Jan/Feb/Mrch 2012 Momies to Be

Hi there ladies!

Sooo jealous of all of you who gets to meet! NOT FAIR! But this weekend I have a get-together with people who attended pre-natal classes with me before my LG was born.

When I read your mails I realize that I must go on my knees and say thank more than I tend too. My LG (15 months) took herself of the bottle a month ago. She goes to bed without one and also sleeps in die afternoon without one. She eats three meals a day and a yoghurt/snack in between. She eats porridge (any, but does not like pronutro) in the mornings, veg and carbs and meat in the midday (both breakfast and lunch at creche) and then a decent dinner. The dinner consists mainly out of two veg, a carb and a meat. She also gets a yoghurt after dinner as we need to give her meds with the yoghurt. She also drinks from anything you give her. She messes a lot with cups, but does fine with oros bottles or sippy cups. But my best friend said that I have to tell you that her LG only started to drink from a sippy cup at 25 months. So no need to worry. Children differ from one another.

So Chloé has nine teeth now. Four on top, three on the bottom and two molars in the upper jaw (one each side). No fevers, nothing! I seriously hope this LO is going to be just as easy.

AFM - Going to the gynae on the 11th. Will be 19 weeks then. Will hopefully find out the sex then, but my placenta lies in front of the baby, making it difficult to see. Maybe they must do the ultrasound through my back?

Started feeling movement - at last! Was sooo worried about that, but it is all due to the damn placenta.

We can watch the rugby tomorrow at work on a big screen. Don't know if I will, as I have loads to finish before the weekend!

Have a nice evening ladies!

Carlene - the feeding chair thing is a problem. We have become lazy by not using it as well and she cries that she wants to sit on the chair or dad's lap. But we all know its a way of escaping!

Don't worry - we do our best and they will turn out just fine!

Mummoo, I’m smiling while I read your post. You see, I think the problem I’m having is that at my Mom’s house, she still sits in her feeding chair. So she can’t go anywhere. But we don’t have a feeding chair at our house. So she can walk around and then forgets about her food. She will sometimes eat her food with a fork. Mostly stuff like cheese or Vienna’s. But if it is spaghetti bolognaise we will feed her. After reading the last part of your post, I don’t feel so bad any more, because my daughter do eat bananas and apples sometimes. The dipping in a sauce part, I’m not to sure of, because she will dip it in Tomato sauce and then refuses to eat it. We do eat a fair amount of veggies a week, because I try to eat healthy. She will see the veggies and will say: “carrots MMMmmm” and then I will ask her if she wants some, she will just say:” Emma can’t” But I will keep on trying. We are renting a place at the moment with a very small kitchen. But will be moving to our house in Desember. Then I will let her help me to make the food and maybe she will eat it then.

My LO is eating Cheereo’s for breakfast. She doesn’t like the other cereals. I think maybe because she saw DH eating it. Otherwise she will have some yogurt.

But like you said, she will not starve from hunger and she will come and ask me for something if she does get hungry. My mom does give her some nuts and cranberries as a snack sometimes, and I guess that is also healthy. And we don’t give her a lot of sweets. She just asked me to bake cupcakes and I did last night that is why she asked for it. And we will only give her something like that after she had her supper and never before. So I guess I’m not such a bad mom. I know my friend struggled with her LB. He is in a school, but he refuses to eat there and the in the afternoon he will drink 6-8 bottles of milk. And he is two months younger than my daughter. I guess we all have issues with our children.

Carlene1vn - Does she eat with a fork/ spoon? My LG also doesn't like sticky fingers either but does some exploring sometimes. She eats with her own fork but most times I feed her cos after 2/3 spoons she becomes disinterested in food and looks for excuses not to eat. I have to distract her with a story and then feed her.

Also, when I raised my concerns with my paediatrician she said to me that I shouldn't be worried. Keep giving her good nutritious meals and if she doesn't want, then leave it but don't substitute for the bad stuff. No child dies of starvation - so if she is hungry she will come to you for food. I give my little on Paediasure (as a form of milk) which is where she gets all her vitamins and nutrients from if she is not getting it from her food.

Out of interest what cereal does your little one eat? I'm looking to change as she does not look forward to eating her porridge and wants my Special K in the morning!

I came across this article today - hopefully some tips you can use.

Menu Tips for Toddlers Who Hate Vegetables

Is your little one a classic vegetable-hater? Then try these easy—and crafty—ways to slip a few more nutrient-rich you-know-whats into her diet. And remember to consistently offer vegetables every day, even if she doesn't eat them. You'll be surprised sometime when she decides to take a bite!

1. Be a good role model. Does your child see you eating vegetables regularly? She certainly won't find it necessary to try that broccoli and cauliflower if you aren't eating them. Your role in proper feeding is not only to offer the appropriate foods but to set a good example, too.

