Dr. Paula's Good Nutrition Guide for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers: Answers to Parent's Most Common Questions Plus Help for Coping with Fussy Eaters

207 Pages·2001·18.94 MB·English

by  Paula Elbirt

Drfigu&'s
Good Nutrition Guide
ALSO BY PAULA M. ELBIRT, M.D.
Dr. Paula's House Calls to Your Newborn
365 Ways to Get Your Child to Sleep
(with Linda Lee Small)
The Seventeen Guide to Sex and Your Body
(with Sabrina Solin)
A New Mother's Home Companion
(with Linda Lee Small)
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Dr. Paula's
Good Nutrition Guide
for Babies,
Toddlers, and Preschoolers
Paula M. Elbirt, M.D., FAAP
PERSEUS PUBLISHING
Cambridge. Massachusetts
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish
their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in
this book and Perseus Publishing was aware of a trademark claim, the
designations have been printed in initial capital letters.
Copyright © 2001 by Paula M. Elbirt, xVl.D.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.
Note: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our
knowledge. This book is intended only as an informative guide for those
wishing to know more about nutrition for children. In no way is this book
intended to replace, countermand, or conflict with the advice given by your
child's own pediatrician. The ultimate decision concerning care should be
made between you and your child's doctor. We strongly recommend you
follow his or her advice. The information in this book is general and is offered
with no guarantees on the part of the author or Fisher Books. The author and
publisher disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book. The
names and identifying details of people associated with events described in this
book have been changed. Any similarity to actual persons is coincidental.
Cataloging-in-Publication data for this book is available from the Library of
Congress.
ISBN 0-55561-305-5
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Text design by Cindy Young
Set in 11-point Sabon
First printing, June 2001
1234 5 6789 10—04 03 02 01
Contents
Introduction vii
Part One How to Feed Your Child
1 Food for Thought: The Ten Commandments 3
2 Infants: The Beginning 13
3 Introducing Solid Foods 27
4 Infant Roadblocks 47
5 Toddlers 59
6 Toddler Roadblocks 75
7 Preschoolers 93
o Preschooler Roadblocks 107
9 Feeding the Sick Child 119
v
vi Contents
Part Two Food Facts and Fictions
10 The Food Pyramid Explained 129
11 The Good and Bad "Moos" About Milk 143
12 Junk Food 151
13 The Couch Potato and Childhood Obesity 167
14 Is Our Food Safe? Pesticides, Preservatives,
Additives, and Germs 175
The Last Word. . . 187
Acknowledgments 189
Index 191
Introduction
.^SJ^s I was walking between examination rooms recently, I
wished that I could introduce the family in exam room A to the
family in exam room B. The children in both rooms had food-
related "issues"—one was a picky eater and the other was what
I dub a "dessert monster." Both children had a couple of rather
desperate parents. I knew that if the two families could meet,
they would be greatly reassured to know they were not alone.
A good deal of my practice consists of listening to parents'
questions—often those I've answered many, many times before.
Particularly on weekends and evenings, parents will call
apologetically ("I know this really isn't an emergency, but I
wanted to run this by you"). Parents often need the answers to
their questions at the time they occur. ("This may sound silly,
but my four-year-old son will eat only 'white' food this week. Is
that normal?") As one parent said wistfully, "Dr. Paula, I really
wish all this information were in a book and then I wouldn't
have to keep bothering you." I wrote this book with these
parents in mind.
1 want to point out that although this book is divided into
sections by age, every parent must keep one overriding fact in
ru
viii Introduction
mind: No two children are alike. Children are born with
temperaments. Some are picky eaters from birth; others eat
anything not nailed down. Generally your child will arrive in
this world fitting more or less into one of the following
categories:
• The grazer. This is a particularly common style for
toddlers who "munch" as they toddle about.
• The ruminator. Ruminators are children who put food
in their mouths, but hardly ever swallow. (It's an hour
later, and the mashed potatoes are still in his mouth.)
This child may become a picky eater.
• The barracuda. This eater rolls through the table at
dinnertime—maybe eating off of every family member's
plate. This child can consume large amounts of food
and may be destined to be obese.
• The stuffer. As the name implies, the child eats quickly
(as if a sibling is poised to come by and steal his food)
and stuffs lots of different foods into his mouth.
(Stuffers often complain of stomachaches.) This child
may end up being an overeater.
It's part of the nature of children that eating habits often
change as the child grows older—a two-year-old grazer may
transform into a four-year-old barracuda. Not to worry!
The most critical "ingredient" in a book about nutrition is
actually a sense of humor. Always bring along your sense of
whimsy. To that end I offer an anonymous gift from my web
site. Visit my web site at www.drpaula.com and click on "Ask
the Pediatrician," then go to "Topics" and click on "Diet,
Toddler" to read the Toddler Miracle Diet. Enjoy and, of
course, "take with a grain of salt."
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How to Feed Your Child