Starter food advice

Question from a club mom:

My boys turned 8 months on Saturday (born at 34 weeks). I've wanted to try some non-baby food items, but I don't really know where to start. I did try some cheerios and they both promptly threw up on me. I tried the freeze dried fruit and yogurt thingies this weekend, but only a couple.

Any advice would be great.

Advice/experience given by other club moms:

Unless they have teeth, it's hard for them to dissolve some food, although my Pediatrician always told us that they're gums are really tough. I don't remember exactly what we did back then but I remember giving them "Puffs" a lot as they dissolve quickly but still allow the chew process. They sell those pasta meals too which are easy to chew/swallow.

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I would experiment with food in small amounts. With the Cheerios I would give them one. I tried to do variety and small amounts. So rather than have it be a meal have it be introduction to different textures and flavors. Peas, and sweat potatoes, and bananas are good. Just very small pieces. It is good to get them picking stuff up with the fingers. I would cook vegetables until they were mushy. It gets very messy. My kids had allergies and had trouble with eggs, and anything like ketchup, salad dressing and mayo. These things turned their face bright red. Also, if they are reaching for food from your plate then they are interested. When I first tried other food with my daughter she spit it out.

With the throwing up it may have been too much new stuff at once. It could be an allergy to wheat but I would not assume this based on one experience.

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Have you tried puff's yet? My boys started on that & they are easier to eat than cheerios b/c they dissolve.My twin boys had a really hard time eating non-baby food. (gagging & throwing up) I remember bananas were a good food for me to start with. I would try it a little thicker to see if they could eat it. If it was too thick I would just take a fork & smash it a little more.

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My friend gave me a recipe book: Cooking for Baby (from Williams-Sonoma) it seems to have some really good recipes to try & foods to try that are "softer" for the little ones. Just thought I would mention that too.

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Hi! Sounds like things are going pretty good! My b/g twins are 10 months old and I have been having the same problem with getting them to try foods that are not pureed. Their gag reflex is so strong that anything that isn't soft ends up all over. BUT I had success with soft mozzarella cheese (the soft kind you buy in a block...then I slice and make pieces about the size of an eraser head). I also had success with tater tots...I just break them open and give them a small sample of the inside. My daughter is able to put the food in her mouth and my son doesn't quite have it down but if I feed him he does great. Someone suggested cheerios but they are just too hard to start with I think.

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Your pediatrician should be able to give you some guidance. There is no "right" way - just some guidance on how to introduce food and in what order. I think my twins were about 10 months before they could handle cheerios (they were born at 32 weeks). Sounds like you're doing well!

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Always check with your doctor first on insight for amounts and ideas. That being said here are some ideas when just starting out since they are just using their gums to mash food up. Try small bits of cut up soft banana, yogurt (like YoBaby or Danimals) very soft avocado they can mush up, and veggie they can mush a not choke on, spaghetti or orzo's (their smaller).

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At this age it takes them a while to get the hang of finger foods. Cheerios or puffs are perfect to start with actually, for the fine motor skills alone. You could also start with something softer like elbow noodles, which have something to grab but are soft. Or maybe you get the nets where you put a frozen banana or apple in it and let them suck on it to get a feel for texture in their mouth (plus this is great for when they are teething). You could also crush up cheerios and coat small banana pieces with it, so it was gripable but yet soft. Carrots cooked really soft are another food many kids like at this age. Very ripe and soft pears are good too, cut small (and maybe coated with crushed cereal so they can grip them). Ultimately you need try different things to see what works best for them. It’s possible that they are not yet ready for food yet. One of my twins went through this so I introduced food to him later than normal. He just wasn’t ready for the whole process: chewing, sensory and otherwise. Other than finger food, baby yogurt (like YoBaby) is a favorite at this age and they now come with fruits and veggies in them. And this typically is a welcome change, but yet not hard for them to eat.

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Ellyn Satter's books, How To Get Your Child To Eat...But Not Too Much and Child of Mine, Feeding With Love And Good Sense, talk about feeding at all ages. Recommended by my friend's child nutritionist, these books give you some ideas on how to approach the transition to finger foods (as well as advice for every age stage).

