@- babies and dinner and exhaustion (maybe a vent)

[stephiehun]

I'm not sure if I have a question or if I just need to vent and worry.

Abby is just over 10 months old. She gets breakfast and lunch at daycare. (They have a chef onsite that makes all the purees.) By the time I get home with her at 6:00, she is exhausted and doesn't want to eat very much. She might get some puree and will eat some puffs and cheese, but she's so tired and cranky that it's not fun for anyone.

I feel like we have less than 2 months before she HAS to eat real food, and our evening schedule doesn't leave us much time to cook for her. She usually starts getting ready for bed around 7:00 or 7:15. DH gets home earlier than us, and he could technically cook dinner, at least for her, but he hits traffic a lot and also has to walk Molly. (That would also involve him showing initiative, which is not his strong suit.)

She's a pretty good eater, even if actually swallowing food isn't her favorite thing to do. I know we need to give her more things, but I never know what to prepare. I also don't want her fussing and whining through mealtime.

I swear, I am a smart and capable woman. Why can't I figure out how to feed my child?

[teflep]

SHe will let you know when she is hungry. Heck, LT just started eating chunkier, real food (as in, our food, not just pieces here and there) over purees and the organic toddler bowls. We didnt go cold turkey into food and let him lead what he wants. I think she is fine.

[teflep]

Oh, and we bought the Tyler Florence book for quick dinners we all could enjoy (the sourdough pizza is easy, quick and yummy...LT loves it).

[Deleted]

Could you make and freeze some stuff in advance? I'm awful about that kind of thing, but it works wonders for others.

[stephiehun]

I probably do need to relax. She loves cheese and all the fruits and vegetables that we've tried. She'd eat a pint of blueberries if I let her.

My biggest parenting fear is having a picky eater. (Yeah, that is low on the list compared to actual serious issues - I'm not totally crazy.) I'm afraid that if we don't give her a wide range of food now, she'll end up the kid that will only eat chicken fingers and pizza bagels.

[stephiehun]

I've made some purees before. I think it's getting meat or other protein cooked and ready for her.

Has anyone had any luck with tofu? I put it on the shopping list, but DH didn't know where it was so he didn't buy it.

[teflep]

I think that is why I rely on some of those meals (Sprout and Happy Tot---they have risotto, kale, beets, quinoa) to be sure he eats the rainbow and all sorts of foods. I love that cookbook, though, really.

[MrsDL]

You said she's exhausted and cranky by 6:00 pm and bedtime is around 7:30 or so - are you sure she's getting enough sleep?

[stephiehun]

She sleeps from around 7:30 until between 5:30 and 6:30, and takes a 2 or 3 hour nap in the middle of the day at daycare. She sometimes takes an extra nap during the day while she's there. Her routine at night is the same when she does get an afternoon nap in.

There are also times that she takes a bottle around 7:00 pm and then perks up and plays for a little while.

ETA: She's fussy in her high chair, but plays once she's done eating. Then, she starts the eye-rubbing at around 7:00 or so.

[blindyswife]

Jul 18, 2012 20:13:48 GMT -5 stephiehun said:

I've made some purees before. I think it's getting meat or other protein cooked and ready for her.

Has anyone had any luck with tofu? I put it on the shopping list, but DH didn't know where it was so he didn't buy it.

The first meats/protiens I did with L was shredded meats (chicken, roast) and black beans. I felt like the shredded pieces were easier for him to manage in the beginning. And black beans are also really baby friendly. At that point in time, I tried to make meals for us that had these repeated ingredients that could work for him. Taco meat + black beans, corn + black beans, meats cooked and shredded in the crock pot. Oh, and any type of noodles. When he mastered those kinds of foods, I felt more comfortable giving him different types of food. It is so much easier when they can just eat whatever it is you're already making for dinner.

That may or may not have been helpful at all, sorry! She'll eventually figure it out, don't worry too much.

[MrsDL]

Jul 18, 2012 20:19:17 GMT -5 stephiehun said:

She sleeps from around 7:30 until between 5:30 and 6:30, and takes a 2 or 3 hour nap in the middle of the day at daycare. She sometimes takes an extra nap during the day while she's there. Her routine at night is the same when she does get an afternoon nap in.

