I hoard information. I love facts, trivia, having an explanation, and providing an answer. I have my parents to thank for my childhood knowledge of Anwar Sadat and actually believing I was on-scene for the "Baby Jessica" coverage. Anyway...I should know better.
I know better than to feed my daughter what I have been feeding her. I voraciously read all the baby books, articles, and websites to be equipped for the safety of my kid. I feel good about the things that I've shielded her from so far:
1. BPA. You might be thinking "Well my parents didn't even know what BPA was and I turned out fine". That's because it didn't exist. It is in the lining of most canned foods, in many plastics, in receipts, and is nasty. Read about all the dangers here. I don't buy toys or plates/utensils/cups unless they say BPA-free. And she doesn't eat anything out of a can. It is bad for everyone, but the biggest health consequences have been noted in fetuses, infants, and children.
2. Sugary drinks: By her own choice, she is a milk and water girl. I haven't really offered her juice and don't plan to offer it. I'm sure as she gets older, she will have juice here and there, but since even 100% fruit juice doesn't have fiber, it is really empty calories. No judgment if you give your kid juice!
3. Front-facing car seat: It drives me nuts that people are so rushed to move kids on to "big kid" things without any knowledge of the consequences. Does she feel inadequate because her parents left her rear-facing til she was 2? Now, in Matt's car and my mom's, we had to turn her a few weeks ago because she simply wouldn't fit anymore. In mine, I will just keep her rear-facing as long as I can.
So, I can feel good about a few things I have done for her that she can't decide for herself. However...
We have fallen off the nutritional wagon. I was doing my daily (OK, hourly) CNN.com check when I ran across this article.
Instant mom guilt. "Kids breakfast cereal" was number one. Guess what our favorite snack is? Yep. We regularly eat about half of the things on the list. And it's not that I didn't know that we were eating these things and I was surprised. I will call it "nutritional creep". It starts with 'Well, maybe she is getting bored of Cheerios, I will let her try something new".
The problem lies in reading the labels. I freaking made all of her baby food with only organic ingredients, and then somewhere between stopping purees and our hot dog-eating cereal lover, I stopped reading labels. And I want to kick myself for it.
I know she can have cereal. I know I can let her have a hot dog every now and then. I do make sure that every lunch I serve has something from every food group BUT did I read the label on the crackers or choose organic strawberries and cheese? Nope.
The snacks are the biggest problem. We need to throw out and start over. She is a snacker and if that is where our problem is, I am going to make it my goal to fill the cabinets with healthier snacks.
We moms have a lot of balls in the air. I guess every now and then, it is time to examine which ones need more attention. Thoughts??
I know better than to feed my daughter what I have been feeding her. I voraciously read all the baby books, articles, and websites to be equipped for the safety of my kid. I feel good about the things that I've shielded her from so far:
1. BPA. You might be thinking "Well my parents didn't even know what BPA was and I turned out fine". That's because it didn't exist. It is in the lining of most canned foods, in many plastics, in receipts, and is nasty. Read about all the dangers here. I don't buy toys or plates/utensils/cups unless they say BPA-free. And she doesn't eat anything out of a can. It is bad for everyone, but the biggest health consequences have been noted in fetuses, infants, and children.
2. Sugary drinks: By her own choice, she is a milk and water girl. I haven't really offered her juice and don't plan to offer it. I'm sure as she gets older, she will have juice here and there, but since even 100% fruit juice doesn't have fiber, it is really empty calories. No judgment if you give your kid juice!
3. Front-facing car seat: It drives me nuts that people are so rushed to move kids on to "big kid" things without any knowledge of the consequences. Does she feel inadequate because her parents left her rear-facing til she was 2? Now, in Matt's car and my mom's, we had to turn her a few weeks ago because she simply wouldn't fit anymore. In mine, I will just keep her rear-facing as long as I can.
So, I can feel good about a few things I have done for her that she can't decide for herself. However...
We have fallen off the nutritional wagon. I was doing my daily (OK, hourly) CNN.com check when I ran across this article.
Instant mom guilt. "Kids breakfast cereal" was number one. Guess what our favorite snack is? Yep. We regularly eat about half of the things on the list. And it's not that I didn't know that we were eating these things and I was surprised. I will call it "nutritional creep". It starts with 'Well, maybe she is getting bored of Cheerios, I will let her try something new".
The problem lies in reading the labels. I freaking made all of her baby food with only organic ingredients, and then somewhere between stopping purees and our hot dog-eating cereal lover, I stopped reading labels. And I want to kick myself for it.
 |
| "poison" anyone? I kid. |
I know she can have cereal. I know I can let her have a hot dog every now and then. I do make sure that every lunch I serve has something from every food group BUT did I read the label on the crackers or choose organic strawberries and cheese? Nope.
The snacks are the biggest problem. We need to throw out and start over. She is a snacker and if that is where our problem is, I am going to make it my goal to fill the cabinets with healthier snacks.
We moms have a lot of balls in the air. I guess every now and then, it is time to examine which ones need more attention. Thoughts??
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