Both my daughters are big eaters and took to the whole food thing easily; they happily fed themselves from a young age and I didn’t have to engage in trickery to get them to chow down heartily. Lucky me, right!?
That’s not to say that they didn’t have their moments – children love to play with food and my girls are no different. It’s all part of the fun!
One of the worst habits my eldest daughter worked herself into was biting down on her spoon, and banging it against her teeth when she put it into her mouth. She was out of baby cutlery at this point and I had vision of her precious teeth shattering into pieces leaving her with a snaggle smile and a horrible trip to the dentist.
So I think silicone cutlery is brilliant!
Oogaa does a fabulous range of silicone feeding products that do not support the growth of fungus, mould or bacteria; are odourless and tasteless, microwave safe, dishwasher safe, heat resistant and freezer safe. Silicone doesn’t corrode and stains are easily removed with hot soapy water.
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I don’t know about y’all but I operate at warp speed throughout most of my day – work and children; it’s hectic. Barely…have…time…to…breathe.
One thing that makes my life a whole bunch easier, is quick fix lunches. I have a three-year-old whose favourite thing in life is a peanut butter sandwich and who is a fruit-a-holic – thank heaven for small mercies.
And then I have a one-year-old; kids this age can be tricky because they usually don’t have any molars and so we have to choose softish foods that still need some chewing but won’t induce choking. So, what’s quick and easy? Here’s my list of quick lunches for hungry toddlers:
- Avocado – my lifesaver! Mash it up and mix it with some mango or banana (basically any ‘mashable’ fruit, stewed or fresh) and yoghurt too. Yum!
You could also cut it into ‘holdable’, chewable pieces – whatever your little one prefers.
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My daughter just turned a year old and she’s at an awkward eating stage; she is almost, but not quite, eating the same meal as the rest of the family. I am still preparing separate food for her but am constantly looking for healthy, easy finger foods that are suitable for babies with only six (-ish) teeth.
I’ve come up with a pretty decent list, here’s my ten finger foods for older babies:
- Pasta – a few cooked pasta pieces (wholegrain if you like) with a meal or as a meal.
- Bread – bread is soft and easy to chew although it might stick to your baby’s palate, which is frustrating for baby and entertaining for you. But don’t worry; your babs will soon learn how to eat bread in as hassle-free manner as is possible with only a few teeth. Toast (strips) is also a good idea.
- Grated cheese
- Soft fruit – papaya, blueberries, mango, banana (anything that is not a choking hazard); grated apple is also okay.
- Avocado – slippery but soft and delicious.
The whole ‘weaning debate’ has made press headlines of late following the results of research conducted at Nottingham University.
Which is best? ‘Baby led’ or ‘spoon-fed’?
Firstly, what’s the difference between spoon-feeding and baby-led weaning?
Spoon-fed weaning is largely under control of the parent in terms of when and how much to feed baby.
Baby led weaning places the control (as such) in baby’s hands; by giving your baby a choice of finger foods.
The aforementioned research proclaimed that babies weaned on pureed food tend to end up fatter than infants whose first tastes are finger foods. So, indirectly, according to this research, baby-led weaning is better.
BUT (and it’s a BIG BUT) the research was conducted with only 155 babies - a significant shortcoming. The study compared information gathered on the diet and BMI of 92 child weaned on finger foods (baby-led weaning) and 63 children weaned using spoon-feeding.
In total, 10 spoon-fed children were above a healthy weight compared to nine in the baby-led weaning group – not a very significant difference!
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It’s called a 360° Feeding Bowl and it could be the solution to messy eating with your tot.
How it works: the angle of the bowl can be adjusted to suit your baby’s eating habits – and a wide, suction base prevents the bowl from tipping over while eating.
The bowls have been developed from research pertaining to a baby’s eating action. The spherical design allows food to collect at the lowest position so the baby can easily scoop food, whilst also avoiding splashing the surroundings.
I do somehow feel that a bit of messy eating and fuss is all part of the ‘learning to eat’ process; in other words… making a mess is part of the fun!
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