Freeze Dried Yogurt

Whose child does not LOVE Gerber Graduates Yogurt Melts?  Have your children tried these yummy, creamy melt in your mouth yogurt goodness?  Would they eat nearly an entire bag in one sitting if you let them?

Source:  Gerber.com

Prices on Gerber Yogurt Melts (which are freeze dried yogurt) can be as little as $2.50 and as high as $3.99 for a 1 ounce bag of snacks.  According to the package, there are 4 servings per bag - costing nearly $1.00 per snack. 

Even if you purchase generic brand freeze dried yogurt, they are hard to find for less than $2.50 per ounce - costing nearly $.70 per snack.

When I only had one child, we could stretch our Yogurt Melts out to 6 or 8 snacks - significantly reducing our expense per snack.  My oldest is past the "learning to self-feed" finger foods - but as many parents have experienced, now that my youngest is eating the "learning to self-feed" finger foods, my toddler insists on trying them too!  Once a pack of Yogurt Melts are open in our house, they are likely to be depleted within hours.  So much for cost cutting efforts!

Frustrated at the cost of these snacks and not wanting to deny my toddler's enjoyment when eating them, - my quest to find less expensive Yogurt Melts began...

Unable to locate Gerber Yogurt Melts in bulk, I tried searching for generic freeze dried yogurt for purchase in bulk.  What I discovered is an amazing alternative to Gerber Yogurt Melts - Thrive Yogurt Bites! 

Source:  shelfreliance.com

Reading reviews, testimonials, and researching Shelf Reliance - I decided the Yogurt Bites were worth trying. 

I ordered a #10 can of Strawberry Yogurt Bites and as soon as they arrived, opened the can to try them.  I could not believe how delicious this freeze dried yogurt was - perhaps even better than Gerber's! 

The true test remained - feeding it to my children and getting their response.  My youngest tried one and immediately wanted more.  Since the Yogurt Bites look different than the Yogurt Melts, my toddler was skeptical - after some coaxing the verdict was favorable!

Don't misunderstand, freeze dried yogurt (or freeze dried food of any kind) is still more expensive than the food in its non-freeze dried state.  Since freeze dried yogurt is a relatively healthy snack for children and we will be purchasing them as a standard snack for at least the next few months, I have discovered our less expensive alternative to Gerber Yogurt Melts and would recommend them to any one!

New Baby Must Haves

When you are expecting a child, advertisers suggest you need various items to make your baby comfortable, happy, and healthy while also easing your life as a parent.  I have see advertisements for products that are, in my opinion, not necessary to even create for the masses to purchase.  A few examples:

• Walking Wings - a product to assist you in assisting your child as he or she learns to walk
• Helmets - a product that protects the head while your child toddles around
• Kneepads - a product that protects knees from the hazards of crawling.

It can be tempting to purchase (or want to purchase) everything that claims to make your child safer or your life easier as you prepare to navigate through the first year of parenting.  Who wouldn't want their child to never fall when learning to walk?  Who wouldn't want their child to never bump their head?  Who wouldn't want their baby's knees to remain unscathed?

There are many products on the market that, in theory, appear to be a must have.  As a parent you want the very best for your most precious creation - so it's reasonable to assume that buying some of these products would help you provide the best for your child.

Despite my attempt to register for products my newborn and I would use on our journey, inevitably there were items I registered for and received that - two children later - I never utilized.  Likewise I received items that I'd never heard of that proved to be extremely useful and I wondered why I'd never heard about them.

Below are the items I believe are helpful and would wholeheartedly recommend for every new parent:

• Itzbeen - a timer that tracks all the necessities for baby in one place.  During the first week of a newborns life, parents have a plethora of things to track - length of time between feedings, number of wet diapers, what side the baby last breast fed on, etc.  This timer was a lifesaver for me - I was able to know at a glance what was going on with my baby and what I could anticipate next (feeding time, sleep time, diaper change).
• Playyard/Pack n Play with a Bassinet and changing table attachment - creates a space to care for your newborn that is compact and convenient.
• MyBrestfriend  - a breast feeding pillow that supports baby at the breast and helps make breast feeding easier.  This product helped me successfully breastfeed both my children throughout their first year.  I do recommend purchasing an additional cover because you will want to wash it when your newborn spits up (which is inevitable on a feeding pillow).
• Breast Pump - if you work outside the home you definitely need to have a high quality breast pump.  While they can be rather pricey, the investment will save you time and frustration while you are pumping and save you money on feeding your child.  (Breast milk is free!)
• Swaddler - makes swaddling your newborn quick and easy. 
• Video Monitor - gives you the luxury of being able to see what your baby is doing.  This comes in especially handy when your baby begins to pull him or her self up into a standing position - if they cry out while in bed you can look to see if they are awake enough to be standing  - that's how I am certain my baby needs me versus just readjusting in the crib and making some noises. 
• Infant Gas Drops - I have never come across a baby who doesn't get gassy and need something to help them with the gas.

Beyond the obvious diapers, clothing, bottles, etc - what items do you consider must haves for new parents?  Let's trade ideas here, post your comments.

Top Ten Books for Toddlers

Part of our nighttime routine with my 2 1/2 year old is to read a few books.  When we started this routine we had a handful of books to select from for our nightly ritual.  Going to the library to explore some more options - I discovered the seemingly endless supply of children's books to choose from. 

Honestly I was a little overwhelmed with the multitude of children's books - not being well versed in children's literature I was not sure where to start...

I jumped into the books and started selecting some that seemed to catch my eye.  Having checked out a fraction of books in the children's section of my local library, we have found some favorites and some not so favorites.  Here are 10 of our favorites to read:

1. Pug In A Truck by Nancy Coffelt
2. You Can Do Anything Daddy by Michael Rex
3. How I Became A Pirate by Melinda Long and David Shannon
4. ABC by Dr. Seuss
5. Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
6. My Big Rig by Jonathan London
7. The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman
8. It's Not Easy Being A Bunny by Marilyn Sadler
9. The Color Kittens by Margaret Wise Brown
10. Corduroy by Don Freeman

What are some of your favorite children's books?  Share them here...we love taking new adventures in books!

Travel with Homemade Baby Food

On July 19 I blogged about Homemade Baby Food and you might recall from that post that I make homemade baby food for my children. 

Once I had a routine down - steaming fruits and vegetables, blending and freezing them - my job outside the home required me to travel by air to another location.  At the time I was still nursing my firstborn and was unwilling to venture away for an entire week - leaving pumped milk for him and not being available to nurse.  As a result, my husband, baby and I took the trip together.

Having access to only a dorm size fridge with a tiny freezer at our hotel was a problem when trying to travel with frozen blended vegetable and fruit ice cubes.  We packed ice packs into a cooler, packed the frozen food cubes and off we went.  As you can probably imagine, by the time we got to our hotel many of the cubes had already begun to melt...long story short, we ended up pitching much of the food cubes we transported with us because I was fearful of unintentionally giving my child food poisoning.

Thankfully I also brought oatmeal that we could cook with the hot water from the in-room coffee pot and some Gerber yogurt blends that do not require refrigeration until opened.  We survived and since my then 9 month old was also eating finger foods and still nursing 5 times a day - he definitely did not know it was supposed to be any different.

A month ago I was again required to travel by air for a week to the same location.  Knowing how stressful it had been two years prior to travel with frozen food cubes, it was not something I was interested in repeating. 

I reluctantly began considering travelling with organic baby food - even though that felt so contrary to everything I believed about homemade baby food.  I went to several stores to see what organic baby food options existed and found the variety extremely limited with prices that were outrageous (when compared to the pennies I was spending making my own baby food). 

Frustrated I began googling the subject.  To my dismay, any information I found talked about travelling with a cooler, plenty of ice and ensuring access to a freezer upon arrival or just relenting and resorting to commercial baby food.

Just as I was about to give in to my frustration and purchase the commercial organic baby food in my shopping cart, something caught my eye and has forever changed the way I will travel with healthy foods.

