When it comes to meal time with Lucas these days, let’s just say it’s…an adventure. And it’s not just limited to meal time; we’ll just categorize it as “eating in general.”
And when I say “adventure,” it’s basically code for “nightmare.”
I like to joke about the fact that I completely and totally jinxed myself. When Lucas was younger and starting to eat solids, we could put basically anything in front of that child and he would eat it without question. Lucas LOVED food and, in turn, his mama and daddy certainly loved meal time, too!
Yet, probably around oh, I don’t know, 20 months or so? I noticed his eating habits began to get a bit more picky. Suddenly he was no longer interested in his beloved vegetables or pasta (???). And then he didn’t want meatballs. And then he didn’t want yogurt. And then he didn’t want hot dogs.
And then I started thinking to myself…what the heck am I going to feed this child?!
Thankfully, I’ve noticed that most of his eating habit now go in phases. Currently? He’s obsessed with peanut butter, and on days where he wants literally nothing else to eat, we’ll just spoon feed him peanut butter straight from the jar. Mom of the year, I know.
He’s also pretty good about eggs, so we’ll make him cheese omelets fairly often for basically any meal of the day, along with cereal, cereal bars, crackers, and food pouches. Which, some days, can be the majority of what he eats and I’ve had to stop letting myself feel like a failure of a mom when I put him to bed and realize he didn’t eat one veggie all day. Or in the past three days, for that matter.
At first, I felt terrible, like I wasn’t trying hard enough. But the more I’ve talked to other moms, the more I’ve realized that it can be totally normal at this stage. Some kids are just picky eaters! Our friend Kanika told us that her pediatrician said, as long as they get one decent meal in for the day, you’ve got nothing to worry about. So I’m taking that and running with it!
One of the areas that’s really gotten tough for me though is packing breakfast and lunch for Lucas during the week. Half of the time, I’ll pack something and he wants nothing to do with it. So here I am, sending my child off for the day, and he winds up eating barely anything…no bueno! So my plan from here on out is to send in some “emergency snacks” at the beginning of the week for the days where he’s just not having it. And most importantly, if he’s not eating a lot, I want to make sure that what he is eating is something I can feel good about. Real, honest, pure ingredients.
So when I was recently invited to partner up with Sprout® Organic baby/toddler food, it honestly couldn’t have come at a better time. I’ve been feeding Lucas Sprout® products since he was just a little guy (he used to go nuts over their sweet potato, white bean, and cinnamon pouch, and their banana, pear, pineapple and buckwheat pouch), and I’m excited to try out some of their other flavors of pouches, as well as their other products geared more towards toddlers.
One in particular is their Red Berry & Beet Cereal Snacks. I think these could be perfect for on-the-go snacks, as well as an easy accompaniment to a packed breakfast, along with some fresh fruit and yogurt.
This past weekend, I picked up a bunch of different snacks at ShopRite while I was out with Lucas, and I’m intrigued to see how they go.
Although, if it’s anything like how he enjoyed them while we were in the store (he ended up eating that pouch before we even got to the register), I think we’re golden.
I’ll be sure to give you guys an update in the next week or two to see how things have been going!
Heads up! There’s a coupon available for $2 Off 5 Sprout® Baby/Toddler food products! Just CLICK HERE!
For the parents out there: How are your baby’s and/or toddler’s eating habits? Have they changed? Stayed consistently good or bad? Any good advice to give? Feel free to share!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sprout® Organic Baby Foods. The opinions and text are all mine.
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