Meals for Toddlers

Baby pasta and Fish Fingers

It has been ages since I blogged. There were just so many things happening at work and off work. My dad has been ill and being the only child I had to tend to him and make all the right arrangements for his  health and comfort. Oh well since I am back, there are just so many things to write about from MotherCare sales to making my own fish fingers and pasta for my darling princess. Well food brings comfort so let me start the new season about it, a healthy recipe for your toddler. I hope it works for you...:)

I get to be a full time mom on weekends, with that I take my hats off to stay at home mothers out there, especially those without domestic help. From preparing baby food to now toddler food it is quite amazing how full time mothers can conjure up 7 healthy recipes a week. On weekends I  am normally faced with the question mark of what to cook for my little darling. So far it has been porridge and pasta with snacks in between.

The pasta that I use is from Justlife. I get the smallest alphabet  or star shaped ones made from ground brown rice and is gluten and wheat free.

Next will be the preparation of the pasta sauce.  I normally start all my cooking with homemade stock. How do I make my stock? Below are the ingredients

Chicken Stock Recipe

6 to 9 pieces of free range chicken

1Tomatoe

1 Potatoe

1 Carrot

Few Clove of Garlic

Half of an Onion

I normally sauté the aromatics like carrots, garlic and onion before throwing them in the crock pot of water and the rest of the ingredients. It makes the stock extra tasty. Stock is prepared on Friday nights enough to see me through the weekends. 

Now back to the pasta sauce. I start my sauce from scratch, no bottled  ingredients involved. The pasta sauce that I prepare is basically made up of 3 to 5 vegetables and mushrooms. Mushrooms were introduced when my gal was about 14 months. For those who want to try mushroom, introduce it when your baby is more than 12 months. Allergies are greatly reduced at this age but do keep an eye when new food is fed. Serve it as lunch and if any reaction would happen you are in the right time of the day to intervene instead of having to deal with it at ungodly hours.

I always refer to this website which gives very good information about what to feed your child Wholesome baby food. I even bought the book for reference which is written by Maggie Meade who is the author and creator of the Wholesome baby food website, by the way the ramekin on top of the book is fish pie not pasta..:)



Pasta Sauce Ingredients

1 Carrot
1 Medium wedge of pumpkin
1 Tomato
3 Florets of Broccoli
3 Florets of Cauliflower
2 Mushrooms
A pinch of garlic and onions
Few strands of fresh oregano herbs

Making the sauce is pretty easy but the cutting takes time, so practice makes perfect.  I dice up everything, before putting them into the pan a little sautéing is needed with the pinch of garlic, onion and the cut up oregano with a little pure virgin olive oil. When you get a nice fragrance, add on the diced mushrooms and swirl them about.  You can spoon in some stock to avoid the ingredients from sticking to the pan.

Next comes all the yummy vegetables, top up with chicken stock and let it shimmer slowly until desired consistency. It takes about 20 to 30 mins on slow fire for the vegetable to cook well and be soft enough to be stirred as pasta sauce. I don't mind mine with some chunky vegetables in it. In the meantime  prepare a pot and put in your pasta to cook. Mine takes about 6 minutes to be ready but you can make it cook longer if your little  eater prefers it softer. Remember to stir your vegetables once awhile and add stock as needed. You will have a nice aroma coming in when the oregano and the aromatics warm up in the chicken stock. If you want it to be creamier some cheddar cheese can be added at the end when you turn off the fire. Just stir in the cheese and it will melt in to the sauce.

After cooking the pasta for 6 minutes this is how it looks like. Texture wise it is smooth and yummy. The star shapes is a pointer to my feeding time because I get to sing twinkle twinkle little star as I feed my kiddo and she loves it  too saying STAR! STAR!

Sorry that I don't have a picture of the sauce on the pasta as I was rushing to get things ready in the kitchen but I am sure you get the picture of how it can be prepared.

Next was to prepare fish fingers. No time for chips just  fish at the moment to complete the protein component of the diet. So far I have used cod  and lemon sole, both can be bought from cold storage. Although I only buy fillet, sometimes there are rare bones in some areas of the fish so do finger the fillet thoroughly before baking them. One can never be too careful with any kind of bones. Choking is a real danger.

I prepare my own bread crumbs. It is best to work with a piece of bread that is left exposed overnight. Use a cover with tiny holes to cover the bread. The next morning you will have a harden bread. Just crack the bread in a blender with fresh oregano and garlic and give it a spin, you are have homemade bread crumbs in seconds. You can be creative with what you blend, using more than 1 herbs makes the crumbs tastier but it's your little one that is eating it so you will know best what  whet's his or her appetite.

