Is my baby a picky eater?

Since Leia has been refusing her "moi" (rice porridge) lately, I stopped giving it to her for the last 2 days. Instead I fed her something else like oats porridge, papayas, biscuits, rice grains and bread and milk. She took all these in small portions. Yesterday, I made rice porridge for her again after a few days of "abstinence". She has cut down on the word usage of "mai"("no" in Hokkien) and agreed to eat few spoonfuls. Half the size that she used to eat. I have alsocut the carrots and potatoes and other veges into cubes instead of mashed them all up. (Tried to give her a change in food texture in the hope that she'll like it better.) Well, she opened her mouth wide... A good sign to me.

If those baby websites like wholesomebabyfood.com and homemade-baby-food-recipes.com are right, I really hope this challenging stage will pass soon. As much I'd like to assure myself that it is not to be worried about, I can't stop feeling it - looking at the little amount of food she ate. I'm glad though... her appetite for milk is returning.

Will have to give her variety of foods. Working on a food menu for her now....

She's losing her appetite

Hmmm... it's coming to a week now - Leia seems to be losing her appetite. She refused to finish her "moi" (porridge) and milk almost on her every meal. She used to drink at least 7 ounces of milk in 2.5 hours time but now... she couldn't even finish her 6 ounce milk. 

I'm getting a bit concerned. Could it be due to teething? She's coming to 13 months old and yet, there's no sign of sprouting teeth. 

Tried giving her other new type of foods like bread, biscuit, oats, pears but she doesn't seem to be able to eat a lot. That includes her favourite biscuit - Jacob's Weetameal. She could only finish quarter or maximum half of the biscuit when previously, she could finish one whole at one go.

Feeding time

Lately, Leia has started to like playing with her cutlery. During feeding times, she has tried to grab the spoon from my hand. So, you can imagine how messy it could be most of the time! I have to always get ready a bucket of water and wet cloth next to me. Just so that I can immediately wipe and clean up the mess once it happens. Sigh...

Solution? Look at the pictures below,

Her own cutlery set - minus the food

Hmmm...what's so yummy with the plastic spoon?

Not so full-proof still. I guess it will only happen when she turns adult, hopefully....

Weetameal - Jacob's

What's your baby's favourite biscuit? Leia loves Jacob's Weetameal. I have started giving her this biscuit about 2 weeks ago for her to snack in between her meals. Tried giving her Rusk's baby teething biscuit a few times before but she didn't like it it all. Perhaps it was because of the very sweet taste and the sticky texture it has.

So, if at anytime Leia rejects her "moi" (porridge in Hokkien) or other solid foods, Weetameal comes to rescue.

Self-service

Half piece gone!

Finger licking good!

More...

I personally loves this biscuit. It's so yummy and easy to eat. I could gulp down an average of 4 pieces at any given time. Now, it has a new follower - my hubby! Hehehe...

Food experiment - Fried anchovies

Ever since we started adding the fried and then blended anchovies into her porridge last weekend, she has loved her mealtime again! That's great!

It's very simple. Just sprinkle a pinch of the anchovies powder onto her porridge at every mealtime.

Prior to this, I have used different method to include anchovies (a good source of iron) into her food. I boiled them overnight in a pot of water. Then the next morning, drain them and put in the rest of other ingredients like rice, potato, carrot, spinach and meat into the slow cooker to cook.

I have heard of mommies who fry and then blend anchovies but never really wanted to try it earlier for 1. i do not know how 2. she was loving her porridge the way it was cooked then

But when she started refusing her food lately, I have to start thinking again of ways to get her to eat "enough". So, decided to give it a try - though still not knowing how. Take a look at how I have "produced" it;

A big handful of dried anchovies

Stir...stir....stir...look the thickening carbon on the surface of the wok

Turning brown. Smelled like "belacan"!

The broken pieces of bones and parts...

Done! Crispy!

Before I can blend them, I need to sieve them first. Separating the carbon and broken pieces from the well-done ones. Then, blend.

1 area of improvement for me : Stir fry under low fire... Ok, ok, will improve next time!

New found toy

What a great appetite she had today! Thank God! Both of us had fun at meal time. I made the "moi" (porridge) a bit diluted (as recommended by my aunty) and I think she likes it better this way. She was slurping in the "moi" most of the time. And since, I don't have my feeding team at home here, I'm all - the 3-in-1 role: feeding, playing with her and keeping her sit still.

