Toddler Meal Plan

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Kenley's diet is of utmost importance to me and has been something I've thought a lot about and researched a ton since I was pregnant. You may remember my post on breastfeeding and then my post on moving on from breastfeeding, or my posts on starting solids, what to feed your baby when, DIY baby food, and family friendly foods. Well, today I'm back with yet another food related post but this time will be sharing what my 1 year old toddler's daily meal plan looks like. 

Rise & Shine. Kenley wakes up any time between 7am and 8am depending on whether she's at home for the day or if we have to wake her up for "day care". Either way, right when she wakes up she gets 4oz of Whole Milk, which she usually enjoys while watching an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. 

Breakfast. Kenley LOVES yogurt...it may actually be her favorite food. On the days she is with my parents I will send a YoBaby or YoToddler Yogurt with her along with some Turkey Sausage. On the days she is home with me, I will put more effort into her breakfast. Usually it will be something along the lines of Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Banana and Turkey Sausage. She also loves mini pancakes!

Morning Nap. We put Kenley down with a 4oz bottle of Whole Milk, which will soon be changing as we transition from bottles to full time sippy cups. 

Lunch. For lunch I try to make sure that I am either packing or serving Kenley a protein, a fruit, a veggie and either a carb or dairy (most of her snacks are carbs so I prefer dairy). A typical day will be something like sliced turkey from the deli (or grilled chicken...I love getting the Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken Strips because it makes the prep super easy), cottage cheese, strawberries, and carrots (Kenley's favorite veggie by far).

Afternoon Nap. Again, we put K down with 4oz of whole milk. When she wakes she gets a snack which will usually be some kind of cracker...Goldfish, Puffs & Teddy Grahams are her favorites. 

Dinner. Kenley's dinner is usually a mini-version of what Jason and I are having. On this particular day we had cheeseburgers, rice and baked zucchini & yellow squash. Again, I try and make sure she has a variety of protein, veggies and carbs and then I'll "make up" for anything she may be low on for the day.

Bedtime. Before bed Kenley gets one more bottle with 4oz of Whole Milk which she'll have while I'm snuggling her, rocking her and we say our prayers.


I also want to throw in that not every day is this healthy or organized. I try hard to give my baby the best, but some days Mac N Cheese from the box is necessary. I also keep those little fruit & veggie pouches on hand for a quick or on-the-go snack.

We are blessed with a child who LOVES to eat and LOVES everything she tries. There is honestly NOTHING this kid won't eat. She even likes mustard! What one year old likes mustard? Mustard is gross. I think introducing her to a wide variety of foods from the start really laid the groundwork for a non-picky eater. I know that taste buds can change and kids can get opinionated, but I am hopeful that a diet full of variety will keep Kenley on the right path for a healthy lifestyle. 

Mommy & Me Chili

Now that Kenley has pretty much free reign to eat any and all foods our life at home is way simplified. I absolutely love that I am able to make dinner for Jason and I and create a Kenley meal out of what we're having! A couple of weeks ago I made my first batch of Chili for the fall which meant Kenley got her first taste as well.

I start by chopping up my veggies - onion, carrots and celery. I move all the veggies to a large pot, cover them with Beef Broth and let simmer until the veggies are soft. While those are softening I brown my 1lb of ground turkey in a tsbp of olive oil. Once browned I add it in with the veggies, followed by a can of drained black beans and a can of drained kidney beans. I then add a 16oz can of low sodium tomato sauce and let everything simmer for about 5 minutes. It's at this point that I scoop out Kenley's portion. Jason and I like our chili spicy, so I get her nice baby friendly chili taken care of before seasoning. To finish the grown-up chili I add two packets of McCormick's Chili seasoning {usually one packet of hot and one packet of mild} and then continue to season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, Chipotle Tobasco and garlic to taste. Finally, I top off the chili with some grated cheese, crispy French Fried Onions and green onions.

Delicious! And Kenley loved it too!

Don't forget to link-up every Tuesday!!

Family Friendly Food

Today I am once again linking up with Julie + friends for their Kid Test, Mom Approved link up party. 

I've talked A LOT about feeding Kenley, but what's one more post? Right? 

In case you missed the previous posts, you can get caught up here: 

Breastfeeding

The End of Breastfeeding
Starting Solids

What to Feed My Baby, When?

DIY Baby Food

Since I've already kind of covered the bases, I thought today I'd share a typical meal plan for Kenley now that she is 9, almost 10 months old. 

