Dealing With Toddler Pickiness, A Year On

It seems like a while ago now that I was first tackling some pickiness with my (amazing, strong-willed) girl, and to be honest, it seems to come and go. Right now it feels like we've turned a corner, but I'm sure that it's just going to be an ongoing thing. Current thoughts and tactics:

Baby-Led Weaning: A Year in Review

I can't believe she's 18 months old. That means she's been eating solid foods for a full year. A year of real food! Baby-led weaning, if you're not familiar with it, is simply allowing babies to feed themselves from the get-go with solid foods, once they are able to sit up properly at about 6 months old. (It's also sometimes called infant self-feeding, because of the confusion over the word 'weaning'. In Britain, weaning means to add supplementary foods to a baby's milk diet. In the US it refers to cessation of breastfeeding. We're using the British meaning here.) No purees, no jars, no stages of lumpiness. You provide a variety of healthy options, and they explore them at their own pace.

 

People who do baby-led weaning are sometimes evangelical about it, as seems to be the case with so many parenting approaches. However, everyone seems to agree that it doesn't matter nutritionally which way you go - so it's just a question of what works for you and your family. My health visitor is really into it, and as it was 'invented' by a UK health visitor, I suspect the NHS is widely supportive of the practice. I would definitely do it again, but it isn't without downsides. I won't go through all the ins and outs of HOW you do it (for one thing, I'm not qualified - read the book!), rather our experience:

In Defense of Urban Parenting

Before we started a family, we very seriously considered moving to the country. We were thisclose to buying a house WAY out of town, with a lot of outdoor space (and upkeep), but instead changed tac suddenly and stayed in our same neighbourhood in South East London. We were sort-of thinking, before, that we needed to move out and have more space for kids. All our friends had moved out. It just seemed like the 'next step'. But, we stayed, and I've come to the opinion that raising a family in a city can be wonderful! Some of the many things we love about urban parenting include having a...

Thoughts on Tantrums: Being There

Tantrums are becoming a normal but not-altogether-welcome part of our lives. She feels strong emotions, like anyone else, but doesn't understand how to process them. Something very normal, like a flash of anger or impatience or frustration is just overwhelming. I don't pretend to have all the answers; these are just my thoughts and current tactics:

On Clutter

 

Enjoying Sunday, with an eclectic brunch. I made a huge mess making this, and rather stressed myself out unnecessarily. One thing about buying an old house is that you will never be finished with it. Ever. It always needs something. We've never, not even for one day, had everything in a place we intend it to be in every room. It seems like we clear out one area, just to clutter another. Right now, for example, the living room has cardboard boxes full of stuff, positioned over the biggest holes in the floor. I actually like a certain amount of clutter in my life, but I like it *just so*. I like things tidy, not bare. Living with a small child of course, redefines you in every way - we need to get used to a new meaning of the word clutter. I suppose you have two options, try to go minimalist and spend your life resentfully clearing up after everyone who doesn't share your whitewashed vision, or you can embrace family life in all it's messy glory. Embrace colour. Embrace clutter. Embrace the happy mismatch that is your particular set of human and animal companions.

 

I guess what got me thinking about this is that F. was looking at a book today that I haven't flipped through in a while, A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent Life. I forgot how much I love it:

 

The homes featured in the book are full of clutter, colour, kids, animals - full of life! We've been talking so much about 'finishing' our home, about 'polish', that it's easy to forget to enjoy living here in the meantime. I made an ambitious DIY calendar that would have us 'finished' by April (not going to happen), and every weekend we 'waste' by, say, seeing friends or making a messy brunch has been stressing me out. Well, no more. Yes, I still want to get a certain amount done on the house this spring, I still have some sanding, painting and sewing to do. But I'm not going to stress about chew toys and books and bike locks - I'd rather live with clutter than live alone.

Interestingly, I didn't used to be like this. What happened to the wild girl who had a 'box party' the day she moved into a new apartment? What happened to the insomniac teenager who painted murals at night? I think having children a little later in life (I'm 31 now) can allow a certain amount of perfectionism to creep in before they come along and upset the apple cart. Children are free, and they remind us that we should be too.







'Dog!'



'Can we please go now?' Old mattress being taken away. It's always something!

When Your (Vegan) Kid Won't Eat Vegetables

For the juicer: Broccoli stalk, celery, cucumber, kale, ginger and one apple. 

I serve my daughter greens every day. Every day of her life, she sees me eat green vegetables. And every day, she throws them on the floor. 

A Little Bit More

Way back in the early days of breastfeeding, when we were having a horrible time and I was worried about my milk supply, a community staff nurse said to me, "There's always more. They can always get a little bit more, even when you think they're empty". I've come to think of that as a metaphor for parenthood at large; there's always a little bit more - time, patience, love - more than you ever thought you had, and if they needed more still, you'd find it. 

She slept a glorious 8 hours last night, after what has been the hardest week in months. So glad to have my happy baby back. Here she is enjoying her porridge:

 

 

Like, really enjoying it.

 

 

A rare prone moment:

 

A Sweater is Just a Blanket You Can Wear

Oh my. The baby has a cold, the husband has food poisoning (WE HOPE), and the mom has to stay up and help everyone. Well, the baby anyway, the husband knows how to throw up. I was meaning for my first post on the new blog to be an introduction to our small but sweet life, but, to be honest, it isn't feeling particularly sweet today! But honesty is the best policy, and sometimes motherhood is hard. In fact, the only way I could coax myself out of bed this morning was by telling myself "a sweater is really just a blanket you can wear". Oof.

Getting through it with hemp lattes and homemade bread.

That is "Gingerbread" Porridge. Normally we just have grated apple or pear to sweeten our porridge, but we were out. So I used blackstrap molasses, dried ginger, cinnamon and a little brown rice syrup. It smelled wonderful, and I hope that it cut the through Frieda's congestion! She ate tons, at any rate. On top, we both had chia seeds and a little hemp milk, and I had walnuts as well. 

Homemade Rye bread. I'm a beginner.

My angel normally:

Today it's all snot and tears and lots and lots of yelling...