Proactively Combatting a Picky Eater

Little Joy is now 22 months old and I get asked (quite often in fact) how we "made" her such a good eater.  I would like to share about our experiences in raising a healthy and hearty eater with our FIRST epicutie Little Joy.

Let me begin by saying I am not naive to think we are in the clear of all eating problems with our nearly two year old.  The information that follows is also not based on any scientific study but merely my experiences with the adventure in eating.  And finally, I concede that my little epicutie does posses a certain personality type which, given the right environment, helps her to obey in general which includes the realm of eating.

To start I would like to share what I define as a "good" eater so that we are all on the same page.  A good eater to me is a child/baby that:

• Is willing to try new foods
• Is willing to sample at least of a few bites of every food offered at the table
• Eats enough at meals to generally be satisfied to the next meal (i.e. not consistently asking for a snack 30 minutes later; snacks are fine but should not substitute the meal)
• Eats balanced meals (enjoys eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, dairy and sweets--YES sweets).

A good eater is not meal that a child cannot show preference or dislike some foods.  It would be unrealistic to expect a child to love every food equally.  The beauty of our little ones is the grow into their own little persons which means they will have preferences.  A good eater is also not necessarily a child who clears their plate every meal either.  And lastly, a good eater does not mean every meal is conflict free.

There are several key factors which I feel like contributed to our eating success:

1. Breastfeeding
2. Set Meal Times
3. The Table
4. Homemade Baby Foods/Purees (spice it up)
5. Realistic Expectations
6. Realizing The Inevitable Conflict
7. Variety
8. Limit Sweet Especially at First
9. No Options
10. Personality

Breastfeeding
I have read that when breastfeeding, our little ones get a little bit of flavor variation in the milk.  I breastfed Little Joy until about 13/14 months when we were finally weaned completely to cow's milk in a cup.  I believe this played a role in preparing Little Joy to have a healthy appetite.  If you opted not to breastfed, do not despair this is clearly not the only contributing factor.

Set Meal Times
We believe this begins early.  From the time Little Joy was born she had set times to eat and during those times it was a full meal.  The times fluctuated as needed to compensate for growth spurts and the ability to go longer between feedings but the key is no snacking.  When it was time to nurse, she nursed.  When baby food came into the picture around 6 months, she still ate at set times and these times stayed virtually the same until about 13 months when she used a sippy cup of milk and I did not have to worry about my supply anymore.  She still eats at virtually the same times every day:  8:30ish breakfast, 12:30ish lunch and 5:30-6:00ish dinner.  Occasionally she will have a snack at 10:30 or at 4:15 but thats very rare.  The set times helped her understand THIS is the time to eat and it build confidence up in her that she can always expect the meals at certain times of the day.  She never wonders when the next meal will be.

The Table
It is simple--Little Joy is expected to sit at the table until meal time is over for everyone.  She is not allowed to come back and forth to the table and eat, then go off and play, then eat, the play.  I believe this fosters an environment where eating is not negotiable or a game.  Meal time should be an enjoyable experience for the entire family overall, so we encouraged her to talk and giggle and sing as well enjoyed our meal, but when we are at the table its time to eat.  In fact one of the topics at dinner time is talking about our food; the color, the texture, what food is it, etc.  She is not allowed to come back and forth to the table and graze.  We sit at the table and eat. Period.

Homemade Baby Food/Purees
Clearly making baby food is important hence the existence of this blog.  Through making purees and other baby foods, I feel like Little Joy was able to experience the full pure taste of foods that were made fresh.  If you make baby food you can probably SMELL the difference in your foods and store bought foods.  Also, since homemade foods will never be as smooth as commercial made purees, Little Joy experienced textures in her pallet from the very beginning.  I hear that textures are a huge reason for food rejection for other moms.  And finally, making our foods meant we were able to add spices and make up fun combinations with our foods very early on.  So pure taste, variety of textures and spices I feel all contributed to the foundation for good eating habits.

Realistic Expectations
Expect your little one to simply try each item rather eat a large serving of what maybe your favorite food.  If Little Joy samples two bites of a food I consider it a success.  There are certainly days I do not feel like eating a particular item and so I am sure Little Joy has days like that too.  It IS realistic for our little ones to sample each item but unrealistic to expect them to always love every food every time and lick their plate clean every time.  The only time I will offer little Joy alternative foods is if the entire meal is filled with brand new items.  Even then, I only offer alternatives after everything has been sampled.

Variety
I am only recently learning that offering a variety of foods at each meal encourages good eating.  Offer your little one lots of different foods at each meal, particularly dinner.  Instead of offering one vegetable a protein and a grain--offer 3 different vegetables (mixed veggies!) cottage cheese AND a meat for protein and one grain.  The variety keeps them enticed and interested!!  Be careful of portion sizes when offering variety.  When offering variety there is the temptation to overwhelm your epicutie with large portions---keep the portions the same just offer variety within them!

