Percentiles Schmentiles...

Our daughter is 15 months old now and after her checkup today, she weighs in at the 7 percentile! Eek!? is that too little? Not so much, my family is on the smaller side growing up to begin with, so it is genetics. But still, there is that concern of feeding Kara (our daughter) enough and having her grow at the right "percentile" Andrew and I are new parents... never raised a child before and had someone depend on us to feed them or help them grow.

It was much easier having a dog. With our dog we feed him twice a day a dish of dog food, and keep his water bowl filled. Piece of cake. The vet doesn't worry about percentiles or growth spurts in a dog. Now we are raising a little person and feeding her to grow. This is a hard part in being a parent. This past year has been sort of easier sticking to portions and when she was eating bottles of baby formula, it was an 8 oz bottle at a time.

Now Kara has finger foods, cheese, milk, some baby jar foods and all sorts of food options to choose from when it comes to feeding her. It is getting overwhelming, just a bit. Who knows, maybe you (the readers of this blog) have a baby/child that you are wanting some good eating tips and health information on what to feed little kids? I thought I would share with you what I found in an article that Andrew came across.

Here are some helpful tips for feeding kids: I took the following bits of information out of the article, http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T030800.asp

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After a year of rapid growth (the average one-year-old has tripled her birth weight), toddlers gain weight more slowly. So, of course, they need less food. The fact that these little ones are always on the go also affects their eating patterns. They don't sit still for anything, even food…

Since erratic eating habits are as normal as toddler mood swings, expect your child to eat well one day and eat practically nothing the next. Toddlers from one to three years need between 1,000 and 1,300 calories a day, yet they may not eat this amount every day. Aim for a nutritionally-balanced week, not a balanced day…

Use a compartmentalized dish, and put bite-size portions of colorful and nutritious foods in each section. Call these finger foods playful names that a two-year-old can appreciate, such as:

• apple moons (thinly sliced)
• avocado boats (a quarter of an avocado)
• banana wheels
• broccoli trees (steamed broccoli florets)
• carrot swords (cooked and thinly sliced)
• cheese building blocks
• egg canoes (hard- boiled egg wedges)
• little O's (o-shaped cereal)

Place the food on an easy-to-reach table. As your toddler makes his rounds through the house, he can stop, sit down, nibble a bit, and, when he's done, continue on his way. These foods have a table-life of an hour or two.

...6. Cut it up. How much a child will eat often depends on how you cut it. Cut sandwiches, pancakes, waffles, and pizza into various shapes using cookie cutters.

...10. Respect tiny tummies. Keep food servings small. Wondering how much to offer? Here's a rule of thumb – or, rather, of hand. A young child's stomach is approximately the size of his fist. So dole out small portions at first and refill the plate when your child asks for more. This less-is-more meal plan is not only more successful with picky eaters, it also has the added benefit of stabilizing blood-sugar levels, which in turn minimizes mood swings. As most parents know, a hungry kid is generally not a happy kid.

11. Make it accessible. Give your toddler shelf space. Reserve a low shelf in the refrigerator for a variety of your toddler's favorite (nutritious) foods and drinks. Whenever she wants a snack, open the door for her and let her choose one. This tactic also enables children to eat when they are hungry, an important step in acquiring a healthy attitude about food.

12. Use sit-still strategies. One reason why toddlers don't like to sit still at the family table is that their feet dangle. Try sitting on a stool while eating. You naturally begin to squirm and want to get up and move around. Children are likely to sit and eat longer at a child-size table and chair where their feet touch the ground.

...15. Make every calorie count. Offer your child foods that pack lots of nutrition into small doses. This is particularly important for toddlers who are often as active as rabbits, but who seem to eat like mice.

Nutrient-dense foods that most children are willing to eat include:

• Avocados
• Pasta
• Broccoli
• Peanut butter
• Brown rice and other grains
• Potatoes
• Cheese
• Poultry
• Eggs
• Squash
• Fish
• Sweet potatoes
• Kidney beans
• Tofu
• Yogurt