Next prepare a bowl and crack in a whole egg for dipping. You can cut the fish in strips so that holding will be easy.  Dip the strips in the beaten egg and roll them over the breads crumbs and place in a clean plate. Set the oven to 220C and bake for 15mins.  The original recipe uses baking paper but I just drizzle olive oil on the fish strips and also the baking tray comes out fine, actually it taste pretty good even for an adult platter that is customised to salt.

Potatoe wedges can be added to make it a complete meal. Wedges will take 30 mins to bake and should be done first before the fish is baked. The recipe suggest that tartar sauce can be included but I think it is best to  make your own.

Pasta and fish fingers has always been a hit with my little baby. I make enough fish fingers so that  I can pack them as snacks if we are going out.

I hope some this recipe comes helpful to the mummies and daddies out there and if you have a picky eater maybe some adjustments can be made like using chicken instead of fish.

Happy Meal Time Everyone!

Cheers
Burpssssss

Healthy Food for Babies and Toddler

Comfort Food

Last weekend, my little girl was down with low grade fever and a throat infection. When I picked her up from the nanny's I was told that she refused all her main meals and only drank perhaps 4 oz of milk for the whole day, on top of that she was very restless, cries easily and wanted to be carried all the time. All these signs of abnormal behaviour. We had a short chat and perhaps thought it was just a phase of teething.

So I drove back with her in the car seat, reached home and decided that we should see a doctor to rule other possibilities. We drove to our neighbourhood paediatrician to have reassurance that everything was alright. Well, a quick checked showed that she had a very red throat and a raising body temperature. The reading was 38c, since the infection was bad antibiotics had to be prescribed (not a fan at all to ABs) but in this case, if her throat does not heal fast the longer the whole food and milk refusal will take place. The last thing I want is a needle for drips in her hands.

So we came back, I prepared a bowl of cold fresh milk and threw in some bananas and tried to feed her, luckily she eat some, poor girl was hungry but just could not eat. Mummy had a broken heart seeing  her bubs hungry but unable to eat. All these explained the weird night waking and crying. I have read from Baby Centre that if there are unusual awakening it can be an onset of a milestone of sickness, for my case it was the later.

So what do you feed a toddler that cannot eat? Food still needs to be healthy for a toddler and has to be appetising as well. So this is what I prepared, hoping that she will eat and she did.

Preparation for Pumpkin Mushroom Soup

Ingredients
One medium piece of pumpkin
Few florets of broccoli and cauliflower
3 Fresh Brown Button Mushrooms
Dice them up finely and blend.

To sautee with a little bit of Olive Oil
Little garlic and onions
Fresh oregano

When the oregano releases its aromatics, add in the blended mixture and add some cool boiling water.
Wait for the mixture to boils, add in fresh cow milk and low down the stove to a slow simmer. In my case, since my bubs was not feeling too well, I let it simmer longer than 30mins to really soften everything.

This is how it looks like before adding milk

Thickening with fresh milk

Below is what I fed her for the whole day when it was meal time. So mummies with sick pups out there, you might want to give this a try. Happy feeding!

Toddlers Toys and Activities

My Evening Weekday Activities with the Little Princess









I am a full time working mom, and many of us who are in the same boat knows what it is like to have to juggle between motherhood and work. On average I have about 1 hour with my child on week days and that 1 hour has to be used to the fullest potential. My little girl is picked up about 6.30pm daily and I get back by 7pm with dinner for hubby and I. Yeah no home cooked food for us! I am trying to figure out how some light cooking can take place on a normal week day. Back to the topic on toddler's creative activity I normally use crayons and papers on weekdays, just not to over stimulate my child with exciting water colours  before bed time. We spend about 20 mins on crayons and flash cards before I settle her down with some books. She usually picks her books. Since she is already reaching 18 months, my girl says the word BOOK very clearly to my amusement. Somedays she wants to read her own book which can be entertaining to watch.

I remember her being just a tiny baby when we brought her home and now she tells me what books she likes. Time does fly with leaps and bounds. Books are really important for children and it is never too early to start them  off on this wonderful habit. It is always best to combine reading and craft to make the whole session fun and enriching.

Getting ready by prying open the crayon box!

We use crayons and mummy will try to draw images from books, that way the child gets to see how a book related figure is transformed by crayons hence tickling their imagination and curiosity. (note my drawing skills are not fantastic but good enough to get her colouring on it).  While waiting at the doctor's office the other day, my girl spotted a pencil on the table, picked it up and started to scribble on the pamphlets around her  TADA!!! a  behaviour modelled, but don't expect her to sit too long where there are loads of kids jumping off toy horses and slides within the vicinity, the distraction is just too great for any kiddo her age.

