Meal time been a huge part of our day for some time now. Between the time it takes to prepare the meal, watching Max eat at a snail's pace, and then sweep a gazillion times clean up, it sometimes feels like were spend most of the day in the dining room!
We are fortunate enough to have a very good eater on our hands (when he is feeling well and not teething). Max loooooves to eat. When we bring his plate to him he always lets out a happy little squeal, and if we leave the plate on the table because we forgot to grab something he lets us know how unimpressed he is by losing his bananas.
Some days I find it SO difficult to figure out what to feed him. I can be hard on myself, always trying to make sure that he has something from all of the food groups... something I need to work on caring less about. I started using plates for his food when he turned 13 months. Before
this I used the bowls that suctioned to his tray. Before 13 months he
was way to unpredictable with flipping his plates. Now he just does it
to tell us when he is done ;)
Every morning Max has a piece of toast with PB on it. Crusts removed and cut into small pieces of course ;). He also always has a handful of plain cheerios and some kind or fruit. Kiwis, blueberries, pear, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, oranges or peach slices (from the can and rinsed) are our staples. On work day mornings I always read books to Max while he eats. This way I feel as though I got to do something fun with him before he gets to spend the day with someone other than me (insert tears).
For lunch he typically has a yogurt (which he is starting to feed himself... m.e.s.s.y) and he almost always has avocado chunks. He LOVES avocado. Some days he will have pasta, or bread with hummus spread. I also once in awhile make scrambled eggs (which he will take or leave depending on the day), or I will warm a can of vegetable soup and then rinse a large spoonful in the colander to remove some of the salt. He will have some form of vegetable (peas, carrots, beans, broccoli, squash) and he'll end with more fruit.
For dinner he will eat whatever we are having. This could be chicken rice and veg, a pasta dish such as tuna casserole or meatballs and sauce, fish with sweet potato fries, etc. For nights when it is just him and I, and I have worked all day, I will try to have a piece of homemade quiche defrosted, or some form of leftover I can quickly heat up. For dessert.... of course fruit fruit and more fruit. The kid loves his fruit. On Saturdays I always pick us up a
spinach and feta twister from the grocery store. Crazy enough, he
devours these. This has become our Saturday lunch time tradition.
During the day he will snack on the unsweetened apple sauce cups and goldfish crackers. He loved puffs for the longest time but he has recently developed an aversion to them. Now he sees them more as a toy. He loves to walk around with the canister and shake them, but he wont eat them. He has also started to enjoy my homemade muffins... finally... I was starting to feel pretty offended ;)
It is nice to not have to blend food anymore, but sometimes it is frustrating trying to find something that he will eat on his off days. But have no fear, if Max does not like something Charlie our dog is sure to have a good meal. Our trusty scraps pup is a permanent fixture underneath Max's highchair at mealtime waiting to vacuum up flying toast and fruit that hits the ground with a "splat!!!!" He has also been clunked on the head with Max's sippy cup a few too many times.
I would love to hear what you feed your babes. I am always looking for new ideas for Max at mealtime :)
~ K
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