Does anyone have more advice/experience to offer? Please comment below or send an email with your comments.

Kid's eat free!

Below are some website resources that list places that have kids eat free deals or special reduced prices on certain days of the week.

www.mykidseatfree.com/states/ohio.asp

www.kidseatfree.com

www.kidsmealdeals.com

A few club mom favorites, which are listed on these sites as well, are:

• Champps offers two free kid's meals per each adult meal on Tuesdays.
• Max and Erma's offers one free kid's meal with each adult meal on Tuesdays.
• Roadhouse offers one free kid's meal with each adult meal on Tuesdays.
• Qdoba Mexican Grill offers one free kid's meal with each adult meal on Tuesdays.
• Hoggy's offers one free kid's meal with each adult meal on Wednesdays.

What about you? Do you have any favorite places that offer free or reduced priced kid's meals on certain days? Know any places not listed in the website resources above? Please share!

Entertrainment Junction

We roadtripped to Cincinnati today. We decided to meet an aunt at Entertrainment Junction. I had no idea what to expect since it was my aunt's idea to check it out. First, the cost was pretty high so look for coupons before you go.

Second, it's located very close to Ikea so make it a whole day affair and get some shopping done while the kids play in the Ikea playland (check out height restrictions before you go).
After buying our tickets, we went in to find one of the biggest train displays in the world. It was thousands of square feet of train displays, towns, villages, etc. There is a playground that provided at least 30 minutes of entertainment for my trio.

In the Summer there is also an outdoor train that you can ride.

The best part of Entertrainment Junction was the FUNHOUSE!!! This place was sweet! I can't really put into words what it was like but my 6 year olds and 3 year old LOVED LOVED LOVED the Funhouse. It may be possible to buy a ticket just for the Funhouse. If so, it's well worth it.

The FunHouse consists of a mirror-walled maize, a chain link maize, a claustrophobia hall, and a crazy bridge that I can't begin to describe (but it's awesome). My kids were in hysterics throughout the whole FunHouse and insisted on doing it 3 times before we finally decided to head to Ikea.

If you can find discounts on Entertrainment Junction, I recommend it as a fun family day roadtrip!

And the winners are...

Jenn Murray and Jenn Maron!

Congratulations on winning a Baby Signs DVD! Please email us (columbusmultiples@gmail.com) your address information for shipping.

Stay tuned... there are two more great giveaways coming up in the next few weeks!

Libraries - A great place for free programs and activities!

Libraries are great learning places for children of all ages. Creating the love of reading, that excitement and thrill of getting new books to look at and read, is undeniably priceless to children. Teaching children how to look for books on the computer catalogs and in the aisles, is exciting even for us. As is their first library card!

However, the library is so much more than a place to just get books, movies and CDs. The other absolutely wonderful thing about libraries are all the fun programs they offer children of all ages. Better yet, these program are FREE!

Here is just a sampling of some of the programs you will find at your local library, both during the day/evening and weekdays/weekends:

• Storytimes for children six months to six years old, that incorporate age appropriate stories, songs, finger play and dancing. Some libraries even have pajama storytime at night and potty training themed storytimes!
  
  
• Music programs that feature songs, finger plays and dancing for children ages two to five.
  
  
• Ready to read programs for children five and under that feature easy, interactive crafts that are based on the six early literacy skills and will actually help your child get ready to read.
  
  
• Reading program with a yoga twist for children three to eight that incorporate games, singing, listening and acting out of stories using different modified yoga poses.
  
  
• Career exploring programs for grades kindergarten through third grade where they explore popular careers through stories, songs and activities.
  
  
• Adventure reading groups for children in kindergarten through third grade where they learn about the nature through stories, songs and activities.
  
  
• Puppet shows put on by the library staff for all ages.
  
  
• Family movie nights where you can bring your blankets, pillows and snacks to enjoy a movie on a big screen.
  
  
• Hand's on science programs for children ages six to eleven where they get to explore and experiment.
  
  
• Tween theatre programs where they work on sketches to perform at different library events.
  
  
• Tween writing and illustrating programs where they learn about writing contests, where to get published and also just be inspired.
  