Limit Sweet, Especially at First
Limit the amount of sweets and desserts you give your little one until you have established good eating habits.  They are SO cute eating sweets, but there will be plenty of time for that later; focus on building a foundation of good eating at first, then you can offer sweets knowing that it is literally icing on the cake.  Sweets and desserts should be the exception not the rule which makes indulging more enjoyable!

No Options
Little Joy does not (at this point) get any choices in her meals or its components.  I do not want to encourage the behavior where any portion of her meal is viewed as optional because as I discussed above, she is expected to sample every item.  We stretch her decision making skills in ways other than mealtime--ways where her choice is not as meaningful because who wouldn't chose grapes over broccoli?  Mealtime itself is not optional either.  It is simple.  When meal time comes, she sits at the table with us for the duration of the meal. 

Personality
A child's personality does have a lot to do with the ease and difficulty in this area.  Little Joy tends to have a "pleaser" and "ruler follower" personality so I believe we have probably had a slightly less bumps along the road.  We have not been without challenges; Little Joy has tested us with food strikes and requesting items not offered at a meal, screaming matches, etc.  Since Little Joy tends to want to please mommy, she is generally amiable to trying new foods and eating at least a couple bites of everything.  Little ones with a limit testing personality or a strong personality may face the challenges earlier or with more protesting, but it is still possible to raise a good eater--I know many strong personality babies who were still raised to eat well!

I would love to hear your stories and feedback!!

Sneaky Spaghetti

Spaghetti can be sneak in so many ways, that is why it has become a staple meal for epicutie Little Joy. I do understand from other moms that tomato sauce can make some sour faces at first since it is acidic, however as we always say on this blog persevere, persevere, persevere. Also, I do not make my own sauces here; part of what I love about sneaky spaghetti is it is fast yet delicious.

I will describe the basic way I make spaghetti, then offer some sneaky additives to make your spaghetti even more nutrient packed!

Ingredients for basic spaghetti:

• Ground Turkey or Beef, optional (ground turkey seems to be packaged in 1.2-1.5 lb packages, so when I make my monthly turkey loaf batch--which calls for only 1 lb ground turkey--I reserve a bit of what I do not need for that recipe to use for this)
• Natural/Organic Spaghetti Sauce (I like the garden vegetable varieties)
• Cooked Whole Wheat Pasta (I recommend ditalini or elbow to make it an easy finger food OR starter food on a fork)
• Olive Oil

Steps for basic spaghetti:

• Boil water and add desired amount of pasta along with a dash of olive oil. Cook according to package directions.
  
• Meanwhile, brown meat and drain fat (if any).
• Add sauce to meat and heat on low simmer for approximately 10 minutes.
• Drain pasta.
• Mix pasta with sauce.
• Serve warm as a finger food or this is a great food to allow your little one to use on a fork.
  

Variations:

• Thinner Sauces/Hide the Meat: Little Joy did not always like meat, so I try to find ways to hide it. After cooking your sauce as mentioned above, place the mixture in a food chopper and puree until the meat is finely cut up. Add a bit of water as you puree it too to make the sauce a little thinner for beginners. Serve as directed above.
• Butternut Squash: After cooking your sauce, place in a food chopper and add roasted butternut squash chunks or puree (here is a link to apple butternut squash bake just omit the apples from the recipe and you have your basic butternut squash). Add however much you want. Puree until sauce reaches your desired consistency; serve as directed above!
• Lentils: Add some extra iron, protein and fiber by sneaking some lentils in your epicutie's spaghetti! After cooking your sauce as mentioned above, toss in some cooked lentils (lentils cooking tips here; I prefer red lentils). Add whatever amount you want and no need to puree because cooked lentils are soft. Serve as directed above.
• Mixed Veggies: When you begin to simmer your sauce add some frozen mixed veggies. Add whatever proportions you think. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until veggies are soft. Serve as directed above.
• Dairy: I am always looking to ways to add a bit of extra dairy to each meal since Little Joy is not a huge drinker. Sprinkle your epictutie's favorite type of cheese atop the spaghetti just before serving' your little one is SURE to love it!
• Spice it up: Spice up your sauces with herbs such as basil, oregano, garlic and parsley.
• Meatballs: Try adding our Meatballs for the Whole Family just before serving. Mash up the meatballs in a size appropriate for you child's age.

Yeild: Depends on the amount of noodles you prepare:

Storage: In the fridge for 3-5 days depending on how fresh your ingredients were. I have not attempted to freeze it yet.

Timing: Depending on the variation you choose maybe 9-10 months. For thinner spaghetti sauces and puree'd meat, 8 months is fine. For the mixed veggie variation, closer to 10 months if your little one does not have many teeth. They need to be able to chew the veggies in there. As always, watch your little one anytime they are trying a new food for allergies and struggles in chewing

Difficulty: 2 out of 5; even if you choose one of the variations, this is an easy meal!

