PS Mommy thread with toddlers 12-36 months

[Burk]

lili~That''s so funny J tries to diaper her daddy!

We''ll probably tell T about the baby being in my belly when I get bigger....which is happening quickly now so that may be soon! I am thinking I probably will do maternity pics this time since I can use T to distract a bit!

Tgal~Too funny you mentioned Yo Gabba Gabba being ADHD....pretty sure that''s why my kid LOVES it. She''s crazy. She can''t be bothered to sit there and watch those characters talk she wants to be singing and dancing or she gets bored!! Yep, she''s super tall. We''ve been asked if she''s 2 forever. She is just so darn skinny it''s so hard to find pants that fit. THank goodness for those adjustable waist jeans and the fact that leggings are in or she''d have to go naked! Sounds like A is the same so I''m sure you can relate!

QT~A PNP sounds like it would work great....at least buy you some time to figure out what is best. The new crib we got T is another convertible so we''ll just turn it into a toddler bed when she''s ready and then eventually a double.

mrss~Jake is funny. T isn''t much for Blue''s Clue''s either....like I told Tgal there has to be stuff going on-singing and dancing or she loses interest.

Jas12~I don''t know if you remember but T went through a crazy sleep phase around 19 months or so where she cried every time we put her down and begged me to stay in the room and "rock rock." Hopefully Elmo will work again tonight. Sorry you''re not feeling well. I can totally relate...although I wasn''t having to go to work, too.

Hopefully it doesn''t last long.

Tacori~I hope she''ll be a good big sister. Sorry poor Tessa had a cold, good that she''s getting over it though.

T''s been pretty lovey lately which I am not complaining about. She has started climbing onto my lap if I''m on the couch and giving me a hug and saying "hug. Mommy I love you!"

Pretty sure it''s a phase and it won''t last but I''m loving it while it does!

 

[janinegirly]

Wondering if you ladies can suggest some favorite lunch/dinner meals for a 1 year old. It can''t be too complicated since I''m not the best cook, plus not that much time at night. I feel bad because C has been getting a lot of grilled cheese for lunch and then boring chicken for dinner. We give her peas/carrots/cheese as well (as sides). I''ll let her try whatever we''re having, and occassionally give her pasta/pizza instead of the chicken (and then edamame for protein), but still gets the same meals alot.

Anyone want to share their favorite toddler meals? Thanks!

 

[mrssalvo]

janine- I give Jake what we have. tonight it was taco''s and he ate some of the meat and black beans. he eats meatloaf, chili, pasta (i usually do rotini or penne which is much easier for him to pick up and eat) you could cut them even smaller if you''re going to give them to C. Mac and cheese is a big favorite too. We do lots of chicken meals too. I always give him fruit, banana''s, cut up grapes, kiwi, watermelon etc. that usually fills him up. . Don''t worry too much, just make sure you''re giving her a well balanced diet and it sounds like you are.

We finally made it to the pumpkin patch. it was so much fun. we are going back again this weekend with my sister and parents. it was it''s own mini petting zoo to boot with baby pigs, goats, calves, cows etc. that they kids could all pet. got lots of great pics. when we drove in I saw this and thought it was hilarious and had to take a pic.

 

[TravelingGal]

LOL MrsS, that is hilarious!

Janine, don''t get me started on food. It''s always a bit of a challenge around here, but it definitely has gotten better. I give Amelia a lot of the same stuff. She''s a creature of habit. I try to give her one new thing with familiar food items, but often I fail miserably. I keep trying though. Today it was green beans. No luck.

However, she did love the sauteed asian style pork today. Problem: it was at my friend''s house and her mother made it...so I don''t know how to replicate the dish!!

