I started Isaac on solids today. A week ago I would have sworn black and blue he wasn’t ready. Today? I was breaking out the rice cereal and celebrating.
Okay, maybe I wasn’t celebrating, but still.
He has been fussy for the last few days. Wanting to feed every hour, but getting bored after a few minutes and pulling at my nipple (Isaac says: ‘My Mummy is a stretchy chew toy!’). Then he’d fuss 10 minutes later because he was still hungry. Sigh. So today, I made up a tablespoon of rice cereal and gave it to him after a feed. He didn’t seem to hate it with a fiery passion (like Amy did) and after swirling it around in his mouth for a bit, swallowed it down. And again. And again. He ended up eating the entire amount.
I was almost shocked. Dude was ready for real food.
Although I think calling rice cereal real food is a bit of a stretch. More like, mushy-tastes-like-nothing-slop. Details.
However, our real food issues are coming from Amy.
She’ll have an apple in her hand and with her mouth full announce, ‘Still hungry!’
She is permanently ‘still hungry’.
It’s driving me mad. Mostly I ignore it. At least I will until the demands for food become so annoying I couldn’t ignore it from another country.
There’s only so much you can do with carrots, apples and slices of capsicum.
At dinner, she eats her meat of her own accord, then ignores her vegies. If I pick up her plate and feed her, she is more than willing to eat everything, but obviously having to feed herself is just too hard. We pick our battles and if she was starving hungry then of course she would eat everything, but she isn’t. Because she snacks all day. Constantly.
Somehow, I think she’s gotten herself confused with ‘hungry’ and ‘bored and wanting instant gratification’.
Sigh.
It’s gotten so bad with the ‘still hungry!’ that the other night? I went in before bed to make sure she was snuggled. She woke up a little, looked at me sleepily and announced ‘Mummy, Amy is still hungry.’ She wasn’t even awake properly!
It’s a phase and it will pass. The good news though? She will eat bowlfuls of porridge. She loves the stuff. (With real oats, not the instant kind)
Other Amy-isms lately:
Amy woke up at 6.30am. She’s been waking earlier and earlier lately.
‘Amy, it’s still dark. Go back to bed.’
‘But Mummy, Amy is already awake!’
Why so you are.
**
‘Amy, would you like to give Nanny a hug?’
‘No.’
Then she ran away. Obviously Nanny had had enough hugs.
**
‘Mummy!’
‘What?’
‘Isaac is scary!’
‘Isaac isn’t scary.’
‘Yes! Isaac is a scary monster. Arghhhhh! Amy hide.’
**
I hope you werent trying to be really serious because I am giggling…
What harm can it really do if its healthy food? I know you wouldnt sit there and shove ‘crap’ food in her mouth to keep her occupied like some mothers I have seen. That makes my blood boil!
Isaac is eating solids? Wow!
I can’t believe he’s already up to solids. So big, time flies. I have been a lazy Mummy this time, with number four. We skipped purees and cereal and stuff and did baby led solids. You just kind of give them finger food from the start and it has actually been completely amazingly easy and stress free. They don’t really actually eat a lot at first but I figure they don’t with purees either, I can’t believe all of the time I spent preparing mashy baby foods!
Alis last blog post..Sweeping changes
I can hardly believe Isaac is already on solids. Amy will get through this stage–you can get through it.
Joyce-Annes last blog post..It is crack.
I know what you mean about the nipple stretch toys! Little hands sure can hurt when they squeeze boobies!
As for the solids….Woo, go Isaac! That’s awesome. I’ve tried giving my boys some rice cereal a few times but they always end up screaming when there’s not a spoon in their mouth – ie: they love it and want more and more and more.
Sigh.
Sometimes I know the hunger Amy is speaking of… hehe… Sharnee want chocolate… etc.
Toddlers are so funny.
Sharnees last blog post..In other news….
The Gambit ate rice cereal from eight weeks (hungry little bugger), and I can’t agree more, it tastes like soggy newspaper. I find it improves with cinnamon, or some swirled-in baked apple.
Robin G.s last blog post..Gardening, Part II
i’ve almost reached the point of giving sophia cereal. she’s a freaking bottomless pit.
nikkis last blog post..Sun Hat
The way Amy is with those apples? I’m the same with breasts.
Xbox4NappyRashs last blog post..The Sperm Runner III: Was it good for you?
It is hard to believe Isaac is that old. :[
Mrs. Cs last blog post..The Song of the Train
My first son got so bad about grazing that we had to limit him to meals only. It was painful for a while, but he would snack all day and never eat enough to count.
Kristi Youngs last blog post..An All-Star (in many ways)
Hehe, hope he’ll sleep more now. Amy sounds too cute, but exhausting
Jeanettes last blog post..A Trash the Dress Session in the veld – Part 2
Ooh, solids! Let’s hope this is the start of some hard-core sleeping from him.
Lately the girl has been calling me into her room about half an hour after I’ve put her to bed, informing me that she’s had a sleep and demanding to get up. Sigh.
