Tips When You Need to Buy Readymade Snacks

As mentioned in my previous post, there are times that I can’t prepare my son’s meals. Just like any other working moms out there, I don’t always have the time to do everything! As much as I want to keep everything homemade, there are times when it is impossible. So I do the next best thing for me: buy store-bought snacks. It is better than to allow my son to go hungry, right?

However, I just don’t buy snacks just because that’s what other kids eat or because that’s what I used to eat when I was little. To choose ready-made snacks, here are some things moms can keep in mind in choosing what to put in the grocery basket and what I do before handing over for kids to eat:

• Avoid overly sweet or salty food. Even your local public health nurse recommends not giving salty and sweet food to your little one (until the age of 3). Small children’s internal organs are not ready to process huge amount of salt and sugar in their teeny-tiny bodies. Studies show that what we eat when we were little has an impact on our food choices later in life. Avoid cream-biscuits, wafers, or crisps when buying ready-made snacks for your kids.

• Don’t fall for the organic labels, read the ingredients. Moms these days are easily drawn into the organic food labels, thinking that organic meant healthy. While it could be true for some brands, not all food labeled as organic are healthy. So when shopping for ready-made snacks, make sure to read the ingredients list. If there are anything in the list that you are not familiar with, it is more likely to be artificial.

 

Left vs Right: See the difference?

• Check the expiration date. Make sure that the pack you bought is not yet expired or way in advance of the Best Before Date.

• Taste it first before giving it to your kids. A lot of issues these days show that even the well-known brands falling culprit to negligence in food preparation. Moms reporting of molds inside a packet of flavored milk or fruit smoothie are rampant these days. Even if the packet indicate that the item is way before its Expiration or Best Before Date, it is better to take a few sips especially if you can’t see the contents before handing it over to your child. It is always better to go on the side of pre-caution than to get the risk of food poisoning.

• Try to avoid flavored options. These usually applies to dairy products such as flavored milk and yogurt. Do you know how easy it is to add sweetness to these items naturally? My advice is to buy the plain ones because it allows you to cut the sugar amount drastically! Buy plain fresh milk or plain Greek yogurt for your kids. To sweeten, you can easily add fresh fruits such as banana, berries, or cooked apples. I recommend to add a drop of maple syrup or honey (if your child is more than 12 months).

Note: I store a couple of packets of ready-made snacks in the cupboard to make sure my son has something ready for snacking on days I am unable to cook for him. If my first choice brand is not available, I try to buy the next best alternative. My goal is still to provide my son with healthier and homemade food choices. 

I also buy fresh fruits. Sliced fruits are a nice snack for little ones. Kids will particularly love eating some sliced apples, a banana, or plum as a snack. Snacks are meant to keep your kids from getting hungry as they wait for the next meal such as lunch or dinner. So it need not be too heavy to avoid losing appetite for the meals.

Mommy's Letter to my Little One

It is raining today. It seems like summer has officially ended here in Ireland. Terrible weather aside, my day didn’t start quite right. Apart from our usual morning nanny on vacation (we do have somebody to cover for her), my son decided to wake up late than usual, ruining his “schedule”. I also had early morning calls that prompted me to give brief instructions to the cover nanny in the morning. As I had my calls, I learned that my son decided he didn’t want to take his lunch (and the nanny seemed to forget to give his fruit). As my work day went, I learned how tight the schedules are for the project I am in (I am not sure how much involvement I will have). I was trying to keep my head around my task for work when my son woke up as soon as the afternoon nanny arrived. He refused to be consoled so it prompted me to step in and give him a 15-minute cuddle/breastfeeding time. Even after that session, my son wants more of me. As he constantly gripped on my shirt and never left my side. Fast forward later, he still won’t take his snack and still won’t leave my side. The only thing that distracts him is to watch a video from his nanny’s mobile. It’s OK but watching meant no eating. So I am not sure how much he has taken for the day.

