Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[xScrunchee]

Does anybody know what children's multi-vitamin and mineral is the best one to buy?

I need one which is suitable for 2 year olds as well as 8 year olds (or two different ones), it MUST taste nice and it really needs to contain all the vitamins and minerals they need.

There is one called Vita-saurus which seems ideal but I think it's only in America.

http://www.naturesvitamins.com/vitasaur.htm

 

Also, do any of you buy probiotic powder or tablets? I have been told that it will work out much cheaper than buying the probiotic drinks but do not know where to buy it from.

 

Cheers

[Tina C]

Oooh I don't give Layla any supplements - does that make me a bad mama?

 

Are your two deficient in anything in particular? Just interested to know why you are thinking they need something. I would give Layla something if it was beneficial to her so I am looking for advice really.

[chickencam]

I gave mine Sanatogen chewy vitamins for a couple of winters when they first started school, because although mine are all good eaters I felt they might need a little boost when their immune systems are under fire from all those new germs.

 

They now have smoothies made with frozen summer fruit from the allotment. Best to encourage the really small people to eat their fruit and veggies perservere when they are young and it pays off later. Be firm but flexible .

[xScrunchee]

Oooh I don't give Layla any supplements - does that make me a bad mama?

 

Are your two deficient in anything in particular? Just interested to know why you are thinking they need something. I would give Layla something if it was beneficial to her so I am looking for advice really.

 

Of course that doesn't make you a bad Mum!!

My two have what I call a 'vitamin phobia' meaning that if the food looks as though it might contain a vitamin-they avoid it like the plague!! That includes all veg, all fruit and most meat other than ham and chicken.

I have tried so many ways of getting them to eat properly-sticker charts, no snacks, bribery even( )but to no avail.

 

I watched a TV prog before that mentioned something about people being 'super tasters' and having more taste buds than normal, I checked my children and both of them have extra tastebuds which could explain it I suppose.

[bronze]

I don't give mine anything as I would hope they get everything they need from their food and the sun. The only time I ever do is when they are really ill and then for example I may give them some vit c but would just use a part of a normal soluable tablet

[Cinnamon]

Mine both have the Eye-Q stuff with Omega 3, & I think its great.

It gives a bit of extra cover,which even though I think their diet is fine reassures me.

 

I started on these when my eldest was a pre teen & having real problems with concentration. her skin also noticably improved after a few weeks, & has been clear since.

They really seemed to help & they now both take the Teen Sense ones which help them out when they are pre menstural too (which seems to be most of the time )

[xScrunchee]

I gave mine Sanatogen chewy vitamins for a couple of winters when they first started school, because although mine are all good eaters I felt they might need a little boost when their immune systems are under fire from all those new germs.

 

They now have smoothies made with frozen summer fruit from the allotment. Best to encourage the really small people to eat their fruit and veggies perservere when they are young and it pays off later. Be firm but flexible .

 

The problem I have is that both hubby and myself eat all veg, fish, meat, fruit etc.

The children have always been given fruit and veg etc. As babies they both ate EVERYTHING including brussels and spinach.

They have never had to experience chewy meat as our meat is always so tender it literally falls apart.

I cook almost every day and try to always include veg but they really do not like it.

I know that people will say that they should be made to eat it and stuff but I really cannot cope with meal times being a battle zone.

I always dish them up the same meal as us and try to include at least one food that they like on the plate.

BTW, they both like and dislike different things to eachother too-Liam hasn't actually copied Emmie's fussiness as he LOVES some foods which she hates-it just so happens that neither of them like the foods which I feel are good for them!

[Egluntyne]

Mine never had supplements and they've all lived to tell the tale. (Apart from as bronze says, a little boost of vit c when recovering from a cold. Never in mega doses though.

 

I cooked from scratch most days and disguised vegetables in bolognese sauce etc.

 

They were all good about eating fruit.