Epicutie Rating: Yummy in the Tummy--see right side of page for descriptions

No matter how you serve Little Joy spaghetti, she is IN LOVE....and makes a mess.

Baby Sign Language, Does It Work? Little Joy's Journey

Let me begin by answering the question posed in this blog title: a resounding YES, YES, YES!!! I must warn you, this post is long however it is broken up into parts so that you can read it in pieces.

Before Little Joy was even born, I knew we wanted to try baby signing with her. I was a deaf education major my first year in college and although I decided to change my major, I still had a passion and appreciation for sign language. I had little knowledge on how to approach teaching sign language to a baby or even what signs to do, but I was determined to do it!!

Many people we told about trying baby sign language made me feel very discouraged about our venture, I almost abandoned it. I even read a few articles that discouraged it. Luckily, my fellow Little Tummy Yummies author was also an advocate, so I did not feel alone and forged ahead! Here were some of the things I heard:

• There are no benefits (or they did not take the time to research possible benefits)
• They simply did not understand the point
• Why not wait until they are verbal?
• It will discourage your baby's verbal development
• You cannot teach a baby to sign
• I have had one person tell me I was silly to try it!?!?!?

I am writing this blog today to share our wonderful experience with sign language; it has been nothing but a true blessing. Using my personal experience with my family of three--soon the be four (I am not doing a scientific study here), below is what I will discuss in this article. I gleaned some of this information from "Teach Your Baby to Sign" by Monica Beyer.

1. Discuss myths about baby sign language
2. Benefits to teaching baby sign languages
3. My personal approach to teach baby sign language

Baby Sign Language:

Myths-BUSTED

I would like to reiterate, this is not scientific, this is just my family's personal experience with baby signing as we taught Little Joy. Some of the myths we busted in our adventure of baby sign language so far are listed below.

• Signing delays speech: FALSE! From the outside looking in, I can see how one may believe this as true. Someone thinks "sign language" = "no speaking"; this is absolutely not the case. Part of teaching sign language is encouraging the spoken word along with the sign. For example, as we taught Little Joy the sign "milk", we always, without exception, said "MILK" as we did the sign. She is hearing AND seeing the word. If signing were taught in luie of speaking, it may delay speech but speech was part of our approach to baby signing. And guess what? Little Joy is one of the most articulate 13 month olds. I know I am partial but you know it is true when child care workers, doctors and parents of older children tell you that. By Little Joy's first birthday she could say: button, out, purple, up, down, dog, duck, Addy, Dada, Me (that is what she calls Mommy), baby, bottle, cheese, bean, pea...and many more.
• Baby's cannot sign/baby's cannot sign before they are verbal: FALSE! I can only say that this is simply not true, Little Joy was signing as young as 7 months, so that busts this myth. Besides, all babies communicate with their hands---reaching for an object they want, pushing something away they do not want, etc. Sign language just gives purpose to the hand motions and is communicated in a way WE understand.
• There are no benefits: FALSE! I have an entire section devoted to the benefits we have experienced, but a huge one is your baby is able to communicate wants/needs without the need to whine/cry. For example, Little Joy points at an object and signs "please" when she wants it vs pointing and crying to get my attention.

Baby Sign Language:

Benefits

There are many, many benefits to teaching baby sign language, but these are just a few we experienced on our journey.