 

[Jas12]

Janine--i''ve had to be more creative with food lately too--Co used to eat just about anything, but since being with grandma full-time he has gotten *much* more picky and it is so frustrating. I''ll throw a couple of ideas out there that (usually) work for me. Also, like Mrs.S. I don''t make seperate meals for Co. He eats what we eat, usually he''ll say "no" to something at first but eventually start digging in...just don''t give up
1) Almond butter and banana sandwich with a bit of honey (or peanut butter if you have introduced peanuts, but almonds are more healthful). Or roll up the banana and butter in a tortilla and slice into little circles
2) Good ''ol canned, low sodium vegetable/lentil soup drain off most of broth so it is more stew-like (have more luck getting veggies in co when they are in soup form for some reason)
3) smoothies! (i usually just throw in frozen berries, a dash of orange juice, a 1/2 banana, some yogurt, hemp hearts and sometimes a handful of spinach or something. Takes literally 3 mins to make and it can pass for a meal in a pinch!)
4) quesadilla-grate some veggies in with the cheese
5) scrambled eggs with grated veggies mixed in (zucchini and carrot works well)
6) canned black olives or chickpeas or sliced avocado are good side dishes that require no prep
7) egg salad sandwiches
Hope that helps. Even I, someone who loves to cook, get pretty annoyed with preparing food for the toddler palette. It changes everyday

MrsS--that pic is SO funny! no mistaking what that table is for

Glad you finally got to go! THe thing i love most about having a kid is the joy you get from seeing them so happy and excited. Something like a petting zoo is the best thing ever. I just think of how amazing it must be for them to see an animal they see in books etc. for the first time. It is really cool!

 

[sk8rjen]

I have 2 sleeping princesses and thought I''d pop in really quick -- and am so glad to see tv talk! My girls love it too, but only if it has music so that they can dance. I SOOOOO wish we got Yo Gabba Gabba here b/c my 6 yr old loved it for a while (when it first came out) and then it disappeared. I think it''s a regional thing. We watch Backyardigans and the girls get really excited when the theme song comes on. We also had to check out the "Fresh Beat Band" even if it''s too old for them b/c it has a character named "Marina"....well they LOVE that show b/c it''s so musical. I love watching them doing their little bouncy arms-waving baby dances

Just pored through some ADORABLE pics here -- these PS kids are something else!

Sophie and Marina are 1 tomorrow -- where the heck did this year go??!
hugs,
jen

 

[sk8rjen]

ok, here are some pics i promised a while back... this one is one of my faves b/c it wasn''t posed -- they were just interacting when the photographer snapped the shot (10 months)

 

[sk8rjen]

here''s sophie from that same sitting

 

[sk8rjen]

and marina making her "silly face" -- this one made me laugh

 

[sk8rjen]

ok, one more -- this one was there pro pics at 8 months and it''s one of my faves of them both...

 

[DiaDiva]

sk8rjen, your girls are just adorable!!! They look like such happy children.

 

[snlee]

jen, Happy first birthday to Sophie and Marina! I can''t believe it! Congrats to you super mama! They are so cute! I LOVE the first picture of them. What a fabulous candid shot!

 

[janinegirly]

Thanks so much Jas12! Love to hear if anyone else has favorite staples in terms of meals. I do tend to give C what we''re having but we both work/commute, so sometimes it''s just Chinese take out, and don''t want to give her that yet! Thankfully she''s not sick of chicken yet..

Tgal: ha on Amelia''s pickiness..that pork dish sounds yummy to me too! I am the worst cook though..DH is better. I find one meal I can make right and keep making the same one till everyone''s sick of it! Sometimes I can pull new ones off but I have to follow instructions to the tee..no cooking instinct here!

Sk8rjen: what cuties and so big! Thanks for sharing!

 

[janinegirly]

Snlee, hi!!

How''s D? Is he speaking/walking at all? Not yet for C, she is so cautious with walking, takes a step assisted and then wants to go back to what she feels safe with (crawling or cruising). She understands alot, but not interested in talking yet. We have her 1 yr appointment this friday (13 months really)....not looking forward to the shots!

 

[curlygirl]

jen, the photos are amazing! I can''t believe how big the girls are!!! Happy Birthday Marina and Sophie!!

mrss, that photo makes me laugh!!

janine, you''ve gotten some good food suggestions. We just give Lucy whatever we''re having but our "go to" foods are pasta, pasta and pasta!!! Both girls love it and Lucy even asks for it although she calls it "pata". We keep it basic--we''ll just mix it with some olive oil, cheese and a veggie like broccoli, corn or peas. Other faves are waffles, pancakes, english muffins, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, quesadillas, turkey or soy hot dogs, chicken nuggets, peanut butter sandwiches (yes, we''ve already given this to Lucy!), cereal with milk, rice with veggies, pizza. We always try to incorporate a vegetable--peas, corn, green beans, carrots and edamame are all big winners. And both girls love fruits like cut up grapes, berries, bananas. Lily is much pickier than Lucy but we just keep giving both of them a variety of foods and if they''re really hungry, they''ll eat!

