17 month old... diet, interaction, ect...

[Florezian]

So I've recently started nannying for a friend in exchange for board.

Her daughter is 17 months old, and absolutely adorable... took an instant liking to me, hence how I landed such a great arrangement.

I'm just looking for suggestions on what and how she should be eating.
Right now there are a lot of snacks, and not a lot of meals.

She normally goes to bed around 8:30 (Wakes up at 8:00am..), but they dont eat until later so she normally gets a quick thing before bed.

In the morning she eats a waffle (from the box).. then maybe a banana. Then lots of animal crackers, maybe a mac and cheese (box), or eggs...
For dinner she's eaten pizza but there arn't really set meals.

I was making pizza (from scratch) and she just wanted to watch. So after the dough, I handled everything one handed ><
Turns out she likes peppers... and I'm sure she would like other things as well.

They all eat pretty similarly. Soda, snacks, fast meals, hot dogs ect. There is a budget issue, but I know I can get them eating healthier (and probably cheaper) than this! Especially since I'll be bringing some of my stuff over and I don't want to be making separate meals...

They have a yard so I'm planning on definately starting a garden out there. Might have to do containers because they've had a pest problem and I dont want contamination. (Or is it safe?.. I think theyre using boric acid or something... but Im not sure is he sprays other stuff outside.)



Also what kind of interactive, simply games can I play?

Basically, I need you all to educate me on raising a child her age while totally overhauling the families diet. (Like I said this is a young friend, so they are pretty open minded and have given me free range over the house.)

 

[abifae]

When I lived with a friend for room and board, I made all the meals. Each night, before serving everyone, I set aside the next day's lunch.

So all their meals were from scratch. I saved them money even with them feeding me, as well, just by having all the meals prepared! They were eating out 5 nights a week and fast food for lunches.

For the kid, lower the sugars and up the fats. Or she won't build any brain cells.

 

[Wifezilla]

That kid is on a major sugar diet. Carbs =sugar. A waffle is all sugar and then what goes on top? Liquid sugar!!!

 

[abifae]

You can make lots of healthy "grab and go" breakfasts. You can bake up a lot of mini quiche in muffin tins (invest in silicone ones though, they do NOT come out of metal even if you use paper liners). You can soak oats and make oatmeal and fruit bars.

If you make dinners, just double the amount, and set aside the next day's lunches, as well.

I made weekly menus to be sure the foods were what everyone would/could eat, and that it was budgeted.

It was actually a lot of fun I'd do it again in a heart beat. Room/board by cooking and cleaning. Then my job for extra money...

There's an idea for moving back to Ft Collins! There were several people who offered to take me in but I wasn't sure they were serious lol.

 

[freemotion]

Get Nourishing Traditions fast! She is at a critical stage in her development and even one nutrient-dense meal a day can have a huge impact on her growth and brain function. Today's diet is very frightening and is close to (if not at) the terminal stage (read Pottenger's Cats. Or go to www.westonaprice.org for lots of info, but that may overwhelm you even more than the book.

 

[calendula]

At meal times, I basically fed my kids the same thing that I was eating, just a smaller portion, cut up tiny if necessary to avoid choking. Some good snacks could be cottage cheese, diced cooked eggs or meat, diced veggies and fruits, cheese, and yogurt. I mainly only give my kids water to drink, but we occassionally have milk, or we make lemonade or a fermented soda.

As far as activities, let see...I loved taking the kids for walks at that age. I liked showing them different plants growing around our yard and teaching them their names, looking for animals (they know lots of birds' names now), and just letting them play in the dirt. I remember my kids liking play-dough a lot when they were toddlers, and you can make your own. I used to let them "help" do dishes; mostly they just liked playing in the water in the sink with different containers. We made lots of forts and pretend cars and spaceships out of cardboard boxes, and we made lots of art projects--my boys have grown out of finger-painting, but they still love to paint with paint brushes. I also gave them pots, pans, and utensils and let them play kitchen. And of course, if you have any other friends or family with kids, it's nice to set up play-dates.

 

[garden pixy]

My 3 year old and 19 month old like routines, which includes meals.

Our typical meals:

Breakfast:
-french toast with preserves
-scrambled eggs with toast
-whole grain waffles (box) with some strained banana yogurt

Snack:
-Fresh fruits and animal crackers with yogurt to dip in

Lunch:
-Pasta (I make a lb of ww pasta over the weekend and just top different depending on what I have around) today, parmesan cheese and broccoli
-Egg salad, chicken salad sandwiches or peanut butter and fruit preserves

Snack:
-Veggie sticks (mostly whatever is in the garden) sometimes with plain strained yogurt to dip in, sometimes creamy salad dressing
-Hard Boiled eggs
-Toast with peanut butter

We drink juice, I buy 100% juice drinks, and water them down with 1/2 water, no added sugar or colors, just juice & water.

The kids eat what we eat for dinner, we do a ton of crock pot meals
today chicken cacciatore (pretty easy: chicken, peppers, onions & mushrooms in tomato sauce)

We plan our week on the weekend and shop Sat or Sun (depending on fliers and sales) so we always have what we need and don't find ourselves unprepared and going for the prepared foods. I always cook for 4 even though it is just me, DH & the two little guys, leftovers get sent with DH to work or worked into lunch (tomorrows lunch will have some sauce from tonight's dinner) You will notice eggs are a frequent part of our meals, we have chickens in the yard I buy organic low fat yogurt by the Qt and use it, dips, toppings, i even put it in ice pop molds. The kids love their pasta and it's alot cheaper and healthier to avoid the easy mac and plan ahead, make a box of ww pasta ahead of time and top with what you have on hand, some butter and shredded cheese is easy enough, add veggies if you have them, or toss a hand full of cooked noodles in scrambled eggs and parmesan. Kids LOVE to help let them throw the cheese on top or arrange the veggie slices on the plates, throw in some counting, name the veggies, sort by colors.


Figure out what they are spraying outside and why, my grass is ugly and probably has grubs but who cares, the kids love being outside, so i don't spray anything. A small sandbox can provide hours of entertainment and fresh air. Do a jungle hunt, 'hide' little animal figures out in the grass to find (leave somewhat visible at that age so she doesn't get frustrated). Play dress up with some hats and shoes, pretend to cook with real pots, pans and spoons, just add some plastic veggies and a cardboard box with a cook top drawn on. Sorting is fun at that age so find some toys and boxes, sort by color or shape or like things. Go explore the farm market, name the vegetables and fruits, show her the colors, let her pick out something for a snack. Just let her tag along when you do stuff around the house and explain what you are doing.

 

[calendula]

I would stick with full-fat dairy products since these fats help with proper brain and body development in little ones.

 

[Wifezilla]

I would stick with full-fat dairy products since these fats help with proper brain and body development in little ones.

YES!!! Anything low fat, reduced fat, etc... is loaded with carby fillers and a child's brain NEEDS FAT! Your brain is made of saturated fat. Your lung lining is saturated fat. Deprive a kid of that vital nutrient and you get ADHD and asthma.

I have a friend with a 3 year old grand daughter. She always mentions how hyper the kid is. I pointed out that every time I have been with her, she has had a glass of juice, a cracker, a cookie, or bread. Ummmm....HELLO! It's ALL SUGAR! No wonder the kid bounces off the damn walls!

 

[garden pixy]

I would stick with full-fat dairy products since these fats help with proper brain and body development in little ones.

Definitely, we always have whole milk and lots of cheese, the only low fat dairy product I buy is yogurt, and thats just because i eat more of it than i should, lol.