I’ve been staying home during the days with our 14 month old Ava Kalea now for about 10 days. It’s a lot of fun – and as I knew before, it is A LOT of work.
I’ve been trying real hard to get her to eat more, as she is currently just a shade under 21 pounds. I swear I’ll get her up to 23 lbs by the end of November and 25 lbs by the end of the year – that’s a goal any way … Much different from the goals I had for Ava Kalea’s mother …
One challenge is that the more mobile she gets and the more variety of foods she is exposed to, the pickier she is becoming as far as foods she will actually eat.
What makes me happiest is that she has been drinking green (veggie) drinks with me since her first month on the planet. I started out by just dipping my finger in them and having her suck on it – and gradually was able to get her to guzzle it right out of the blender (I use a Blendtec) jar. It’s so cool having her drink this ultra nutritious drink every day! She’s even helping me make it now. Spinach, cucumber and tomato is my fave, but most of the time we’ll add some kale, chard, celery and/or carrots to make it even more nutritious. Besides being super tasty and giving us great energy, I believe this super green drink also keeps us both more regular.
Ok, so Ava Kalea is drinking only water, breast milk and healthy juices – and that’s great! Since I have been a clean eater for most of the last 6 years and I buy most of the groceries for our family, most of the food in our home is healthy. The exceptions being breakfast cereal for the teenager (that’s all he’ll eat a lot of the time) and the occasional ice cream and cookies for cheat days.
My problem now is that since Ava Kalea has a particular fondness of ice cream and I love to see her happy (and with a messy face), I’ve been buying a lot more ice cream. Having more ice cream in the house means all of us are eating more – even me, but especially Ava. Should I feel guilty for giving a 14 month old ice cream several times a week? Am I setting a bad example for her future?
Lately I’ve also been buying her cheese and yogurt, which are usually kind of rare in our house. Is it ok to give our baby these products on the regular?
I’d really love to hear your thoughts, ideas and experiences on what you think babies / toddlers should be fed – or even better – what you feed (or fed) your young children.
I had such great intentions about feeding her only a super healthy diet, but now feel more than a little guilty about feeding her what she really wants to eat. What do YOU say?