• Promotes early communication: Most children do not begin to say their first words other than the "mamama" and "dadada" babble until at least 12-14 months. Babies who learn sign language are able to communicate on a very basic level early. For us, Little Joy began consistently signing her first sign, finished, at 8 months. She signed "milk" and "finished" without great consistency at about 7 months. After she mastered her first one with consistency, her signing took off and by 12 months old she could pick up a new sign in just a few days. Had we not done sign language, at 12 (almost 13 months) I still do not think she would have an effective way to say she was finished with something. By one year she could sign: milk, more, please, snake, eat, thank you, play, finished, bye, bath, potty, change your diaper, sleep and maybe a few more I cannot remember. With that many signs she can tell us what she needs without the need for fussing which brings us to the next point.
• Communication vs. whining/crying: Clearly if a child can communicate their needs there is less frustration which means less fussing (which means a happy mommy). I will give you one practical example of this: when your little one wants a toy that is out of reach how do they communicate that need to you? Well my answer before Little Joy learned the "please" sign was, she grunted and fussed or even cried to let me know. Now? She points at the object and signs "please" until I get her the desired toy (this does NOT mean she gets anything she wants either). She has even come to find me and pointed to the room signing please, I follow and she goes to the object and signs "please" again :) Remember, fussing and crying is a normal part of any baby, pre-toddler and toddler's day so please understand we still have crying and fussing and tantrums. What I noticed was as she signed more efficiently (or even spoke) the fussing dramatically decreased. Now most of our fussing is tired or teething or diaper changing related, she hates diaper changes.
• Enhances all non-verbal communication: Only recently did I notice that Little Joy has begun to attempt to express her self in other non verbal and non sign language ways. I notice that when she is trying to communicate she uses her hands to point and reach and even makes up her own signs before restoring to crying. Random observation.
• Fun and easy: A huge benefit is teaching sign language to your baby is it's fun, easy and exciting (especially when they sign back!!). Signs are simple for us to learn and thus easy to teach and use throughout our day. In a section below I will discuss my approach, but in a nutshell it is as simple as starting with five signs and signing them at every opportunity and soon enough----your little one will respond, it is that easy!!!!
• Fills the gap: Sign Language fills the gap between a child has the cognitive ability to communicate (the process of thought) but not the physical ability (muscles required to form words).
• CAN promote early speech: Again I cannot back this up with a 500 person double blind study, but I can tell you that Little Joy's speech seems to be slightly more developed than her peers. I am NOT trying to say she is smarter or better or ANYTHING else. I am going by observations and what her doctor and other moms say. I believe Little Joy has spoken earlier because when we sign, it forces us to use the same word every time we sign it. She was able to say dog and hat clear as day at about 9-10 months but I believe it is because every time we signed it we said "dog" not "puppy", "dog", "doggie", etc. interchangeably. This was not on purpose, it was an accident. It is as if you cannot say an interchangeable word with a consistent sign. I hope that makes sense. I have lost count of the number of words Little Joy can say; some are not perfect I will be the first to admit. She can say upwards of a dozen to 15 or more words at barely 13 months. Let me reiterate, I think the early speech is related to the parents using consistent words and finding reasons to USE those words vs some giftedness she has. Consistency and Intent is all I believe it is.

Baby Sign Language:

Personal Teaching Approach

Here is a run down on how I implemented our baby sign language:

1. Selected 5 signs to use. I chose 5 signs that would excite her or would be relevant everyday to her. We started with milk, finished, dog, bath and change your diaper. Milk because she nursed 4 times a day then so we had lots of opportunities to reinforce it. Finished because it was easy to indicate finished by ending an activity or eating or anything. Dog because our precious little toy poodle is her favorite playmate and it excites her to see her anytime! Bath because it was a constant in her routine and fun (I admit we slacked on this one as we are just now really teaching it to her). Change your diaper because well we all know that occurs often!
2. Used the five signs consistently and tried to find a reason to sign them. Every time we had an opportunity to sign the word we did it. That meant every time she drank milk or got a diaper change we did our best to always sign it. We would also find an excuse to sign as well; dog was a great one to randomly reinforce.
3. Started (consistently) at 5 months. You can begin at anytime your baby is considered pre-verbal. We chose to begin at about 5 months because we were beginning solids so opportunities for signs like finished and more abounded. More and eat were not in our original list, but it soon was added! At 5 months, we used signs every chance we had.
4. How do you teach the sign? In my approach there were two ways to sign (remember there was ALWAYS a verbal cue to accompany every sign) 1) by demonstrating it; that is just doing the sign as I say the word. Keep in mind the sign has to be relevant, I should not sign dog for no reason; there should be a dog (picture or real) around so they understand what the sign MEANS. 2) By doing the sign for them. For more complicated signs or just to reinforce, I would take Little Joy's hands and do the sign for her as I said the word. This was particularly helpful with the "abstract" signs such as thank you, please and finished. In the end it is, repetition, repetition, repetition.
5. Results: This will vary so widely, so I wont even comment other than.....it will come. Keep in mind, the earlier you start the longer it might be until you see results. If you start at 11 months vs 5 months, you are likely to see results much faster.
6. Sign Explosion: Once Little Joy mastered a couple of signs she realized she was able communicate and that is when her ability and desire to sign took off. I would say the explosion happened around 10-11 months for her. At about 12 months, it only takes signing something a few times before she starts to pick up on it.
7. Start with concrete then move to the abstract: After the initial five signs are consistent, add several more concrete signs before moving on to abstract. Abstract signs would be please, thank you, yes, etc. Abstract is a bit harder to not only teach but for them to really understand the meaning. Abstract are things they do not experience directly.
8. Keep on Keeping on: Just keep on signing every chance you have and add to the sign vocabulary at the pace your child seems comfortable with.

Fun Story: We were having dinner the other night and my husband was telling me something very important. Little Joy was getting antsy from being in her high chair for an hour at this point and I knew if she drank some milk it would take her mind off getting down, at least until my husband had finished sharing with me. In all signs I said "drink your milk please". She instantly smiled and drank. It was awesome. I do not recommend always replacing your words with signs, but it was appropriate it here :)

Well, that is my journey in signing. I have enjoyed every single moment and cannot wait to sign with our baby #2 due on October!!! Please, please ask questions, make comments...anything. I want to know about your experiences too!

