Mealtime ups and downs we Moms go through
When we first start breastfeeding our newborn baby, most of us go through times when we :
– wonder whether our breastmilk is sufficient and whether we should also give some formula milk
– are so sleep deprived from the frequent night time feedings
– bear the pain of engorgements, even infections like mastitis
When we start introducing solids, most moms then :
– wonder how often we should feed the baby
– wonder if the baby’s food needs to be all organic
– run out of ideas of what other food menu we can give
– bear the change of smell and texture from baby’s poop!
As the baby enters toddlerhood, most moms :
– face regular mealtime mess
– struggle through mealtime rejection phases
– wonder when salt, spices and sauces can be introduced
– are torn between choosing to let the child self-feed himself (read: mealtime mess) or continue to spoonfeed the baby
…
The actual list goes on and on and is different from one mom to another. Mealtime situations are even different from one child to another within the same family. One may perhaps be a consistently easy eater (lucky Mom!).
One thing for sure though, all moms go through some sort of mealtime ups and downs, and if you feel you’re one of them and are facing tough phases too with your kids, I’d just like to say : you’re not alone.
…
I’m hoping parents who read this blog can start sharing their personal experiences with the kids too, so everyone can learn from each other’s sharing.
All you need to do :
1) Click on the ‘Comment’ link (right under the Title of the blog entry)
2) Share a little something
3) Click ‘RSS feed for comments on this post’, so that you can receive other people’s sharings via email
It’s that easy!
For a start, I’d like to invite readers near and far to share your mealtime experiences with your little kids.
Has your chid always been a good eater? Or a fussy one? Has she ever rejected her meals ? How did you deal with the situation ? Do you have any particular mealtime worries ?
Don’t forget to leave your name, your kid’s age, and perhaps where you’re in the world right now *smile*
Hope this discussion and sharing can be a start to something useful for all parents out there!
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Btw everyone, you may want to check out these sites for yummy recipe ideas for kids :
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/
http://babyparenting.about.com/cs/recipes/f/babyfood.htm
Thanks for the comment Big Bright Head! 🙂
THANKS EVERYONE for sharing!
It’s great to know how we all face different situations with our kids so far.
And oh btw, a fussy eater today may turn out to be a VERY good eater later, I think.
So especially for SISKA whose girl only wants to a proper meal only about once every three days (!), you still have hope … Hang in there!
Keep the writing coming ya … And do feel free to comment on each other’s sharing. I’d really love to see how we all benefit from each other’s sharing! 🙂
Hi Leonny,
Kimberly was always a great eater till she turned 1. After that, she had a phase where after 20 minutes eating, she would start to keep food in her mouth and then spit it out when it got too full. Sigh that was a very challenging period! I tried changing the menu, the consistency of her food, cos I thought maybe her molars were coming out. it worked for a while.
Lately a new pattern has emerged in the sense that sometimes she will insist on drinking a whole bowl of soup before starting on her porridge. And I always worry that she will get full only on soup rather than the actual nutritional
stuff, read – fish/meat and veggies. I tend to get very stressed about unfinished foods, probably because I’m the product of an upbringing where I was taught that I must finish every morsel on my plate!!
She’s also eager to self feed, so I give her pieces of food to feed herself either on her spoon or she picks it up in her hand and that way I think it makes me feel better if she eats the vegs and meat, but leaves the carbo behind. It is an extremely messy affair though!! =)
She eats most everything and is game to try most new foods although sometimes she will reject a favourite food after a while and I have to present it in some other form in order for her to be willing to eat it.
Overall, to be honest I think she is ok as there are more good mealtimes than bad, so as a mum I need to learn to be more relaxed about food being left over as long as it isn’t excessive.
Valencia is coming 9months. Never a fussy drinker. To date still a full breastfed baby, had not taken formula. Initially i thought my breastmilk might not be sufficient then it turns out she did not drink much every time , and was easily satisfied with 100cc or less per feed when expressed to bottle.
As she started solids at 5 and a half months , i introduce pureed pears and apples. Gradually to pureed sweet potatoes, corns, potatoes. At 7 months i introduce a mixture of pureed vegetables, starches and other fruits.
She accepts ready made food, home cooked food and canned food, which makes traveling very easy.
She eats a wide variety of pureed vegetables, from spinach, broccoli, beetroot, zucchini and more.
So far so good.
very nice shot you got there… with the clock in the background..he he.. good courage..
Hi. I’m indo chinese as well married to penang. my 2 yo daughter, ziyi is around 11kg. During mealtime at home, i just spoonfed her because she likes to watch playhouse disney channel, easier for me rather than waiting for her to feed herself. Sometimes, when she is not cooperative, i would say, “ziyi doesn’t want to eat anymore..? mama throw rubbish bin liau ah!” Then she will quickly come and eat a mouthful. She eats anything from rice porridge noodle spaghetti bread, etc.
When we eat in restaurants,, I just let her feed herself wearing the combi plastic bib that can gather up her mess. I would also feed her from my spoon through the meal and stop when she started to spit out. Luckily she can takes almost anything except chilli.
Hi Leonny,
My daughter Charlene is happy and bouncy 2 yrs and 2 months little gal. I started to give her solid when she was just 4 months old, which I think is not necessary for solid till about 6 months. She hardly give me any problems in the meal department, thank God! She eats just about anything i give her (a very good eater) except when I keep repeating the same dinner menu for 3 continuous days hahaha. However, I do get stress out everytime thinking on what dishes I should cook (b/fast, lunch & dinner!!) as I am not that creative in the cooking department so I tend to repeat the same dish.
Nowadays, I’ll give her complete solid food eg rice, mushroom, beef, pork, fish, chicken, etc. you’name it, she’ll eat it except bittergourd or pumpkin. She also trying to self feed but still very messy. Anyone has any yummy menu to share??
Leonny, what you have written sound so familiar!
Callista has been a fussy drinker & eater since baby. All she wanted was fresh breastmilk! When bottled fed, she would take a looong time to finish it. When she started to eat porridge till today (4 yr old) eating rice, she still keeps food in her mouth & take a looong time to finish a meal ! Can vomit blood!!
My 26 mth Mac is totally different. He refused to suckle direct from breast so I got to pump out & bottle feed him. He takes less than 5 min to finsh 180ml of milk. But nowadays he seems to hv lost interest in milk. When comes to food, he eats almost anything without much problem most of the time. However, once the food turns cold, he is not interested anymore!
mm… what can i say? these may be the reasons i thinking: 1.gender
2.age
3.teething
4.motor skill
5.appetitite
6.mood-swing
6.on medication
7.health
8.food variety
Hi, everyone. I’m Siska, mum of Jia Le from Down Under. She’s used to be a very good eater before she turned one. Then everything changed when she turned one. She became a VERY FUSSY EATER. I think the most frustrating time of the day for me is meal time. She just wouldn’t eat. First I suspected it was my cooking (I’m a very bad cook). But then even if we were eating out in the restaurant, she still wouldn’t eat her food. Aaaargghhh!!!!! Every mum dreads of having fussy eater. My stress level always goes up when it comes to meal time. Sometimes bribing her might work, but not always… I think on average she will have one proper meal every 3 days. Isn’t that bad?????