There are also times that she takes a bottle around 7:00 pm and then perks up and plays for a little while.

ETA: She's fussy in her high chair, but plays once she's done eating. Then, she starts the eye-rubbing at around 7:00 or so.

Oh wow. She sounds like a good sleeper. Maybe she's bored with the purees and doesn't want to eat them, but she's still a little hungry which is why she perks up after the bottle. In any case, you'll figure out what works. It's trial and error. If she likes everything, that will probably work out for you and you'll be able to feed her most of what you both eat for dinner. We're to that point and I love it, makes everything much easier when you don't have much time at night.

[2curlydogs]

She might be slightly underslept? I think at that age they're supposed to be getting minimum 14 hours of sleep.

I'm also really surprised she's only taking 1 nap at that age. B didn't transition to 1 nap a day until something like 14, 15 months. And that was because daycare does it that way. And sometimes on the weekend he still does 2 serious naps (1 1/2 hour, minimum, each). ETA: I think at that age you should aim for them to be awake for no more than 5 hours at a stretch, too. That's part of it.

As for foods, you CAN puree meats. You have to add more water to get it to go, but it works. Basically I'd mix together whatever I'd cook for dinner and puree it (and freeze leftovers in ice cube trays) for B.

Some quick ones were:

Chicken & mixed veggie stew with barley - dice up chicken breasts, brown, add in quick cook barley, broth and a bag of frozen mixed veggies. Cook until barley's done - 15 minutes.

LOTS of stir frys - chicken, pork, tofu, beef. Also easily done in 15 minutes.

Crockpot a whole chicken. It literally falls apart. Purees easily. I'd freeze this in ice cube trays and then mix in other ice cubes of veggies for meals.

Pasta with meat sauce - no need to puree. The pasta's soft enough for them to gum. If you're nervous (like my H was), you can cut it up.

[stephiehun]

You know that since I said that, she's going to wake up at 2:00, right? She really is generally a good sleeper. We've had a few rough nights, but those are the exception.

I think she is bored with the baby food. I think tomorrow night I'll see if DH can steam up a sweet potato to dice up and maybe some frozen green beans.

blindyswife - that is helpful! Did you use canned beans? Did you do anything special to prepare them? We've tried ground meat and ground turkey, but she wasn't a fan. She does like chicken, though.

[taratru]

I have no suggestions, but rest assured that you can feed your child the entire rainbow, introduce them to all the wonderful food there is on the planet, watch them enjoying it until they are like 6 and *still* end up with an annoying little picky eater. My 8 year old, was an awesome adventurous toddler eater kid CRIED when I made her take ONEBITEOMGJUSTTRYIT of couscous salad that was fucking delicious.

And the baby? It's a good day if I add up all the food and it made one meal. She thinks she's Gandhi on a hunger strike or something.

Parenting, ain't it fun?

[stephiehun]

Jul 18, 2012 20:35:13 GMT -5 2curlydogs said:

I'm also really surprised she's only taking 1 nap at that age. B didn't transition to 1 nap a day until something like 14, 15 months. And that was because daycare does it that way. And sometimes on the weekend he still does 2 serious naps (1 1/2 hour, minimum, each). ETA: I think at that age you should aim for them to be awake for no more than 5 hours at a stretch, too. That's part of it.

She usually gets her big nap from around 11:00 to between 1:00 and 2:00, so that 5 hour thing isn't too far off. I know she used to get one smaller nap in the morning and afternoon. I don't think they transitioned her, because I know she does nap more often some days. (She also gets a catnap in the 15 minute car ride there in the morning.)

Should I ask if they can make sure she gets another nap in the afternoon? She does tend to nap more on weekends.

[blindyswife]

Yup, canned black beans. Nothing special, I would just ground up beef, add taco seasoning and the (drained) beans to the skillet. He loved them enough he would pick around the beef to eat the beans. Oh, and also, canned carrots (the ones cut into coin size). I know I could have roasted carrots myself, the the canned ones are easier in a pinch, and they're seriously so mushy that they're perfect for little mouths. Sometimes, if what I made wasn't very baby friendly, he'd have canned carrots and some cheese for dinner.

