How Much Do We Feed Them???

Am I the only one wondering how much we should feed our little gems? I found this website and they have a helpful guide to how much they should eat. Their credentials don't seem to be in nutrition or pediatrics, but all I can say is that it's helpful!

FINGER FOODS!

The results are in!!! With them, I've compiled a list of FINGER FOODS! Of course, if you're cooking dinner every night then you can probably just give your little gem some of what you're eating for dinner or lunch. But for those of us who don't cook that often, I hope this will help! If you have any other great ideas, please email me so that I can add them!

Fruits
Apple chunks (steamed for about 2 min in microwave)
Banana chunks
Blueberries (cut in half)
Cantaloupe chunks
Peach and Pear chunks (fresh or canned--buy in either light syrup or pear juice--if you need them "to-go", the little fruit cups with peach or pear are great!)
Grapes (cut into very small pieces)
Mango chunks (not too much though, it's full of fiber)

Veggies/Legumes
Avocado chunks
Baked potatoes
Baked sweet potatoes: also the frozen sweet potato fries which they can pick up on their own.
Beans: black, white cannelini, garbanzo, lentils, any kind really.
Broccoli (frozen or steam fresh)
Carrots (steamed)
Frozen peas
Veggie “medley”:green beans, carrots, peas, corn (I love TJ’s Organic Foursome)--for some reason frozen veggies are easier for them to eat.
Dr.Praeger’s broccoli/potato cakes (or any of his veggie/potato cakes)
Dr. Praeger's veggie burger

Meat/Fish
Rotisserie chicken--seems to be more tender than grilled chick breasts
Turkey meatballs--(Z LOVES Trader Joe's in the frozen section)
Regular meatballs
Meatloaf
Hamburger (cut into small chunks)
Pork tenderloin (it’s very tender and easy for them to chew...even Z can with 2 teeth)
Sliced turkey breast from the deli counter
Ham from the deli counter (nitrate-free)
Breaded frozen chicken breast (Bell & Evans are good)
Ham/turkey & cheese quesadilla (Nature’s Promise whole wheat tortillas from Giant are very soft--I just make these in the microwave)
Fish sticks (may be too crunchy for some)
Tilapia or another low-mercury fish

Other
Trader Joe's Chicken Shumai
Scrambled eggs (if under 1yr, yolks only)
Frozen multi-grain waffles (WF vanilla homestyle mini-waffles are good too)
Trader Joe's Blueberry Waffles*
Cheese (string cheese)
Mac & Cheese (Annie’s is good)
Grilled cheese cut up into small cubes
Trader Joe's Potato and Cheese Perogies*
Toast (whole wheat) with butter and jelly
Whole wheat tortilla with hummus
Cheese tortellini
Ravioli: cheese, veggie filled, meat filled
Baja Fresh: chicken and cheese quesadilla
Yobaby yogurt
Cottage cheese
Annie’s Organic version of Spaghetti-Os
Pasta

Snacks
Kix (Z likes these better than Cheerios)
Cheerios
Puffs
Goldfish
Animal Crackers
Rice cakes
Barbara's Apple Cinnamon Os*

*newly added

Just Too Much!

Yes, this is for real! For all of you with boys, check it out...The Tinkle Tube. "What is this?" you ask...you don't want to know! Litearlly, this is a tube for your little gem to pee in when you're out and about. I know, I know...GROSS! They actually have testimonials on their site about how wonderful this is! I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist!

COMING SOON: Finger Foods!

As of late, the topic of conversation for the crawling set (well, their mommies) is WHAT DO WE FEED OUR LITTLE GEMS! Now that they're eating more and more finger foods we all seem to be stumped. I mean, everyone has a few things in their repertoire, but we all seem to need MORE ideas! I've put my feelers out there and hopefully in the next week or so I'll have a great list of foods so we don't have to keep giving them the same foods everyday! STAY TUNED!

