Anonymous
03/09/2012 04:16
Subject: Peanut Butter Sandwiches
My 4th grader has had a PB&J for her lunch virtually every day she has gone to school since K. All natural PB, 100% fruit jam, whole grain bread. I wonder if she will be eating them in HS too.
Anonymous
03/09/2012 03:35
Subject: Re:Peanut Butter Sandwiches
Anonymous wrote:Ex-DCUM here (just to put a couple of my comments in context). On peanut butter specifically, you do not have a problem. Think about it: you have wholegrains, good oils, the value of nuts etc. Just watch out for the sugar content of the bread (some U.S. bread is more like cake than bread one gets elsewhere) and make sure your peanut butter has ONLY U.S. content (where I live there was a real issue with PB from China containing lots of stuff unrelated to peanuts). Not beating up on Chinese products but I like to know that my kids are eating what I think they are eating and U.S. PB is really good on the whole. Also, while we don't really go in for nut allergies where I live (there's hardly any), I know from my friends in DC that lots of schools have nut free policies because there seems to be a real problem. You might want to wean her onto a new spread when she gets bigger or she might really starve!
On kids eating more broadly, my husband and I have decided not to make food into a fight. We always make sure there is one thing the children will eat (plain pasta, bread-n-butter, plain rice, fruit) and then hope for the best with other things. We never offer alternatives so sometimes dinner is mostly the staples. It annoys me when my sister says when speaking to me on the phone "just hold on while I get childX some more curry/pesto" etc but that's just because I'm jealous. And sometimes there is a breakthrough. My eldest, who lived on two-minutes noodles, cheerios and goldfish for over a year now begs me for creamed spinach. I have to make a vat of it so that she can have it for snacks. Yet less that a year ago I was seriously worried she would get rickets.
Which peanut butter is from US?
Anonymous
03/09/2012 01:17
Subject: Re:Peanut Butter Sandwiches
funny enough- i was just talking to my best friend, mid-30s, annoyingly picky eater. if we were not friends since childhood i would probably have found this trait so annoying to the point of avoiding dinners with her had we met in adulthood, she's that picky! anyway, she still adores peanut butter, thinks i am crazy for having made the switch to natural PB in college (didn't eat it growing up, we had a fit when my mom tried to take away the JIF).................and get this, blames her own mom for making her so picky. she said she used to have a tantrum ever night at dinner, refuse to eat, cry, leave the table and an hour or so later her mom would bring her the loved pb sandwich, well into childhood (not difficult toddler phase). her tastes never developed, and she acknowledges that its her choice now but she loves to blame her mom a little bit too.
Anonymous
03/08/2012 23:09
Subject: Re:Peanut Butter Sandwiches
Ex-DCUM here (just to put a couple of my comments in context). On peanut butter specifically, you do not have a problem. Think about it: you have wholegrains, good oils, the value of nuts etc. Just watch out for the sugar content of the bread (some U.S. bread is more like cake than bread one gets elsewhere) and make sure your peanut butter has ONLY U.S. content (where I live there was a real issue with PB from China containing lots of stuff unrelated to peanuts). Not beating up on Chinese products but I like to know that my kids are eating what I think they are eating and U.S. PB is really good on the whole. Also, while we don't really go in for nut allergies where I live (there's hardly any), I know from my friends in DC that lots of schools have nut free policies because there seems to be a real problem. You might want to wean her onto a new spread when she gets bigger or she might really starve!
On kids eating more broadly, my husband and I have decided not to make food into a fight. We always make sure there is one thing the children will eat (plain pasta, bread-n-butter, plain rice, fruit) and then hope for the best with other things. We never offer alternatives so sometimes dinner is mostly the staples. It annoys me when my sister says when speaking to me on the phone "just hold on while I get childX some more curry/pesto" etc but that's just because I'm jealous. And sometimes there is a breakthrough. My eldest, who lived on two-minutes noodles, cheerios and goldfish for over a year now begs me for creamed spinach. I have to make a vat of it so that she can have it for snacks. Yet less that a year ago I was seriously worried she would get rickets.
