Friday, July 11, 2008

Chocolate or Carrots

I feel like I have posted about eating quite a bit lately, but it seems some days that all I do is feed these babies. In a twelve hour time period we take five bottles and have three solid feeds. We get up, eat some, play a little, nap, eat some, play a little, eat more, nap, play some, eat more, play some, usually take a walk, eat some more, go to bed. That is our day.
The thing about our eating is that, despite practicing for several months now, it seems we are only getting messier. And, I read last night, they are supposed to start feeding themselves at about a year old. Now for their feeding schedule, I am using their adjusted age--as if they were born the middle of October and not the first week of September. But I can't imagine what we will look like when these rascals start driving their own spoons.
Following Seth's example from the beach, we have tried black beans and tofu and "chunky orchard mix" which has apricots, pears, apple, and bananas. They like the beans a lot and the love the tofu. I have been giving those two to them as finger foods, meaning I place them on their tray and they pick them up. I think the next thing for us to try will be egg yolks.

I know the most important thing for us to do at this point is to instill a positive attitude toward food. When Mazie gets full, we don't push her. If they really seem to not like something, we don't make them eat it. (Green beans seem to be the only thing they really don't care for. Their Grancy will be proud of them.)
There are few things more annoying than picky eaters, especially adults, but children too. This is what I think of often as I am feeding them. I want my children to be good eaters. (I realize I may have just cursed myself with that first sentence.) I think it is unrealistic to expect children to choose carrot sticks over chocolate cake. That is why we pay attention to our own choices and why we choose what options we give them: "Do you want carrot sticks or orange slices." Chocolate cake is a treat to be enjoyed every so often, not every day. These are things I think about when I am feeding this little group of little people. I hope I will steer them in the right direction so that they enjoy good food but also see it as fuel for their bodies.
The first three photos are of the babes after a recent feed. The last three show them in typical bottle drinking positions. Elliott is laid back, while the girls use their feet to help operate their bottles. Thanks for reading. We hope you enjoy some delicious summer fare tonight.

1 comment:

Loving Landon said...

Landon is just now really becoming proficient with a spoon and still hates green beans to this day.....