Having two different nannies for the morning and afternoon is quite difficult for me since I am working-from-home. The past months, I have been trying to work around my work schedule, the nannies schedule, and my son’s schedule just to get the harmonious timeline at home from 8 AM – 5 PM. Like anybody else working, I have deadlines. I have calls during office hours that I need to dial in to. When my son has a bad day or decided he wants Mommy, it is terribly difficult for me to focus on my job as an employee without feeling bad that I need to deliberately ignore my son. Add to the fact that there is a need to teach any new nanny about the routine/techniques/tricks on how to deal with my son. It is one of those things I have come to know over the months that we have somebody minding my son as I work (or try to work). As mothers, we have that certain instinct to identify what our child needs/wants or how to handle a situation. But we can’t ask or expect the same with a stranger, no matter how “good” they are with kids. My son could go on screaming his brains out because he doesn’t want what is in the TV but the nanny will never “get” it.

I am one of those Moms who want things done perfectly. But as each day pass by, I learned to let go of some things since I don’t have control over it. I learned to accept that my son behaves differently with me than with her nannies, no matter how much he likes to play with them. I learned that if I want things done according to my standard, I should do it myself. I learned that it is impossible for my son not to cry when I hand him to his nanny because he obviously wants me. I learned to accept it is hard to expect the same results if I mind my son personally or if he is with his nannies. But despite learning of these things early on, a day like this is still hard not to feel bad about.

 

But what really led me to this post/rant? Well, I think this is for my son when he grows up. I might let him read this to let him know how bad today went for the two of us. Probably he will not remember this day of his childhood when he grows up. I do hope that what he remembers are the time that I try to be really there for him. I hope that the days and hours I allocate to make time for him sticks with him rather than the time I pass him to his nanny as he shriek in protest. I would show this to him so he will know what my thoughts are for today and how I wish I am in the situation where I can just be there for him.

It is still raining, my son not eating, work pending, and house a bomb site. What a day, huh?!

Healthy Crackers Recipe: Parmesan and Oregano

My son loves to eat crackers or anything crunchy as a snack. He would eat the usual food I prepare for him but would eat crackers with so much gusto; it’s as if he is eating a steak! Probably if he can only have his way, he would always eat crackers. Whenever I give him a piece, it will never end up on the floor or in his hair! He will finish the entire thing with a big grin on his face!

I also love to eat crackers especially if I can have a bit of cheese or dip in it. But we all know that it is not that healthy. Some crackers are too salty and it is difficult to feel full by eating only a few pieces. Because of this, I try my best to make my son’s crackers at home. It is actually very simple and easy to make! The downside to it is that because I don’t put additives, I need to throw leftovers (if any) after 1-2weeks.

Recently, I also discovered that my son loves cheese. When I first introduced him to cheese, I was buying the Mini Babybel Cheese or the stretchy cheese. He didn’t like them (but I do! LOL) and would spit it out the moment he tasted it. I stopped trying to give him cheese for snacks until I bought some grated red cheddar and mozzarella. I tried to give him just a few strands to taste and was surprised to see him eating it and asking for more!

I have made these crackers before for my son and made it again since he likes them so much! Try it and hope your little one would love it too!

Healthy Parmesan and Oregano Crackers!

Recipe:

1 cup wholemeal flour

1 cup plain flour

¼ cup grated parmesan

5 tbsp dried oregano

¼ cup oil (I used olive oil for this)

About ½ cup water

Note: If you don’t like the grainy texture wholemeal flour has, you can make the crackers by using just plain flour.

1. Mix all the ingredients together except for the water. Combine the ingredients by hand. You should have a sand-ish consistency.

2. Gradually add the water while kneading. Keep on adding the water until you are able to form a dough ball.

3. Once your ingredients are solidly formed in a ball, try to roll it to your desired thickness. Note that the thinner you roll the dough, the easier it is to make it crispy!

4. Pre-heat your oven to 175C.

5. Continue rolling the dough and mold the crackers to your desired shape. Use cookie cutters if you like!

6. Cook the crackers for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, take it out of the oven and flip to the other side.