Feeding a Baby While Traveling

As a rule, I hate to give Little Frances store bought baby foods, even when we are traveling. I think its because I like to know exactly what she’s eating and also I think the fact that she eats home made food is a huge part of the reason why she is such a great eater! I have been doing a lot of traveling since she has been born, and right now we are in the middle of a move that will involve temporarily living in a hotel for several weeks before we leave for our final destination. I have learned a few things about traveling with a baby that might help those of you who would like to continue feeding your baby healthy, and when possible home-made food while you are gone! If you can’t, I have a few tips for you too.

General Traveling Tips:

• Wherever you travel, you can usually find a grocery store nearby. There are a lot of foods that you can buy that you can easily prepare without a stove if you don’t have one where you are visiting. You can check out our no cook recipes for some help. Most foods that are easily mashable also make great finger foods when chopped, like banana and avocado.
• Most hotels now have a fridge and some even have a microwave to help with food preparation or storage. There are a lot of vegetables can be cooked in the microwave in a steam-able bag. I have used the Steamfresh Sweet Peas in many recipes and they make a great finger food!

• Whenever possible, I try to bring my small KitchenAid Chopper with me. These are very inexpensive and a great investment for preparing smaller quantities of food, both cooked and uncooked.
• I try to be flexible. (I am the type of person that has to remind myself to be flexible!)
• There are things that I would not normally feed Little Frances that I will give her when we are on vacation. For example: I have given her reduced fat fruit yogurt on a plane or saltine crackers at a restaurant, which I would never give her at home. I try to remember that this is just one meal, and then do my best at the next one.
• I also have to remember that Isla’s routine pretty much goes out the window when we travel! And that is fine. We will have plenty of time to get back on her routine when we get back home.

Short Trips:

• If we are just out for the day, I try to bring baby food that I have made. I store them in old baby food jars, and I thaw them before I leave the house. Its just like packing a lunch! I do this for my husband and I too when we make road trips, so it only makes sense now to do this for Little Frances.
• I also have a little cooler bag that hangs off of the back of my seat, and I will frequently store snacks/purees/expressed milk in.

Weekend/Driving Tips:

• If we are driving, I always take my Chopper as I mentioned before.
• I will always bring along homemade baby food in a cooler, along with some breast milk.
• I try to stick as much to Little Frances’s eating routine as I can. I usually stop close to her usual meal times, although some times I have to be flexible, depending on how fussy she is.

Long Trips, including Airplane Trips:

• The TSA now allows you to carry baby food, formula, and breast milk on a plane without it affecting your total liquid allowance.
• Even breastfeeding mothers feel more comfortable bringing a bottle of expressed milk, rather than nursing, when feeding a baby in tight spaces. I usually nurse Little Frances to sleep, which is not a normal practice at home.
• When traveling with a baby, snacks are a MUST! I personally love to bring Puffs. They are light and easy to carry, and they keep a wriggly, fussy baby very entertained in confined spaces. I normally like to buy HAPPYBABY Organic Puffs.

• My preferred brand baby food when I cannot bring my own is Sprout. I like Sprout for several reasons.
  • Its delicious! I don’t give Little Frances anything I would eat myself, and this is one of the better tasting baby food brands.
  • It comes in re-sealable bags!
    • The re-sealable part is great so you don’t have to throw the entire bag away if your baby doesn’t eat much.
    • These are much lighter weight than the jars that most other organic baby food brands come in, which is a bonus if you are going on a long trip and you need to bring a lot.
    • Best of all, they are easy to reheat - just put them in a hot cup of water; you don’t need a microwave. Almost any restaurant or plane will give you a cup of heated water if you ask for one!

Restaurants Outside of the US

When traveling, restaurants a given! And although most of us have the restaurants close to home that are kid friendly figured out, that is not always the case when you travel, especially when you are traveling outside of the United States. In fact in many countries, children are decidedly NOT welcome/expected at restaurants, but sometimes you just can’t help it. Be prepared for some odd looks!

• If you are traveling overseas, you should be aware that not many restaurants have booster chairs or high chairs for kids. If you will be eating out with your small child, you might consider investing in a portable high chair. They are light weight (as low as 2 lbs) and can be used on almost any table. I learned how important these are the hard way; meals overseas are usually much longer and having to pass a squirmy 9 month old around for two hours is NOT fun! I could do a whole different post on baby gear when traveling, but I am trying to limit this to just food/eating related things.
• As I mentioned, meals are much longer, and food takes much longer to prepare and get to your table. Depending where you are, there are not a lot of fast food restaurants.
• Once again, Puffs to the rescue! These are great way to keep little hands occupied while you are eating. Crackers or bread from the bread work well if you run out of puffs.
• Consider investing in a few high chair toys to put on the table. These toys come with suction cups on the bottom so (fingers crossed) your little one won’t be strong enough to knock them to the ground. Little Frances loves her Melissa and Doug My First Bead Maze.
• Be prepared for the smoking! I don’t know if I just don’t notice it here in the states, but WOW, I felt like I was taking my girl into cancer factory every time we entered a restaurant. I don’t know what you can do about that, its just something to be aware of.