[BeckyBoo]

This is probably a complete load of old rubbish but here's what I think, and is why I don't give mine supplements. Mine are 2 4 and 6 years old, when they were babes I cooked all that Annabel Karmel stuff, butternut squash the works. Now though they go through phases of being completely fussy. food that they'll eat one day is poison the next. I end up with the same old meals for them, there's about 3 they will normally eat, done in rotation but even then they don't always eat it. Every few days they get a junk day, chips, tinned spaghetti that type of thing and I try not to stress cos I can't be doing with battles at dinner either (they find enough of everything else to fight about anyway! )

 

The reason I don't give supplements is cos I want them to get deficient in something, that way they crave it and eat what contains it. Mad? Yes, but they had a weekend with Nanny and Grandad who, to my continuing annoyance, fill them with hotdogs, sweets, if they give them fruit they chop it up and put sugar on it, yes even bananas, they don't know the meaning of vegetable unless it's from a tin or in tomato sauce and they couldn't spell vitamin. I used to get SO frustrated and angry (they're my kids after all!) However, I started to find that after a weekend with the out-laws they would come home and eat a full roast dinner. I mean the chicken or beef or lamb (unheard of!) all the veg (mine aren't too bad with veg) everything. And this would last a day or two. Even after an evening there they'll come home and ask for some cheese and cucumber with a glass of milk for a snack. And I reckon if I kept them topped up with vitamins so they could eat as much rubbish as they liked but never get deficient then they would never feel the need to eat good food. OH and I eat all sorts but it's all homemade 95% of the time and that's the best example you can set your kids I reckon.

 

Try to look at what your kids eat in a week rather than in a day, you'll be surprised probably how much they ARE getting from their food. We praise ours when they try stuff but it's really only since eldest hit 4 and now middle daughter too that they will try things. And MD is ALWAYS going to have a sweet tooth and would probably live off spaghetti hoops and strawberry cornettos if she was allowed.

 

That's my tuppence worht anyway!

 

Mrs Bertie

[Egluntyne]

Do you know Mrs B, I think you have a good point there.

 

I think you may have stumbled on something.

 

Honestly.

 

I'm going to make a confession now, when mine were very young, during school hols etc, if they were playing outside in the garden, I didn't call them in at say 12md for lunch......and have 3 reluctant children eating the minimum in their desire to get outside again......I would wait for them to come in in their own time and they would be starving and eat absolutely everything on the plate. Seriously.

 

I am, however, one of those miserable mothers who did not possess a biscuit tin, if they needed a snack. fruit or a yoghurt was all that was on offer. Take it or leave it.

[xScrunchee]

Mrs Bertie-

Your thinking is not mad at all. I have been doing exactly the same myself after a conversation I had with my Mum a year or so ago. We figured that by letting them starve themselves of certain vitamins they will end up craving the foods which contain them and balancing it all themselves but nope!!!

Emmie hasn't eaten a vegetable for about 3 or 4 years now.

She has, on occassion (with prompting and lot's of praise) tried a few peas or a taste of carrot but she hates the taste and texture.

 

OH doesn't help by saying stupid things like 'Pathetic-you didn't put enough in your mouth to taste anything!'

And he feels that if the child spits the disliked food into the bin it is not actually tasting it.

He also makes too much of a big deal of how much they eat. If they eat lot's he says 'Wow, good boy/girl, you ate a lot' etc.

He now tends to be quiet about what Emmie eats or does not eat but the dirty looks he gives her drives me MAD

He certainly doesn't help!!!

[Egluntyne]

Getting children to grow and cook the food themselves is a good way of getting them to eat it.

 

Obviously taking age constraints into account.

[chickencam]

I don't know how old yours are but if you keep on with serving the same food as you both eat sooner or later they will get the message.. Sitting down to family meals I think is the single most important way to get kids to eat properly. Keep up the good work and slip them the odd vitamin along the way.

 

Make meal times as relaxed as possible, try not to make an issue out of it just lead by example and you will get there in the end

 

I agree with the comment about them suddenly craving good stuff after a day of so of junk, mine certainly do.

 

My hubby really annoyed me one day when our son was about 3, he would always eat fruit but not veg so when I was putting out a meal of meat and gravy with broccoli,carrots and mash he took our son's plate (with him watching) and put a mash island in the middle with broccoli trees, gravy sea, and carrot fishes. I said 'that won't make any difference and we shouldn't pander to him' and of course he ate the lot and hasn't looked back since.

 

Sorry to go on a bit but just a thought, were they ever feeling ill when you served them a certain veg? Because I know that I was ill once when my mum cooked some corn on the cob which I used to love and after that I didn't eat it for years ( association of ideas )

[theherd123]

I must confess here that as child i never ate veg at all, i hated carrots, peas, cabbage, cauliflower the lot and shockingly at 16 i turned vegetarian!