So, how did I do all that? I find strapping her down in her high chair works well. She wouldn't have a chance to get up. Unlike in kopitiams (coffee shops) where most of the high chair strap buckles were spoilt. Thus, she's let free most of the time. Then, I stuck a balloon that we got from the government agencies roadshow in Queensbay Shopping Mall recently on her high chair. Well, it has shrunk in size since it has been more than 2 weeks we got it. So, it became more baby-friendly. Leia was happy that she could pinch and squeeze the balloon much easily now.

Yeah, pinched and squeezed the balloon until it popped! Burst. Instead of crying for losing a toy to play with, the rubber remains of the burst balloon became a new toy to her!

Pulled and strectched

New found joy!

Tore into two....

Oopsss... there was more on the floor

"Nevermind, continue"

So, the rule of thumb to a successful feeding - keep the girl entertained!

Almost ready to walk

For the past few days, I have tried guiding her to walk by holding her hands, only to receive resentment from her. Instead of walking, she jumped up and down signing "no". Well, guess she's still not ready then.

However, last night as I was busy making her fried anchovies in the kitchen... she "did it" on her own! Not exactly actually. She held on to her walker. But that's a good start nevertheless. I was very excited for her. I clapped hands and gave her words of encouragement. She turned and smiled at me and walked a few more steps before she stopped and crawled to her "papa". Didn't make it for some photo shots.

But later, again she went back to her walker and pulled herself up.


She didn't "walk" the second time though...

I certainly look forward to the coming days when she'll be readier to try her "legs" on walking... :)

Feeding time...

Feeding time... She has 2 solid meals a day. As I managed to arrive my aunty's place earlier than usual to pick her home, I had the chance to be a part of her "feeding team" yesterday evening.

I was given the honour to keep her sittting still

"Ammm...."

We can't expect our babies at this age to sit still for long to "makan" ("eat" in Malay) her meal. Their curiosity to explore will make them feel bored easily. The same applies to Leia. So, after a while we have to be creative of how to keep her amused.

She was then contented with a cloth peg in her hand

Okay, "ah mah" ("grandma" in Hokkien) said we had to move to another place to feed her. Sitting at one place for too long can make her feel restless and thus, more difficult to complete the feeding mission. So, we moved to the tv hall. "Ah mah" and I switched roles. I became the person who plays with her.

"Leia, mam...mam..."

Ok, in the play mood now that her tummy was filled.

Alas, she didn't finish her "moi" ("porridege" in Hokkien). She insisted that she wanted to play then. No problem... but we should change her dirty clothes first.

Waving her diaper cream - Drapolone to the photographer - my 13-year-old cousin brother

Going for the handphone

Consequences for not giving her what she wanted...

Given. "Hmmm... I'm stil angry!"

I was crossing my fingers while her putting her own her car seat that she will behave this time in our journey home. However, my relief was short-lived when half the distance, she started again - crying and throwing her tantrum. And we were caught in the Friday traffic jam. Just great!

How is she today?

2nd day of her stay at my aunty's place...

And I have called up my aunty for the 4th time this evening to check on her. Twice a day. 1 in the late morning and 1 in the late afternoon before fetching her home with me. And each call was always greeted by an excited aunty telling me everything about Leia - her antics, activities, food intake, sleep duration, "poo poo", etc, etc... I'm extremely glad that Leia still remember her and love to be taken care by her.

On my way to my aunty's house this evening, I can't help but to feel grateful. Oh, how blessed are we to have a loving aunty who's willing to care for Leia unconditionally...


Climbing everywhere on her "chor chor"'s (Hokkien word for great-grandmother) lazy chair

1001 things to do for Leia

As I continue to surf the net for more infos on parenting, the more overwhelmed I feel...!

It seems to me that I have not done enough for my girl! There are more than 1001 things that I can do for her now and later. Geez...so many wide aspects to look into urgently - her food intake (need to consider the type, texture, cooking methods, equipments used, which part of the day, etc), her play/ learning items (type of toys - development toys, bath toys, arts and supplies, puzzles, outdoor toys and the list goes on....), her sleeping routine, babyproofing.... and what else???

And all these require immediate attention, it seems! She's growing up fast and this mommy needs to catch up fast too!!

Adoi...I need system!

No "moi" but what about cereal?

Haiyah... she didn't want cereal too! Look at how little portion I made for her this afternoon...


And instead, she went for this non-edible item! Her teether

"Mommy, do you want to bite this too?"

Hmmm.... it's been several days now that she didn't want her "moi". Probably she's bored d. So, we thought we will make different food for her. Yesterday, I made her steamed sweet potatoes. She didn't want it either though I personally think that it was very tasty. Yup, I ate it in the end... And today, cereal "pun tak mau" (don't want too)...

