It wasn't difficult to make the transition from smooth, pureed foods to chunkier purees because I tried from the very beginning when making Lilah's baby food, to make it thicker and chunkier than what you would find in the store. We did have our fair share of gagging and even a couple of puking episodes, but for the most part it was a pretty smooth transition.
Making the transition from chunky purees to finger foods and non-pureed foods has been a little more challenging for us because Lilah only has 2 bottom teeth. This made biting and chewing a little more difficult. I stuck with foods that were easy to mash for quite some time which limited the kinds of foods Lilah could eat on her own. However, as soon as I started to introduce finger foods, I made it a goal to give her something that she could feed herself at every meal. At first, very little of it ended up in her mouth, but now she has it mastered! Although it started as a way of getting her used to feeding herself and eating finger foods, it has become a great tool to keep her calm when I am preparing her meals (especially when she is particularly hungry) and it keeps her distracted while I am feeding her which can make the feeding process a lot easier.
Lilah's top 2 teeth are finally coming in and even though they have just come through the gum, I have noticed a big change in her ability to bite and chew and have been able to introduce more variety into her finger food diet. We are now starting to work on holding a spoon and using it to scoop food out of a bowl. I realize this is a very difficult skill to master and that it won't happen for some time, but the more practice she gets the better. We try to give her a spoon to hold onto/play with at each meal and occasionally give her a bowl as well (although it is usually empty aside from a few Cheerios). I have been letting her scoop out the last few bites of the food that I feed to her so she gets some practice at actually feeding herself (even though most of it ends up smeared on her face!)
Below I have listed some Lilah Tested and Approved Finger Food Ideas (most of which are fast and easy)...
-toast with a little butter
-french toast
-scrambled eggs/pieces of omelet filled with cheese
-grilled cheese sandwich fingers
-grapes
-banana
-rice crackers
-teething biscuits
-Gerber puffs
-shredded cheese/thinly sliced cheese
-cheerios
-pancakes
-small pasta shells
-kiwi fruit
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Why are you here?
Be forewarned, this is a rant...
Lilah and I are taking a music class together which we both LOVE! It is so much fun. I have watched Lilah learn how to play a variety of instruments, recognize songs, dance and interact with other children. It has been a wonderful experience.
Except...
For the group of mothers that rarely participate, use class as a social gathering rather than an experience for their child, ridicule parents that do participate and generally look like they would rather be anywhere else in the world each and every class. I really don't get it. Why are you here?
Sadly, it is the one aspect of the class that I don't enjoy. Some might say "just ignore them", but we sit together in one big group and sing songs, dance and play instruments together so it is hard to just ignore them. As parents, our role is to participate and act as models for our children and the other children in the class. My daughter doesn't only watch me, she watches what the other children and adults in the group are doing and learns from all of them. I am singing and dancing and generally acting silly for my daughter, but for their children too. Would it be too much to ask for them to do the same?
Of course, we have not allowed this to ruin our experience. We have met a lot of wonderful people in the class and have even become good friends with some. We have signed up to take the class again and may run into the same situation which may prompt me to rant on my blog again, but that is what a blog is for right?
Lilah and I are taking a music class together which we both LOVE! It is so much fun. I have watched Lilah learn how to play a variety of instruments, recognize songs, dance and interact with other children. It has been a wonderful experience.
Except...
For the group of mothers that rarely participate, use class as a social gathering rather than an experience for their child, ridicule parents that do participate and generally look like they would rather be anywhere else in the world each and every class. I really don't get it. Why are you here?
Sadly, it is the one aspect of the class that I don't enjoy. Some might say "just ignore them", but we sit together in one big group and sing songs, dance and play instruments together so it is hard to just ignore them. As parents, our role is to participate and act as models for our children and the other children in the class. My daughter doesn't only watch me, she watches what the other children and adults in the group are doing and learns from all of them. I am singing and dancing and generally acting silly for my daughter, but for their children too. Would it be too much to ask for them to do the same?
Of course, we have not allowed this to ruin our experience. We have met a lot of wonderful people in the class and have even become good friends with some. We have signed up to take the class again and may run into the same situation which may prompt me to rant on my blog again, but that is what a blog is for right?
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Mommy Wars
As a parent, you want to believe that you are making the best choices for your child. Who wouldn't? Many of you have probably interacted with parents that vehemently stand by these decisions. I definitely have my own opinions on particular topics and I would stand by them if confronted about them. That being said, I know I don't have all or even most of the answers and I am willing to listen to the conversations that are going on in the world around me in an effort to make sure I am making the most informed decisions that I can for my daughter. Sadly, there are some parents that are so sure of their decisions that they ignore factual evidence to the contrary. The belief that vaccinations cause autism is one case that I have recently encountered. I am not going to go into detail on this particular issue as I posted some time ago about it. The only point I would like to emphasize is that there is no scientific evidence linking autism to vaccinations and this has been shown over and over again in studies looking at the causes of autism.
Of course, as a parent you want to make the best choices for your child and it is difficult given the amount of information, and more importantly, misinformation out there to wade through. Everyone has the right to make their own decisions and I totally support that, but if I can ask one thing it is that every parent does their own research before making any kind of major decision for their child. Don't listen to the rumors, here say, speculation and conjecture that is out there. Research reputable sources (ie. not the first hit you get from Google). Search Google Scholar instead of Google to find scholarly information. Read the information posted on reputable websites such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Center for Disease Control or websites for your local health unit. I know that it is hard to trust science sometimes given that we later find out that some scientists are willing to fabricate data and pop science sometimes leaves out important details when presenting data to the general public. But if we can't put some trust in science to tell us what is right and wrong, I think we are in big trouble.
I titled this blog post mommy wars because I sometimes feel like rather than working together to make the right decisions for our children, we mothers are fighting against each other in an effort to defend our own positions (whether they be right or wrong). Everyone has something to contribute to the conversation and we can help each other immensely, but we have to be willing to listen to one another and keep an open mind if any of us are going to be good parents.
Of course, as a parent you want to make the best choices for your child and it is difficult given the amount of information, and more importantly, misinformation out there to wade through. Everyone has the right to make their own decisions and I totally support that, but if I can ask one thing it is that every parent does their own research before making any kind of major decision for their child. Don't listen to the rumors, here say, speculation and conjecture that is out there. Research reputable sources (ie. not the first hit you get from Google). Search Google Scholar instead of Google to find scholarly information. Read the information posted on reputable websites such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Center for Disease Control or websites for your local health unit. I know that it is hard to trust science sometimes given that we later find out that some scientists are willing to fabricate data and pop science sometimes leaves out important details when presenting data to the general public. But if we can't put some trust in science to tell us what is right and wrong, I think we are in big trouble.
I titled this blog post mommy wars because I sometimes feel like rather than working together to make the right decisions for our children, we mothers are fighting against each other in an effort to defend our own positions (whether they be right or wrong). Everyone has something to contribute to the conversation and we can help each other immensely, but we have to be willing to listen to one another and keep an open mind if any of us are going to be good parents.
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