On kids eating more broadly, my husband and I have decided not to make food into a fight. We always make sure there is one thing the children will eat (plain pasta, bread-n-butter, plain rice, fruit) and then hope for the best with other things. We never offer alternatives so sometimes dinner is mostly the staples. It annoys me when my sister says when speaking to me on the phone "just hold on while I get childX some more curry/pesto" etc but that's just because I'm jealous. And sometimes there is a breakthrough. My eldest, who lived on two-minutes noodles, cheerios and goldfish for over a year now begs me for creamed spinach. I have to make a vat of it so that she can have it for snacks. Yet less that a year ago I was seriously worried she would get rickets.
Anonymous
03/08/2012 23:07
Subject: Re:Peanut Butter Sandwiches
I would introduce "Bread and Jam for Frances" into her bedtime reading ....
Anonymous
03/08/2012 22:31
Subject: Peanut Butter Sandwiches
I loves me some pb&j!!!
Anonymous
03/08/2012 22:16
Subject: Re:Peanut Butter Sandwiches
I think it's just a phase and, as PPs have pointed out, there are worse things she could be eating. My only concern would be constipation--keep an eye on those poops and encourage her to drink lots of water and supplement her sandwiches with as much fresh fruit and roughage as possible.
Anonymous
03/08/2012 19:04
Subject: Peanut Butter Sandwiches
Anonymous wrote:Really? Letting a child dictate all 3 meals she eats a day?
Let her tantrum.
I'd let her do it a few days. Inevitably she would grow tired of the peanut butter sandwiches on her own after eating them 3x a day and would probably welcome some different food. And if not, eating a peanut butter sandwich is better than eating nothing. I'm not saying I don't fight these battles, I'm just saying I sometimes wait it out before determining whether it needs to BE a battle.
Anonymous
03/08/2012 18:59
Subject: Peanut Butter Sandwiches
Really? Letting a child dictate all 3 meals she eats a day?
Let her tantrum.
Let her tantrum.
Anonymous
03/08/2012 18:27
Subject: Peanut Butter Sandwiches
Call me lazy, call me non-Tiger mom- I'd let her eat them.
Anonymous
03/08/2012 17:49
Subject: Peanut Butter Sandwiches
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The way we do things at home is breakfast and lunch is their choice (after being given options). Dinner is dinner. At dinner they have to have one bite of everything and most of the time they will polish off at least one aspect of it.
And we do teach whats "breakfast food" and "lunch/dinner food" and "dessert". That way when our 2.5 year old asks for a cookie for lunch, we can tell him that a cookie is dessert and he can't have that.
Kids often go through food stages. Some kids are picky (and by picky that doesn't necessarily mean spoiled). Our 2.5 year old is pretty picky. I don't see an issue giving her PB&J for lunch everyday. I'd try to diversify a little for other meals. You could also try PB and banana, PB and honey, and other alternatives.
I'm hoping to teach DS this. Too bad DH has cookies for breakfast every day
I wouldn't sweat it. My ds asked for graham crackers for breakfast today and I responded "if I give you graham crackers for breakfast, next you will be asking for cottage cheese to go with it and then you will want a banana too..."
Graham crackers, cottage cheese, and banana - there are a lot worse breakfasts out there.
Anonymous
03/08/2012 16:49
Subject: Peanut Butter Sandwiches
Anonymous wrote:The way we do things at home is breakfast and lunch is their choice (after being given options). Dinner is dinner. At dinner they have to have one bite of everything and most of the time they will polish off at least one aspect of it.
And we do teach whats "breakfast food" and "lunch/dinner food" and "dessert". That way when our 2.5 year old asks for a cookie for lunch, we can tell him that a cookie is dessert and he can't have that.
Kids often go through food stages. Some kids are picky (and by picky that doesn't necessarily mean spoiled). Our 2.5 year old is pretty picky. I don't see an issue giving her PB&J for lunch everyday. I'd try to diversify a little for other meals. You could also try PB and banana, PB and honey, and other alternatives.
