Guest Post & Link: Even before they are school aged, toddlers are fed junk food at day care

Are you worried about what your child is getting to eat at day care? Knoxville Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Member, Sarah Griswold, RD, recently wrote a blog article for MomsRising.org.
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By trade, I am a registered dietitian.  So, I know a lot more than the average mom about what to eat and what not to eat.  In fact, my mother is also a registered dietitian, so the basics of a healthy diet were part of everyday life for me growing up.

As a dietitian, I know the importance of healthy diet for proper physical and mental development.  I also know the importance of having family meals for social and emotional development.  Giving my daughter the best possible start in life is a priority for me and began even before she was born.  I ate a wide variety of nutritious food during my pregnancy and breastfed my daughter for 2 years. Extended breastfeeding is not something that is celebrated in my part of the country.  Most breastfed infants born in the Southeast are lucky to be breastfed for the first 6 months of life.  Research has clearly shown the health benefits of being breastfed; yet, we live in an environment that is not always supportive of mothers who are trying to do this.

As a working mom, my toddler attends child care.  I give her fruit before “school,” then they feed her a morning snack, lunch and an afternoon snack.  My problem is the selection of snacks.  I look at the menus and see Oreos along with other items that I don’t consider nutritious being given to her at snack time.  As with many good Americans (including her parents), my little girl’s favorite foods are simple carbohydrates.  Crackers, cookies, pancakes, and pizza top her list.  She also happily eats fruit, veggies, and many other nutritious foods, but I worry about her preferences and the precedent being set at the child care facility.

Read the rest of the article here.

Kangaroo Care for Infants

Caring for a newborn baby can be a little frightening at times; encouraging kangaroo care can help new mommies and babies learn each other and promote good bonding from the start. Kangaroo care came about in the 1970’s in Columbia as a way to help premature babies thrive. This method involves holding a baby skin-to-skin with the mother or other caregiver. This means that the baby is wearing only a diaper and is snuggled directly on the mother’s skin covered by either a blanket or the mother’s shirt. Holding an infant like this directly after birth for one to two hours of uninterrupted kangaroo care can help establish breastfeeding as well as keeping the baby warm. Some studies even suggest that a healthy, full-term infant held on their mother’s skin will warm faster than if placed in an isolette warmer. The premature babies who are not able to do this directly after birth can still gain many benefits by being skin-to-skin with their mother as soon as medically safe. At this point, you may be wondering why this topic has appeared on a nutrition blog. Well, studies have shown that infants who have this time with their mothers are more likely to initiate breastfeeding. Also, infants who are held skin-to-skin burn fewer calories than those who are not. Imagine the implications for the tiny premature baby who is struggling to grow if we can help them burn fewer calories! In addition, studies have shown that benefits to babies held like this include stabilized heart rates and breathing patterns with greater oxygen saturation. They also spend less time crying, more time sleeping, and gain weight more rapidly. These factors may contribute to an earlier discharge time. There are also benefits to the mother who practices kangaroo care. Research has shown that those parents bond well with their babies and feel more confident in their ability to care for their infants. The best part about kangaroo care is how easy it is to do! You don’t need any special equipment or training. Holding a baby is a natural thing to do and if a baby can be held, they can be held skin-to-skin.

If you are interested and would like to learn more about kangaroo care, check out these resources:

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/infant_care/hic_kangaroo_care.aspx

http://www.marchofdimes.com/baby/inthenicu_kangaroocare.html

http://www.prematurity.org/baby/kangaroo.html

Preventing Childhood Obesity

 It has been noted that obesity runs in families.  It is true that genetic factors play a huge role in childhood obesity, but the interaction between environmental factors and genetics is what changes the degree of adiposity.  The build and stature of a child more often than not resembles that of their parent.  Therefore, many of the children who are obese have parents who are also obese.  All of this leads to a cycle of obese parents raising obese children.  “Genes don’t make us obese.  They allow us to be obese,” said Hill, who is the director of the Center of Human Nutrition at Colorado Health Sciences University (Ferguson).  Hill blames the American environment for the alarming rates of obesity in our society.    

Parents are the ones that can most influence the child’s eating habits by modeling a healthy diet.  This also goes for exercise; if children see their parents exercising, then they are also going to want to exercise.  Feelings about food and eating are created within the home.  If it is within the home that children are developing these poor eating habits, than it is within the home that we need to try to make the changes.  Parenting habits can be challenging and difficult to change directly.  However, adaptations can be made slowly if enough emphasis is provided by family and others.  

Parents need to promote healthy eating behaviors for children at an early age and allow them to learn to control their own eating patterns while they are young and have boundaries.  There is such a thing as being over controlling and this can cause undesired effects in a child.  This can cause children to become self-conscious about their weight, which can lead to eating disorders.  By enforcing good eating habits and reflecting those daily, parents can easily raise health conscious children who will grow to be healthy adults.    

Submitted by: 

Kristen Jackson Slusher, MS,RD, LDN
Clinical Nutrition Specialist
East Tennessee Children's Hospital
P.O.Box 15010 / 2018 Clinch Ave.
Knoxville, TN 37916
Phone:865-541-8395 / Fax:865-541-8681
E-mail:  kjslusher@etch.com

Food Extras for Infants and Toddlers

Infants and toddlers have small stomachs, thus foods should be nutrient dense served in small frequent meals throughout the day. Nutrient dense is defined as relatively rich in nutrients for the number of calories contained.  Sugar, sodium and additives add calories with little to no nutrients.

Sugar

The taste for sugar is acquired; feeding infants and toddlers sugary foods and beverages increases their taste for sweet foods, which may lead to displacement of nutrient dense foods (1). Excessive sugar in a toddler’s diet can cause tooth decay, diarrhea, and a reduction in appetites for nutritious foods leading to the interruption of the establishment of good eating habits (2). Parents should avoid giving children foods with added sugars or sweeteners. Fruits and 100% fruit juices contain naturally occurring sugars. Fruit juices should be limited to 5 ounces per day and may be cut with water but should only account for 60-90 calories daily or 15 calories per ounce. Chemically speaking, sugar is added to toddler foods, particularly teething biscuits, for dissolvability but should not represent the greatest ingredient volume nor be added in excess.

Sodium

The taste for salt is also learned in infancy and foods with added sodium or adding sodium to prepared foods for infants or toddlers is not recommended. Daily sodium intake should be as low as possible and limited to less than 1,500 milligrams per day. Babies have a limited ability to excrete excess dietary sodium which can lead to kidney problems later in life and possibly predispose a child to hypertension (3).

Submitted by: 

Kristen Jackson Slusher, MS, RD, LDN
Clinical Nutrition Specialist
East Tennessee Children's Hospital
P.O.Box 15010

2018 Clinch Ave.
Knoxville, TN 37916
865-541-8395 / Fax:865-541-8681
kjslusher@etch.com