Is Junk Food a Custody Issue?

Amy Kuras — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:02:00 GMT

Is feeding your kids white bread, or God forbid high fructose corn syrup, the kind of thing that should lose you custody of your kid in a divorce?

I don't think so -- even though I am a strong believer that most of what is marketed to kids is crap and shoudn't be fed to anyone, ever. But I certainly don't fool myself that the bowl of Pirate's Booty I just handed my daughter to snack on is anything other than fancy Cheetos. If most of what you feed your kids is good, wholesome, real food that bears more resemblance to how it came from the ground or the animal than to a lab-created Frankenfood, a preference for white bread or a daily bowl of Doritos is not that big a deal.

Laura Bennett agrees with me. In this piece from Alternet she recounts running into a mom at her sons' school who was livid with her ex-husband, livid to the point of asking a judge to revisit their custody arrangement, for his wanton disregard for their children's health.

What was the issue, you ask? He had packed them a lunch of sandwiches on white bread, Doritos, and Go-Gurt.

She makes the point, an excellent one, that kids denied sugar or junk food will lose their damn minds when in the presence of it at someone else's house. Which is why we try to make sure no food is labeled bad or off limits, there are just certain things we don't keep in the house. And yes, when we travel there is a frequent stop at McDonald's or M&Ms and Pringles in the car. While I am not alllowing Cool Ranch Doritos within three feet of my front door because ew, they are not actually going to kill anyone. And we all know that forbidden Fruit Rollups taste the sweetest.

You're Doing It Wrong

Adrienne Martini — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:30:00 GMT

The soothing powers of turning your baby into a non-edible pig-in-a-blanket has got to be one of the best discoveries in all of the annals of human history. It's up there with the wheel and fire and Doritos, in my opinion, and has saved many a baby from being abandoned on a neighbor's doorstep because it won't stop crying. Swaddling rocks.

How hard can it be to wrap a baby in a blanket? It seems easy enough: find blanket, add baby, wrap. The biggest issue seems like it should be making sure the baby's head isn't covered, too.

The parenting experts would like you to know that -- like everything else you've ever done as a parent -- you're probably doing it wrong.

Turns out that overly aggressive swaddles, which include those that use an extra strap to bind the swaddled baby in order to make them more portable, may lead to hip dysplasia. While hip dysplasia is easy to correct, it's also easy to avoid causing it with a good swaddle.

Pediatricians suggest taking a few minutes to learn the proper way to wrap your bundle of joy. And whatever you do, use the mild salsa rather than the extra caliente on your baby burrito.

Strollerderby : Doritos

Is Junk Food a Custody Issue?

You're Doing It Wrong