  
• Writing programs for teens where they can share their love of stories (reading them, writing them and/or illustrating them), get some tips and make new friends. Some libraries have writing contests for short stories and poetry, as well as open mic nights where they can share their works.
  
  
• There are even programs for tweens and their Pokemon cards, Yu-Gi-Oh decks and Battle Brawlers. They all meet to play games and have fun.

These are just some of the free programs your local libraries offer children of all ages. There are also a whole host of great programs for adults too! Log onto your library's website and search the events calendar to see what cool programs are offered.

So, when you are looking for fun activities to do with your kids that don't cost a penny, always remember the great offerings your local library has to offer.


What library programs have you taken your children to that they have loved? Which programs do you recommend? Share your library program experiences and advice!

Scratch-and-sniff art project

Here's a fun art project for for children of all ages.

From Wondertime Magazine on-line.

To turn the classic still life into scratch-and-sniff art, I replaced watercolors with Kool-Aid, told my kindergarten class it was a secret solution, and let them loose. I felt like Willy Wonka as I watched the kids press their noses to their artwork and yell, "The oranges really smell like oranges!" — Jessica Burkett

1. Cover work area with newspaper.


2. Heap the fruit into the bowl, letting some overflow onto the table (the more fruit there is to paint, the better).


3. Use markers to draw an outline on the watercolor paper of the still life you've just created, but don't color anything in with the markers.


4. In separate cups, use separate paintbrushes to mix each packet of unsweetened Kool-Aid with 2 tablespoons of water. Arrange the cups in a row and place the corresponding Kool-Aid packets in front of the cups to identify each flavor.


5. Paint each fruit you've drawn with the appropriate Kool-Aid "paint." (Note: Grape Kool-Aid looks black when painted on, but it dries to a deep purple color.) Dry about 20 minutes. If some globs of paint take longer to dry, blot the excess with a tissue.


6. When dry, scratch a painted fruit lightly with your fingernail and sniff. And don't worry if the kids taste the "fruit"; it's so sour they'll probably only do it once.

Does anyone have any other really fun art projects? Or resources for art project ideas? Please share.

Our first blog giveaway!!!

*** This giveaway is now over***

In a previous post, I commented on how I felt that baby signs really helped my children communicate without frustration, as well as learn to talk. One resource I used was from Baby Signs®, the original sign language program for babies.

We are very excited to announce that Kathy from www.babysignlanguageshop.com would like to give away two Baby Signs DVDs. Two lucky club winners will win via our blog: the Mealtime DVD that teaches these signs: eat, drink, more, cereal, milk, bib and all done AND the My Pets DVD that teaches these signs: cat, dog, bird, bunny, turtle and fish.

Kathy is an independent Baby Signs Consultant and a twin herself! She lives in New Hampshire with her two teenage children, Michael (19) and Megan (16). She teaches baby sign language classes and has a NEW website where she sells baby sign products for anyone who wants to learn how to teach baby sign language to their baby. Kathy enjoys teaching her classes, but wanted to have a website where parents could buy products online. Being a single mom, she realizes how busy moms can be and that sometimes it is just easier to shop online and have the products delivered to your door!

If you are looking for Baby Signs products, be sure to stop by her site as she is offering free shipping through April 1, 2010.

To enter to win a DVD:

• Please comment below with what content you would like to see on our Columbus Multiple Moms Blog.
  

For additional entries – that’s right you have TWO MORE chances to win - do the following: (please create a separate comment for each of the three entry options)

• Become a follower of the Columbus Multiples Mom blog OR sign up for email notification (of blog posts) via feedburner (both are in the left margin). Once you have done this, comment below stating which you did. If you are already following us or subscribing through emails, that counts too. Comment below letting us know.
  
• Visit Kathy’s Baby Signs website and then comment below telling us what items interest you the most.

Winners will be selected on Friday March 12, 2010 at 9pm by random selection, using Random.org. Be sure to check the blog on Friday March 12th at 9pm to see if you won.

If an email address is not included in your goggle account profile, you will need to contact us within three days or we will have to select another winner. See giveaway policies for more information.

If you are viewing this on Facebook, come to the blog to enter to win.