Kenley is still drinking 5 formula bottles / day - which in just over two months we get to be done with! WAHOO! I am so ready to be done with formula and introduce cow's milk. Other than that Kenley is all about solids. She has been introduced to pretty much all of the foods she is allowed to have {no cows milk, no eggs and very little sugar - which is my request}.

So here's what a day in the life of Kenley looks like. 

6:30-7:00am - 5oz bottle when she wakes up. 

9:00am - Yogurt for Breakfast. Her favorites are YoBaby & Gerber. 

9:30am - 5oz bottle before morning nap. 

12:00pm - Lunch which usually consists of oatmeal cereal, cottage cheese & some sort of fruit mix - either one of my purees or an applesauce-to-go squeeze. She'll usually have a bottle around this time as well.

2:00ish - Snack time! Kenley is obsessed with the little Yogurt Melts but also loves veggie puffs, lil crunchies and wagon wheels.

3:00pm - 5oz bottle before afternoon nap

6:00pm - Dinner! Dinner time is so much easier now as Kenley will usually just have a teeny portion of whatever Jason and I are having. For example, last night she had a turkey meatball (cut up of course), some whole grain brown rice and broccoli. If Jason and I are eating something I don't K is ready for I will usually give her a homemade veggie puree, some black beans and some rice cereal or some avocado. I think black beans and avocados are her favorite food right now, which makes her Mexican-loving-mama extremely happy.

7:30-8:00pm - BEDTIME! After her bath and before she goes to bed Kenley has one more 5oz bottle. 

I couldn't be more proud of the good eater that Kenley has become! Not only does the kid eat A LOT but she really loves everything she tries. For now I'm keeping her away from sugary foods and juice because she has her whole life to enjoy sugar. For now I want her to continue to love healthy fruits and veggies! 

So there you have it! I'd love to hear what you other mamas are doing for baby food & schedules. I'm always curious to hear what works well for other families and get new ideas!

And before I go, I want to wish my dear friend Carolyn a HAPPY DUE DATE!

Let's get that little Beebo out of there! 

Link up every Tuesday!

DIY Baby Food

I feel like I've talked about Kenley's eating quite a bit, but I think it's because it's the one thing in regards to parenting that kind of stresses me out. I mean - what you feed your baby from Day 1 sets the tone for their health and eating habits for the rest of their lives. If you ask me, that's a lot of responsibility. Then you've got breastfeeding, bottle feeding, weaning, solids, allergies, store bought baby food, homemade baby food etc. etc. etc. PLUS, everyone has a different method or different idea of what and when and how to feed your baby!

Is your head spinning yet?

If you've been following for a while you know that Kenley was exclusively breastfed with some small formula supplementation for the first 6 months {or pretty much until I completely dried up - wah!} We started to introduce solids at 6 months with homemade fruit and veggie purees and added a new food every three days to allow us to pinpoint allergies {which so far, hasn't been an issue!} You may remember this handy dandy chart I created to plan out which foods to introduce when:

When it came time for me to start thinking about solid foods I did some research on making my own. I never really considered it and thought it seemed like a TON of unnecessary work. The more I looked in to it the more I realized it was something I really wanted to do. I love to cook as it is, so making Kenley's food has been something I've really enjoyed, not stressed over. Plus, the cost savings is amazing! A 4oz jar of store bought baby food runs somewhere around $0.50 - $1.05 depending on the brand and the store. If I buy one bag of baby carrots for $1.49 I can get 24oz of pureed carrots. That's $0.24 for 4oz or at least HALF the cost! Plus, I really love knowing EXACTLY what I'm feeding Kenley without any weirdo preservatives.

Once committing to making my own baby food, I invested in some supplies to help the process:

• Whole Grain & Organic Oatmeal Cereal & Rice Cereal 
• All Natural / Organic store bought baby food for in a pinch or if the whole making-my-own went terribly wrong. 
• Super cute Bee lunchbox to pack Kenley's food for day care at grandma & grandpa's
• OXO Tot Baby Food Freezer Trays for freezing the purees
• Fresh N Freeze 2oz Containers for thawing and packing the puree cubes
• Munchkin BPA Free Bowls
• Gerber Soft Bite Spoons
• Tommee Tippee Sippy Cup {to start sippy cup training}
• Not pictured is the food processor that we already had. It worked great so I didn't see a need for any of the fancy baby food gadgets {though I've heard they're amazing}.

