who won't eat veggies! So the point is that if that is your wish then your sister should honor it but you should also bring the food there for your daughter to eat and don't just assume she will have it there.

Answer 3

I completely agree with you... your daughter is ENTIRELY too young for any form of junk food. She is only 11 months, she doesn't know any better! When she gets older, old enough to ask for things, try to find snacks that aren't as bad as others... but don't completely refuse to let her have a little junk now and then. Just make it a special treat. If you let her have it in moderation, there will be much less of a chance of her over eating these types of things when she gets older. TRUST ME (been there, done that... I wasn't allowed to have anything like that... only very very rarely, and I had a very difficult time dealing with it when I got older).

Answer 4

What you are doing is healthy for her and the sitter should respect what you want for her. She isn't going to be allergic to sugar because she doesn't get it all the time. In fact she probably wont like junk when she is older because she isnt eating it all the time now like most of the kids in this country.

Answer 5

I totally agree w/ what you are doing and I'm convinced that you are doing the right thing. I read labels as well but I'm not going to go to the "extreme". On occasion, I will let my son eat at Taco Bell, McD's, or Burger King, etc. It will not be everyday nor will he buy school lunches. I grew up eating an occasional "to go" meal and I'm perfectly healthy (correct body weight for height). I would let your sitter know that you do NOT want her feeding your child. You will pack his meals. I somewhat feel that she is not going to listen to you and offer him JUNK. Then, you're going to have a problem on your hands! I firmly believe that enough junk will sneak it's way into our children's lives that they will NOT have any ill side effects...except for, of course, weight gain.

Answer 6

There is nothing wrong with wanting to teach your child good eating habits. I feel the same way as you do about my kids, but my mother, who babysits them will still load them full of junk food when they are there and it makes me mad. The only thing that you can do in this situation is just leave it be. As long as they are not forcing your child to eat this stuff, you should be ok, but I would definitely put my foot down if the babysitter started giving your daughter all this junk food.

Answer 7

The problem will not go away if you don't address it. The next time she makes a comment, just say " I love the relationship we have here, and you are wonderful with my daughter, but it really offends me when you criticize my food choices. I am not going to change my opinion, can we please not talk about it again" I would say leave out mentioning her daughter is obese, that will most likely just make her defensive .

Answer 8

Oh, goodness. Don't start her on anything you don't want to. Maybe later she'll get exposed to junk and want it, but there's no reason to give it to her now. I read that a lot of kids under 2 drink soda on a daily basis. How can parents think they need that???

But don't worry if she gets a little junk on her visits. As long as it's not her everyday diet, it won't hurt her.

Answer 9

I think the bigger question here beyond nutrition is your SITTER'S refusual to honor your choice's as the child's mother....You get to choose who provides your child's care and the type of care they provide depending on the options available to you...it seems that you and your sitter need to have a heart to heart....you may want to meet w/ her "armed" w/ some educational materials @ nutritional issues....you need to be able to trust that your wishes are followed and that your decisions and values are not being undermined.....good luck

Answer 10

What you are doing is very healthy for your daughter. I would give her a sweet treat every now and then, but if your doctor says shes healthy then you're fine. You should be going to see the doctor soon.. 1 year appt.