***********UPDATE***********

I forgot to add one more thing. I found that disposable pocket bibsters, like these found here, are a must have when traveling in an airport, and are very handy at other times outside of the house too. Its so nice just be able to throw them away when done and if they aren’t too messy, they are great for wiping off your babies face. They are also very light weight!

If you have any tips or tricks that you have figured out for feeding your child while traveling, please let us know! We love to hear from other Mommy Experts :).

Finger Food Thoughts

Little Joy has started into finger foods quite a bit now so as you (and I) venture into the marvelous world of finger foods, a few thoughts:

• Remember, self feeding is FUN so your baby may baulk at purees after sampling many tasty finger food treats. I would recommend that you offer finger foods as a snack or towards the end of the meal. I *think* most babies should get the majority of the calories from breastmilk/formula and purees up until close to a year sometimes a bit later. Due to their lack of efficiency, they just will not self feed themselves enough calories. I do however offer finger foods before her main meal IF I am not sure she will like the finger food---in other words I need her good and hungry to give it the true test!
• It is messy! I am such a clean person so this is sometimes hard for me!
• Watch them carefully, anything can choke them up!
• Experiment with lots of different foods as finger foods. As you make purees consider saving some aside for a finger food. For example, take the Butternut Squash post we have and cut some dices of squash before pureeing.
• Store small amounts of finger foods in small zip lock bags and the freeze them. Then, when you need some you can grab, heat (if applicable) and go!!!
• Sometimes they will just get tired of self feeding because it can be tedious and frustrating for them. Do not be alarmed if your Little One seems to digress a bit; I think they all get lazy about finger foods at some point.
• Here is a FABULOUS resource on finger foods; click HERE!

Some of our finger food favorites so far:

• Cherrios
• Shredded and/or diced soft cheeses (Monterey Jack, cheddar, mozzarella)
• Grapes (washed, peeled, and cut into 1/4 or 1/2)
• Steamed baby carrots
• Diced baked butternut squash
• Sweet Potato "Fries"
• Spaghetti
• Gerber Puffs
• Gerber Wagon Wheels
• Graham Crackers

I cannot wait to try some new things soon!!! This is such an exciting time because finger foods means independence and nothing makes me more proud than watching Little Joy gain her independence!!

Breastfeeding: Why Pump?

As we continue our series of articles on Breastfeeding, here we will discuss pumping. See the blog label “Breastfeeding” for other articles related to breastfeeding (Breastfeeding 101: Getting Started, Why pump?, and coming soon----Breastfeeding Older Babies, and Common Obstacles/Troubleshooting).

I will be honest, pumping is awkward and inconvenient at first and even a bit embarrassing. I felt like Ole Bessy the Cow plugged up to a milk machine!! Just allow you and your husband to get a good laugh at the entire situation and you will be a pro in no time. I never had a hands-free attachment for my pump, but I found ways to have both hands free. Do not dismay, you will learn to do nearly anything while pumping. Pumping only takes about 15 minutes (if you double electric pump it) per session, so in the big scheme of things it is not much of a time commitment.
Why Pump?

• Getting Your Milk In-Pumping as soon are home from the hospital will help your milk come in sooner, in some cases. Initially, I would pump for 10-15 min right after I finished nursing Little Joy. I would let her lie in a Boppy Pillow next to me and play with her as I pumped (as a side note, I still use the boppy nursing pillow every time I nurse Little Joy, even at 8 months). As she got older I had to get creative about how to interact with her / entertain her as a pumped.
• Establishing Milk Supply-Pumping consistently early on will help provide a plentiful and steady milk supply early. Pumping after feedings sends a signal to your body to make more milk since you are pumping after feeding. Since Little Joy was a Babywise baby since she was born, I was able to anticipate when she would likely nurse next so I was never worried that I would not have milk when it was the next feeding time.
• Storage-Pumping regularly allows you to store milk away for bottles. I use the Lansinoh Storage Bags and LOVE them, be careful because they can get holes in them. We learned the hard way to a)freeze in 2 and 3 oz increments to prevent overfilling and allow for ANY size bottle to be made and b) freeze them laying FLAT. Storage is great for:

1. Dream feeding your baby
2. Allowing others to feed your baby (which means a very deserved and needed break for mommy)
3. Thinning baby food in the future
4. Providing you peace of mind that your baby will have mommy’s milk for a while after (and if) your milk supply runs out or you decide to stop nursing
   

