Sunday, May 20, 2012

too much / too little..... including a GIVEAWAY! - Earth's Best!

When it comes to Cullen and eating I think I have wondered from day one if he was eating too much or too little. I know I have posted about this before ;)  Since I nursed & pumped for 11 months I never really knew exactly how much Cullen was eating.  Obviously Cullen is a big guy and has been in the 90th-100th percentile since he was 3 months old BUT just because he is a big doesn't mean he was eating a lot (too much).  He did nurse often but he was and still is a growing boy, baby boy loves his milk!

I always worried he wasn't eating enough especially since he was waking 3-4 times a night to nurse or have a bottle.  The doctor always said, bless your heart and would pat my hand as if I was a saint ;) Heck, if my sweet C is hungry, he can eat!

These days, at 13 months, Cullen is only waking 1-2 times a night.  Usually only once, he whimpers and whines until I give him a bottle but he never opens his eyes and he drinks the bottle in 2 minutes and he is right back out.  I don't mind that one bit. He has never slept the night, ever. If I had to actually leave the house at 6:30 every morning, I might mind but since I am blessed and so thankful that I'm a stay at home mom, I really do not mind waking 1-2 times a night to make bottles and make sure our baby is getting everything he needs.

Now that Cullen is eating solid foods and drinking whole milk I still worry if he is eating enough.  We have gone through texture issues and Cullen very rarely lets me feed him anything off of a spoon so we just have to hope that he is shoveling in enough himself.  He has around 16-20 ounces of whole milk a day and water from a sippy cup.  I give him whole milk in bottles mixed with Earth's Best fruit smoothies because then I know he is at least getting a serving of fruit.  I also mix in the veggie pouches sometimes.  He eats breakfast at 7, a snack around 9, lunch around 11:30, a snack between 2-3 and then dinner around 5:30. All depending when he naps and how long.  Most days Cullen still takes 2 naps.

Cullen's favorite foods right now are chicken nuggets, hot dogs, chicken breasts, goldfish (in any flavor), earth's best smiley cookies, earth's best banana rings, blueberries, earth's best blueberry hearts, string cheese, cheese slices, peanut butter cheerios, cut up quesadilla, grilled cheese, mixed veggies (his fave are peas) and diced potatoes.  Did I mention Cullen is a snacker?  He's like his Dad and I, we snack and don't tend to eat big meals. We rarely ever even cook dinner, although we always have healthy food on hand from fresh fruit and veggies to baked chicken breasts.

Cullen has a little table and I leave little snacks on it because he is a snacker and doesn't eat a ton of food when he is sitting in his high chair, he seems to get restless and bored and he starts to whine.  I always keep him in his high chair during each meal for a while and then I transfer some of his meal to his play table and he can go grab bites as he plays.  Might not be the best habit to start but I still know exactly what he is eating and it's not like he's eating a lot.

I leave all of these snacks on his table all the time....

& goldfish and snax rice cakes.

I recently read some interesting info on Earth's Best website so I thought I would share it with you all because I'm sure there are other Mom's wondering if their babies are eating "enough".

This pertains to babies 12-15 months although on the Earth's Best site there is info on every age before 12 months.  Click HERE for the info.

Here is the info I read on babies Cullen's age, 12-15 months:
Happy Birthday, Baby! (12 to 15 months) - THIS IS REFERRING TO A GIRL (I just left it as is since it's written that way on the Earth's Best site)
You've helped her blow out her candle, watched her shove cake in her face, and reminisced that the past year has gone by so quickly. Once babies reach a year, I tell parents to think of their child's eating the same way they would think of their own. Aim for a basic structure of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a mid-morning snack and a mid-afternoon snack. By now, they should be eating, not drinking, their way through the day. Solid foods should be the bulk of what they're consuming, and drinks should be viewed the same way adults view them--as a thirst-quencher with a meal, not as a meal itself. At the 12-month mark, we recommend that parents switch babies from formula to whole milk. If you're still breastfeeding, that's great, too, but we still recommend introducing whole milk into their diets at this age. Your new toddler needs between 16 and 20 ounces of milk a day. In this instance, more isn't necessarily better. I've had many moms bring their kids in for their 18-month checkup, ready to pull their hair out because they can't get them to eat anything anymore. The first question I ask: how much whole milk is the child drinking per day? If she's getting more than the recommended daily amount, it's likely that she's filling up on milk and therefore isn't hungry for food. If she's thirsty but already had enough milk for the day, offer water. There's no need for juice in a toddler's diet; however, if you choose to give it to your child, make sure that you offer 100 percent juice that is watered down by half. Total daily juice intake shouldn't exceed 4 to 6 ounces.

