fionamw

I do not know the nationality of the folk in question, but at a park in Benalmadena at the weekend my friend and I spotted three women spoonfeeding some kind of babyfood straight from the jars to three children who (conservatively) could none of them have been less than 2, probably 3 years old. Repeat: spoonfeeding. Babyfood. Huh??????? Having helped me lift my jaw from my knees, my friend said it wasn't the first time she's seen such a thing since living here. As I said, it may or may not have been a Spanish family.
When did your kids use cutlery/eat mashed 'real food' etc?

whitelinen

Fiona I never know if you are looking for material for an article or training for the Grumpy Old Woman Award.

I have seen all sorts of things in Spain ranging from a baby of less than 1 struggling to eat a burger and chips, to kids of 3 or more in nappies, to a 14 month old baby being given those lighted banger things to throw. Combine these with what posters here consider to be the norm I often wonder if I am the only sane sensible person on the planet.

I really dont give a toss what other people do unless it impacts on me.

cricketman

That's the thing in Spain, you actually see children.

I dont remember seeing children during my time in the UK (seriously). Guess they were watching TV or something.

My Spanish nephews and nieces dont eat baby food from jars, only homemade for them.

I dont know how the 3 year old kids you saw survived in nappies because at 3 they go to school and the state schools refuse to change nappies. They will only take children who are toilet trained.

evamar

There are potitos for different ages, also toddlers. If the mothers were in a hurry or simply planned to spend the day outside I can perfectly understand that they spoonfed them, it's fast and convenient and I see no problems using them directly from the jar when it's not cold outside, the jars are airtight. Not so long ago I met with some friends, we stayed longer than expected and as their house was not too close my friend simply bought a couple potitos and spoonfed her kid (2.5 years old) directly from the jars. One was a meal with some vegetables and meat, the other some fruit, and both with tropezones. Imagine the kid trying to eat by himself from the jar on his pram, or even worse, getting a couple bowls and cutlery for him to use. He had it all, and soon was sleeping happily. After he was taken care of we simply said our good-byes.

I want to believe that those kids are already eating by themselves at their home. I know for sure that my friend's kid is used to cutlery and good food at his home.

bil

How about the UK penomenon of Ginster babies?

Mmmmmm.....saturated fats...Mmmmmmm... refined carbs saturated with grease.....Mmmmmmmm....alleged pieces of real pig.......

fionamw

Not looking for material for an article, plenty around without soliciting (if you know what I mean).
I don't consider it being a grumpy old woman to find it odd that children of 2,3,4, are not (a) eating using their own hands (b) being given solid food
Those people's actions don't impact on me directly, but I would consider it a sad old world if it weren't reasonable to have a view and feel able to express it. It's not as if the only people I ever blather on to are on BE - I vent to friends as well Besides which, the actions of people around you (one) are taken on board by your own children and might over the course of time, as happens with so many things, influence them to thinking such things are 'acceptable', 'right', 'the norm' or other such non-PC words
eva - it wasn't the 'straight from the jar' - I've done that myself with a baby no problem; but with virtually school age children? That was my moment!

whitelinen

Apparently eating baby food is popular with adults too and is known as the Tracy Anderson diet

bil

That raises an interesting point. How many diets and weight loss techniques are there? An awful lot. That tells me that no-one has a solution that works long term.

If they did, it would spread across the world.

johnnyone

EAT LESS!

bil

The clue is in the words long term. Any fool can lose weight. I can tell you how to create quite an easy diet with which to lose weight, and even keep it off.

Basically, it goes like this.

Eat what you are evolved to eat.

No refined carbs. No sugar, no grain based carbs, no alcohol, no red meat.

Drink only water.

You can eat all the low GI veg you can find, but only a few roots, nuts, seeds and fruit. Onions, peppers tomatoes all OK. Potatoes, only as a special treat. no pasta, no rice.

In short, all the things you enjoy are forbidden.

Or, if you prefer, look at it this way. Make a sandwich. Two slices of Typical mother's pride medium slice, butter and cheese.

That sandwich will clock up 700 calories easily. So, you can have 2.5 in a day, max.

One for breakfast, one for evening, and half a one for lunch.

That's it. Nothing else.

We swim in calories, and you can buy a day's worth for less than 2 euros.

f you want to have any pleasure in your diet, you will be overweight, and if you eat refined carbs with your protein and fats, you will blow up like a balloon. Atkins knew what he was talking about.

johnnyone

Sorry Bil do not agree with that.
There is a difference between eating healthily and eating too much.
Overweight people just eat too much. I have just lost half a stone by reducing the amount I eat and drink, without changing what I eat, just less of it. It's called portion control.
I have no sympathy for the vast majority of obese people. Unfortunately obesity is becoming more and more prevalent in both the UK and Spain.

Rosemary

Am I the only one that would love to put on weight? Eat like a bird my doc says so now I have lost another 1.5 kilos while in hospital. 6´2 and 65 kilos please let me put on weight.

Graham

Ozzidoc

6.5 - 7 months.

We never gave our kid "mush" other than for the first 2 weeks of weaning.

Baby led weaning all the way

angiescarr

Go on Blather! it's an interesting point.
I think this kind of behaviour could be common. My Spanish friend gives her little boy (5 or 6) a bottle. At suppertime admittedly, but there does seem to be a habit of 'babying' children in some families. It seems that mothers of boys are the worst culprits. The girls seem to be brought on at an earlier age. It also seems that little girls get chastised more for bad behaviour whereas the little boys can do what they want! Also I noticed Spaniards are more likely to have their babies in their own bedroom for more years (one method of contraception I suppose). Maybe that's just a few incidences that I'm extrapolating from. And I was always a bit of a disciplinarian mum I must admit.

evamar

No red meat??? What are our canine teeth for??? We are omnivorous, we eat anything we can find, although I agree with you we are eating many things we wouldn't find in nature.

Since I went to the UK I have put almost 3 stones in weight (A combination of my own laziness and my husband's love of cooking, he used to be a chef). Since I took control, I still eat everything but moderately and have already lost almost 2. Not a lot of exercise, just walking and moving a bit more. I check the food labels in the UK and always find that they allow 2,500 calories for men and 2.000 for women!!! In Spain the allowance is 500 less either sex. And to start losing weight you should reduce it to 1.000 for women and 1.500 for men (keeping in mind that water is the only liquid without calories).

I agree, fat people are fat because they eat too much. There might be a 0.001% with real metabolism issues and no fault, but mostly they simply let themselves go to a point of no return. You can control your weight and go back before 100 kilos or maybe 125 but after that.... it's too difficult to move and easier to let yourself go so you end up not moving from your bed.

We have a guy here who simply drops on a bench for hours and see the world passing by. He must be well over 250 kilos. I give him maybe 20 before he is completely unable to move. Is that life? How much does he eat just to keep his weight? And how much money does he spends in food??? I feel pity for him, but at the same time I cannot forget that he's worked a lot and for a long time to become what he is now.

As per kids... if they don't make exercise, it's the parents duty to make sure that they don't eat too much. If they are active and burning calories constantly, then they do need more energy. Quite simply really.