Breakfast or not?

[carang]

no reason why you can't mix a little fruit in with the cereal.
also, it seems like you are constantly trying to feed the poor thing. he might be getting a little tired of always eating. imagine how you feel after a huge dinner, you don't really feel like doing much, right?

i'm not saying starve your child, but i think that you are a little too flexible with meal times.

eg) why would you give lunch at 2pm sometimes?
why not give lunch and milk at the same time? you like to wash your food down with something to drink, no? so baby will be the same.

also, by 9 months, baby should be having two naps, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

"Then a short nap at 9:30 or so, and then a fruit when he awakes. A bath at 11:30 followed by a nap"

it sounds like the sleep times are interfering with the rest of the schedule. do you think that is the case?

I'm all for being flexible and not sticking to a very rigid routine, but some routine is good for baby. i think that your whole routine needs to be looked at carefully.

good luck!

 

[shaanmom]

Hi carang, thanks for your comments. Actually, his schedule is something that has evolved around him, I'm just trying to keep up with him! I used to be able to "make" him take a nap at fixed times, but now I find that as he's getting bigger, he resists my efforts. He takes a short catnap around 1/2 hr at 9:30 as he gets up pretty early, and then he likes his midafternoon 1 or 1 1/2hrs. Sometimes he will have another catnap around 5 if he's had a busy day like going out or for playgroup. I've always wondered how moms can put their kids down for naps, I've never been very successful with that! My only saving grace is that he goes to sleep & wakes up more or less at the same time every night & day, and that's a relief!

For his meals, I have tried giving milk as well, but he refuses, and prefers water (not even very keen on juice)! That's why I've been giving him more yoghurt, cheese & milky treats... We try to give him lots of different foods and so far, he seems to enjoy whatever we've presented. Will definitely try mixing fruit with the cereal for b/fast.

Nowadays, he's teething (late teether) so I wonder if that has affected his appetite for milk? Also, he's recovering from a bad cough/runny nose, a minor surgery (before he got sick) and returning home after a month in Singapore, so I guess he just needs some time to get back into the swing of things...

My husband says I'm being too obsessive & overly worried - maybe so, but that's what moms do, isn't it?? ;-)

 

[carang]

you do find that with the first many mums are a little more obsessive... if they're eating too much, not enough, if they haven't gotten their teeth yet, if they fell down and bumped their head, if the mother ate sushi when she was expecting.

we all tend to get a little more...umm....blase(no accent on my computer!) i think that it's only natural as we've seen some of the behaviour before and have an idea of how to handle it.

i would do as your hubby suggests and just take a little step back and take a breath.

sometimes, babies need to be guided. if he doesn't appear to "want" a nap, maybe take him into a darkened room and just lie beside him and sing lullabies. that might be all that is needed.
my daughter fights sleep like it is her worst enemy. however, when pushed to sleep, she'll sleep for 2 hours in the morning!

you need to remember that you are the parent and that YOU are the one who makes the rules (they need to be flexible for this age, but you might as well start now). you will be amazed at how quickly children learn and adapt.

(ps> i don't think i have all the answers myself, as my daughter goes to sleep REALLY well, but wakes often at night! argh!)

good luck!

 

[shaanmom]

Hi, thanks for the comments! I have started holding back a bit more, and am def more assertive when I can see that it's naptime and he REALLY needs it! He's like your daughter - will fight & struggle against sleep; and when we just hold him tight and take him into his darkened nursery with the lullabies, he'll let go and knocks out in minutes!

I can already see that his timings etc are changing as he's growing so I try not to dwell too much on it, and although I seem quite flexible with his schedule, I do control a lot of it!

Always appreciate comments/advice from "seasoned" moms, so thanks again!

 

[shaanmom]

Hi Everyone! Just wanted to let you all know that (touch wood!) he's got his appetite back. In fact I'm considering moving to the next level milk as he seems to be enjoying his milk again. He also seems to be settling into a better sleep schedule... The surgery and the cough must have upset his routine. Thanks for all your advice, it's great to have a forum like this where you can get unbiased and reassuring help (rather than a curt "it's OK, babies are like that sometimes")... only moms can understand what it's like!! Thanks all!!

 

[a mum]

Seems that cereal is a very popular kind of breakfast. Wonder if I should serve it with cow's milk or formula milk? Also, what sort of cheese is good for babies?

 

[shaanmom]

Hi a mum, depends on baby's age. Before 1yr, better to use formula milk, after that, you can try fresh milk. For cheese, have given philly cream cheese (on toast or crackers) & mild chedder cheese. I know other mums have tried baby edam, cottage cheese. HTH!

 

[a mum]

Hi, I presume you can get these in City Super.
So the toast are white bread put in the over?!
How about crackers, what sort of crackers. Any brand suggestion. I have never done this before so need to advice. THanks

 

[carang]

it is better to give children wheat bread, not white bread

you can buy a toaster for about $150-200, much easier than an oven.

 

[bekyboo44]

also any cheese you give to a baby must be pasteurised, the same goes for the milk. although saying that my 17 month recently drank milk direct from a goat and was fine! but pasterurised is a must!

so no brie, feta etc. for baby! basically the cheeses you would avoid when pregnant.

for crackers, try and find ones with as little salt as possible....although it's not easy finding salt free crackers in HK...!

you can toast the bread if you want (can double as a teething aid) but doesn't have to be toasted....wheat, brown, whole grain etc. bread is much better for everyone, not just baby!