[stephiehun]

Jul 18, 2012 20:39:25 GMT -5 taratru said:

I have no suggestions, but rest assured that you can feed your child the entire rainbow, introduce them to all the wonderful food there is on the planet, watch them enjoying it until they are like 6 and *still* end up with an annoying little picky eater. My 8 year old, was an awesome adventurous toddler eater kid CRIED when I made her take ONEBITEOMGJUSTTRYIT of couscous salad that was fucking delicious.

And the baby? It's a good day if I add up all the food and it made one meal. She thinks she's Gandhi on a hunger strike or something.

Parenting, ain't it fun?

LOL! I know kids go through phases, too. I insisted for years that I hated pizza and tomato sauce in general. I cried if my dad made English muffin pizzas.

[stephiehun]

Jul 18, 2012 20:44:18 GMT -5 blindyswife said:

Sometimes, if what I made wasn't very baby friendly, he'd have canned carrots and some cheese for dinner.

This is what she's done a few nights. I can't blame her- I'd eat cheese for dinner if I could.

[teflep]

It wouldnt hurt to ask. LT is in a daycare where they nap/quietly lay on their cots from 12-3. He sleeps about 2 hours or so of it. But, at home on the weekends, he can barely make it to 10/10:15 before needing to lay down. Then, it is usually a catnap later on as well. We try to keep the schedule, but he is dragging.

[stephiehun]

That's how Abby is, too. They have their big classroom naptime between 11 and 2 (room dark, white noise machines on), and she is usually asleep in the crib the whole time. I'm not sure if she stopped showing signs that she needed a nap before that or if they stopped trying. If the room isn't crazy when I drop her off tomorrow, I'll see if they think she would sleep more.

[penguingrrl]

For a while our oldest needed to eat dinner early, before DH was home from work (I like to eat with him). So I would save a serving of whatever I made the night before to give to her. My oldest was done with purees by 10-11 months and moved right to whatever we were eating (I made sure to introduce the spices I used most plus garlic into her purees pretty early on to get her used to those flavors), my youngest never took to purees so she went straight to small chunks of real food. I also never made meat puree and figured they got enough protein with breastmilk/formula until they could have real meat. I would try just saving portions of what you eat and have a plate in the fridge ready to go when you get home. That way she'll get a variety and a taste of whatever you guys usually eat but will also have dinner waiting for her when she gets home hungry.

[stephiehun]

You guys are all awesome. I might edit out the parts that weren't so nice about DH so he can read this.

I'll start putting leftovers aside for her - that's a great idea. I'll also trying cooking things like batches of stir-frys on weekends and freezing them in tiny portions. We've gotten bad at meal planning, but if we start that again, and use the slow cooker, we should be able to get her eating more fun things.

[meg]

I wouldn't worry too much about what she is eating - well how much or whatever I should say - at this point as long as she is happy etc. Ill be honest, I don't know how parents with kids who have really early bedtimes do it. H goes down 9-930 and i really like it. I would have a hard time getting him fed, bathed and put down for 730 after working etc! So, no good answer for you on that part. Maybe if she can get another nap in she will stay up a little later? Don't know.

For food, try not to worry too much... my kid would eat blueberries as 100% of his food if I let him - and if they didn't eff with his BMs so much Id let him have them more! He won't eat any 'traditional' protein (meat, fish, eggs, peanut butter even - yes we have the kid who hates PB!) So I do a lot of oatmeal (made with milk and sometimes I mix and egg into it too) and french toast (1 egg plus 1 slice WW bread, which he will eat more often than not). He won't eat greek yogurt straight so I do half and half with plain whole milk yogurt flavored with puree.

He is also 5% (and has been slowly dropping since 9 months) for weight and until recently when I added a right-before-bed snack of baby oatmeal with BM, he was waking at 2am starving. Kid eats like a bird, and favors fruits and veggies. Great except that he needs more fuel!

