Happy Meals

Offering solids to your baby and meal time for your toddler is one of the most exciting and also challenging time of motherhood. Fun to see their reactions when they try something the first time and annoying when they refuse something for the first time. I may had just been lucky that Isla so far is a good eater (don’t get me wrong, she dislikes a lot of things including fruits and some vegetables, not a big fan of pasta either) but I think that encouraging them to try flavors and food that you normally eat can make a difference in their eating habit. Here are some ways that I am currently trying and tried that worked for us so far and also writing a few things to keep in mind as you introduce your little one to solids.

1.       Make some and buy some

I wish I have more time to do this more often but I do enjoy making my little ones’ own food. Yes, very idealistic, most won’t have time but whenever you do, try it and if you can't, do buy. Jarred or packet baby food will cost you over $10 for a pack of 10 and if you’re in the stage where you're feeding your baby about 1-2 jars a day, that $10 of yours won’t last you that long. Buying fresh fruit or vegetable and throwing it in the blender, freezing it in an ice tray will cost a fraction! No need for expensive steamers or baby food blenders, regular blender will do just fine! I don’t always have the time so I mix and match home-made and store bought ones based on convenience.

2.       Do not be afraid to spice them up

If you do decide to make your own baby food, do not be afraid to play around with your own recipes. For a 4month old, start with just one vegetable/fruit at a time since not all can be processed by their baby stomachs and this way it’s easier for you to determine what food causes reactions. Give the same food for 3-4days before letting them try a new one. After their 6^th or 7^th month, you can start mixing veggies and fruits and I would even recommend adding spices in it! With Isla we gave curried squash, carrots with basil and oregano, ginger and cauliflower mixed with carrots (now she won't eat her scrambled eggs unless it's herbed or spiced). Since your palette is more advanced you pretty much can tell what would be a good combination. Introduce spices like paprika and herbs like thyme and basil or even sage! Some moms will stir away from salt and I do agree with that and I did until both my babies were about 7months when I started giving them a taste of any food on my plate that is safe for them to swallow.

3.       Research or Check

Before you get too excited in making them try all, do make sure you read on what food are safe for your baby’s age to try. Some fruits or veggies are more advisable to give at latter months of your baby. What I did introduce a little early were peanuts and eggs, both of my kids were introduced with peanut butter and egg at 6months. Very small amount and it doesn’t necessarily save them from getting an allergy from it but more are saying that introducing them early can lower that risk. So far so good for us, no allergic reactions on both!

4.       Offer what you have and what you normally eat

At 10months, I felt that Isla was ready to eat more. She had a few choppers to chew, she has also learned to spit out food if she bit too big. At this point, there isn’t anything I hadn’t let her try. If it was on my plate, I gave it (including spicy ones). Also at this age, they’re safe to have food that has milk in it so I was less mindful of that. From this point on I stopped preparing food for Isla and gave her what we have. Since we are rice eaters (Pinoy all the way), we gave rice and whatever we have that came with it. When we go out in restaurants, we offered her what Jeb and I ordered. If it’s taco, she will have a taco, if it’s pasta she will have that too, at 17months she’s had maki rolls (only cooked ones of course). What I noticed is that this encouraged Isla try food and now that she’s a toddler, she makes her decision if she likes the food or not.

5.       Encourage self-feeding

Many result to spoon feeding for many reasons and I do that too, I also spoon feed at times but I also do encourage self-feeding. At this time with my 7month old Quino, we offer little pieces of soft food or baby snacks for him to pick and feed himself; I also hand him pancakes, bread and even pasta to hold in his hand and eat for himself. I do spoon feed him for certain foods like rice and soup or purees. At 9months when Isla had her firm grip, I gave her a spoon and welcomed the mess at home to let her feed herself with a spoon. Now at 18months (by 12months she was an expert on spoon and self-feeding), she basically feeds herself and only require very little help from us in eating. I am able to enjoy my meal as well as focus on feeding Quino too!

6.       Do not force your baby/toddler to eat

This is probably the most important advice of all, sometimes, even I forget to do this. It’s hard especially during the toddler times when they would rather play than eat but do try your best to work your way around it (maybe they're not hungry or they just don't like the food you offered). The best way to go at this is by being cautious of your baby’s feedings. Make sure to time their bottle feedings vs meals so that they’re not full. For the first year, formula is more important and complete so offer more of that and make meals just an opportunity for them to try and learn to sit with you on the table. If they seem full or not interested in the meal, do not force it and adjust the rest of the day to make sure that their next meal time will be a better shot. Forcing them to eat when they’re not ready will make eating more like a chore instead of it being a natural part of the day.