Pop Dinner!

My dad and I were chatting the other night. He was telling me he bough frozen pizza and chocolate milk for him and the kids for dinner last Tuesday since my mom wouldn't be home from class til late. He laughed and thought it was sIlly. It is silly.

I then explained to him that those were the greatest meals growing up. The sIlly ones are the ones your kids will really remember because they are outside the normal. (I strongly discourage junk meals on a regular basis, the fact that it is unusual is what makes it special).

I can honestly say that one of the greatest memories I have with my mom as a child is of a simple night my mom and I laid on the floor eating pizza and watching Dennis the Menace.

My husband and I had our very own silly dinner one night this week and decided we are going to do it once or twice with our kids (when we get to that point in life). It was a great idea too so I wanted to share it.

We made popcorn on the stove in our amazing little popcorn pan. While it was cooking my husband decided to contribute by toasting a couple pop-tarts. I then noticed that the only thing lacking was some Soda Pop itself! And there you have it. A POP dinner! 

A sIlly unusual dinner is such a fun way to make memories with your family. It's all those random and goofy things we do that make life and childhood fun!

Feeding Babies and Toddlers!

I know mom's with experience know this stuff as common knowledge but to new moms or babysitters, with little experience with children... it may be new and useful information that could even save a child's life.

Up until 4 months of age, babies should only be consuming breast milk or formula. Mothers who breastfeed quickly find that what they eat effects the nursing baby! It's a good idea to continue to eat just as nutritiously as you did when you were pregnant (including those prenatal vitamins).Also remember that new babies eat about ever two hours! If they are not waking up in the night to feed, it's a good idea to wake them up anyway and talk with your pediatrician.

Once your baby has reached 4 months you may start introducing rice cereal. While first introducing new foods of any kind, only offer a small amount as their tummies need to learn to digest the food. Also be sure to keep an eye out for any signs of any food allergies. Remember to talk with your pediatrician about the process of introducing baby foods.

It is suggested to substitute one bottle feeding for rice cereal the first few weeks while also making the cereal consistency very thin and watery. This allows the infant to learn how to swallow thicker substances. If your baby doesn't like the cereal, hold off for a few more days or weeks and try again latter. Once your infant is used to rice cereal you may increase the cereal feedings to twice a day and so on. The key point is to continue formula or breast milk as the primary food source.

At around 6 months you begin the journey of introducing pureed fruits and vegetables. Many moms spoon in a little of the pureed fruit or veggie into the cereal for the first bite or two, maybe even the first meal. Then see if your infant likes it by itself, rotating between cereal bite and baby food bite. Only introduce one or maybe two foods per week as to watch for allergies.

Finally! At about 8 months your baby is now able to eat finger foods! This is where things get a little more fun and a lot more messy! Again, remember to introduce foods in small amounts and only about one to two new foods per week. Try cheerios, cut up banana, Gerber fruit or veggie puffs, Gerber crackers... the list goes on! You may also begin to introduce small amounts apple juice (we water it down about 50%). You still need to feed babies formula or breast milk at this point, but only for a few more months.

At the 1 year mark you may introduce dairy products such as yogurt, whole milk and cheese. It's also time to introduce proteins such as cooked egg and soft meats like Gerber Lil Sticks. You can begin to feed your toddler semi normal foods now!

Things to remember:

• Avoid cows milk until they are at least one year old as babies can not digest it.
• Once they are drinking cows milk, only give them whole milk as it contains healthy fats that encourage brain growth (up to age 4).
  
• No nuts or peanut butter until they are 3 years old! If they do happen to have a severe allergy, it's harder for their little body to fight through it.
  
• Babies eat about every 2 hours when they are first born! 
• Toddlers don't have very big tummies and need about 5-6 small meals a day (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack)
• Never feed babies or toddlers popcorn! 
• Cut grapes into quarters rather than whole or in halves as they may lead to chocking
  
• Read this article to find more great tips on what not too feed your toddlers.
• Rewarding with food teaches unhealthy eating habits and shows children that food is a reward rather than a means of survival and good health.
  

My 2 cents:

• Don't feed your toddlers junk food (candy, chips, soda) more than once a month at the VERY most. This is the time to teach healthy eating habits. If they never have it, they wont miss it!
  
• Don't force them to eat anything they don't want to eat. They will come around or they wont. Forcing it sure wont help them have happy thoughts about the food.
• Really! Don't give them peanut butter. Sounds harmless but it can cause them to choke (not to mention the severe allergy they may have to nuts).
• Let your toddler try many new foods encouraging them not to be picky.