Mamas & Papas -
We were lazy, it was expedient, whatever the reason, we had relied on baby food/ commercial toddler meals for way too long. Following our return from Australia, I cancelled our subscribe and save subscription so we no longer have "gobble gobble", "meat stew" or "zucchini & brocolli medley" arriving at our door. DS was getting home made table food at day care, with the manny, at my parents and with us, but not exclusively. Now that he's wholly on table food, we've noticed some changes.
1. spike in appetite.
2. increased BMs.
3. diaper rash.
Is this just a 2 year growth spurt? Does it have anything to do with table foods? We've been using "marinara" as a table food enabler. He'll accept most anything so long as it has marinara. Is this too acidic?
Thanks for your tips,
F. B.
Sorry, for those of you who don't know, marinara is a type of tomato based italian sauce. I guess many of you would just call it spaghetti sauce. We use a number of different spaghetti sauces in our house, bolognaise, carbonara, marinara, pesto, alfredo, puttanesca, diablo, so we don't just say spaghetti sauce. Hope that helps.
The acid in tomatoes can cause problems.
One good alternative is red peppers. Look up red pepper cream sauce.
No clue about the link between marinara/table foods/acid, etc.
But, at 2, your toddler can pretty much eat whatever you eat. Just nothing that provides a choking hazard.
And, yes, kids eat more during a growth spurt.
Marinara is tomato sauce, right? Tomatoes are acidic, so it might indeed help to cut down on the marinara sauce. Kids will get a diaper rash if their diet is too acidic. My nephew loves tomatoes, and ate quite a few off a veggie tray once. (Hey, it was a party. Everyone was watching him, but it took awhile before we realized just how many he had eaten.) Well, he got a nasty little diaper rash later.
The increase in appetite sounds like a growth spurt, and the increase in BM's sounds like it could be the result of increased eating.
All in all, it sounds like he's doing great. Just try to lesson the marinara or balance it with something else. No idea what, but I'm sure there are some food experts here that will no what foods balance out acid.
I would definitely be looking at the marinara as the cause of the diaper rash.
He may just be adjusting to the different table foods. If you make your marinara from scratch try adding a little sugar that will cut down the acid from the tomatoes. You might also try a tomato basil sauce without too much garlic, it might be a little more mild for his tummy.
I would not switch back to pre-packaged foods just add some more protein to each meal to help fill him up.
Increased appetite and BM's seem normal... there are always fluctuations in this and he may be going through a growth phase.
The diaper rash could be caused by too much tomato. My DD was always susceptible to rashes and could not eat tomato sauce or citrus fruit while she was in diapers. As soon as she was potty trained it was fine...
It sounds like you're doing great, I would try to phase out the marinara on everything though - not only because of the diaper rash, also because you want him to become used to different flavors and textures. Marinara on everything may be cute now, but IMO it's a picky eater in the making... not so cute when he is 5.
Good luck.
try a different brand of marinara
honestly I feel when I read this I am taking a written math test. LOL Marinara what is that? like Noodles with sauce? I would think all the listed comes with eating a wide variety of every day food. It takes time to digest these things. Simple carbs are easier to digest that more complex so the more pasta related dishes, and meats the more constipation and BM's. Diaper rash can be allergy related or just having more spices, and additives in the food. Causing more irritation on way out. Best not to let him sit in it for more than a few minutes if you can. My kids have to eat Indian dishes, since this is what we mainly cook at home. They eat very little processed but I notice that when they do eat, processed foods, they are more active, have harder times with BM's, and often get tummy aches afterwards I think due to the sodium and sugars in it. Tomato sauce is acidic but if you let him drink milk during the meal it should decrease the acidity.