Freeze dried peas were right in front of me - as if inviting me to utilize them to make baby food.  Excited to find a possible alternative, I abandon my cart and purchased the package of freeze dried peas.  That evening I re-hydrated the peas by placing them in a bowl and adding water.  After letting them soak for approximately 10 minutes - I placed them in our Magic Bullet and voila - pureed peas!

Once I verified that my baby would eat the previously freeze dried pureed peas, I began searching for freeze dried vegetables to purchase.  North Bay Trading Company had just what I was looking for - a variety of freeze dried vegetables and fruits for purchase in reasonable quantities. 

The freeze dried fruits and vegetables were light and easy to pack into a suitcase and were a breeze to prepare in a hotel room - leaving our most recent travel experience with stress free homemade baby food for my second born!

Sacrifices

Sacrifices are part of parenting and I would argue part of good parenting.  Many women sacrifice small pieces of themselves for the betterment of their families.

According to an article from the University of California (Women Sacrifice Sleep to Juggle Family and Work), the majority of American women are sleep deprived.  In an effort to fulfill all their responsibilities - work, family, relationships, etc - women begin sacrificing sleep to meet all the demands placed on their time and energy.  The sleep deprivation can also be compounded by biological changes - pregnancy, menopause, etc - that can sometimes contribute to sleeplessness. 

I would agree there are few working women in America who do not routinely sacrifice sleep to keep their children, spouses, careers, etc. on track.  Personally, when I need more hours in a day the first thing I do is stay up a little later and set the alarm a little earlier.  Then when I am in need of some recharging the following day, I pop open a can of diet coke to get some caffeine.

While sleep is a huge sacrifice that can have serious and often noticeable side effects (outlined in the article), how many sacrifices do working moms make daily that are completely overlooked?

Here are a few sacrifices that I make routinely for the betterment of my family:

• Sharing my dinner plate with grubby hands
• Giving the last piece of my favorite dessert to see a smile on the face of my preschooler
• Showering  more quickly to tend to a baby who woke up earlier than expected
• Skipping breakfast in an effort to make up the time "lost" changing simultaneous poopy diapers
• Buying generic rather than name brand so I can get a toy that I know will make my child's day

I know I'm not the only mom who would do anything for the betterment of their families.  What sacrifices do you make that are often overlooked?  Let's celebrate the sacrifices we make together by jotting them down.  I'd love to read your thoughts - comment below!

Sleep Tight

Sleep deprivation is the reality for most parents.  After labor and delivery - which is sometimes 12 to 24 hours - your new baby needs to eat every 2-3 hours - I know I'm not the only mother who was certain she would never sleep again!

I remember there was a period of time with my first born that I was convinced I would NEVER sleep more than 3 consecutive hours for the rest of my life! 

Looking back at that period of new motherhood - it was such a short time and flew by quickly!  Before both of my children were 8 weeks old, they were consistently sleeping through the night.

Experts will tell you that it takes longer for breast fed babies to sleep through the night than formula fed babies.  I exclusively breast fed both of my children - they slept through the night before many formula fed babies I know!

I knew I wanted to breastfeed my children - the health benefits to babies and cost savings was enough to convince me.  I also knew I had to work full-time too. 

On-demand feeding, according to an article on Baby Center, is feeding your baby when he or she shows cues that they are hungry.  Schedule feeding is how it sounds, you feed your baby at determined intervals.  There are pros and cons to each of the methods - when I was becoming a mom both methods made sense to me for differing reasons.

What is the connection between feeding methods and sleeping?  How did I get my children to sleep through the night so quickly?  Have they continued to sleep through the night?

I chose the Baby Wise method of feeding my children - it appeared to me to be a great hybrid between on-demand and scheduled feedings - the Baby Wise method includes Parent Directed Feedings (PDF).

The basics of PDF for a new born are this:

• Feed your baby at intervals of 2-3 hours during the day (as they provide hunger cues)
• After day time feedings, keep your baby awake for 30-60 minutes after the feeding
• Before bed, feed the baby in a dark, quiet room and put them to bed immediately following the feeding
• When the baby wakes to eat during the night, feed the baby in the dark and put them back in bed after eating

As the baby grows, the length of time between feedings increases. 

