I have been giving my 2 boys clif bars for snacks. They are 4 and 2, and I was wondering if there was any reason I shouldn’t let them have a Clif bar. They usually share 1 bar. Apricot is their favorite!
As long as they aren’t taking in too many solids, they should be able to wear you out with their energy levels from eating Clif Bars. Make sure they are adequately hydrated. If it’s really hot, maybe 1/4 of an Endurolyte mixed in to their water every 30 minutes. If they have stomach issues, I highly recommend a Perpetuem Paste flavored with a little Orange Hammergel. Don’t need the Endurolytes with this setup unless it is REALLY hot. Of course, plain water is all that is needed to go along with the Perpetuem Paste. They should be able to go all day without cramping using this too. Good luck.
My daughter started nibbiling on Cliff bars when she was around 2. She wanted to eat more and more (up to almost a whole bar). I e-mailed Cliff Bar and asked if it was OK. I got a nice reply from a nurtitionalist at Cliff Bar who said that the iron content in the bars was too high for such a young child, and that we should not be letting her eat them until she was at least 6. We quickly weaned her off of them and later tried the Cliff Z-bar, which is intended for kids. She didn’t like them nearly as much, however. The Z-bars are also hard to find.
YIKES! If the iron content is too high for a toddler in a Clif bar, if you are male, I’d be concerned the iron content may be too high in it for you, too. Interesting…
My kids have been eating powerbar harvest and clif bars since they were 3+. They love them. Maybe that’s why my 7 year old is over 4’ tall and 95 pounds. Hmmm . . . .
My kids have been eating powerbar harvest and clif bars since they were 3+. They love them. Maybe that’s why my 7 year old is over 4’ tall and 95 pounds. Hmmm . . . .
I hope you’re kidding because that weight at that age and height is unhealthy and very hard on that child’s heart.
yea but maybe he is 6 foot! :0
yea but maybe he is 6 foot! :0
Well… then that’s another health problem! 
Titan…
Do you also provide training schedules for toddlers, because you certainly have their “play day” nutrition wired. I remember when I was three I cramped in the swing transition zone and little Sally Duff took me out!! Absolutely ruined my year.
Great post!!!
Brian
Going Postal wrote: Do you also provide training schedules for toddlers, because you certainly have their “play day” nutrition wired. I remember when I was three I cramped in the swing transition zone…
Oh, sure. I may be the first, and only, triathlon coach for toddlers. I hope you got some good therapy to get you over the swing cramp thing. It is bad first experiences like this that can ruin an otherwise gifted triathlete’s career. And it’s a shame, because with the right nutritive intake, and a well timed recovery nap, this kind of horror would never have taken place. My condolences to you on this bad start…I hope you’ve learned to deal with it by now. As for those with small children, please let Brian’s formative experience be a somber warning as to the dangers of inadequate coaching on a young athlete’s psyche.
his doctor seems to think he is perfectly healthy . . . way on top of the growth curve, but perfectly fine. He’s tall, active, very healthy, and happy!
The fact that his Mom is 5’9" and Dad is 6’3" and 200 pounds could have something to do with his size! 
his doctor seems to think he is perfectly healthy . . . way on top of the growth curve, but perfectly fine. He’s tall, active, very healthy, and happy!
The fact that his Mom is 5’9" and Dad is 6’3" and 200 pounds could have something to do with his size!
Hmmm… when the average 7-year old is around 4 feet tall and weighs 40-something pounds I can’t see how he’s not concerned… based on the standard 2000 CDC growth charts developed by the National Center for Health Statistics, his height is in the 90th percentile but weight is completely off the charts. For reference, 65 pounds would have him at the 95th percentile. Accordingly his BMI is also dangerously high. My sister has a tall, active, very healthy, and happy 8-year old son who is 4’6" tall (over 95th percentile) and 80 pounds (over 95th percentile) and their doctor has cautioned them about his weight and BMI. It might not hurt to get a second opinion.
I have been told the same thing as dbh1…
In fact my son at 3.5 ate a hole Baker Breakfast Cookie that were being given out at a triathlon registration. He cried the whole night about cramps in his stomach. I left early for the race the next morning… after a pleasant 4 hour sleep. My wife and the kids drove separate and my son threw up all over the car on the way to the race.
May have been a coincidence… but my opinion is that it is to much iron and other things that make products like this hard to digest for youngsters. There are to many good alternatives for kids anyway.
This is what happens when people diagnose over the internet without all the facts. I actually had to make my son stand against the wall and on a scale just to prove this to myself . . . I’m such a bad parent.
Fact 1: He is actually 4’-9" tall, above 97th percentile for his age
Fact 2: He weighs 91 pounds, again above 97th percentile, but matches his height
Fact 3: His BMI is slightly under 20, which is normal
Fact 4: He looks like any healthy, happy, 9 year old kid - he just happens to only be 7.
Also, let me clarify what I mean when I say my kids eat powerbars all the time. We tend to take them on trips a lot because they are a lot better than 7-11 fare. So instead of giving my kids a candy bar, I’ll usually hand them a harvest powerbar. They like them, and I’d rather see them eating this than a snickers bar. Nutritionally, it probably isn’t much different, but they like them and I always seem to have a stash of them in the glove box of the car.
I have a daughter that will turn 3 next month. 42 inches tall, 42 lbs. I think she is going to put the shot in track when she’s in college…even thought about re-naming her Helga or some similar Eastern-European name. She really doesn’t “appear” overweight, just very solid and strong. She often jumps on a mini-trampoline on ONE leg, while going in circles. Hopefully, she’ll continue to amaze me with her athleticism as she grows. In the meantime, she already writes the entire alphabet, and has been able to recite the alphabet by the sound of each letter for over a year. And you’d better be paying attention if she asks you “what’s next”, because she does it just for the opportunity to correct you if you get it wrong. At least she can’t do the Rubic’s Cube puzzle, yet.
I can’t bring myself to tease you about kids, sorry.