snacking questions

I have been so proud of my little ones eating habits (except for DS whenever he gets a tooth!) because I really thought they were doing so well. I was dismayed however to realize that they had lost weight at their one year check-up. It was a short term loss and they had been sick as well as moving around quite a bit, but I'm still concerned. I don't think we can get any better at mealtimes. I pack their food full of calories and they eat well. But I think I could improve on the snacks. Up until now I was giving them snacks 2-3 times per day. Always before lunch and before dinner (right after naps), sometimes before breakfast right when they woke up. I would just give them crackers (graham or wheat) and a fruit or vegetable. So I'm trying to come up with some higher calorie snacks to fuel their increasing need to GO, BE, DO!!!

What do you ladies give for snacks? Do you just give them a snack where they are playing, like on a blanket or table? Or do you put them in their highchairs/boosters for every snack (I'm just wondering if this would help them focus more - although I may lose my mind if I have to clean the kitchen even more times more day!)? How much would you say they eat for a snack?

I don't want to compromise their mealtimes or their milk intake by giving them too much snack. I swear I never thought feeding babies could be this complicated! Thanks for your help

 

i give my twins goldfish crackers, ritz wheat crackers, cheese, gerber or beechnut snacks, and graham crackers for snacks. i don't put them in their high chairs. i just put the snack on a small table and they eat what they want.

tanya

 

For snacks my boys get nutrigrain bars, cheese and fruit, baby goldfish, mum-mums, puffs, etc. Their highchairs can be lowered to where they can reach the food on the trays, so I just lower their highchairs and they eat what they want. I know some have suggested putting carnation instant breakfast in milk for calories, don't know if that would help?

 

Wow. I'm shocked people don't put their kids in the high chairs for snacks. We would have food all over the house and all over the girls if we didn't. You could try pudding or whole milk yogurt for high calorie snacks. We usually just do crackers and fruit. Sometimes they like cheese too.

 

Yogurt is a big hit at our house - you can also get the gerber graduates yogurt melts. We also do goldfish, puffs, cheese, bananas [split into 1/3'rds long ways and I try to give them about a 3 in piece to it seems like they have their own full banana ], fruit snacks [recently tried the yogo's and they love them], multi-grain cheerios, nutri-grain bars, gerber fruit mixtures, gerber lil crunchies, mum mum's..

As for putting them in their high chairs.. I only do this if what I give them would be a total mess. For example I would not give them banana's while they're playing in the livingroom - that would be a pain in the butt to clean out of the carpet! I give the dry stuff like puff, lil crunchies, mum mum's, etc.. on the coffee table and set their sippy beside it and let them go for it.

 

I don't put mine in high chairs for snacks either. I give them graham crackers, crackers, pretzels, animal crackers, and I'll put chocolate or strawberry syrup in their milk. Dd is only in the 2% for her weight so I use Duocal in some of her foods to add extra calories. I'll also make her milk shakes with bananas, ice cream and strawberries. Mine have a milk allergy so it is more challenging. I use soy products. If you feel comfortable, peanut butter is higher calorie. I use soy nut butter due to food allergies. I also use those no spill snack cups to put thier crackers or snacks in. It helps cut down on the mess. I vacuum their playroom every night so I don't worry about stray crackers laying around.

 

We used to do some snacks in the high chairs and some not - just whatever would work to get them to keep eating. Once they get mobile, the drive to move is stronger than the drive to eat in most kids. In mine, at least, it was! We just did a lot of vacuuming! :lol:

I don't have any new food suggestions to offer but I wanted to reassure you that if they are eating well, it is probably just par for the course and nothing to worry too much about. They are going to go up and down with weight around that age, especially with the new mobility. My kids eat like pigs constantly - as much as an adult for each of them - and yet they still managed to lose weight between 12-18 months!

GL!!

 

It depends on what they are getting for snacks if I put them in the high chair or not. If I am giving them yogurt or pudding, then they go in the high chair, if it's cheerios, Beechnut yogurt snacks, Gerber puffs/yogurt melts, then I just put them on the tray and let them run around with it. I've given: teddy grahams, cheese-its, pieces of cheese, yogurt, pudding, a piece of bread with peanut butter, cereal bars, fruit.

 

I used to put them in their high chairs for snacks too but I am sick of cleaning their trays. So now they only get puffs/goldfish/crackers and water.

They only get one snack a day though, or they would not eat well at meal time (at 3pm).

 

I'm not good with remembering to give them snacks, bad mommy! They usually get a snack 1xday and they either sit down on the kitchen floor or I put them in the highchairs. Most often they have goldfish, yogurt, nutrigrain bars, cheese, or cheerios for a snack.

My boys haven't gained a lot over the past few months - a lot of it has to do with their activity level. Think of how many calories they are burning, they are SO busy at this age!

Try not to worry too much, Amanda! :hug:

 

I usually found that if my kids snacked they didn't eat the good stuff at meals, so I rarely gave a snack at all. When I did it was always sitting down at the table--again, grazing made them not want to eat later.

 

I too am tired of cleaning high chair trays!

My two eat on the go for the most part. We always have snacktraps full of crackers and dried fruit available for them. They eat snacks when they want to. They get meals when they wake up, two large meals (breakfast and lunch) and one small meal (dinner) when I get home from work. They get the messy things with me feeding them in the living room. It works out best for us that way.

 

I do snacks in their snack traps. I put apple cinnamon Cheerios, puffs, mini Ritz, Teddy Grahams, Animal Crackers, Mini Fruits in them. We have a dog, so she eats what they drop. I usually do snacks one to two times a day, depending on naps and meals. I do anything messy at meal times in their highchairs.

 

We usually do 2 snacks a day..midmorning and then after their nap in the afternoon. I usually just put it on the coffee table and let them eat there. We have dogs, too(helps with cleanup ) plus hardwood floors so the stuff they drop isn't a big deal. We usually do the dry stuff that others have already mentioned...pretzels, goldfish, cheese, chex mix, etc...

I have tried doing the instanst carnation breakfast in their milk as a calorie booster. Neither one of mine like it. They won't drink their milk with it in there. I am interested to see if anyone else has any calorie booster ideas.

 

Ditto this! People are doing a lot better than me!

We do a lot of cheese, various little crackers, things dipped in PB if they eat that yet, we have been doing guacamole lately becuase they love it and like dipping things in it.

 

We do all high calorie snacks because of weight issues. This is what I give them for snacks. Cheese, yogurt, crackers with almond butter, pudding. I will offer fruit with anything I give them too. I will give goldfish or crackers to them after I feel that they had a good snack. I only give them snacks 1 or 2 times a day though. I want them to eat their meals. I still feed them yogurt but usually sitting on the floor with them so usually not in their high chairs. Oh and after dinner but before bed, we sit and have a bowl of ice cream (per my pedi's recommendation).