Hello and welcome back to another instalment of The Baby Feeding Series, that features real stories from real parents who have experienced how hard and baffling feeding your baby can be. I want this series to be a place where parents can share their own experiences in the hopes that other parents who are struggling can feel less alone. Being a parent is the hardest job in the world but it's one of the most rewarding jobs too and so I want to share their stories.
Last week we had the lovely Helen from The Mumatron Blog who kindly shared her combination feeding story with her son, and how difficult it was to established any form of feeding straightaway due to a reflux. I was really keen on sharing Helen's story as we haven't featured a combi feeding mama on the series yet. This week I would like to introduce my lovely friend Naomi from Life By Naomi who shares a post about moving on from toddler snack. Being a mum to a fussy toddler my daughter seems to be more of a grazer than an eater at the moment. I don't understand the obsession with those dry tasteless rice cakes either. Without further ado, I'd like to hand it over to the lovely Naomi...
Moving on from toddler snacks
For a year or so, starting with weaning snacks, you always need a bag of toddler snacks in your bag. Rice cakes are a favourite. Bread sticks. Cut up vegetables or fruit. Mostly, I confess, I use these to keep my baby happy in the pushchair or to distract him when lunch might take a bit longer than planned.
Then, at some point in the toddler years, you start noticing things.
"Mammy, snack? More snack? More please?"
Despite eating more rice cakes than I personally could bear (how can they enjoy something so dry and tasteless), your toddler is still hungry.
Welcome to the snack phase.
I have two boys. They are 4 and 1, and both are pretty good eaters. They both have good appetites, and eat 3 decent meals a day. They both still drink cows milk as a drink morning and night. And they need snacks.
They are up early, and often eat breakfast before 7am. They might not have lunch for another 5 and a half hours. That's a long time for a small tummy to go. I read once that small children need 2/3 of the calories that an adult needs, and only have tummies 1/5 of the size. So snacks, and fairly calorie dense foods, are necessary.
Both my boys, especially my eldest, will eat fruit like it's going out of fashion. While that's great, fruit isn't that calorie dense, so I've had to encourage him to eat something else with his fruit, or to save fruit for pudding so that he's not hungry five minutes later.
Here are my go-to snacks for hungry children:
Bananas
Crackers and cheese
Mini-cheddars and grapes
Malt loaf
Fruit toast (especially hot cross buns)
Ham on crackers
Avocado on toast
Crustless quiches (make in batches and keep them in the freezer)
Flapjack
Cheesy flapjack
Low-sugar cereal
Ham and cheese wraps
Breadsticks and cream cheese
Hard-boiled eggs
I think part of this includes increasing the protein content. As adults, we know that protein keeps us fuller for longer: it works the same way for children. So if my children seem extra hungry, I'll give them some extra cheese or cold meat rather than additional carbs.
So far, they're both pretty healthy, eat a wide range of foods and enjoy them!
Then, at some point in the toddler years, you start noticing things.
"Mammy, snack? More snack? More please?"
Despite eating more rice cakes than I personally could bear (how can they enjoy something so dry and tasteless), your toddler is still hungry.
Welcome to the snack phase.
I have two boys. They are 4 and 1, and both are pretty good eaters. They both have good appetites, and eat 3 decent meals a day. They both still drink cows milk as a drink morning and night. And they need snacks.
They are up early, and often eat breakfast before 7am. They might not have lunch for another 5 and a half hours. That's a long time for a small tummy to go. I read once that small children need 2/3 of the calories that an adult needs, and only have tummies 1/5 of the size. So snacks, and fairly calorie dense foods, are necessary.
Both my boys, especially my eldest, will eat fruit like it's going out of fashion. While that's great, fruit isn't that calorie dense, so I've had to encourage him to eat something else with his fruit, or to save fruit for pudding so that he's not hungry five minutes later.
Here are my go-to snacks for hungry children:
Bananas
Crackers and cheese
Mini-cheddars and grapes
Malt loaf
Fruit toast (especially hot cross buns)
Ham on crackers
Avocado on toast
Crustless quiches (make in batches and keep them in the freezer)
Flapjack
Cheesy flapjack
Low-sugar cereal
Ham and cheese wraps
Breadsticks and cream cheese
Hard-boiled eggs
I think part of this includes increasing the protein content. As adults, we know that protein keeps us fuller for longer: it works the same way for children. So if my children seem extra hungry, I'll give them some extra cheese or cold meat rather than additional carbs.
So far, they're both pretty healthy, eat a wide range of foods and enjoy them!
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About Naomi
A family lifestyle blogger, documenting about her life in Lancashire. Naomi is a wife, mother and teacher, and life is a bit of a juggling act at times. Naomi writes about parenting Ben and Samuel, discussing faith, food, family and anything else that may crop up. Naomi started her blogging journey in 2013 whilst on maternity leave so she could have a place to share her experiences as a mum and have a creative outlet. Back in August 2014 Naomi and her family moved Manchester to the Ribble Valley in Lancashire and her blogging had moved on too, and so Life By Naomi was created.
Remember you can find Naomi over at Life By Naomi
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