Label Mania

Do you have friends who are super organized? You know the ones...you open up their pantry and all the jars are labeled and the boxes are lined up 'just so'? Then when you go into their little gem's room, all of the clothes are organized by color and size, and the drawers are filled with perfectly stacked little shirts and pants. Well, that ain't me!

However, I've found some hope. Mabel's Labels has everything you need to be "that" friend! They sell labels for organizing everything under your roof...household labels, clothing labels, address labels, allergy-alert labels, even a 'neat-freak' combo pack! Oh, and believe me, that's just the beginning of the label frenzy on this site! It's truly amazing how many things you can label! Happy organizing!

Very Punny!

Yes, again, I must admit how much I like Ts with funny little puns and play on words. PixieRock.com has the funniest onesies and Ts for your baby or toddler. I especially like the "I Pooed"!

Burper Baby Gift

Have you ever seen a baby product that you wished you had thought of? Well, here it is..."The Burpcatcher"! I'm sorry, but this made me laugh...both for it's simplicity and it's practicality! This is a burpcloth with a pocket at one end, ie, that end goes over your shoulder, so when baby spits up the burp cloth "catches" it!

Z was never a spitter-upper, but I know many a friend whose gems were little fountains. Perhaps, if you're one of those friends, this might pique your interest for number 2!

Super Sock Alternative

Are you tired of putting shoes on your little gem's feet even when you're at home? Well, I am! I always put Robeez on Z's feet because he's king of the "sock-puller-off" club! I'd rather he could just slip on something more comfortable at home though. A friend suggested Nowa Li moccasins for babies. They're like socks but they have a soft leather sole, great for both indoors and outdoors for crawlers and new walkers! I can't wait to get a pair for Z! I've also found new ones on Ebay for less!

Great Reads

From the author of Babycakes comes two more of Z's favorite books. Karma Wilson wrote Bear Wants More and Bear Snores On, both about a lovable bear...in one he's hungry and the other he's sleepy. The books have repetition but also have cute stories that your little one will love (and you won't be bored of reading over and over). They were both a little long for Z to sit through at first, but now adores hearing them!

Organic Baby

Now that Z is eating 'real' food, I'm constantly scrambling to figure out what to feed him. Another important factor in what I feed him is what foods should I buy *organic*? I found a list of fruits and veggies that are better off being eaten organic. Don't worry, I won't make you go to the link, instead, here's a list of those at the top of the list.

Fruits:
Apples
Bananas
Grapes/Raisins
Peaches
Pears
Raspberries

Veggies:
Bell Peppers
Corn
Cucumbers
Green Beans
Potatoes
Spinach
Winter Squash

Other foods to buy organic:
Milk/dairy products
Oats (ie, in cereal)
Rice
Anything else your baby eats a lot of!

Hope this is helpful for those of you interested in buying more organic but not ready to buy all of your groceries in 'organic' versions. For more info about *why* it's a good idea to eat these organic, check out Delicious Organics. They also have a lot of other helpful links about organic foods!

Eat Your Veggies

If you're looking for a cute baby gift or a special something for your little gem, you can't beat these adorable knit vegetable rattles! Great for the little ones to shake or teeth on now, and then when they're older they can use them in their kitchen! They also make cupcakes, ice cream cones, fruit and donut rattles...to name just a few (and all are equally precious).

Laugh Out Loud

Do you want to laugh? I know we all laugh a lot with our little gems...but I mean *really* laugh? My friend stumbled across "In the Motherhood", on MSN, which is a series of comedy shorts starring Leah Remini, Jenny McCarthy and Chelsea Handler. These are hysterical skits based on real mommy experiences. I realize that we're all pressed for time, but you won't regret tuning into an episode (I really liked Season 2 Episode 2). If you don't laugh out loud or think it's funny then I apologize for wasting your time! : )

Product Safety

A friend of mine, who recently had a baby, asked me what bath products I use on Z. I proudly told her that we use Burt's Baby Bees (love the scent and seems so gentle). She said, "But I'm not sure it's totally safe." HUH??? Well, she passed along the address for a website which rates the safety of beauty products for adults and has a special database for children's (and baby) products. It's called Skin Deep and it's quite informative. When I looked up Burt's it had a rating of 4 out of 10, with 1 being the safest. OY! Check it out for yourself!