When using crayon, please consider about the age suitability. Chunky crayons are the best for little fingers tho I must say that I started off my little princess with normal size Crayola Crayons because I got them first. Only use crayons from reputable brands like ELC to avoid any issues of toxicity and always supervise your toddler. Mine likes tasting everything and sometimes just does it on purpose to see my reaction. So act cool and just move away the crayon from the mouth without creating a big fuss. Not easy I must say but do remind yourself that your child models after you very much. For most of my crayons sessions I use large white papers where my girl sits in the middle and starts swirling her crayons around her. This is when I try to draw  images near her and eventually she edges off the paper and starts adding colours to my line. Do be prepared for extra designs on your wall! So far I have all three of my white doors decorated with her master pieces (under the supervision of daddy I must say). The ELC crayons that I use comes easily from smooth surfaces but not rough ones.

As you can see, my bubs enjoy messing up the drawing paper very much and also loves keeping and taking out crayons from the box.  Sometimes I wonder why she does it but I can only think of milestones and motor skills development behind all this play learn sessions. Crayon sessions are also fun for adults I must say, these yummy colours just look really pretty on paper and on the shelf too!

The busy bunny at work

The belle positioning herself

Full concentration

I started using crayons when my little bub was 12 months,  the best toddler learning toy is their imagination. Drawing creates, whether it is well represented piece or some  basic sketches it does not matter because the moral of the story is my kid is having fun with her irregular lines and shapes. I am pretty sure Rembrandt was not born drawing, Oh Maybe Perhaps! I am sure you know what I mean, learning must be experiential and fun and that is when true learning takes place. I have few sets of crayons from chunky to plastic. Some days I use a finger print set for some creative toddler activity, I will post pictures of that on my next blog entry. So far mummy and baby enjoys our sessions a lot, daddy too. I vary different kinds of crayon from chunky, normal size as well as crayon with animal characters on them just for the fun of it. Using the same tool can be boring for a curious bunny mind.

I hope this sharing opens more insights on creative ways of using crayons, eventually they will not need us to "play" with them when their motor skills are refined for colouring and I will miss these sessions when that day comes.

Happy Crayoning Mummies!

Creative Activity for Young Children

The right brain is a such a fantastic area of our human anatomy,we all know how the different sides of our brains control the many wonderful things that can be done. Based on right brain research, it is best to stretched the capacity of the right brain function as far as we can before the left brain activities kicks in.  The right brain has no limit to learning capacity and holds the creative juices for innovation and creative solutions. It is important that mothers think of a lot of art projects for toddlers and best to start them young, as a full time working mom I only have the weekends to work these creative activities for toddlers and perhaps 30mins during the week day, better not to get the kid too excited before bedtime.

My bubs started her hands at art when she was about 11 months old, I started out with handmade paints and attempted finger painting, so sorry that I did not document it..DUH! slap to the head again. It went well but my little kiddo was not too interested in pasting her palms unto white paper. Anyhow for mummies who are interested to make their own finger paints just follow this easy breezy recipe below.

3 tbs sugar
Half tbs of salt
Half cup of cornstarch
2 Cups of water

Combine all ingredients un a small sauce pan. Warm until mixture thickens. Cool and pour in glass containers. Add food colouring to create colour and you will have jars of lovely colours all ready to be splashed about.  

I suggest to start finger painting when your bubs is about 8 to 9 months old but every baby is different so by all means do start  them younger if you wish and if you feel like splashing some colours about! Cornstarch can be substituted with plain yogurt as well, just in case you have an adventurous food tester as your kiddo.

Play dough for toddler is fun too. My bubs at 16 months enjoys her dough, although still unable to make definite shapes she enjoy just pressing, pulling and pinching them into pieces. I use the type from ELC according to age type which is 18 months and above. I notice the texture is harder compared to the Play-Doh which is suitable for younger children. ELC play dough comes with shapers at the bottom of the container and they have some nice yummy colours. The point is to get your bubs to use their imagination to form shapes, it will really help if you start working out nice shapes with your kiddo and hopefully they get interested to see how it is done. My little girl at the moment is more interested in tearing up what I create to her amusement. Do have a close watch when your little toddler gets excited during such  creative activities as they might be interested to taste it as well! Hence why some mothers prefer to make their own play dough.  Creative activity for young children brings on experiential learning which is essential in the early building blocks of imagination and creative thinking. Actually the mama and papa also had a lot of fun making things out of these soft dough as it bring back child hood memories. 

We spent about 1 hour with the dough, kneading and shaping with my little bubs mimicking our action which is fantastic because learning also starts from modelling. Monkey see monkey do sounds fun here.  We used the shaper at the bottom to cut out shapes of flower, house and cars all objects which are familiar to her both sounds and shapes so seeing it being created out of coloured dough is certainly interesting for a curious toddler mind. We also made bangles and she slipped in some on her own  which was a really funny scene. It is amazing how these creative activities for toddlers actually bring out their sensory and memory skills. As you can see my bubs was a little bit tired after all that finger gymnastics! She decided to take a rest on the mattress .  I have a list of creative material in my stash from crayons to colour pencils. All you need is some space and lots of white mahjong paper and let your little darling take on the floor! Next will be water colour so watch this space mummies and daddies!