 

As a child i was encouraged (forced) to eat veg i didnt like the taste or texture of and the more it was pushed the more i resisted - typical child digging their heels in!

 

I have survived quite happily for the last 15 years or so as a vegy but i have eaten the veg i chose to eat - peppers, mushrooms, courgette, aubergine, onions etc It is only more recently i have tired experimenting with other veg like peas and spinach again and found that i have grown to like them

 

These days diets can be much more varied than when i was a child. I had a typical Northern upbringing - given meat and 3 veg every night for tea and i liked it or lumped it. I only got to try pasta when i started uni and we hardly ever ate rice at home either.

 

I had vitamins as a child but i cant remember having them often - once in a blue moon perhaps.

 

One thing i do remember as a child was my parents trying to hid carrots under the mash - i was never colour blind as a child and im not now either!

[xScrunchee]

Emma, do you have children yourself and if so, are they fussy eaters?

 

In your opinion-what would you do if you had fussy children?

Would you cook them a seperate meal which they liked?

Would you give them the same meal as you and if they didn't eat it they go without?

Would you give them the same meal as you but if they didn't touch it give them a sandwich or something later on?

 

Just interested as you were fussy as a child and you now try new foods and things. What do you wish your parents had done?

[Guest]

With 4 children to cater for, there is never a meal which everyone enjoys. So they all had to endure bad days sometimes - or often! I certainly couldn't be cooking 4 different meals, plus another for the grown-ups! With a bigger family, I think it is easier to say 'this is what's for dinner today'.

 

My son is very fussy and always has been. When he was 3 I realised cooked meals were being used by him as a reason for battle. I certainly didn't want cooked dinners to be associated with rows and unpleasantness so I stopped giving them to him. We (he is the youngest) would sit down to a meal together but he would have sandwiches (and he would only eat chocolate spread or jam!). At least he was eating something though. After a while i stopped buying chocolate spread and he just had jam. It was probably about 6 months before he had a cooked meal again, but I talked to him about it and encouraged him to have a boiled egg with bread, rather than the sandwiches. Eventually he was back eating meals, though it is still very tense every mealtime (he's 9.5 now!) and he doesn't really eat much. I talk to him about sensible eating and he acknowledges the theory and tries.

 

We have established a policy of "trying" things. Even OH has to have one Brussel Sprout when we have them. DS has a little of everything and is expected to try it all, which he generally does. Over the years he has been pleased to find that there is a growing list of things he does like.

 

I'm certainly not suggesting a magic method - and it hasn't worked very well here - but I would be very keen to avoid making a 'thing' where food is concerned. Equally I am not into special catering. Some days you like it, other days you don't. Tough!

[theherd123]

Emma, do you have children yourself and if so, are they fussy eaters?

 

 

Would you cook them a seperate meal which they liked?

Would you give them the same meal as you and if they didn't eat it they go without?

Would you give them the same meal as you but if they didn't touch it give them a sandwich or something later on?

 

Just interested as you were fussy as a child and you now try new foods and things. What do you wish your parents had done?

 

Firstly i dont have any children - just dogs and chickens!

 

There are some hard questions there so i can only answer them in theory!

 

In your opinion-what would you do if you had fussy children?

I think i would firstly ask them why they didnt like a food - smell, texture, taste etc

The smell of some foods just put me off straight away - i still smell new foods even now (my dad does this too) the OH just laughs at me! If i dont like the smell of a food i wont eat it. I have always been like this with cabbage!

 

Would you give them the same meal as you and if they didn't eat it they go without?

My parents used to do this and to be honest i was happy to go without as i felt i wasnt missing out on anything anyway, so i dont think i would do that if i had any children. I probably drove my parents to distraction when i was younger.

 

Would you give them the same meal as you but if they didn't touch it give them a sandwich or something later on?

I know i was terrible to cook for as a child and my parents had the like it or lump it approach - more often than not i lumped it!

I believe family mealtimes should be a pleasure and not be full of trauma - i can remember sitting at the table one evening for over an hour while i finished some meat on my plate, i sat and cried

I think i would try to find a range of meals we could all eat and be happy with so we could enjoy mealtimes - less stress all round

 

What do you wish your parents had done?