Let's try "moi" again tomorrow. Will make it a smaller portion so that it didn't go to waste if she again doesn't want to eat it... *so pessimistic*

Hai... challenge................

Is giving medication to our babies the answer...?

It's been a few days now that Leia rejects her "moi" (porridge). The best she could eat was just a few spoonfuls. But she's fine with drinking milk.

This is the usual symptom for babies when they are not well. Loss of appetite. Well, adults encounter the same too, no doubt.

Since my last post of her having fever, she has not fully recovered from cold till today. Fever went off 3 days later but cough and runny nose stay. Now, more than 1 week later, cough is gone but runny nose stays. No, she's not taking any medicine except Panadol syrup when she had high fever. Took her to a doctor earlier but her advise was that babies shouldn't be given any medicine to treat these common illnesses. Medicine only suppresses the symptoms but does not cure. We should allow our baby's own immune system to work and fight against those bacterias and germs. Babies will eventually get better with time. Which I agree.

It's very worrying to see the increasing trend of parents and doctors prescribing medicine and antibiotics to treat cough and cold. This quick-fix may cause more harm to our babies well-being.

Earlier this year, the US FDA warned parents that cold and cough medicines are too risky for babies and toddlers. Some of these cold medications can actually cause serious life-threatening side effects (difficulty breathing, unconsciousness) in children under age 2. As a matter of fact, the US FDA suggested that all cold and cough medications should be kept out of the mouths of any child under the age of two years. It went further to state that the medications don't help kids under 6 years old.

As a parent, I know how worried and heart-broken we may be - seeing our children not being their usual, bubbly selves - the unbearable pain and discomfort that our children have to go through... Like this afternoon when my mom told me that Leia is not interested in her "moi" again and the non-stop runny nose. But having learnt the great danger of medication intake for "immediate recovery" from these illnesses, I decided to be patient and consider other options to make her feel better while allowing her own body immune system taking care of it.

What we can do;
1. Let our children drink more water to flush out the toxins from their body & to reduce dehydration
2. Allow enough rest, which includes enough sleep
3. Try a tender touch - hold her hand and sing her a song
4. Lots more

Take note though. It is not advisable to rub our child's chest with a strong-smelling over-the-counter ointment containing menthol, oil of wintergreen or eucalyptus. These give parents something to do, but they really don't improve air flow. And in babies and very young children, these ingredients can be absorbed into the bloodstream, where they might have toxic effects.

Food experiment - Pumpkin pancake

Yesterday, I made a new dish for Leia based on the recipe given by www.wholesomebabyfood.com. It was supposed to be Sweet Potato Pancake but in the end, it turned out to be Pumpkin Pancake instead. Let me share with you why...

Due to hectic work in the office for the past few days, I couldn't go out and get the sweet potatoes from Giant, the nearest hypermarket to my office. Instead, I got up very early on Saturday morning and went to pick up one big Thai (according to the seller's maid) sweet potato from the grocery shop near my house. Man, was I glad or what that I could still carry on with my food experiment now that I have my sweet potato...

Washed it and ready to cut

Yikes!!! Look at what I found!! Rotten sweet potato with live worms squirming inside...!!!!

Gosh, it was so gross!! I snapped a few more close-up pictures but decided not to publish them. Believe me, the yucky sight is too much to handle...

I was devastated. My weekend food experiment was ruined... Then, I had a better idea. Not willing to give up by this unforeseen disaster, I decided to go ahead and used pumpkin instead.

So, my project continued..

Freshly cut pumpkin...

The recipe given by the website is;

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
1 egg
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (use graham flour for a nice taste!)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk (or more)

But I decided to modify it. I have made many plain pancakes for my brother, granny and I when I was still schooling. So, it should be "sap sap sui" (cantonese word for easy-peasy) this time.

So, this is my modified pumpkin recipe;

olive oil
1 slice of pumpkin, mashed
1 egg
wheat flour (tepung gandum)
Leia's milk powder

Put them all in. Flour, egg and milk powder

Stir and add in a bit of water. According to the website, the mixture should have the consistency of thick, lumpy sauce like an "instant" pancake mix. But I like mine thin and crispy. So, I made a more diluted mixture.

Steamed pumpkin with fork holes mark - to test its softness


Mashed the pumpkin and added into the mixture

So then, ready to cook. Heat up the wok (couldn't use my non-stick pan as I have just discovered that it has turned rusty at certain places...yeah, more surprises...) and put in some oil. Spooned batter into the wok and cooked until bubbles rised to the surface of the pancake and broke. Approximately 1-2 minutes. Flipped the pancake and cooked for another 2 minutes.

