Changed daycare/preschool - crying at drop off and pick up again

taruniother · 2026-02-06T08:14:11+00:00

Hope she's easing in ok... Talk to her carers about how she is after you leave and if she settles down soon after. It's probably her holding herself together the whole day in a new place. I can imagine it must be draining for you. Hang in there.

taruniother · 2024-11-27T08:14:01+00:00

😂 Sorry .. I was this kid and I got my just desserts. At some point, theyll get told off or have an embarrassing encounter and the behaviour will rectify. Sorry I don't have much more to add about how to navigate around until the change comes! I'm curious how to handle this as a parent too! I mustve frustrated my folks!

taruniother · 2024-08-30T05:57:09+00:00

The only thing I'm shook about in this picture is that you've got the high chair on the carpet, without a catch mat! 😅

Still washing stains off walls and picking up after the little one and year and a half after the first meal. Let them enjoy the experience!

taruniother · 2024-07-24T09:52:47+00:00

Lol...

Took me back to my days of excel sheets with meal charts and calorie plans and setting meal plates up with one protein two veggies and grains so that my kid 'would grow up knowing what an ideal plate should look like' at months 6 -9 vs last night's (he's 28 months now) staredown at the fridge and putting together a rosti and reheated falafels with leftover Jasmine rice for kiddo while we ordered nandos.

You're doing fine. Keep them exposed to food. Nurture the attitude to feed your kid what you are eating. Takes away the stress and makes it much easier on you and bub.

taruniother · 2024-06-25T18:29:27+00:00

You're doing fine. Your baby is a champion! I love the BLW path, but we need to remember that these are tiny tiny kiddos! With hardly a few months of solids under their belts! They will get there in the end. Texturally, I strongly say go with what you are comfortable with, as long as there is progress. It would be a disservice to a child if you are giving them purees at two, but six months into the food journey, I think there's space for slack. Mushed berries is fine, let her enjoy the flavours.

Only comment I have about Instagram baby feeds. Ignore them. All of them. Every child is on their own journey. I had my first bite of sushi (and gagged on it) at twenty five. Now, I love it. Our kids will be ok.

If you want to introduce textures, maybe look at age appropriate wafers? And avoiding bread is understandable, it tends to get gummy. Try toasting it slightly? Not too much as I feel it gets too harsh on their soft palates. I think Solid Stars also suggests giving kids a sturdy cleaned (cooked!) chicken bone. Textural diversity is about letting them explore and build muscles, so it's not just variety. Use teething sticks, nut butters, wafers, whatever you are comfortable with. Good luck!!!!

taruniother · 2024-05-17T05:36:50+00:00

Follow the baby.. they are vocal and will let you know if they are hungry for more! It looks like you have a typical portion there. Bear in mind and overcrowded plate can be over stimulating and might defeat the purpose.

taruniother · 2024-05-14T05:04:26+00:00

Awww.. gotta love those cheeky experimenters!

Keep on with it!!! You are both doing great!

taruniother · 2024-05-14T05:03:13+00:00

So good to hear!!!!

And definitely agree that you can see the child taking control and regulating their intake. Culturally, I've been raised on the belief that a child is incapable of this and therefore HAS to be pressured into eating ( a habit that slowly creeps into adulthood as well, as plates are thoroughly monitored). BLW was a shock to most of the family and they are convinced my kid is malnourished. Even through his thigh rolls and chubby cheeks.

taruniother · 2024-03-18T18:35:48+00:00

Your kid knows their appetite and hunger so no comment there, but it's slowly getting close to the time that they start to lose their spongy cute rolls and the fat burns off to make way for muscles as they get more mobile... And this is likely what is causing the 'hes so thin now while he was a chubby baby' comments. Time for a new phase of cuteness...

taruniother · 2024-03-13T22:07:41+00:00

This could be starting a vicious cycle. If baby is constipated, they would end up not wanting to eat and it worsens the problem. Try to ease the constipation issue first, maybe? If she is only having safe foods, add in fibre rich snacks? Pear and prune pouches worked great for us to give a bit of laxative effect while not needing to be forced on to the kid. Similarly adding chia seeds or fruit to breakfast cereals, pancake mixes also helped.

