Mattie has always been a lollipop lover. And I've always offered lollipops maybe more than the average mother, because I buy the good organic ones that are all natural so they are safe for Jacob. When we were headed to Florida in August, we were almost out of our Jacob safe lollipops, so I bought a bag of Dum Dums for Mattie so she wouldn't be using up Jacob's supply. (I have to order them online.)
I didn't notice it while it was happening, but several weeks after this Robert and I were talking about her behavior kicking back up into high gear again. It seemed like we were going backwards and recovering ground we'd already conquered. She was getting more defiant, strong willed, ugly, and less self entertaining. She was also giving us bedtime fits again. But we just figured it was a phase.
I had ordered more lollipops for Jacob, but continued to give her the Dum Dums because she loved the flavors. After a week or two I realized they really are full of junk and she would just have to get used to the others again. They have quite a few more flavors than they did originally, so she'd just have to take it or leave it. (I packed up all the Dum Dums and have them ready for someone to pass out for Halloween.) Somewhere in the middle of this thinking about candy being unhealthy for her, I had some random thought about her behavior time line and was getting very eager to see her a week away from Dum Dums. Hmmmmm...
Well, it's been about ten days now and I have to say our delightful little girl is back! She's playing with toys independently, reading books for herself, verbalizing instead of dropping to the floor in one second flat while melting down, playing well with Jacob (instead of being nasty just to get a rise), asking cheerfully for things she wants, accepting the answer "No" without major conflict, etc. Now, she's not perfect by any means, she's TWO! But she is sure a different child! I think she feels better too.
The Dum Dums were the only diet change in there. And she was having 2 or 3 a day on average. We were doing Benadryl some that was probably contributing to the cycle as well. And I do remember a time in the past when I've given her Fruit Loops for a snack (like bought a box and she consumed most of it). And I remember thinking that I thought they made her cranky so I didn't buy it again! I guess there really is something to this!
I didn't notice it while it was happening, but several weeks after this Robert and I were talking about her behavior kicking back up into high gear again. It seemed like we were going backwards and recovering ground we'd already conquered. She was getting more defiant, strong willed, ugly, and less self entertaining. She was also giving us bedtime fits again. But we just figured it was a phase.
I had ordered more lollipops for Jacob, but continued to give her the Dum Dums because she loved the flavors. After a week or two I realized they really are full of junk and she would just have to get used to the others again. They have quite a few more flavors than they did originally, so she'd just have to take it or leave it. (I packed up all the Dum Dums and have them ready for someone to pass out for Halloween.) Somewhere in the middle of this thinking about candy being unhealthy for her, I had some random thought about her behavior time line and was getting very eager to see her a week away from Dum Dums. Hmmmmm...
Well, it's been about ten days now and I have to say our delightful little girl is back! She's playing with toys independently, reading books for herself, verbalizing instead of dropping to the floor in one second flat while melting down, playing well with Jacob (instead of being nasty just to get a rise), asking cheerfully for things she wants, accepting the answer "No" without major conflict, etc. Now, she's not perfect by any means, she's TWO! But she is sure a different child! I think she feels better too.
The Dum Dums were the only diet change in there. And she was having 2 or 3 a day on average. We were doing Benadryl some that was probably contributing to the cycle as well. And I do remember a time in the past when I've given her Fruit Loops for a snack (like bought a box and she consumed most of it). And I remember thinking that I thought they made her cranky so I didn't buy it again! I guess there really is something to this!
Here are the Dum Dum ingredients:
Sugar, Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Salt, Artificial Flavor, Color Added (Includes Red 40, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Blue 1)
Here are the ingredients in Yummy Earth Lollipops I order on Amazon:
Organic Evaporated Cane, Juice, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Non-GMO Citric Acid, Organic And Natural Flavors (Watermelon, Lemon Oils, Pomegranate, Orange Oils, Raspberry), Organic And Natural Colors, Red Cabbage, Purple Carrots
There are definitely days that I'm thankful for my kids' food allergies (not saying Mattie is allergic to these, though). If it weren't for my experience with them, I'd be feeding them all sorts of horrible things with no attention paid to food-behavior connections. I do get tired of the inconvenience of it all, but that lack of convenience has served as protection for my kids' health. That is priceless.
1 comment:
It is amazing that you are dealing with the exact same thing that I was studing while at school. Not amazing that you are dealing with it but that you see the difference that food makes with your childrens' behavior. Lots of people think I am crazy whan I talk about the connection.
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