The actual process for making your own baby food is pretty simple. I just peel, steam or bake whatever I'm cooking and then throw it in our food processor. I usually add some water to the puree to get the right consistency. Then I scoop the puree into the freezer trays, cover and let freeze for 24 hours. Then I pop them out and put them in a ziploc bag labeled with the food and the date. Then I either pull and microwave the cubes to defrost or put one in the Fresh N Freeze container to thaw in the fridge overnight {which is what I do for Kenley's meals at day care}.

The cubes are good in the freezer for 3 months, so now that we're mixing up combos and introducing more foods I just make the purees on an as needed basis. The only things I don't freeze are bananas and avocados because they brown so easily. Those I'll just throw in our mini chopper before serving. 

 Of course now that Kenley is eating more grown up foods and is learning to feed herself, a lot of this is changing. No doubt I'll be doing another food post before too long but I was long overdue to share my experience with making my own baby food. Hopefully those of you considering making your own find it helpful!

Despite the confused and somewhat terrified look on her face,
Kenley gives mama's baby food two teeny thumbs up!

You can check out my other posts on baby eating by clicking these fancy links:
Boob Chat
Accepting the Drought
Starting Solids
What to Feed My Baby...When?

Link up every Tuesday!

Baby Talk :: What to Feed My Baby...When?

Happy Tuesday mamas....it's time for another edition of BABY TALK!

Here's the rules:
{1} Write a post on ANYTHING baby related...pregnancy, parenting, products, stories, advice, you name it!
{2} Grab this button and put it somewhere, anywhere in your post!

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{3} Publish your post on Tuesday!
{4} Come back and enter your post in the super neat link-up tool found at the bottom of every Baby Talk post.
{5} Check back and read the other blogs who have linked up!

Easy as pie!

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Kenley was exclusively fed breast milk with some formula supplementation until 6 months but when it came time to introduce solids I was OVERWHELMED to say the least. I wrote THIS POST a couple of months ago when it was time to introduce solids, and that game plan has been going great. We've introduced all the first foods and making my own baby food has been awesome. I'm planning a post all about that for a later date.

Now that Kenley is almost 8 months old, it's time to start introducing new foods again and once again I find myself looking for answers. It's fun letting her try new foods but it's scary! I had no idea there were so many restrictions until I started to research it, so I need to make sure I know what she's able to try and not able to try so I can pass it on to Jason and all of Kenley's grandparents who watch her during the day.

I found a GREAT resource on BabyCenter.com and had to share it with all of you because it really helped me to see and plan what to give Kenley and when.

Oh, and really quick, something that is SO important that I wanted to make sure to share is to introduce new things one at a time and wait a few days after to try something new. This allows any allergies time to show their ugly heads and makes it easy on you the mama to pinpoint what your baby is allergic to. 

Age: Birth to 4 months

Feeding behavior

• Rooting reflex helps your baby turn toward a nipple to find nourishment

What to feed

• Breast milk or formula ONLY

How much per day

• See How to Tell if Your Baby's Getting Enough Breast Milk
• See How to Tell How Much Formula Your Baby Needs

Feeding tip

• Your baby's digestive tract is still developing, so solid food is off-limits for now.

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Age: 4 to 6 months

Signs of readiness for solid food

Your baby probably won't do all these things – they're just clues to watch for.

• Can hold head up
• Sits well in highchair
• Makes chewing motions
• Shows significant weight gain (birth weight has doubled)
• Shows interest in food
• Can close mouth around a spoon
• Can move food from front to back of mouth
• Can move tongue back and forth, but is losing tendency to push food out with tongue
• Seems hungry after 8 to 10 feedings of breast milk or 40 oz. of formula in a day
• Is teething

What to feed

• Breast milk or formula, PLUS
• Pureed food (like sweet potatoes, squash, apples, bananas, peaches, or pears) or semi-liquid iron-fortified cereal

How much per day

• Begin with about 1 teaspoon pureed food or cereal. Mix cereal with 4 to 5 teaspoons breast milk or formula (it'll be very runny).
• Increase to 1 tablespoon of pureed food, or 1 tablespoon of cereal mixed with breast milk or formula, twice a day. If giving cereal, gradually thicken the consistency by using less liquid.

Feeding tips

• If your baby won't eat the cereal on the first try, offer it again in a few days.
• Get more detailed tips on how to introduce solids.
• Print our step-by-step guide to feeding your baby.