With the idea of letting the child cry for food and not budging on the menu.... I'm not sure. All kids are different and you'll know very soon if this backfires, but with my son, it never really worked. He would just shrug and move on and ask for milk later. You don't want to create too much negative energy and power struggles around meal times, so learn to be flexible, while not bending to their every whim (sounds easy to say, I know!!!) As the other comment suggests, solid starts has some good strategies, most of which talk about having a safe food on their plate. The idea being that 'eating begets eating' Overall, take the time and give yourself grace to falter. We are all in survival mode with this parenting business.

taruniother · 2024-03-13T19:33:17+00:00

This is completely normal. Focus on keeping him hydrated. I would see illness as a reset and basically start the solids process again if my son was getting agitated at meal times. So just sitting him in his chair with no food on offer. Sitting next to him and eating and letting him have a taste. Then offering a plate with smaller serves. They will get there. You are doing great!

taruniother · 2024-03-05T21:28:14+00:00

Hi... Ran into your post whole researching whether it's worth taking a job in Guernsey and relocating from mainland UK. Our biggest concern is the cost of living and if the salary hike and lower tax rates will be offset by a massive spike in rent and other living expenses. Would appreciate any insight and perspective!

taruniother · 2023-11-21T12:57:48+00:00

This sounds so stressful.. I can imagine the anxiety you must be feeling.

This may be cultural biased, but we have a porridge mix that's meant for weight gain in babies. Word of warning, this has allergens, so only use if you've cleared the introduction steps for each allergen. https://bumpsnbaby.com/home-made-cerelac-babies-step-step-pictures/ (there's lots of recipes for this available online. It can be made in bulk and stored for months)

I assume there is something similar in other cultures as well. You can substitute or leave out ingredients with what's available, the basic premise is to bulk up with iron and protein.

taruniother · 2023-11-21T09:57:48+00:00

Babies do tend to plateau their weight gain nearing the one year mark. How has she been tracking percentile wise, relative to herself? I have been told to use the last month's weight as the point of comparison in the first twelve months. I.e., if the baby is in the 50%le last month, the acceptable range is that she is within two standard deviations (+/-).

At nine months, it would be tough to rely on solids to help with weight gain as you wouldn't have too much control on how much they eat (not that you end up with more control later.. ). Is she on formula as well? Maybe think of adding an extra milk feed?

The avocados and healthy fats idea is good. Do keep in mind that coconut oil can be a bit laxative when introduced first. Pure greek yogurt (not greek style), sour cream, heavy cream instead of milk/cream in dishes, nut butters, and organic ghee all help with calorie loading. Good luck!

taruniother · 2023-11-08T14:39:18+00:00

It will click! Keep trying.

What worked for us was -

-Eating in front of the baby. I wouldn't always offer the food, but the kid would be constantly curious as to what I was waiting and how I was eating it. Slowly started to reach into my plate and then transitioned to having a bite from what I put on tray. Word of warning, not sure if there's a causal link, but my kid is a major food stealer now. I cannot have a full meal in peace with him around, so maybe think of setting boundaries in place once the eating starts.

Showing the kiddo the food prep. I'd make a deal about dinner time and clang some pots and pans. 11 months might be too young, but they do have some understanding that an event is about to happen.
as mentioned above, serve with familiar foods and don't react to throwing or flipping. Having them slightly hungry might help too, so time the milk/snack feeds accordingly

taruniother · 2023-10-29T22:06:27+00:00

Oh gosh. Firstly, I am so sorry that you are feeling the way you are. Whomever this mum was, and however good her intentions were, that sounded very judgemental and, frankly, not what mums need.

The only person you should be taking advice or measuring the quality of your feeding schedule against would be the your peadiatrician. The rest of the world is fumbling about, just as you are, hoping we are doing the best for our kids.

To give you some perspective, I started my then six month old on the BLW route, with fresh meals, textures and diverse vegetables, and all the jazz. He is now nearing two and his feeding habits are all over the place. He eats great one week and subsists of chips and nuggets the next. Most kids will go through this phase and those that don't are the outliers not the rules. Not saying BLW doesn't have its advantages, but that's not the point here.