Anyhow. Just keep trying things and introducing her to different stuff, even if she doesn't like it all. You will know when she isn't getting enough or something is off... bowels, sleep patterns, crankiness, wet diaps etc. I think that their needs ebb and flow too with growth spurts etc.

fwiw my son HATED the store bought purees. Maybe try some other stuff? Its funny - all kids are so different! My kid comes home from daycare FAMISHED (even though he usually had a PM snack). So he gets fruit and milk while I make dinner then dinner with us, THEN a snack at bedtime. Hm maybe we are looking at a growth spurt eH? But then he basically won't eat lunch at all. Well. Just blueberries

Not sure if any of that was helpful! I think that feeding the kiddos is an ongoing process that is going to just keep changing!

PS I also hated red sauce as a kid!

[caden]

I make almost all of my kids' lunches in advance, and that's what I'd do for dinner in your shoes. I steam veggies (usually frozen) and keep them in tupperware in the fridge. That takes all of 10 sec to heat up. For protein I usually have leftover chicken/pork/turkey from a previous dinner, tofu (firm, tossed w/ bread crumbs or baby oatmeal to coat it until they were used to it), ravioli (or similar), etc. Basically all stuff that's easy to heat up quickly and usually a leftover. I also usually have fruit and avocadoes. And I'll be honest and add that I also stockpile frozen chicken nuggets, frozen saussage (chicken though so I can feel superior), and some gerber meals. Oh and those fruit/veggie puree squeeze packs (Plum brand is my fav). Those things are awesome. Even more honest, when my kids were 10mo I was still feeding them gerber purees b/c I didn't even want to cook veggies at that time. My kids aren't picky at all. My DS2 won't eat if he's tired but he makes up for it at other meals. I know it's stressful though. GL!

[atouchofklasse]

Jul 18, 2012 20:07:36 GMT -5 teflep said:

Oh, and we bought the Tyler Florence book for quick dinners we all could enjoy (the sourdough pizza is easy, quick and yummy...LT loves it).

Link, please!

[Deleted]

Also don't stress the idea that she has to eat real food the day she turns one. My DS ate those (nasty) stage 3 purees in conjunction with real food until he was almost 18 months old and had a slow transition to real food by his own choice.

[pamela]

What time are you and your husband eating dinner? Mine was/is often hungry when he gets home from daycare because they eat lunch at 11, snack around 2:30 and we get home btw 5:45-6. I started just given him some veggies, cheese, etc to snack on to hold him over until we were ready for dinner. His favorite is canned green beans. Hates the fresh ones, but is all over canned straight out of the fridge. He also really likes beans of all sorts.

[teflep]

Jul 18, 2012 22:50:50 GMT -5 atouchofklasse said:

Jul 18, 2012 20:07:36 GMT -5 teflep said:

Oh, and we bought the Tyler Florence book for quick dinners we all could enjoy (the sourdough pizza is easy, quick and yummy...LT loves it).

Link, please!

books.google.com/books?id=jkfK-mUgi5sC&pg=PA113&lpg=PA113&dq=tyler+florence+kids+sourdough+pizza&source=bl&ots=kSV8ng3RAI&sig=R5m3eEXl89otM90rpuC_NYns68g&hl=en&sa=X&ei=PvQHUOzmE6Pf0QHJvZXIAw&ved=0CF8Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=tyler%20florence%20kids%20sourdough%20pizza&f=false

It is so simple, but the break/fresh mozzarella and basil...don't know why never digit before.

[ECB]

On the sleep front - if she starts rubbing her eyes at 7, I wouldn't START her bedtime routine then. At that point, she should be about ready to go down.

This is actually why I never worried about much of a "routine" at night. We've never done the nightly bath thing, for example, because it can be a time suck.

After reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, I started putting DS down at the FIRST time of sleepiness - and seriously, it did wonders! He went to sleep quicker and slept better the entire night.

[terpsfan]

Both of my kids (4.5 yo and 19 months) sometimes don't eat a lot for dinner now. At 10 months, I usually offered the early eater leftovers or something I could heat up easy like a veggie burger, or they just had a yogurt. If they are eating well the rest of the day I really don't sweat dinner.

My kids are the early to bed type too, and at 10 months both were looking at bedtimes around 6:30. If she's tired and eye-rubby and cranky, just put her to bed.

ETA, scrambled eggs! Oh my savior go-to meal for both...