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!