I'm hoping to teach DS this. Too bad DH has cookies for breakfast every day
Anonymous
03/08/2012 16:43
Subject: Peanut Butter Sandwiches
The way we do things at home is breakfast and lunch is their choice (after being given options). Dinner is dinner. At dinner they have to have one bite of everything and most of the time they will polish off at least one aspect of it.
And we do teach whats "breakfast food" and "lunch/dinner food" and "dessert". That way when our 2.5 year old asks for a cookie for lunch, we can tell him that a cookie is dessert and he can't have that.
Kids often go through food stages. Some kids are picky (and by picky that doesn't necessarily mean spoiled). Our 2.5 year old is pretty picky. I don't see an issue giving her PB&J for lunch everyday. I'd try to diversify a little for other meals. You could also try PB and banana, PB and honey, and other alternatives.
And we do teach whats "breakfast food" and "lunch/dinner food" and "dessert". That way when our 2.5 year old asks for a cookie for lunch, we can tell him that a cookie is dessert and he can't have that.
Kids often go through food stages. Some kids are picky (and by picky that doesn't necessarily mean spoiled). Our 2.5 year old is pretty picky. I don't see an issue giving her PB&J for lunch everyday. I'd try to diversify a little for other meals. You could also try PB and banana, PB and honey, and other alternatives.
Anonymous
03/08/2012 16:40
Subject: Peanut Butter Sandwiches
Anonymous wrote:So, my older daughter is what you call a "good" eater. She has very few dislikes, and she will try most anything. She enjoys veggies, etc... Internally, I just "knew" that it was due to my great parenting. We didn't offer her any "kiddie" food in the toddler years. We employed the mantra. They eat what we eat, or they go hungry.
Oh, how wrong I was. My youngest, who is wonderfully independent, will throw 20 minute tantrums, when she doesn't get what she wants. One of those "wants" are peanut butter sandwiches. She asks for them first thing in the morning, for snacks, for lunch and sometimes for dinner. Many of her tantrums involve a PB decline from mom. These last 10-20 minutes and end with the typical cry out for Mom or Dad for comfort.
Question: Is it OK to let her eat 2-3 of these per day? We make them on those whole wheat sandwich thins and I probably use 1-2 TBSP of peanut butter.
Question: Any advice on breaking her of this desire?
Peanut butter is a staple in the diet of many children. It won't hurt her. My nephew refused to eat anything but peanut butter, pizza, french fries, and cherios until he was ten. He is now over 6 feet tall, thin,l and in college and eats like a horse. I might also add that when he came to my house he ate what was served and often asked for seconds.
Anonymous
03/08/2012 16:34
Subject: Peanut Butter Sandwiches
So, my older daughter is what you call a "good" eater. She has very few dislikes, and she will try most anything. She enjoys veggies, etc... Internally, I just "knew" that it was due to my great parenting. We didn't offer her any "kiddie" food in the toddler years. We employed the mantra. They eat what we eat, or they go hungry.
Oh, how wrong I was. My youngest, who is wonderfully independent, will throw 20 minute tantrums, when she doesn't get what she wants. One of those "wants" are peanut butter sandwiches. She asks for them first thing in the morning, for snacks, for lunch and sometimes for dinner. Many of her tantrums involve a PB decline from mom. These last 10-20 minutes and end with the typical cry out for Mom or Dad for comfort.
Question: Is it OK to let her eat 2-3 of these per day? We make them on those whole wheat sandwich thins and I probably use 1-2 TBSP of peanut butter.
Question: Any advice on breaking her of this desire?
Oh, how wrong I was. My youngest, who is wonderfully independent, will throw 20 minute tantrums, when she doesn't get what she wants. One of those "wants" are peanut butter sandwiches. She asks for them first thing in the morning, for snacks, for lunch and sometimes for dinner. Many of her tantrums involve a PB decline from mom. These last 10-20 minutes and end with the typical cry out for Mom or Dad for comfort.
Question: Is it OK to let her eat 2-3 of these per day? We make them on those whole wheat sandwich thins and I probably use 1-2 TBSP of peanut butter.
Question: Any advice on breaking her of this desire?