The growth doctor spent a long time pushing for me to wean/formula feed the dumpling (mind you, he's almost 18 months). To start with, her nutritionist had entirely incorrectly estimated how many calories the dumpling gets from nursing (22 cal per ounce on average, frequently higher in an older nursling as the quantity decreases) so her estimate that he gets "at most 100 calories from nursing a day" is rather surprising. I had noted that he nurses at least 5 times during the day ...
Anyway, with everything else going on I finally caved and purchased some pediasure for the dumpling. That stuff is expensive, and I need several different packs to try the flavors. $35 poorer, I had a decent variety of flavors of super-high calorie but also rather artificial (and noxious smelling) stuff. So that my opinion wouldn't influence the baby, I just filled a bottle with it and sent it to daycare yesterday. And today. And guess what? Baby categorically refused the sippy cup all day after his first taste.
So back on half whole milk/half cream our little guy goes (not that he ever has taken more than 2 ounces from a bottle, whether pumped milk or milk and cream or even water). And then as we were walking home today and the fusspot started fussing about wanting a snack (usual stop: the fruit stand where she gets to buy her own banana, a process which thrills her. Luckily they are still 25 cents, so if she successfully hands a quarter to the fruit vendor, 95% of the time they'll hand her a banana, no words necessary), we stopped. Directly in front of the incredibly awesome brand new French bakery in our neighborhood. The owners are literally just landed in NYC after selling their store in the South of France. I was a bit skeptical when they opened since it is only 2 blocks from a super-beloved and old bakery in the neighborhood (which we frequent weekly for bread and in the winter for delicious hot chocolate), but it has already found a following. And what did the dumpling devor for his evening snack? Half a croissant. It was such a rousing success that I've promised the fusspot we can return in the morning for a mid-morning snack.
In summary: dumpling refuses formula, insists upon a diet of organic full-fat cream (farm fresh no less, in a glass bottle, purchased at our otherwise fairly barren local farmer's market) and croissants made in a French bakery. At least he has decent taste, even if he did purse his lips and refuse even a single bite of the chocolate chip cookies we made last weekend.
Anyway, with everything else going on I finally caved and purchased some pediasure for the dumpling. That stuff is expensive, and I need several different packs to try the flavors. $35 poorer, I had a decent variety of flavors of super-high calorie but also rather artificial (and noxious smelling) stuff. So that my opinion wouldn't influence the baby, I just filled a bottle with it and sent it to daycare yesterday. And today. And guess what? Baby categorically refused the sippy cup all day after his first taste.
So back on half whole milk/half cream our little guy goes (not that he ever has taken more than 2 ounces from a bottle, whether pumped milk or milk and cream or even water). And then as we were walking home today and the fusspot started fussing about wanting a snack (usual stop: the fruit stand where she gets to buy her own banana, a process which thrills her. Luckily they are still 25 cents, so if she successfully hands a quarter to the fruit vendor, 95% of the time they'll hand her a banana, no words necessary), we stopped. Directly in front of the incredibly awesome brand new French bakery in our neighborhood. The owners are literally just landed in NYC after selling their store in the South of France. I was a bit skeptical when they opened since it is only 2 blocks from a super-beloved and old bakery in the neighborhood (which we frequent weekly for bread and in the winter for delicious hot chocolate), but it has already found a following. And what did the dumpling devor for his evening snack? Half a croissant. It was such a rousing success that I've promised the fusspot we can return in the morning for a mid-morning snack.
In summary: dumpling refuses formula, insists upon a diet of organic full-fat cream (farm fresh no less, in a glass bottle, purchased at our otherwise fairly barren local farmer's market) and croissants made in a French bakery. At least he has decent taste, even if he did purse his lips and refuse even a single bite of the chocolate chip cookies we made last weekend.
3 comments:
Oh, you just have to laugh sometimes to keep from crying. Hoping that you can figure out enough delicious (and I can't blame him. that pediasure stuff is vile!) foods to bump up his weight a bit so doctors will stop PESTERING you!
And now I'm up here in NH thinking wistfully of french bakeries...
Croissants! If he keeps eating those that would be great - talk about calories.
Well, even though the first pediasure exposure didn't go well, you might give it a few more tries (especially since you spent all that money on it). There certainly are nutritional (or at least caloric) benefits to it and there's something to be said for variety as well. If he turned his nose up a broccoli, that wouldn't keep you from offering it again. I think it would be difficult and discouraging as a parent to constantly offer food that I knew would most likely be wasted to my child while health care providers lecture you about how to feed your child, so I definitely feel for you having to go through this process. Much of parenting is tremendous amounts of effort for no or little return.
Does the Dumpling drink from open cups yet? Michael, especially at that age, would like to eat or drink certain foods just because they were offered in new ways. I would really have to limit his fluids the first times I offered them in new cups. My mother keeps giving him those double walled cups with water and glitter and other stuff swishing around between the walls. I hate them and am pretty are they are made with bpa, so I don't let him use them often, but if I were to give him one filled to the top with water, he'd chug it faster than a frat boy chugs beer. Straws might also be enticing ways to offer beverages or cups that look like mommy's/daddy's cup.
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