munchkin meals: 15 months
We’re 1 month older and that means another addition of MacKenna’s Munchkin Meals! Lots of things have changed in the past month and I think a lot has to do with the fact that, now that Kenna is walking, she is officially a toddler! And this little toddler is eating up a storm to fuel her little body!
MacKenna (15 months) is still eating 3 meals a day, but we are now down to one afternoon snack and we are still taking a bottle before bed. I really, really want to wean her completely off the bottle, but I’m not sure either of us are ready. In fact, last night, Kenna had a complete melt down because she just wanted her “Baba”. But, I can readily admit now that I don’t want to give it up either. I absolutely love those last 10-15 minutes of her day together. It’s by far the most relaxing part of my day. She’ll look into my eyes and hold my hand. *sigh* Why must my little girl be growing up so fast?!
Eating so much more now that she’s walking.
Breakfast is now one of her favorite meals of the day – and mine as well since it’s the one meal where I know she will absolutely eat what we give her. She will usually eat a blueberry waffle (“wawa”), if not at least another half or whole waffle. Sometimes she will eat half a banana along with that, but she definitely prefers to eat yogurt. We haven’t tried letting her use a spoon yet, but that would definitely help us get through meals easier. Any suggestions on how to teach her how to use one?
Stealing some of Dada’s yogurt…
We are still using the tasting tray for lunch and it has been going pretty well. We’re not using like Dr. Sears recommends, but it’s a great way to give her some options when she goes to the babysitter, and we usually get the tray back with almost everything eaten out of it. Except, of course, some of her fruits and veggies. But, she’s getting better.
I’ve been working really hard to give her more variety without having to sacrifice a lot of time. I’ve actually started buying canned fruits (in water, of course) to put in her tray. She is really loving pineapple and I’m hoping she’ll love the mandarin oranges and fruit cocktail I bought her as well. I’m still looking for some canned peaches that are canned in water and not in heavy syrup. Anyone know of any brands that do that?
Eating lunch is tiring…
Dinner usually comes down to 2 options. Option 1 is giving her whatever we’re eating. Pizza is still her favorite, but she loves roasted veggies and chickpeas, pasta, and her newest one, black bean burgers. If we’re eating something that is just too difficult to make into baby portions or something we just assume she won’t like, we go to option 2: a quesadilla with cheese, lunch meat, and tomatoes. For some reason, she absolutely LOVES anything that is cooked. She would rather eat cooked tomatoes, melted cheese, and anything that is warm. It makes it a little harder for us with packed lunches, but we’re happy she’s doing so well with everything else right now!
Last night’s dinner: English muffin with cheddar, sweet tater tots, and black bean burgers
The one thing that I haven’t tried with her yet but really want to is peanut butter. Growing up with a best friend who was (and still is) allergic to peanut butter along with a handful of students with peanut allergies has made me almost too aware of the allergy. I’m sooooo nervous for her to have a reaction. I mean, I freaked out when she vomited for the first time. A severe allergic reaction will push me over the edge. I talked to our pediatrician about it and since we have absolutely no history of food allergies, she said there should be absolutely no reason why we shouldn’t give her peanut butter. And I really, really want to! I think it would be a great protein and healthy fat source for her daily morning waffles, but I’m just too nervous! I just need to man-up and get over my stupid little fears!
I never want anything to happen to this silly little face!
How did you introduce your child to high allergy foods, like peanut butter? What should I expect if she does have an allergic reaction?