Treng...teng...teng...! Pretty tasty despite made without sugar


"Whoa! Mommy, that's a lot of pancakes..."

Leia helped herself with the pancakes, though not much. She was more excited playing with them! So, it was mommy who had to finish them up. I like them a bit sweeter. So, I ate them with honey. Not that bad after all...

Why Make Homemade Baby Food Recipes for Your Baby?

A Few Good Reasons Why You Should Make Your Baby Fresh & Delicious Natural Homemade Baby Food

• Gives you total control over what is put into your baby’s food; you know it's free of additives that a tiny tummy simply does not need! If your baby is prone to food allergies, Homemade Baby Food will help You ensure that no foods that are allergenic are hidden!

• You take extra steps to ensure only high quality foods are selected for your baby. Do the commercial baby food companies put this much love and care into their jars?

• All the tools you need to make homemade wholesome baby food are probably already in your kitchen.

• Your baby is exposed to a greater variety of tastes and textures making the transition to table foods less stressful for your baby.

• You feed your baby according to his/her needs and cues. As you are controlling the texture and ingredients of your baby's food, you know what foods are best suited for YOUR baby.

• Healthy eating habits develop earlier as your involvement is dedicated to making only high quality, healthy baby foods and snacks. Your baby will benefit from these healthy eating habits long after that college diploma is in hand.

• Extra benefit - You save money when you make homemade baby food! Not only in the cost of the actual homemade baby food, but in the nutrient ratio as well. You get more nutrients for you dollar and your baby gets more nutrients for his growing body!

Baby Food

A few months back I was searching high and low for a good website that can give me some tips on the right food type for my baby's age when I stumbled upon this pretty good website.

I find I can look up many of the recommended baby food types in our local market. But of course, it also goes back to individual taste of what should be fed to our babies as many of us coming from different background, religion and culture will have our own "pantang larang" (can have's and can't have's).

It also has home-made baby food recipes that we can try out. I haven't started that yet but let's set the target this coming weekend. I'll post the outcome of the "experiment" in my blog next week. :)

As for now, I'm content of getting the right food type for Leia and putting them all in the slow cooker to cook a wholesome meal for her. Twice a day.

This is the ingredient list of her nutrient-packed "moi" (porridge):

1. 4-5 scoops of white rice (baby spoon)
2. a handful of anchovies (10-15 nos)
3. a piece of lean meat/ half cooked egg
4. half stick of sweet corn
5. 1 medium size potato
6. 1 medium size carrot
7. a small bundle of spinach/broccoli
8. a cube of pumpkin

Yummy!

Take note that we only need the essence of anchovies, meat and sweet corn. So, remember to take them out before feeding your baby. These are hardy food. Not advisable to be given to babies below 1 year-old. They may not be able to chew properly and this may increase the risk our babies' choking.

Leia's and grandma's highlight of the day!

Can you believe that this cheerful-looking baby has had a fever this early afternoon? Highest temperature recorded was 37.8 degree celcius.



Based on my past 2 experiences (yes, thank God that this baby hardly falls sick), this is not considered high. Her first time fever reached 42! (Yeah, you can bet this mom newbie was worried sick then) Doctors and nurses have assured me before that it is only considered high fever when the temperature hits 40. Anything below 37 is normal. So, at 37.8 - I diagnosed it as slight fever. But she was grumpy though. Refused her "moi" (hokkien word for porridge) - unusual sign that confirms she was not well.

And my mom - being the panicky person over small, trivial matters got extremely worried. Especially when Leia rejected her favourite drink - milk though still feeling hungry. A double confirmation. And to make matters worse, Leia's incessant crying (triple confirmation) sent my mom frantically looking for help.

So, there I was - working in my office when my phone rang. Not one time but many, many times. It was mom.

I almost wanted to pack my laptop and rush home to rescue, both Leia and mom. The sick baby and the panic-stricken mom. But then I managed to stop myself. Relax... give my mom a chance to manage the situation. Besides, I was sure that my sis-in-law was already at her side helping her out. So, I called home to check on both a bit later. And you know what I found out?

Everything turned out fine. Mom handled the "crisis" pretty well. Leia was given panadol syrup (as per my approval...) and went to sleep. She drank her milk later. Within less than a minute thereafter... she's being her old self again - happily running around in her walker and "talking" loudly to her "kong kong" (hokkien word for grandpa), "ah ma" (grandma) and "kim kim" (aunty).

The moral of the story is...