My Little C is 20 months now, which is really hard to believe, since in a lot of ways development wise she is closer to 9-12 months. I was able to breast feed 19 months, and loved every minute of it.
We started trying to give Little C solids at 8 months, with no success. She would try to nurse what ever we offered her off of the spoon. We tried apple sauce, yoghurt puréed veggies, all with no success. She still had a very strong gag reflex, so I didn't push.
It was closer to a year when we were able to get her to eat, and even then, all she wanted to eat was baby cereal, something I really tried to avoid! So that's what she wanted, that's what we gave. For her first birthday, I was so depressed thinking she would not enjoy cake for her birthday. It's a tradition of mine to give the first taste of cake as a first birthday treat! Well, Little C surprised me, and gobbled it up! Go figure, she would gag on any other textured food, but pure sugar? No problem Mom! I'll eat it all!!
After that, we struggled, but were able to get her to take chunky baby food. I was not used to this! A 14 month old still needing baby food? She began taking a cup, but no bottles for this baby!
Little C would not drink formula (my sister-in-law tried once when I had to leave Little C for an overnight) and will not drink milk. As much as I love breastfeeding, it was time to wean. My other children needed me, and with my husband working out of town more often, the feedings were taking away from the other children. Little C is a picky eater, and would happily live off of my "milkies" and apple sauce With her low muscle tone, she really needs to have enough protein to help her develop. Needless to say, I began looking at toddler supplements. I was receiving weekly calls from our occupational therapist trying to help us get Little C to eat more. How long can a child live off of yoghurt and apple sauce?
Toddlers need nutrition from a variety of foods. I have never been concerned about my child's diet before, but I now know the stress of a picky toddler. I used to believe "just let them get hungry enough and they will eat." That didn't work with Little C, and I couldn't risk it with her development. Did you know that
children age 1 to 3 years should get about 40 calories per inch of height a day? That's around 1,000-1,400 calories a day. That is a scary thought if you have a stubborn little brick wall.....oh, uh...., I mean little Princess like mine!
The transition from breast milk to cows milk has been a difficult one for us this go around, nothing like I have experienced before. I am fortunate to have a great support in my husband, family, and Little C's therapists. I have had concerns, and worry's that I couldn't ignore.
So, a toddler supplement it is. *sigh* This was something I had hoped not to need, but I am pleased that I did. I couldn't believe the difference it made! We began giving Little C her toddler milk in the morning. She doesn't even come up for air! She is also eating better, which might not be related, but it started at the same time, so I would like to think it is. When you go from snubbing almost everything, to gobbling everything up, it does make you think it could be related.
I am very excited to be a part of the Natrel Baboo Blog Tour.
Baboo is a toddler dairy product made by Natrel, and is designed to ensure a smooth transition from breast milk or infant formula to regular milk.
I was sent 6 250 ml servings to try out, and Little C loves them! I was very happy to see the ready to serve packaging, as powder can be messy, and hard to take with you if you need to pack light. It even comes with a straw, so no extra packing is needed!
One thing I am very impressed with Natrel for, is the information available on their website. It includes
nutritional information about their products, and
meal planners which includes nutrition tips.Very informative, and worth a read!
Try it:
Visit https://www.facebook.com/natrelbaboo. Natrel Baboo is giving away 50,000 coupons so you can try it yourself!
Disclosure – I am participating in the Baboo Blog Tour by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Natrel. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.