Features to Consider when Buying a Pumps

• Electric vs Manual-Electric is nice because you can multi-task while you pump AND it better mimics your baby’s sucking. Most resources recommend a manual pump if you will only pump occasionally. I originally I thought I would only pump occasionally but once I realized I could store and increase my supply, I knew I would pump a lot!
• Dual vs Single-Dual is a great feature because you can get twice the milk/stimulation in half the time. Some woman prefer to only pump on one side at a time because they only feed on one side each nursing period. I have always nursed and pumped on both sides every nursing period/pumping session.
• Portability-Depending on your life style you may want the option to pump in the car using batteries or a car adaptor. My pump (the Avent duo) did not come with either (you can buy the car adaptor separate) and for the next baby (assuming we are blessed with a baby #2 one day) I will purchase the car adaptor.
  

Pump Review
(Please submit your reviews on pumps by sending an email to kelly.g.grant@gmail.com)

Medela Pump In Style

• Price: Relatively Expensive ($279 on amazon) but it does come with a bag, ice packs and a few bottles
• Ease of Use: VERY easy to use
• Replacement Parts: These are EASY to find at any store that sells baby products and the parts are fairly inexpensive.
• Vacuum: You can change the amount of sucking easily however there is not much “tweaking” you can do to the amount of the sucking. This makes it difficult to mimic your baby’s sucking (which is the goal).
• Overall: When I used this pump, the amount of milk I got was much less than with the Avent Isis Duo. I loved that the parts were easy to find and very easy to clean. I borrowed the motor and then purchased all the replacement parts so I do not know all the in's and outs of the product when purchased NEW.
  

Avent Isis IQ Duo (I recommend this pump!)

• Price: Relatively Expensive ($249 on amazon), however it comes with 4 bottles, ice packs and lots of other bells and whistles
• Ease of Use: Slightly complicated, but after several uses it is easy to use
• Replacement Parts: They are more difficult to find and so far I think they can only be purchased online. The parts are a little more expensive compared to replacement parts of other pumps. There is one part that you have to call Phillips to order, I haven’t been able to find it anywhere.
• Vacuum: LOVE this feature! You actually manually decide the sucking strength to best match your baby’s sucking with a handle. After 2-3 squeezes—it remembers it! This also means you can set the sucking strength until let down and then change it or change it whenever you want!
• Overall: I highly recommend this pump but warn buyers that there are more parts to it than most pumps, but the extra parts are what makes it worth it. I get a lot more milk in a lot shorter time with this pump. Also, I can use this pump manually if I so desire. One drawback, is this pump is cannot convert to batter operated, but there is a car power cord available (purchased separately). It is worth the money!

Discalimer: As I said in previous breastfeeding articles, if you did not or do not breastfeed---that is perfectly fine! We must all make decisions that best suit our families. These articles are intended to serve as a reference for those who want to breastfeed OR are trying to breastfeed as long as possible! Remember to always do what is best for your unique family!!!

Breastfeeding 101: Getting Started

Here we begin a series of articles concerning breast feeding; the series includes Breastfeeding 101 (Getting Started), Why pump?, Breastfeeding Older Babies, and Common Obstacles/Troubleshooting.

A big part of our (both the authors) feeding approach is breastfeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) strongly recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. It is optimal for both babies and mothers. For babies it can protect against infections and reduce the rates of later health problems including diabetes, obesity, and asthma. Breast milk has the perfect combination of proteins, fats, vitamins, and carbohydrates. For more information on the advantages of breastfeeding for both mother and baby please see the American Pregnancy Association site.

Before I continue, let me say if you did not or do not breastfeed---that is perfectly fine! We must all make decisions that best suit our families. This post is intended to serve as a reference for those who want to breastfeed OR are trying to breastfeed as long as possible! For us, breastfeeding has been the best choice for our two families.

Getting Started (pre-baby and the first 10 days):