Utilizing the PDF method worked for both of my children and we are living proof of the Baby Wise claims that your child will sleep through the night sooner and develop good sleeping habits for life.  While I cannot predict the future, for the time being my 2 1/2 year old and 9 month old both sleep all night every night - and if I had it to do again, I would definitely use the PDF method again!

Homemade Baby Food

Like all parents I want the very best for my children. Like most people I want my paycheck to stretch as far as possible.

Adding cereal and basic baby food to a baby's routine seemed to creep up on me with my first born. We had just gotten really efficient at nursing and now we were supposed to add something new.

My sister invited me to a class about homemade baby food taught by the cooperative extension office. As the baby boomer distributed recipes, reviewed preparation techniques, and touted the financial savings - I vowed to feed my child homemade baby food exclusively.

Making homemade baby food is relatively simple and offers your baby the opportunity to sample foods not offered in commercial baby foods.  At best I was able to identify 8-10 different first foods for babies in the commercial variety.  By making my own baby food, my children were able to try 20-30 various fruits and vegetables - including Bok Choy, Spinach, Spaghetti Squash, Mango just to name a few - before 12 months of age.

Because I was not 100% confident in my ability to select and prepare fruits and vegetables for my first born, I purchased Blender Baby Food.  With a few additional supplies (a blender and several ice cube trays) I embarked on the extraordinary journey of homemade baby food.

By utilizing a couple of hours each weekend to steam and blend fruits and vegetables, I was able to provide homemade baby food for my oldest.  Once I got a system down, I found that making my own baby food was more convenient than purchasing jars. 

Here's what I did:

1. Purchased in season fresh vegetables and fruits from a local Farmer's Market (substituted frozen when fresh was not an option)
2. Steamed the vegetables and/or fruits
3. Once steamed, let them cool
4. Placed the vegetable and/or fruit in the blender (I recommend the Magic Bullet but have used my blender)
5. Add enough water from the water used to steam the food to make the food the consistency you desire
6. Place blended baby food in ice cube trays, cover with plastic wrap and freeze
7. Once frozen (after approximately 24 hours) remove cubes from tray and place in labeled freezer bags

Here are a couple of pitfalls to avoid:

• Frozen Peas often contain salt (Birds Eye frozen peas are the only brand of frozen peas that do not have salt added to them)
•  If you make your own rice cereal, you can use baby formula samples to add iron to the rice (since that is the stated benefit to utilizing instant baby cereals)

It would have easy to buy baby food and utilize the time I dedicated to that venture somewhere else.  But when my 2 year old enthusiastically requests peas for dinner, I am grateful I took the time to offer variety in his first year - I think that contributes to his healthy choices now!

Why a Blog

I'm a perfectionist - I admit it.  When I was preparing for the birth of my first child, I wanted to be the perfect mother.  During my quest I read What to Expect When You're Expecting, Your Pregnancy Week by Week, On Becoming Babywise and just about any other pregnancy/parenting related books that were recommended by anyone and everyone.

I discovered many pregnant women focused their fears on the aches and pains of pregnancy - the length of labor, the pain of contractions, the administering of epidurals, etc.  I focused on "life after labor" - being the perfect mother to a perfect angel.  In my view, the weight of the world was literally on my shoulders - being ultimately responsible for a baby and raising them to be independent, positive, confident, happy, healthy, etc. was huge!

I became a big "googler".  I started googling EVERYTHING.  Any time I found conflicting information in books, articles, advice from people, I would search the topic on google to get perspectives from other sources.

Sometimes my searching would net a conclusive answer or guidance for my parenting dilemma of the moment.  More often than not my search netted more questions and more confusion.  Most of the time I would take all the information I gathered and build my own answers and guidance.

I quickly realized most of the parenting information on the Internet is polarizing - pitting "stay at home" ideals against "working parent" needs.  Since many people are not able to take the time to research and synthesize the information they gather, they muddle through doing the best they can.  By writing down some of my own research based insights and experiences, I hope this blog helps parents - who work outside the home, inside the home, and any where else - reach confident and beneficial parenting decisions.