Suddenly, Cheerios

I've been diligently trying to get the girls to eat cheerios for months (since I got over my fear of them choking on them); i carry a tiny tupperware with them, etc. They have shown NO interest (until recently Tessa started enjoying crumbling them).

Yesterday i had the little tub downstairs in the playroom and they kept bringing it to me (mostly because T was trying to figure out how to open it (my little engineer!) and D wanted to gnaw on the lid. They had a few, but nothing much. Yet this morning they brought it to me and expressed how much they wanted them; danielle of course reaches for HANDFULS, double-fisted, and Tessa take one delicately.

it was hilarious how they'd zoom over to me, have a cheerio, walk away, then come zooming back two minutes later.

I also have FINALLY accepted the fact that they are not breakfast eaters, they are brunch eaters: that is, they just don't want solid food until they've been awake for 2-2.5 hours. Of course i had to learn this the hard way, by schlepping them upstairs, getting them in the high chairs, breaking out the food (which means i have to clean the trays, my absolute most hated task of all!). This morning I tried bkfst an hour after they had been awake - nothing doing.

As they were glomming down the cheerios i thought they might be hungry so I brought them upstairs -where htey proceeded to eat more cheerios, pancakes, prunes and applesauce mixed w/cereal. AND drink some milk from a sippy, another first.

FINALLY Mama gets that eating is on THEIR needs, not when I think they should eat. This is helping us bring down the milk consumption as well, which i was worried about. Of course, given the amount they POOP, I shouldn't be worried about anything!

 

QUOTE(Jordari @ May 26 2008, 05:10 PM) [snapback]793525[/snapback]
FINALLY Mama gets that eating is on THEIR needs, not when I think they should eat.


On one hand yes, you need to respect their developmentally appropriate schedule.
But in the first year we had this great pedi (we moved away ) whose philsophy was--you and the kids will be happier for the next several years if your goal ultimate goal in feeding is to incorporate this new member (with twins members) into your family as quickly as possible. Always feed them something at the times YOU and the rest of the family eat to establish the family meal time from the get go. (but of course respect the fact that they will need to eat at other times based on their development stage) And feed them what you eat (or some version of it) get a small food processor or food grinder and serve them at least something that the family is eating at each meal to establish a family diet. The habits you form now will be with them through childhood.

 

My older one is also not a breakfast eater -- she just doesn't have an appetite in the morning. I didn't worry about it until she started preschool at 2.5, then I panicked, because I couldn't send my kid off to school with absolutely nothing in her stomach.

I learned the hard way, too -- if I forced her to eat breakfast, she would throw it up. She just was NOT willing to eat in the morning. So, I gave up and started making her a breakfast smoothie every morning, with milk, frozen fruit, all-natural whey protein powder, sometimes yogurt, sometimes wheat germ, and always probiotics and vitamin C powder. Once in awhile, I put in a little chocolate syrup as a treat, especially if the fruit is strawberries or cherries.

We gradually switched to this instead of the 8 oz. of regular milk that she drank, immediately upon waking....and, it worked great. This is still our routine every day at age 4.5, and has been for the last two years...

I've already offered my little ones some smoothies in their straw sippies, and they love them....so, I'll probably start this with them soon, too! (I'll probably hold off on the protein powder, and just put yogurt in theirs for added protein.)

ETA -- I agree with Melissa about establishing food habits early....but, I think it's much easier after the kiddos move to one long afternoon nap. I can't wait for that, actually, because everything will be so much easier -- lunch and dinner times will be the same for everyone, etc. Right now, my babies eat breakfast at 11am, lunch at 3pm and dinner at 7pm, because of their two naps...it's all off!

 

QUOTE
FINALLY Mama gets that eating is on THEIR needs, not when I think they should eat.


I hear you! It's a challenge figuring out what they need when when they can't talk (much) yet, and I've had so many of these "Oh, DUH" moments!