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Age: 6 to 8 months

Signs of readiness for solid food

• Same as 4 to 6 months

What to feed

• Breast milk or formula, PLUS
• Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley, oats)
• Pureed or strained fruits (banana, pears, applesauce, peaches)
• Pureed or strained vegetables (avocado, well-cooked carrots, squash, and sweet potato)
• Pureed meat (chicken, pork, beef)
• Pureed tofu
• Pureed legumes (black beans, chickpeas, edamame, fava beans, black-eyed peas, lentils, and kidney beans)

How much per day

• 3 to 9 tablespoons cereal, in 2 to 3 feedings
• 1 teaspoon fruit, gradually increased to 1/4 to 1/2 cup in 2 to 3 feedings
• 1 teaspoon vegetables, gradually increased to 1/4 to 1/2 cup in 2 to 3 feedings

Feeding tips

• Introduce new foods one at a time, with at least three days in between to make sure your baby's not allergic.
• Get more detailed tips on how to introduce solids.

---

Age: 8 to 10 months

Signs of readiness for solid and finger foods

• Same as 6 to 8 months, PLUS
• Picks up objects with thumb and forefinger (pincer grasp)
• Can transfer items from one hand to the other
• Puts everything in his mouth
• Moves jaw in a chewing motion

What to feed

• Breast milk or formula, PLUS
• Small amounts of soft pasteurized cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese (but no cows' milk until age 1)
• Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley, wheat, oats, mixed cereals)
• Mashed fruits and vegetables (bananas, peaches, pears, avocados, cooked carrots, squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes)
• Finger foods (lightly toasted bagels, cut up; small pieces of ripe banana; well-cooked spiral pasta; teething crackers; low-sugar O-shaped cereal)
• Small amounts of protein (egg, pureed meats, poultry, and boneless fish; tofu; well-cooked and mashed beans with soft skins like lentils, split peas, pintos, black beans)

How much per day

• 1/4 to 1/3 cup pasteurized dairy (or 1/2 oz. cheese)
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup iron-fortified cereal
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup fruit
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetables
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup protein foods

Feeding tip

• Introduce new foods one at a time, with at least three days in between to make sure your baby's not allergic.

---

Age: 10 to 12 months

Signs of readiness for additional solid food

• Same as 8 to 10 months, PLUS
• Swallows food more easily
• Has more teeth
• No longer pushes food out with tongue
• Is trying to use a spoon

What to feed

• Breast milk or formula PLUS
• Soft pasteurized cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese (but no cows' milk until age 1)
• Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley, wheat, oats, mixed cereals)
• Fruit cut into cubes or strips, or mashed
• Bite-size, soft-cooked vegetables (peas, carrots)
• Combo foods (macaroni and cheese, casseroles)
• Protein (egg; pureed or finely ground meats, poultry, and boneless fish; tofu; well-cooked and mashed beans)
• Finger foods (lightly toasted bread or bagels, small pieces of ripe banana, spiral pasta, teething crackers, low-sugar O-shaped cereal)

How much per day

• 1/3 cup dairy (or 1/2 oz. cheese)
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup iron-fortified cereal
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup fruit
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetables
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup combo foods
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup protein foods

Feeding tip

• Introduce new foods one at a time, with at least three days in between to make sure your baby's not allergic.

Here are some more resources that I found interesting and helpful, for any of you who are interested!

• New York Times : "Infants Are Fed Solid Food Too Soon, C.D.C Finds"
• Kelly Mom : "First Foods"
• Mayo Clinic : "Solid foods: How to get your baby started"
• My favorite website : http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com

Baby Talk :: Accepting the Drought

Happy Tuesday mamas....it's time for another addition of BABY TALK!

Here's the rules:
{1} Write a post on ANYTHING baby related...pregnancy, parenting, products, stories, advice, you name it!
{2} Grab this button and put it somewhere, anywhere in your post!

{3} Publish your post on Tuesday!

{4} Come back and enter your post in the super neat link-up tool found at the bottom of every Baby Talk post.
{5} Check back and read the other blogs who have linked up!

Easy as pie!

-----------

As I'm sitting here thinking of how to write this post I have tears welling up in my eyes. This shouldn't be a sad post, but it's making me feel that way.

A little over a month ago I started to notice a severe decrease in the amount of breast milk I was pumping each day at work. Since returning to work just six weeks after Kenley was born I have been pumping 15-20oz each day. Kenley goes through three 5oz bottles while with her grandparents during the day, so I was pumping just enough to get her through plus a little more to store.

