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Friday, January 16, 2009

feeding healthy babies

my friend kelli has an adorable 1 year old, about 1 1/2 weeks older than mine. she requested a post on feeding our little people healthy foods, so here's what i have learned in 1 year of trying to feed healthy foods to my highly-opinionated munchkin.

my spaghetti monster. yes, those are peas she's so happy about. read more under "be sneaky" below.



  • make your own. this is my one budgeting tip. when mine was tiny i used this website to make pureed foods. now that she's older i still make everything i feed her. and don't buy expensive baby-brand snacks. they love cheerios... and don't forget to wait for sales! :)
  • start with veggies, then move to fruits. it may help them develop a like for the non-sweet stuff first.
  • try, try again. don’t let a bad reaction to a specific good food keep you from trying the food again. wait a week or two and then try it again. their bad short term memory may mean they forgot they didn't like it!
  • try different consistencies or serving styles. for example, my daughter wouldn't touch mashed bananas, but she loves feeding chunks of bananas to herself. same goes for other typical baby foods - carrots, peas, green beans, pears, peaches, apples - maybe they don't like it mushed, but they may like it in little chunks later.
  • wait on things you feel strongly about. since tiny ones aren't supposed to have whole wheat yet, i waited to give emery bread with any consistency until she was almost one. that way, she didn't get hooked on white before she tried the good stuff.
  • strive for variation. you wouldn't like a whole meal of just pears would you? neither does baby. :) change from day-to-day as well so they don't get bored of the good things they like.
  • if they have a good favorite - work it. i know i can always get in at least 1 fruit a day because em loves bananas. that's fine - a banana a day is great for her so work it!
  • be sneaky. i recently discovered emery loves noodles with pasta sauce... and that she doesn't notice if it's actually 1/2 pasta and 1/2 peas under that sauce. see the happy spaghetti monster above. she also loves cheese, so i'll melt cheese on stuff so she'll eat it.
  • feed them new things first, when they are hungry. if they really won't eat it, give them something else.
  • steer clear of sweets. the sooner they realize they are around, the sooner they'll want to eat just sweets... just like their moms. :)
  • have their eating influence yours. make things that are baby-friendly for dinner that you can all benefit from. cook so that they are getting the nutrients they need and your get yours too. they love being "big" and having what you have for dinner and you'll love not having to cook something else. ex. pasta and sauce (sneak in peas and/or spinach), quick cream cheese and spinach pasta, shepherd's pie, chicken noodles and mashed potatoes and my next recipe of the week - black bean tortilla casserole. em scarfed it down. stay tuned!

and yes, here's me... the skinny bovine, herself, actually making an appearance on her own blog. i got bored with my hair last week and cut my bangs. i haven't had many comments from friends... i'll assume the worst. any feedback??... anyone?? :)

15 comments:

Janssen said...

I like them!

Isn't it worrisome, though, when NO ONE comments? I find myself spending a ton of time in the mirror thinking "is it really bad?!"

Amy said...

Love the bangs. Of course, you could pull off just about anything (but I wouldn't try the GI Jane look... just to be safe).

We've done almost all of these tricks with Lily. Halloween did us in as far as keeping the candy secret hush hush, though. Boy does she have a sweet tooth. Live and let live, I guess.

Anonymous said...

I noticed that the bangs looked extra good, but I couldn't tell what it was that was different. No response is definitely good! (It means that there was no disaster! :))

Lindsay said...

Good tips! I got lucky, and my kids like whole wheat bread right away, even after having white. They actually request "the brown kind" when they have a choice.

The bangs look good! I didn't even notice a difference when I looked at the picture until I read that you had cut your bangs. Maybe thats why no one has said anything, because you just pull them off so well! I cut my bangs a couple weeks ago, and I don't think they look good, so I'll be pinning them back for the next month or so until they grow out and I can do a side sweep or something!

Kristi said...

I remember seeing your bangs at play group. I was totally jealous because I've wanted to do bangs for awhile, but Joe says he doesn't like them. You are so cute, so don't worry, maybe everybody is just jealous :) ! Hope you're feeling better.

priscilla joy said...

Cute bangs! I don't want to think what I'd look like with bangs.
Your little girl is one cutie!

BrittWilk said...

awww... thanks everyone! i feel much better about my bangs now. :)

i do the same mirror thing, janssen.
and amy - thanks for the no GI Jane advice. haha... my ears poke out so it would definitely be bad. :)
you're right, mary. they aren't that drastic. i always sort of have bangs...
i'm sorry your bangs didn't turn out linds. i've totally done the pin back for a few weeks.
kristi - joseph just thinks he won't like bangs. go for it!
priscilla, i totally think you'd look cute with bangs! and i think my little girl is cute too - thanks! it's good to know it isn't just parental bias! :)

Kelli Radmall said...

Thanks Britt! That was sure nice or you. And helpful! I love it when I do cook something baby friendly, I just need to do it more often. Thanks for the tips. Also-I love the bangs. I am partial since I have had bangs for quite a while. Big forehead.

BrittWilk said...

you're welcome, kelli! it was fun to put some thoughts together on it. :) thanks for the request!

Mark & Bek said...

Funny. I was actually going to call you today and ask you what the heck you feed Emery. Russ is eating us out of house and home. Holy Cow! I wanted some tips on food we eat that he might like. Thank you. And... Love the bangs. It's making me want to cut some of my own.

BrittWilk said...

haha - that is hilarious, bek. glad he's a good eater, though! :) my leftovers aren't lasting as long as they used to either...

Amanda said...

Britt, I love this blog. How cool! And I love the bangs. It's fun to try something different with your hair every once in a while! Thanks for the tips on baby eating...Grace is 6 months old now and we're just starting her on solids, so I'm happy for some advice from someone who has just been there and been successful at it!

BrittWilk said...

thanks, amanda! i'm glad you like it! i keeps me motivated (and entertained) in the kitchen. good luck with the solids with little gracie!

Super Angie said...

You look great in bangs. Of course, you look great in anything!!!

Anonymous said...

Love the bangs Britt!

healthy cooking on a budget

disclaimer: i don't claim to be an expert on cooking, weight loss or even healthy eating, but i do love to cook, find healthy, taste bud-friendly tricks and most of all, i love to eat!

qualifications: what qualifies me to blog on cooking healthy on a small budget? well, as my husband is still a student, my budget is not what you'd call large. and as for the healthy part, when i was 10 i was diagnosed with pancreatitus - a disease that doesn't effect me much anymore unless i eat food that is too greasy or has too much fat (in which case, well, let's just say i get really sick). this had steered my experience and limited cooking expertise in a health-conscious direction.

please feel free to comment, criticise, rate recipes, try ideas and make requests for future posts!