 

[mrssalvo]

Jen, love, love, love the pics of the girls...

 

[lili]

Jen--
Happy 1st bday to Marina and Sophie.
They are so grown up!
Great pictures....love the candid shot one.

 

[TravelingGal]

Jen, happy birthday to the girls!! Wow, where DID this year ago.

Love the quesadilla idea...going to try that with veggies per Jas'' suggestion. Amelia hates veggies. She can detect them from a mile away. As with the other gals, edamame is a huge hit. I get the prepackaged one from Trader Joes where they come in the pods. That seems to be the one she likes best. She hates eggs, which is such a bummer!

OK, here are my other ideas.

-Turkey dogs from trader joes...they are good and don''t have junk in them. The ingredients seem pretty pure. These are the nitrate free ones, obviously.
- Following lili''s lead, I recently started doing Fage with honey. It''s the latest hit around here. Lots of protein in fage.
- Van''s multigrain waffles from TJ''s with a pat of butter
- dried fruit as a snack - Amelia likes cranberries.
- she used to like mashed avocado mixed with orzo pasta with a few squirts of lemon. She''s over it now so I might try avocado with a bit of honey.

Like the other gals, I do english muffins/other carbs and tons of fruit. I have a kid who does not like pizza (I tried homemade, so maybe it''s me), pasta (again, my cooking), rice (

she''s freaking 1/2 Korean!) and other good stuff that most kids like. If I let her, she''d have cheerios every day, all the time.

 

[qtiekiki]

Giddy Giddy Clips
Were they alligator or snap clips? M's hair is finally getting long in the front, and might be needing hair clips. I saw some cute ones on etsy. The seller offers both types of clip, but I don't know which one stays on the hair better.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 10/22/2009 1:23:27 AM
Author: qtiekiki
Giddy Giddy Clips
Were they alligator or snap clips? M''s hair is finally getting long in the front, and might be needing hair clips. I saw some cute ones on etsy. The seller offers both types of clip, but I don''t know which one stays on the hair better.

ETA: Also how long are they?

I think they are alligator?

If you get the Giddy ones, get the big girl ones (1.5 inches vs 1 inch). I made the mistake of buying the 1 inchers. As much as I''ve used them a lot, they can no longer really hold enough hair, so I used them more for decoration when she has pigtails. If I had bought the bigger ones, they would have had a longer shelf life.

In fact, only buy one to start and see if it works well. They may not even be long enough. Another .5 inch would barely do what I want it to with Amelia''s hair. I''d love to get some giant ones!

Giddy Giddy last year ran a big sale in December. Not sure if they are going to do it again, but I''m waiting to see. $5 a clip, which is the cheapest I''ve seen it. You''re lucky if you can find them for around $8 out thd door.

I know Ella makes hers and does a great job. Are you crafty? Because maybe you can make your own.

 

[Jas12]

Edamame seems to be a hit with all the babies. I''ll have to see if i can find it. I don''t think i''ve ever seen it fresh around here. If i do find it, do i just remove the bean from the pod and serve like that?


Jen--the girls are beautiful and happy looking! Good job momma! Glad you are well!


Tgal--Co has highly-tuned veggie radar too. Last night i was too sick to make anything other than pasta but i went to the effort to smoosh up some chick-peas and grate some veggies into it (which is usually fine) and of course he spotted the dots of brocoli sprouts and would have none of it. And this is a kid that *used* to eat full handfuls of veggies before he started going to grandmas full-time. But now he knows he can simply object and get something processed and in the shape of a star or fish

 

[janinegirly]

Jas12: i bought a bag of organic endame at wholefoods (already removed from pods)..works well. They''re a bit hard, so have to smoosh them up but good for days when can''t quite muster up a meat/protein meal. I also give C scrambled eggs a few times a week, I''ll have to start adding veggies to them. Oh and it sounds like grandma''s really having an effect on Co''s tastes now--hope you find a happy medium soon.