Barbaras last blog post..146/365 – Ice Cream
I love the way she refers to herself in the third person. Hilarious. Kat laughing.
Kats last blog post..Weekly Winners
Awww….
I had a good Bad-ism today.
“I poop on potty Mommy. Never poop on girls.”
I think that’s good advice for all men to live by.
badness joness last blog post..More Happy
Amy is a funny Amy!
Rees last blog post..Mute Monday – Trip
You’re feeding your child healthy food?!
*shock horror gasp*
Surely You’ll be voted out of the local playgroup for not shoving deep fried crap down her throat? 😛
J/K
Yep, it’s a phase and it’ll all come out in the wash 😉
Jaynes last blog post..LOLZ coz you like it saaaaaaw much! 🙂
My first was on solids early too, 6x8oz bottles of milk + 2x4oz baby juices and still not full so I fed the little blighter. He loved it. Still didn’t sleep all night but he was happier during the day 😉
Amy is so funny. And yes, I think you are right, she is confusing hunger with I’m bored and want instant gratification so keep those snacks small. Maybe try some delaying tactics like giving her a little job to do for you to increase the gaps in between.
Yay for solids! None of mine would eat that baby rice cereal. They all loved weetbix, however, so I was lucky none of them were allergic. They also had semolina and porridge.
Watch out with Amy being so hungry. She may be in for a growth spurt and she’ll be 10 cms taller, new clothes will be necessary because everything she owns will be too short.
Had to laugh at “Isaac’s a scary monster”.
Hey V…my oldest went through the “I’m hungry” 24 hours a day as well, and I just had celery and carrot sticks in cold water in the fridge and I also cut fruit up. So she always had a snack but a good one…same as you are doing…and she outgrew it and was fine. The good thing is she has always liked raw veggies…early programming. 🙂
Oh the nipple stretching and chewing can be awful. I swear this is why my bewbs look like deflated balloons now.
I HOPE you are right about the food being a phase. My daughter is constantly begging for food and snacks. Between my dog and daughter, I have 2 moochers at my ankles at all times.
Momisodess last blog post..The villagers are getting restless
Good lord solids already wasnt he just born? I feel old
Suzies last blog post..The DMV Strikes Again
LOL! My son (3 1/2) seems to be famished all the time these days, too, but that’s too funny in the middle of sleeping she tells you that. I hope she starts sleeping later, soon, too. You might try an earlier bedtime if it’s too late. Just a common issue I see.
I hope Isaac enjoys his new food! We started on oatmeal rather than rice cereal mostly because I “heard” how much more constipating rice is. Lookie there…my first comment on this blog and I talked about constipation! Only among moms / mums. 😉
Nicoles last blog post..Mastering Naps and Schedules Now Officially For Sale
My daughter was the same way for a while too. Always “hungry” but really bored and refused to eat unless she was spoon-fed. At three. C’MON. For her, though, I think it had to do with watching the baby nurse and then watching me spoon-feed her. Because until reading your blog I didn’t even notice when it stopped. But it must have because I haven’t fed her in ages!
CKs last blog post..unsolicited advice dump
i have grazers too but apparently kids are supposed to eat smaller meals. It doesn’t stop me from going crazy though. I actually have divided the day into meal times and snack times. We try to stick to it.. doesn’t stop the whining though… does it ever?
zeemaids last blog post..Honeymoon Memories at Disney World
Solids? Where has that time gone????
Amy is so cute, I could eat her up!
tiffs last blog post..M.R.S. eh?
OMG! Little One is exactly the same! I nurse her and then she’s satisfied, but not too long after, she’ll do her hungry cry again! Sometimes I let Hubby give her a bottle of my expressed breast milk and I can get some sleep. Hubby told me that Little One took 12 oz of milk. TWELVE OUNCES!!! What on earth!?! She’s a 6 month old preemie! She’s technically only supposed to be 3 months old! How on earth can she eat that much?
I was contemplating starting her on some rice cereal, but wasn’t sure if she’s ready. If she’s eating so much as it is, does that mean she’s ready? I don’t know. Her Neonatologist said to wait until she’s 6 months corrected…which would make her almost 8 or 9 months old. I don’t know if she’ll hold off until then.
Anyway, I have to say that your adorable Amy had me laughing at the end of this post! Toooooooooo funny!
Cs last blog post..Oh, No! He Proposed!!!
hoping everything works itself out soon hun..
thinking of you
Amy’s a little scientist, figuring out how to elicit reactions from her environment.
As annoying as it is, she is seeing what sort of reactions she can get from you. Even if the reaction is negative, she is still working to see ‘what happens.’
Habits are what happens when a certain behavior results in a gratifying reward. Somewhere along the line, Amy is getting a response from you that she likes.
Here is one rule, though: if you are inconsistent, it only strengthens the habit.
One of my favorite things to use is “I’m sorry, I don’t understand you when you talk/ask that way.” And then ignore until you can elicit from her the reaction you like.
She might be upset (read: tantrum, etc) at first, but that, too will pass. Eventually. 🙂
Miss Ashs last blog post..Thugs
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