• Commitment vs. Decision-Breastfeeding is a commitment by both mom and dad not merely a decision that should be made on a whim. A commitment is something we will strive to stick with through the peaks and inevitable valleys; much like our marriages (it is not a direct analogy to marriage, a commitment to marriage is MUCH more important). Making the commitment does not mean you forsake your sanity to breastfeed, it means you do not allow one set back deter you---you give it your all. KNOW that it is a commitment and KNOW there will be both tough and easy times.
• Set goals and expectations-Set an initial goal for how long you would like to breastfeed. I would recommend everyone try it for at least 2 months. After 2 months, mommy and baby are much more comfortable with the experience (not to mention, baby’s sleep has stabilized, everyone is more rested and mommy has healed significantly). I committed to 2 months initially and then each month after that I evaluate and must recommit myself each month. I could NOT commit to a year up front, it seemed too big and too scary! But, YOU and your husband decide. Your decision may be different than mine. And remember have realistic expectations: your body simply may not make much milk or you may physically not be able to breastfeed. All you can do is TRY your best and the rest is up to our heavenly father!
• Be patient-Be patient with your milk coming in; it takes everyone a different amount of time. Do not be afraid to supplement with formula AFTER nursing; its OK. It can take a week for some moms to get their supply up to the level it needs to be. Just wait and try not to give up too quickly. Pray for patience and pray for God to bless your supply.
• Pumping-Although we have a separate article on pumping (Breastfeeding: Why Pump?) here are a few things to remember. Start pumping right when you get home from the hospital. Pump after every feeding. Do not dismay, you may not get much at first, but soon you will. This will help your milk come in faster. After your milk comes in, you may decide not to pump as much, but I pump A TON so that I can have a GREAT storage in case something DOES happen to my supply (that was part of the commitment I made up front). Pumping can also help increase your supply as well as give you a liquid to thin your baby foods with in the future :)
• Keeping baby awake to ensure a full feeding-I struggled tremendously with this for the first 3-4 months. Little Joy would ALWAYS nap before every feeding (she is a babywise baby) but yet would still fall asleep during feedings. It is essential babies learn to take a FULL FEEDING otherwise, you may have a snacker on your hands and you will be feeding them every hour or two even when they are older (whew, that must be exhausting). Here are some tips to keep baby awake (I rotated through these since using any one tactic too much rendered it ineffective): cool wash cloth, stroking feet, talking to them, saying their name, switching sides, rousing more rigorously before eating, remove clothing, skin to skin, clicking your tongue and moving the arm on top up and down/side to side.
• How Often to Feed-This is tricky. For the first 10-14 days, I would not worry about the clock. Feed when the baby seems hungry however DO NOT BE SCARED TO WAKE UP YOUR BABY TO FEED THEM. I woke up Little Joy every 3 hours during the day/evening to feed her, but if she needed food sooner--she would get it. Waking to feed her was important because 1) it helped establish a stable milk supply for me, 2) she quickly understood the difference between day and night and 3) she was able to get what she needed during the day NOT in the middle of night (she slept from 10 PM until 5-6 am at 3 weeks old). Every baby is different and every 3 hours was perfect for Little Joy; most babies need to eat close to every 2.5 hours at first.
• Encouragement-This was vital for me. My husband and friends (especially the other author) have encouraged me throughout this journey. I would not be nursing at 8.5 months and one week had it not been for them. This also means, encourage others!
• Ignore criticism-If people discourage you from doing this or tell you to give up when you express any challenges just remember---you made whatever decision you made because it was best for your family's unique situation. Also, just because a baby is on formula does not mean things are easy; there are challenges no matter what feeding approach you use!

Thinning Your Baby Food

Thinning your baby food (particularly purees) is a very important step in the baby food making process because:

• It gives you the opportunity to add additional nutrients by adding breast milk (or formula)
• It helps the foods be easier to digest due to the extra liquids in it

Here are a few tips that may be help as you thin your foods:

• Water can be used to thin, however avoid using water that ROOT foods were boiled in (i.e. carrots). There could be traces of nitrates in them. See this article for more information on nitrates: Myths and Facts About Nitrates and Homemade Baby Food
• I prefer to use breast milk when I thin foods since its filled with all sorts of good nutrients. The only down side is this requires you to pump and some women do not yield much when pumping. Formula may be used as well.
• I have learned over time, it is easier to thin during the reheating process versus the cooking/freezing process. I thin the foods enough to make it fairly easy to place in the ice cube trays and that is all. When reheating, it is easy to get the foods too hot. I use refrigerated breast milk to thin and cool foods at the time I serve---it has been working great.
  

No Steamer, No Problem

Steaming is an excellent way to cook your food items, especially veggies, before you puree them!

Here are some of the benefits of steaming:

• It avoids the loss of nutrients through leaching since the food is not submerged into liquid.
• Cools relatively quickly.
• Works really well on delicate foods, like seafood (yes we will be adding some baby seafoods in the future!).

A lot of people think that you need special equipment to steam and/or find the idea of steaming daunting. I absolutely used to, but it is very easy. I don't own a steamer or even a special steam basket, but I have started steaming anything that will eventually be pureed.

Most people have the following items in their kitchen:

1. Metal collander
2. A stock pot with a lid, even a deep sauce pan can work.

That's it! That's all you need to be able to steam your food.

Step 1: Fill the stock pot with a couple of inches of water.

Step 2: Bring the water to a boil.

Step 3: Place the colander with your food item into the stock pot.

Step 4: Put the lid on the stock pot.

Step 5: Steam for as long you need to until the food is cooked! The time will depend on the food.

Its pretty simple. I hope that you get the idea from the pictures. I would have liked to have offered a better Bird's Eye View, but I am pretty short and was even standing on my tiptoes to get these!