I think everything started to go down hill after our trip to Colorado in February. I emptied our entire breast milk supply for the trip because 1. We needed it so that I didn't have to be bound to the baby and could enjoy my vacation and 2. because I assumed I'd have no issues re-stocking the freezer when we got home.

Since then it seems every day is a bigger challenge than the day before...in the breast feeding department that is. It's been a slow progression but where we stand now I am only pumping 1-3oz while at work. ONE to THREE ounces a day. In THREE pumping sessions. Obviously, that's not enough to feed Kenley during the day so we've had to supplement formula. In addition to that, my supply is SHOT by the end of the day. I tried and tried to nurse Kenley when I'd get home from work but she would work so hard for nothing which would send her in to hysteria which of course sent me in to hysteria.

Of course, I took to the web to do some research. I needed to find out what was causing this decrease and what I could do to fix it.

The common causes are as follows:
-Fatigue
-Illness
-Caffeine
-Smoking
-Alcohol
-Medications
-Stress
-Herbs & Spices
-Birth Control Pills
-Pregnancy
-Diet & Hydration

My baby has been sleeping through the night since she was 5 weeks old, so I couldn't blame fatigue. Caffeine makes me sick so if I have any it's in small amounts. I don't smoke. I have an occasional cocktail but I don't think enough to have an effect. I'm not on ANY medication (not even taking any advil). The only stress in my life is this low milk supply. I use some spices in cooking but I can't imagine adding oregano to my spaghetti sauce is causing this decrease. I am not on the pill and I am certainly not pregnant. So, I figured that the cold I had for three weeks and my diet / hydration had to be the culprits.

So then I looked up what to do to increase my supply:
-Increase nursing sessions
-Pump more frequently
-Drink more water
-Eat a balanced diet
-Eat a lot of Oatmeal
-Take Fenugreek supplements

I did all of it. Everything. I took three Fenugreek vitamins a day, counted calories and chose healthier food options, downloaded an app to track my water intake, pumped three times a day at work and added a pumping session before bed, nursed Kenley on both sides at every feeding I could, tried more skin to skin contact and ate a shit ton of Oatmeal.

It didn't work. 

You guys, I can't even tell you how many times I've cried over this. I felt like my body was failing me and that I am failing my baby. I would actually get sick to my stomach feeding Kenley formula.

You don't have to tell me how irrational this sounds because I know, believe me, I know it's ridiculous. I know that I was able to exclusively nurse my baby for nearly 6 months despite all the issues I had in the beginning. I know that I did the best I could and my baby is thriving because of it. AND, most of all, I know that formula isn't poison and that billions of perfectly healthy babies rely on formula every day. I know. I know it all. But still it all made me feel so sad.

I don't know why there has been this stigma or pressure or expectation put upon moms about breastfeeding. It wasn't too long ago that breastfeeding was frowned upon and formula was the recommended source of nutrition.

The point of this is that I am sad that I have come to this crossroads. I am not mentally or emotionally ready to be done breastfeeding but for some reason my body is putting on the breaks. I had to talk all of this through with Carolyn {she's my person} and I asked her....do I stop before I'm ready or do I continue to bust my ass to increase my supply, and per usual, she gave me the best advice:

"a non-stressed mommy is more important for Kenley than formula vs breast milk"

and she is so, so right. Trying to fight through this is just going to stress me out and disappoint me, and that's not what I need OR what Kenley needs.

I also reached out to my friend Andrea whose son, Vincent, is 10 months old. She had pretty much the same issue as me and was a huge help! She had the same feelings I was feeling but after giving in and realizing it was time to stop she was doing great and feeling great and she said something that I will forever remember and share with my breastfeeding friends,

"You've done a huge, great thing for Kenley by getting this far and no one will ever be able to tell on the 1st day of Kindergarten which babies were breastfed for 6 months, a year or not at all.  You're going to do so much for her throughout the years so don't worry if this didn't turn out exactly how you wanted. "

I think what I needed more than anything was someone who understood how important this was to me to listen and to tell me it was OK. {thanks friends!}

Even though it was hard and emotional to stop, I've got to say not breastfeeding is pretty nice! I finally feel, after 15 months, that my body belongs to me again. I loved growing my little nugget and loved breastfeeding but it's nice to be able to count calories again, not feel guilty having a glass of wine or three and to NOT have to be hooked up to that damn pump for an hour a day is pretty amazing!