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Friday, March 11, 2011

A New Kind of Snack

Elliott's eating habits have been a thorn in my side since the day she was born. I hate to say that, because she is such a joy to me and being her momma is never difficult. BUT, if I had to pick one thing about my precious little one to change, it would be her eating habits.

I wished tried struggled to breastfeed her, and within 10 days we were done. This isn't the way I had planned on doing things, and I had a lot of guilt about it for a long time.

Then, we had "tummy issues" that gave us a heck of a time as we searched for the perfect formula that didn't upset Elliott's tummy. I often would tell Scott that I was going to make an "Ellie Cocktail", because making a bottle for her at one point consisted of water, one scoop of regular formula, one scoop of gentle formula, a few drops of gripe water, and some zantac. Bleh!

When we started solids, things finally seemed ok. She would eat three perfectly pureed meals a day, in addition to her bottles of formula which, at this point, we had mastered so that they didn't kill her tummy. If she didn't feel like eating her peas or her morning cereal, I didn't have to stress because I knew she was getting enough formula to make up for it.

After her first birthday, we said goodbye to formula. Elliott is still finicky with her food, but I made the decision to ditch the bottle, and her pediatrician supports me on that decision. However, I now struggle with keeping up with her ever-changing palate. This girl will find things that she LOVES, and I'll run to the grocery store to stock up on this particular item. It seems like by the time I get home from the grocery store, her tastes have already changed! I just can't keep up!

Some recent favorites were:
1. Cheerios: she now rarely eats Cheerios. Maybe, if I snuggle on the floor with her before bedtime, she might eat a few.

2. Nutri-grain Bars: this used to be our go-to snack for mid-mornings or when we were out and about. Umm, not anymore! She seems to have a hatred for any and all granola bars at this moment.

3. Mac and Cheese: maybe not the healthiest of dinner options, but this was our standard evening meal choice for a while. This was one thing that Ellie would eat a lot of, and I happily microwaved bowl after bowl of the yellow stuff because if she would eat it, then by all means! Much to my dismay, she now will only eat a few bites of her former favorite, and that is if I let her hold the fork and feed herself! (which I do.....no matter how much I cringe at the messes she makes)

4. Yogurt: Elliott has been on strike when it comes to pureed foods. About a week ago she decided that anything pureed and fed with a spoon was disgusting, and this includes yogurt! I'm bummed about this because yogurt is such a healthy, filling option for this time in her life.....better luck next year!

And Elliott's current favorite?!


Waffles.

I don't even dare go out and buy the Costco-size box of Eggos, though. I know that if I do, she'll surely find a new favorite snack tomorrow!

~Amanda

4 comments:

Ashley said...

That is so funny! Adelynn will eat just about anything...the only thing that I have found that Adelynn isn't a fan of and that is Cheerios. My fault - I started her out on Honey Nut...so the regular ones just aren't the same. I bet Ellie's appetite will get better as she gets older! I hope - for your sake! : )

Amanda said...

We haven't had that many struggles when it comes to food with Brynleigh but I was turned onto something because Brynleigh like Ellie refuses to eat yogurt and it is a good thing for them to have. My mom told me about Kiefer. It's a probiotic that has the same benefits that yogurt does and it comes flavored. It kinda tastes like a smoothie but we have started adding a bit to Brynleigh's milk to "trick" her. Good Luck and hopefully her palate will expand as she gets older.

Unknown said...

She's is so stinkin cute eating those waffles! Isla loves blueberry waffles :)

Christa Cox said...

hey thanks for checking out my blog and becoming my newest follower! :) sorry its taken me so long to get back (our lap top is getting fixed). LOVE your blog! your little one is so adorable!