7. Put it back inside the oven to cook for an additional 10 minutes.

8. Let it cool before storing in an airtight container.

Additional Note: I have been making these crackers a while now and learned it is best to store the excess dough in the freezer :) My son can easily finish just 1 tray in a week so I prefer to bake frequently to make sure he is eating freshly baked crackers.

Note: Here are the ingredients/items I used to create this recipe:

Extended Breastfeeding: Thinking Out Loud

I don’t remember how many times my mom and some friends asked me the question, “Are you still breastfeeding your son?” or “He is more than a year old now. When are you going to stop?” And each time I get asked the same question, I try my best to give the same answer, hoping one day they will get it or get tired asking.

To be honest, I did not plan to breastfeed my son until this moment. From my last post, I was not even sure if I will breastfeed my son anyway. But when we finally got the hang of it, I told myself that I will breastfeed him until only 6 months. I went on to tell my husband that it might be better because I plan to go back to work and might need to leave home blah blah blah. But fast forward to this day, I know what I said before did not happen. When my son turned 6 months, I was back at work but I was working from home. We have a nanny minding him as I go to the office (aka my desk). But since I am constantly at home, my son would go berserk if the nanny tries to give him a bottle and I am just a few inches away from him. He would be inconsolable for an hour or so until I give in to feed him for 10-15 minutes. That’s when I realized that I can’t stand to hear him cry like that, especially when I know I can give what he wants easily. I had to make adjustments with my working hours, so that I could make up for the 10-15 minute feeding time that I give my son. But at least I was able to console my son when he needs me and be able to work peacefully, except during Wonder Weeks and teething.

When I realized that I was behind my 6 month deadline to wean my son, I thought “Surely after his first birthday, I am done with breastfeeding”. But my son is now 18 months old and I still breastfeed him. It is funny; I remembered I had this conversation with one of our Godmothers from our wedding. And how she told me she breastfed her kids until 2. At that time, I was thinking “My God, two years?! How about teething and biting!” But I can now say that one cannot truly understand unless you are in that same situation as the other person you are talking with. 

These days, I stopped planning when I will wean my son. It would be convenient to wean him soon, but a part of me feels sad just by thinking about it. I am sure not all moms would understand why I still breastfeed. But for now, I feel it is the right thing to do. It is my way to comfort my son, to hug him tightly, to reconnect, and say “I love you” without even saying anything.

Baby Product Review: Johnson's Top to Toe Wash

Johnson's Top-to-Toe Wash

 

Johnson baby products have been around for years and it is easy to understand why. They make high quality baby products that are really gentle to our little one’s skin. I can remember that when my brother was little, we were using Johnson’s baby products for his daily hygiene. Now that I have a baby of my own, I made the same decision and use the same items for my son.

For his bath time, we normally use the Johnson’s shampoo and shower gel. But being a budget conscious mom that I am, I saw that the Johnson's 500ml Baby Top-to-Toe Wash went on sale so I gave it a try. It was only 1.99€ when I bought it, and the regular price for the 500ml bottle is 3.49€. I thought that if my son will not have any reactions to this product, it is convenient especially when we are traveling.

On our first wash, I noticed the same gentle scent that comes with every Johnson’s bath time products. It smells really nice and the no more tears formula is also an added bonus. The product did not lather as much as the usual shower gel but I didn’t mind. It cleansed my little one’s delicate skin and did not dry it. 

Probably the only comment I have with the product is that I wouldn’t use it long-term as a shampoo replacement. My husband and I noticed that after rinsing off my son’s hair, it doesn’t feel as soft as it usually did if we used the normal Johnson’s baby shampoo. 

Probably they needed to make the formula a bit gentler since it is a 2-in-1 kind of product.

I will still buy this product especially if it goes on sale again and is very handy for traveling since I only need to pack one bottle for my son’s bath. But for the long-term, I will not use it and stick to the regular Johnson’s baby shampoo so my son’s hair will continue to feel nice and soft.