P.S. Take it with a grain of salt!

Time to Brush

A friend of mine who's a pediatric dentist told me that I should be brushing Z's 2 little teeth everyday! EEEEKK! I've been asking everyone I know what they use to brush their little gems' teeth. One friend told me about Baby's First Toothbrush. I checked it out and people gave it lots of good reviews so it looks like it's worth a try!

Btw, I just picked one up at BuyBuyBaby for $5.99.

Easy to Use Sippy

I know I've been talking *a lot* about sippy cups lately, but I've actually found one that Z can use! At 9 months he was having zero success with the regular sippy cups (ie, non-straw versions) but I just bought the Nuby Sport Sipper with Soft Straw and it's great! Z was able to drink from it without any trouble, probably because it's so similar to a bottle's nipple. The bottle appears to be made from a non-BPA containing material (since it's cloudy plastic) and the straw is made from silicone. At any rate, I was just happy to find a straw sippy that he could use! I bought one at BuyBuyBaby for around $3.50.

Buyer beware...I read some reviews that said they leaked easily, and the silicone tore. Other people loved them! So, check it out and see for yourself. I think the bottom line is that these are a great transition from bottle to straw-sippy. Oh, one last thing...you can also buy replacement lids.

Presents with Presence

Do you find yourself searching for the perfect baby gift every time you find out another friend has a little gem on the way? Here's an adorable, yet practical gift for all new moms! The Cutest Things has a gift set that comes with 1 laminated bib and 2 burp cloths--all personalized-- for $36! You can choose from lots of colors and patterns...you can't go wrong giving this. The laminated bibs are really great too because they're soft, they wipe clean and they can be machine washed. The chenille bibs are great for the first 6 months if your baby spits up alot when eating! The site has other personalized gifts as well, but these are my faves!

Sippy Info

Z and most of his friends are fast approaching the *sippy cup stage*. If you're not sure what kind of sippy to buy, READ THIS ARTICLE! No more 'good old' sippys (sippies?)...say hello to the sippy straws! Speech pathologists are saying this is the way to go in order to avoid lisps and other speech articulation problems later on! Many companies sell the straw sippies with no-spill valves...Safe Sippy, Nuby and many others.

Cuddle Up

If you're looking for a "lovey" for your little lovey, these cozies are the best! Z started using his when the drooling began at about 4 months. These were great because back then he didn't really know how to use his hands but this was one of the few things he *could* hold easily. He has an elephant, hippo and bear. They're small, soft, machine washable and great to throw in the crib with your little gem. You can also find them at lots of toystores (Tree Top Kids and Child's Play both have them).

Stay Safe

A few weeks ago a friend mentioned that sippy cups could possibly cause speech development problems in kids. Of course I freaked for a moment but wasn't real worried since Z can't even figure out how to use a sippy cup yet. However, I think The Safe Sippy is worth a try! It's BPA-free and the spout is straw-shaped which apparently is better for developing mouths. It's on the pricey-side for a sippy, but isn't your little gem worth it?

Go Green

A few months ago when there was the big *BPA bottle scare* our only options for BPA-free bottles were either glass, old-fashioned Gerbers and the not so cute BornFrees. Now there's another option...and it's so cute! Green To Grow makes both 5 oz and 10 oz (regular and wide-neck) bottles that have the most darling little smiley faces on them! Not only that, but the plastic piece on the bottle is either lime green or turquoise depending on the size of the bottle! These bottles really add a little *zing* to bottle feeding!

We haven't tried them yet, and since Z is almost 9 months old we probably won't, but if you try them...let us know! This appears to be a real gem!