Basically fed me more of what i liked!

No, seriously, talked to me about why i didnt like certain foods and not just say 'stop being so fussy and eat it!' That approach just didnt work for me.

 

I was not overly mad on sweets, crisps or junk food and we only ever had fizzy pop in the house for birthdays and Christmas. I loved to eat salad, fruit, cheese, bread, nuts etc I was never keen on meat and thats why i became vegy as soon as i could. I then went to uni, cooked all my own meals and loved it!

 

I know having a fussy eater in the house was difficult for my parents esp as my brother would eat anything! I know its not practical to cook different meals when there are lots of family members who have different tastes - after all the kitchen is not a restaurant (mum told me that often enough)

 

It maybe be good to find some common meals that you all like and try a new food perhaps once a week - if its liked then thats another ingredient to add to the list if not dont worry and try another next week!

 

I hope this has helped a little!

[Egluntyne]

We had the if you don't finish your main course......no pudding.

 

and

 

If you don't eat your first course nothing else will be rustled up for you....apart from bread and butter.

 

We all sat at the table and ate as a family. I'm sure that makes a difference. All too often children eat in splendid isolation.....or in front of the telly.

[The Dogmother]

Rosie is now back to eating anything, she had a period aged about 4 when she went right off fruit and veg. I gave her those Tesco A,C,D and Omega chewy things. She'll now eat practically anything and we have a pact; she just has to try something once, if she doesn't like it then I won't give it to her again

[Guest]

I think i would try to find a range of meals we could all eat and be happy with so we could enjoy mealtimes - less stress all round

 

I've been trying to do that for years!

[theherd123]

 

Beans on toast all round then!

[Snowy]

It is a difficult one isn't it? Luckily my three are not too fussy but can certainly muck about at meal times and will always eat sweets instead (unfortunately OH thinks they are deprived if they do not get plenty of sugar every day ). I only give them very small portions and try to be pleased when that is all they eat. I disguise lots of things: celeriac, swede, carrots and parsnips in mash potato. Soups are good - tin of baked beans, tin of tomatoes and a couple of boiled potatoes turns into a very passable imitation of Heinz tomato soup (and extra veg can be added). Spag bol is another favourite with disguised veggies - onions, peppers, tomatoes, carrots and celery all cooked up and whizzed in the blender then added to the minced beef. Fruit smoothies with ice cream, even things like fruit pies and crumbles also help to get the fruit down them.

 

But if I was worried they really weren't eating enough over a period of time, I wouldn't hesitate to give them a course of a vitamin and mineral supplement.

[Tina C]

Emma

 

It seems we have something in common - I hated COOKED vegetables as a child and am now a vegetarian. A lot of what you said rings true - I remember a long battle with my dad over a fried egg - I loved the yolk but hated the white. However, I always ate raw veg (including raw potatoes) and fruit.

 

I also agree with what has been said about the craving for veg or whatever when needed - I occasionally have a craving for an egg (and used to feel this regularly when I was a competitive racing cyclist) and I am convinced that is when my body tells me that I need iron.

 

Nerrly all the children I know (including my own girl) have gone from eating everything to rejecting veg - usually just after the toddler stage. I am convinced that it is something to do with the body's needs (and not just 'gaining control' as some books would have it). ie - as they learn to walk they use more energy and hence need more carbs and there is only so much room in their tummies and hence veg rejection.

 

But that is just my theory and I have no qualifications in nutrition.

 

Now that Layla is 6 we talk to her about 5 a day etc but its up to her whether she takes our advice - its there and its all the more for us if she does not want any.

 

Once she got over the spinach risotto for breakfast, lunch and dinner phase (from 1-3) its been a case of if you don't want this you can have bread or fruit. Full stop. And no pudding if you don't eat your main course.But we also have Saturday night is X Factor and chocolate night.....

 

A I agree - get a few meals you all enjoy and rotate them, adding and taking away from time to time. I still remember what the routine was when I was a child (40 years ago). Roast etc on Sunday, cold meat, chips and veg on Monday, Cottage pie on Tuesday etc etc. Sometimes I did not want it - but I was allowed to refuse it and was not offered anything else.

[Tina C]

Oh - I hated baked beans until I was about 21....