Tgal: great suggestions! Turkey dogs sound interesting. Too bad ameilia doesn''t like rice...gave it to C yesterday and she liked it. It was an asian themed dish and I wonder if she''ll be as enthused about plain chicken breast after that! Let us know when there''s a giddy giddy sale--I''ve never found them for less than $9! We have one and it is worn down (having been picked at, sucked on, pulled at for months) and the metal is popping through. Need to get more..C''s hair is very long in the front, but pulls all barretts out. If I sneak it in she won''t tug at it, but as soon as she sees herself in a mirror, she''ll go back to pulling it out!

Qtiekiki: let me know which giddy giddy clip you choose and show us a pic!

Curly: thanks for the food suggestions...I''ll have to give quesedilla''s a try...hope they''re easy? How''s the work/kiddie balance going now that Lily''s over a year? I think I''m finally used to it, but still always running around (I do lunch runs to Buy Buy Baby, WF, BRU once in a while...wkends are too busy!).

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 10/22/2009 9:01:21 AM
Author: Jas12
Edamame seems to be a hit with all the babies. I''ll have to see if i can find it. I don''t think i''ve ever seen it fresh around here. If i do find it, do i just remove the bean from the pod and serve like that?


Jen--the girls are beautiful and happy looking! Good job momma! Glad you are well!


Tgal--Co has highly-tuned veggie radar too. Last night i was too sick to make anything other than pasta but i went to the effort to smoosh up some chick-peas and grate some veggies into it (which is usually fine) and of course he spotted the dots of brocoli sprouts and would have none of it. And this is a kid that *used* to eat full handfuls of veggies before he started going to grandmas full-time. But now he knows he can simply object and get something processed and in the shape of a star or fish

LOL Jas, that is awful because I do indeed remember that Co was definitely a champion eater. I would say your kid would be exhibit A for why there is "harm" in giving kids a little bit of crap. My friends don''t get why I don''t give Amelia a little bit of this or that (what''s the harm, they ask). So much of child behavior is learned...and once they learn there is something better out there and that they can actually get it, why would they want the healthy stuff?

Amelia still doesn''t love veggies, so I am not giving her cookies, pie, cake, etc until she at least learns to like a few veggies. I might be fighting a losing battle here, but at least I can say it''s not because I gave her cake!

 

[TravelingGal]

Janine, I''ll keep you posted on the clips. And yeah, I know...I''m a big wigged out my kid is not a huge rice fan!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Feeding T is a constant power struggle now. I have resorted to letting her pick out her own food. Otherwise she just cries, screams, refuses to eat...so she actually goes into the fridge/pantry and tells me what she wants. Even then she often changes her mind. It is annoying. If she had her way she would survive off of yogurt (Dora of course!) and alphabet cookies. Other foods that she will *usually* eat is pasta with pesto, turkey hotdogs, peas, baby food (I know, kinda strange but she will still eat it so I still stock some of the veggie ones. She feeds herself), cucumber with italian dressing on them, string cheese, mac & cheese, grapes, bananas, fruit cups, apple sauce, chicken nuggets and she does love chicken lo mein.

We went to a pumpkin farm yesterday. She seemed to like the hay ride but NOT the animals in their petting zoo. The only ones she was semi-interested in were the ducks. She was actually trying to "free" them. She was pulling on their cage yelling "stuck! Stuck! Ducks stuck!" They also had sheep, goats, chickens, mini horse, donkey, and cows. Oh and the cutest puppy ever and I am not a dog person. Then we went back to pick out pumpkins and she was fascinated with the mini ones. Good clean fall fun for all.

Jen, they are adorable. "Yo Gabba Gabba" has a dvd. My parents bought it for their house b/c they don''t have cable. Happy birthday to them!

 

[snlee]

Jas12, try your frozen section. I''ve never seen them fresh. I buy the frozen pack of edamane. I just boil them and remove them from the pod. I have only fed them to D a few times though. The first time I gave them to him whole and noticed he can''t digest them well. TMI, it just went in and out. So now I break them into smaller pieces. Sorry to hear you have m/s. Hope you feel better soon!

janine, an easy way to make eggs is whip them, add a tiny bit of water, about a tablespoon or so, and microwave for 30 secs to a minute. Then mix it with whatever else you want to add.

D is always babbling but not words. He makes sounds that sound like mama and dada (but not to the correct person), hi, bye, up, down, neinei for milk. He seems to understand a lot of what we''re saying. D isn''t walking yet. He''s more interested in crawling. Occasionally he''ll walk assisted. He also likes standing and cruising. Good luck with C''s appointment. I know the shots are no fun!