Overall, offer balanced meals and healthy snacks and shoot for the following from the food groups:
  • 2 to 3 servings of a 1/4 cup of fruit
  • 2 to 3 servings of a 1/4 cup of vegetables
  • 2 servings of 1 ounce or a 1/4 cup of cooked meat or other protein
  • 4 to 6 servings of grains per day (1 serving equals 1/4 cup of cereal, 1/4 slice of bread, 1/4 cup of pasta, 2 to 3 crackers).

Some tips from Earth's Best:
Offer a wide variety of wholesome foods in a supportive, non-pressured setting and according to a regular, predictable schedule.
Present new foods at least twice a week. 
Offer new foods along with old favorites. 
Serve small, toddler-sized portions to not overwhelm your child. 
Foods should be easy to chew and be bite-sized. 
Provide snacks that are fun and interactive for your child, like Earth's Best OrganicTM Pop Snax.


Now, for a yummy giveaway for your little one!  Earth's Best Organic Pop Snax!

Cullen really likes the sweet potato cinnamon! I break them in half for him and he chows! 

To enter the giveaway to win some POP SNAX just leave a comment!! Maybe let me know what your little one's favorite foods are! I'm always looking for more ideas!

Hope you all had a great weekend!!
I know this is a long post but I hope you all find it at least a tiny bit informational :)  I'm always looking for tips, tricks and Mom advice for getting C to try more foods!


15 comments:

Rachel and John said...

I always wonder if I'm feeding Henry enough. Thanks for the info! I would love to win some snacks for him. Henry's favourite food is blueberry pancakes!

Anonymous said...

I would love to try these! My son is a food monster-that's what I lovingly call him- he is one big boy! I just spent the evening making apples, prunes, pears and bananas for him because even though he's large and in charge- he is still only 7 months old. I love reading about your sweet family! Glad to know that there are other big boys out there! Feel like sometimes my friends with baby's that are 6 months older and considerably smaller than mine judge. Nice to know that we aren't alone in the size spectrum. Thanks for offering the giveaways too!

Unknown said...

Colton is & has been in the 95-100% from 3 months old too & I also worry about his daily intake of food. He has become quite a booger about getting feed via a spoon (except for his apple sauce, mandarin oranges, or peaches) so it is hard to know that he is getting all he needs..........especially when there is so much under his butt when he gets up from his highchair! I try my best to stay in tuned to his needs & wants so we do his 3 meals & then snacks at 9am & 3pm as well & then I let him carry his milk cup fro 7-7:30 & then he gets a 2oz bottle right before his 8pm bed time. It sounds like so much typing it out for him only being 12 months old but he is happy, sleeps through the night & growing like a weed so I guess I (& you) are doing something right!!

Trust yourself & your motherly intuition..........you know Cullen better than anyone & you'll know when he is not getting enough or too much!!

Unknown said...

Baby C LOVES puffs these days...only thing she's guarenteed to eat

Shannon said...

Great post! Hunter has been on the big side as well since 2 months old and is growing so fast but I don't feel like he really eats THAT much, maybe I just have really fatty milk. haha. We've just started him on solids, so far just oatmeal, avocado and bananas. I'm hoping he'll be a good eater as he gets older.

April @ PolkaDots n' PinkySwears said...

My little ones favorite is Spaghetti-O's!! :)

Jennifer said...

Harper is a little foodie. She love Avocado/Bananas right now; butternut squash was a big hit too. I think every parent has the too little/too much worry. :) Great post.

Mateya said...

I even like eating the little puffs myself :)

HickChickBritt said...

Hayes is only 5 months old, but so far he loves all food! He is an eating machine. I would love to try the puffs.

Melissa @ i carry your heart said...

I'd love to win! My little one is on the other end of the weight percentages. Tiny little girl and we think it's funny because she eats SO much. Azalea loves pretty much everything we give her. Have you tried beans? like baked beans or black beans? those can be good. we put black beans in quesadillas sometimes too :)

Caitlynne and Jared said...

I like the idea of the snack table! Our 13-month-old has the same issue with getting bored and restless in his high chair. One of his favorite snacks are baked sweet potato sticks with a little bit of cinnamon.

blaseandgracesmommy said...

We have had the same issues with textures with Grace.

Megan said...

I also always wonder if Eli is getting enough food or too much. It is stressful!

Mommie Couture said...

Parker is ALWAYS hungry too and ALWAYS wanting to eat... Thankfully fruits & veggies is his favorite so I don't get too worried but the hubs likes to sneak him snacks like pretzels every now and then and I always get worried he's going to get "too big." It's so hard to know at this age if you are feeding them enough/too much and how to gauge if they are hungry or just bored or see you eating and want to eat? :(

Lori said...

Annie this was such a great post! I needed this! Savannah is going through such a rough stage with eating, always has been a difficult eater when it came to introducing solids! Also a great snacker, but the mealtime is the problem! Right now, she is lovin' Cream of Wheat for Breakfast! Love this Giveaway! Hope I win!!! Once again, I wish we were neighbors!!!! :(

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