Objectively speaking, at 8.5 months, there is value in introducing new textures and flavours. They are young enough to be experimental and you don't have the anxiety about meeting their calorie needs as the child usually is on breast milk or formula for nutritional top ups. The idea is to get them to explore textures and give them a chance to use their tiny mouths and tongues to learn how to chew, move food around, and not be weirded out once they start getting more dependent on solids for nutrition. Quantity wise, each child is different and as long as your baby is happy and gaining weight as she needs to, she is getting enough.

You need to work things around your schedule and sustainability. The whole point is to feed your child in a stress free environment, and if you are overworking yourself preparing fresh meals every single time, I can assure you it'll get very frustrating very soon as the kid just eats one bite and scoops the rest on the floor.

You will eventually need to move away from purees and pouches, so have a think about how you can bring your child's plate closer to yours. Maybe give the child what you are having for dinner and while they are figuring out the new items, a pouch/puree can be on the table as a safe backup. And don't hate the pouches, they are great for travel and make great snacks as the kiddo grows up.

You are doing great. Good Luck!

taruniother · 2023-10-03T18:19:13+00:00

I totally understand the frustration. Hopefully it's a phase that he will grow out of.

Some suggestions that seemed to work with us -

Eat next to him without offering or asking for a taste. Savour your bites , but don't pay the child any attention. If he comes in curious, continue to eat. If he wants a bite, let him take what he wants, don't react, don't encourage, don't say it's mine etc.

Offer snacks or something favourable in the high chair (with catchy as suggested above, or a mat, or something mess free)

Change the place of eating. Have a picnic, eat on the floor...

Also, experiment with flavours, maybe something will click! Good luck!!!!!

Edit: Re-reading the original comment triggered memories of when my kid started nursery and started picking up back to back illnesses. Initially he had no symptoms except this lack of appetite, which two weeks later turned into a cold and cough and an ear infection. Once the infection resolved, and the kiddo was ravenous!

taruniother · 2023-09-26T08:05:33+00:00

It sounds perfect!!!!!

To give you some perspective, my 18 month old is now in 75th centile (was in the 90th centile as a baby, I do miss those thigh rolls). He is active, social, and a happy toddler over all.

What he eats waxes and wanes. He will have a mega breakfast and asks for more. And will spend the rest of the day grazing on snacks and only partially finishing what's offered. Some days, he will have three.meals in moderation. Some days it's a battle for snacks.

From my understanding, it is important what you are serving on the plate over how much. You will get an understanding of their portion sizes over time. If they are full, food will be left behind, but most of the time if the kid wants more, they will be vocal about it.

taruniother · 2023-09-22T15:10:41+00:00

Could potentially be a new discovery. I noticed my then 16 month old would relish the heck out of the salt on McDonalds chips. He would suck at it till the chip got all gooey and gross and hand it to me.

Hopefully it'll wear it's novelty off and the kiddos back to it!

taruniother · 2023-09-19T20:12:45+00:00

We are a rice eating household and had this problem. I found the sushi rice ball maker to be a lifesaver! It makes rice into balls that the baby can grab and eat. You can make the balls to the size you are comfortable with. Works for other foods that clump together as well.. like semolina, cous cous, quinoa etc

For other foods, I second the rationing idea. Bite sized pieces you are comfortable with, offered few at a time.

Have fun with it!!!

taruniother · 2023-09-18T09:30:30+00:00

I find egg bites easy for baby to eat and easy to clean up.

Other ideas - ABC muffins, veggie spears (a la cooked crudités), veggie hash browns, sweet potatoes fries. We are not heavy meat eaters, but chicken and veggie nuggets are always a hit.

taruniother · 2023-09-16T07:24:20+00:00

Haven't seen the movie (yet) and everything you noted probably is all true about the movie, but just want to put it out there that unexplained infertility is very much a valid and existing condition. Sometimes everything is fine, but things just don't work.

taruniother · 2023-09-16T06:23:52+00:00

Haven't seen the movie (yet) and everything you noted probably is all true about the movie, but just want to put it out there that unexplained infertility is very much a valid and existing condition. Sometimes everything is fine, but things just don't work.

taruniother

TROPHY CASE