 

[Burk]

All this talk about eating is so timely because T has become so super picky lately and it''s making me crazy! I think I''m most annoyed by this because it really started with the whole H1N1 thing and since then really hasn''t eaten well at all and she''s just so skinny. She used to eat pretty much anything we ate...not so much any more. She typically eats her fruit (she loves pears, apples, grapes, peaches, and applesauce) so that''s good, but after that it''s anybody''s guess. She is on a cottage cheese kick right now so if she won''t eat what I give her first, I usually offer cottage cheese. She typically will eat any pasta, pizza and mac and cheese. She doesn''t like hot dogs/turkey dogs at all and really doesn''t like meat much. She doesn''t like peanut butter, either. What is wrong with my kid? I''m sooo hoping this gets better soon!!

Jen~The girls are so cute! Happy 1st birthday!

Been super busy with volleyball stuff lately so haven''t had much time to just relax and read PS. Boo. We have a game tonight but have the weekend off so tomorrow night we''re going to pick up T''s new crib and hopefully get some things accomplished with moving furniture and getting the rooms set up.

 

[ellaila]

Hi guys!

Jen, the girls are beautiful! Happy Birthday, Marina and Sophie!

Is there an advantage to buying edamame in the shells? I've always bought the frozen shelled ones at Whole Foods - so easy and it's one of G and K's all-time favorite foods. They've never tired of it!

I just bought the frozen haricot verts (green beans) at Trader Joe's, sauteed them in a bit of canola oil, and added a teeny bit of salt - Katelyn just ate two BIG Momma handfuls of beans. She is *loving* them! I tend to think that frozen green beans are nasty, but these really taste just like fresh ones. Yum!!

Another favorite here is just plain cubed tofu. If they don't like what's on their plate, that's what they get and they're happy with it. It's actually really good with string cheese

We are definitely in a rut when it comes to food, but I think that's pretty typical for this age (almost two). I often wonder about people like Giada Di Laurentiis and whether her baby eats any better than mine do ... but you know, I doubt it! She may try more things, but when it comes down to eat, toddlers like to exert their independence and a major way of doing that is by saying NO to foods!

As for snacks, my guys like pumpkin bread, blueberry muffins, Special K w/strawberries, any freeze-dried fruit from Trader Joe's, the fruit leather thingies (from either TJs or WF - WF has more flavors), and of course any and all type of crackers and cookies (whole wheat Fig Newtons are a big hit). If we're home, I'll tend toward the Special K because they really love it and it's a healthier snack (I joke that if they keep eating it, they'll lose two dress sizes in 10 days!), but if we're out, I admit that I use the junkier snacks because they're more convenient to throw in the diaper bag.

ETA: My kids aren't "typical" either in that they don't love pizza, mac and cheese, hot dogs, grilled cheese, etc. K will eat a turkey dog, but G won't. K will take a bite of pizza, G won't. They'll both only eat the Knorr cheddar and broccoli mac and cheese, and no other kind. Grilled cheese goes untouched.

Go-to foods for us are chicken nuggets, edamame, ravioli or pasta w/butter, tofu, yogurt, sweet potato fries or tater tots (I didn't want to go there, but I caved and of course they love them), scrambled eggs, pancakes (banana or blueberry), and cereal. Pretty standard boring fare!

 

[janinegirly]

hearing a lot of mention of chicken nuggets--where do you buy these--is there a "healthy" version somewhere or are you just baking breaded chicken cutlets?

how about tofu, how are you preparing that?

Thanks for the great ideas..C will get one or 2 new meals now..haha!

 

[ellaila]

As for the tofu, my guys eat it straight out of the package. I buy extra-firm and cube it - you can even buy it already cubed if you can find it! - just drain the water. Simple and healthy! You can also stir-fry it, but they like it just raw.

For chicken nuggets, I buy the Earth''s Best ones for convenience - they''re precooked, so you can just microwave them. Also buy Bell and Evans chicken nuggets or tenders; those need to be baked so they''re not as fast, but they''re better. Other times, I will bread my own (I like them coated with crushed-up corn flakes), but the packaged ones are obviously easier!

Another *favorite* of G and K''s is the frozen Earth''s Best cheese ravioli. That and edamame = perfect meal for them