Adventures In Baby Fooding

New baby food rules! I'm excited about these rules given my daughter Ava just started solids two weeks ago.   

First off plastics. You knew I was going to go there. Last time around I used the Beaba Babycook but this time I just can't. Knowing what we know now about heating plastics, I can't in good conscience steam my baby's food in plastic. I've been using my glass blender instead although I'm considering a food mill as my next purchase. 

Now to more fun topics. I can't use plastics but here is what we can do now! This month's Parenting Magazine has a great summary of the new "rules" written by pediatrician Alan Greene. Baby Center also has a pretty good article here but I will sum up: 

• Skip the rice cereal. Pediatricians say that sticking with bland foods can create a picky eater. They recommend whole grains and foods with spice, sourness, sweetness, and more. They say to go ahead with bold flavors. It will help your baby get used to a wider palate of foods. We occasionally use brown rice cereal and whole grain cereal from Happy Belly but I mix it with fruits and vegetables. 
• No need to wait so long between every new food. The old rule was to wait three to five days to introduce a new food. No need! Dr. Greene says that "introducing new foods rapidly leads to more adventurous, happy eaters." 
• Danger foods no longer so dangerous. Dr. Greene says that there is no reason to delay foods we once thought were risky such as egg, fish, nuts, etc. Research shows that delaying these foods too long could cause allergies, not prevent them. I was pretty adventurous with my son, giving him egg and peanut butter before the recommended age. Now I don't feel bad about it! Not that I ever did. I'm reckless like that! 

So game on! I'm fixin' to get crazy with my blender this holiday season! 

Although my brood is crazy enough, don't you think? 

Quality vs. Quantity

It is no surprise that we have less time for our children these days but consider this fact I came across in my parenting book club: 

"According to Harvard economics professor Juliet Schor, the typical American family now works one thousand more hours each year than it did twenty-five years ago... Between 1960 and 1986, the time parents had available to spend with their children fell by more than ten hours a week." - John Gottman, Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child

This quantification shocked me! Does it shock you? 

Of course I don't want this to be the case in my family so research like this furthers my resolve to give my children as much time as I can. A friend of my husband's put it this way: With children, it is quantity that matters far more than quality. 

Do you agree? 

Mine, Mine, Mine

Girls on the "train"

This past weekend Reese got to spend some quality time with two of her cousins (Jaydn 2 yrs, Hailey  5 yrs). It was fun to see the three girls play together. It was her first real slumber party with matching PJ's decorated with pink hippos on them, homemade pancakes for breakfast and fairy costumes. Reese loved having Hailey dote on her every need. I did too :) 

In less than a day she learned so much from Jaydn, who is just 4 month older. Instead of calling me "Mama," she calls me "Mommy," which I love. She also says "Uppy," (for up) instead of just fussing with her hands in the air until I lift her up. And two words she's learned and hasn't stopped using are "Mine," and "Me." Everything is "mine, mine" and every time she also wants something it's "me, me." I knew the "mine" would come soon. 

How quickly kids catch on, right?! I wonder if preschool will be like. Will she come home every day doing or saying something new?

It was interesting to see how much more independent Reese was around her older cousins. She sat at the table for breakfast with just the two girls, colored with them and played "chase" with them.

Since we live in different states we've decided to try to get together at least once a year. I look forward to our next visit.

Mommy Missed Connections

Do you all know that our lovely Jennifer’s hubby snagged her through Craigslist Missed Connections?  It’s the best story ever.  (If you don’t know what a Missed Connection is, click here.)

Well, after meeting a nice new mommy at the park the other day, I briefly thought about posting a Mommy Missed Connection.  It would read something like this:

Central Park, 4pm Saturday, Our Sons Rocked the Sandbox Together (w4w)

You and your husband had were having a nice afternoon at the park with your 18-month-old son, so were my husband and I.  Our hubbies hit it off at the swings.  My son broke the ice by yelling profanities (I swear he was saying truck). 

You are new to town.  You seem fun and normal.  I’m kicking myself that I didn’t give you a card.  We’d  love to have a playdate sometime.

MommyBeta Podcast This Week: Hittin' The Bottle

This week we are Natali and Nathalee only. The other two Betas are out of commission so we chat it up for them! We discuss Alex's post on weaning from the bottle, Nathalee's post about having a rowdy toddler, and Natali's post about brushing baby's teeth. Natali also gives an update on Baby Mo's staph infection. 

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