2. Vary types and textures. Serve those veggies any way you can—canned, fresh, or frozen. Each type has a different taste and texture, so while one child will eat only canned green beans, another child will prefer fresh steamed ones. Nutritionally, they are all fairly equal, with the exception of canned vegetables having a lot of salt. Just rinse them if you're concerned about that. But remember the focus is on eating the vegetables, not worrying about salt. If your son loves the texture of mashed potatoes, see if he'll eat other vegetables that have been mashed or pureed.

3. Add toppers and dips.If having a cheese or butter sauce or tomato ketchup makes all the difference between eating vegetables or not, then let your child sauce and dip away! Sometimes just drizzling melted cheese on broccoli or cauliflower will make that vegetable acceptable. Offer a baked potato and encourage your child to put a few tablespoons of vegetables on it before topping it with cheese sauce or sour cream. Kids love to dip their food, so encourage eating raw vegetables, like colorful pepper strips, with a favorite dressing. Use caution with children under 2, as raw vegetables can be a choking hazard.

4. Pile it on pizza. Try any vegetable that will work on this all-time child favourite food. Add chopped tomatoes to the pizza sauce. Sprinkle on shredded courgette, canned or fresh mushrooms, chopped onion, or red or green pepper rings. Some children will even enjoy broccoli "trees" on their pizza. If your child really loves cheese, make sure you add plenty of it along with these extra vegetables.
5. Whip up an omelette. Sauté some spinach, mushrooms, pepper, and onion and add them to the omelette before folding. Don't forget to throw in lots of child-friendly cheese.

6. Mix up some coleslaw. Maybe your toddler would welcome the crunch and color of coleslaw. Make your own with prepackaged mix (or get out the grater and a head of cabbage) and add some low-fat dressing. Boost the color and nutrients in the coleslaw by adding a few more shredded carrots. Try serving broccoli coleslaw, too. If she already likes regular coleslaw, she may really enjoy this "bright green crunchy coleslaw." It's a great way to get more nutrient-rich broccoli in her diet.

7. Slather on spaghetti sauce. Spaghetti sauce and all canned tomato products count as vegetable servings. So have spaghetti often, if tomatoes are one of the only vegetables he'll eat. You could shred some courgette or carrot into the spaghetti sauce, but be careful with this concept—it often backfires. Keep the salt and spice levels low. Whenever you serve breadsticks, set out a bowl of spaghetti sauce. He'll love dipping the breadsticks in this vitamin- and mineral-rich sauce!

8. Doctor the soups. A child who refuses a plain serving of carrots or corn may eat vegetable soup. If that's the case, then add a few extra canned or frozen vegetables to the soup when heating.

9. Go liquid. Tomato juice and vegetable juice count as vegetable servings. And they're both packed with valuable vitamins and minerals.

10. Serve more fruit. If nothing works in the vegetable category, don't give up! Just serve more fruits. Fruits have many of the same crucial nutrients that vegetables do, like vitamins A and C and fibre. Doubling up on fruits will ensure your toddler gets most of the necessary nutrients for healthy growth.

Mummoo, thnx, but I tried giving her the mix veggies, but she will just say she cannot eat that. She is not very big on pasta as well. See, the thing is, she is touch sensitive, although it is a lot better now, she still doesn’t like it to eat with her hands or to get it dirty. She will eat Spaghetti bolognaise and I do “hide” the veggies in there, but she will eat it one day and then another day it is again, “I can’t”. I do not believe in force feeding my child, but I do tell her that if she doesn’t eat food, she cannot get sweets. I think maybe it is because she is touch sensitive that she doesn’t like the texture of some food and that is why she doesn’t like it. But, she is a healthy little girl, and does not get sick very often, so I guess there is no need for me to complain. And she really used to love her veggies when she was still a baby. It seems like this 2year stage is not a very good one for us.

Hi Carlene - my daughter is the same, though I try to get her to eat her food first before any "surprise" i.e. sweet thing. She has never been a big eater since when she was born so getting her off milk bottles etc was easy for me as she didn't really drink that much. I exposed her to veggies from a young age so she actually likes them. What I do is - make pasta and then I will throw in a few peas or corn and its like a game to her to pick them out and eat them. We also say the colours when she does this. So try mixing veggies with other things that she likes. I also give her pizza and then she eats the mushrooms and avo and marrow on there. She loves Simplya Asia noodles and eats the pieces of broccoli and cauliflower in between as well.

Its one of those things you just try and see what she takes to. My LG hates butternut so i don't even try to give her that. When we go to Nandos we will order her a mielie (which she loves!).

I also tell her "good girls eat their food to grow big and strong" and make a big deal every time she takes a bite and spoon so she knows she is doing a good thing by eating. Once that is done I tell her "because you were a good girl, you can now have a ice cream or sweet or whatever she likes".

Its hard not having an eater but i suppose as long as they are healthy we are doing a great job

Good luck!

Finally I got my ticker to work. Jiiiiiiippppeeeee