Ointment for Babies and Toddlers

  

 There are days when we mummies need some soothing balm not just for us but our little ones. We all know it, there are down times that could do with some help.  For those long nights I have the below in my stash

1. Tropical Herbs Baby Oil from Amway

2. Badger Aromatic Rub from iHerb

3. Olbas Oil for Children

Normally when my bubs has the sniffles, I drop some eucalyptus or tea tree oil in a burner and let it fill up the air. Both oils has antibacterial properties and is able clear out stuffed nose, work well for adults too. On nights when these oils were used, the room smells fresh and nice.  I can imagine what a welcome relieve it can be for a congested nose, not to mention therapeutic.

My mummies friends have been raving about these cute little bottle of Olbas oil for children but on the downside, our local pharmacies does not stock up on this wonderful remedy. The nearest country where you can buy it from is Singapore Boots. I am not sure whether Bangkok sells them but mine came all the way from England. Just drop the oil on some soft tissue and bring it near your child to breathe in the vapour, you can drop it on  pillows too if you want a long lingering scent of eucalyptus. Olbas oil is safe for babies above the age of the age of 3 months and is used by mothers all around the world.

Another nice and soothing balm is Badger Aromatic Rub, it can be used in a vaporiser or just massaged into the chest for fast relieve.  Rub some on the sole of the feet and socks it up for a nice warm comfortable wrap.
One good method that I have learned is to drop a teaspoon of Badger Aromatic Rub in a bowl of hot steaming water, leave it in the bathroom and let the hot shower run. Let it be that way for few minutes before bringing in your bubs for a shower. This method warms the body, clears the nose and allows easy breathing. I bought my Badger at the faction of the normal price from IHerb. Local retailers are selling it for RM60 plus, from Iherb it is sold at 9 USD which is much cheaper at RM28.80 after the conversation rate of 3.2, that's nearly half the price!

I bough this from Amway, particularly for nights when the cries signal indigestion. A warm rub of this oil between your palms and on the tummy area brings smoothing relieve for the bubs, for tummy upsets probiotic pairs best with oils as it helps indigestion and gas internally . The scent is nice, aromatic with Tropical Herbs and tames a headache too, since it is from Amway I do feel a little bit secure compared to using the myriad of baby oils out there form "minyak telon" to Yu Yee Oil. 

When travelling never forget to pack these items into your bag, probiotics as well. One will never know how a child will react to a new environment and having these on standby will certainly spare you the agony of driving around. 

Cheers mama!

Skin care for expecting mothers

As a full time working mom, known as FTWM time has always been an issue. For those working mummies out there I am sure you know the predicament of us mummies on the go. There have been months were I have gone without a night cream , a scrub, let alone a face mask but I do try to squeeze in some repair sessions for my pitiful bashed up skin.  My skin type is both combination of normal and oily hence I have these little white heads under my skin especially the jaw area. During my pregnancy on the contrary I was blessed with  glowing skin which came to me as a surprise. 

Skin care selection is as important as your selection of a obgyn  I must say...at least for me. i have tried various brands from off the shelves to salon brands. Some of them were just a waste of money and some even made my skin worst. Most of all I hated all the sales talk to make me sign up facial courses in thousand of ringgits, so the quest for the ideal skincare continues.

The I talked to a friend who has been a Clarins user for a period of time and was using it for her wedding  preparation.  Her skin  did radiate and  she had a beautiful glow on her big.  Back to my skincare quest, so I headed to a Clarins outlet to see what is in store for me. To find the right skin care that is safe  for expecting mothers was one of the main reason why I was quite adamant to change my skincare range.  I was using a range of French products from BodyPerfect but did not find any good in it, as you can see I can't even remember the name.  One of the reason why I was unhappy with Body Perfect is because they did not have a proper support information for expecting mothers. All  explanations are based on what trainers tell their sales personnel. There is no literature to support their claims and no educational information on how mothers can upkeep their beauty regime without harming that little growing human in them.

I must say that I was happy with the service at Clarins and how they promoted good diet and health maintenance for mothers. They also have  a special facial programme for expecting mothers and even new mothers. There are also a number of literature on pregnancy and how Clarins products go hand in hand with this beautiful journey. My first few products that I bought from Clarins was their treatment oil. Many mothers have raved about Clarins Body Treatment Oil. I used it during my pregnancy and there is not a single stretch mark on my belly, but I must warn that stretch marks are hereditary and no amount of oil or lotion is going to help if you are bound to have them but prevention is certainly a better shot than just taking your fate hands down. Just to note that  Clarins toning oil best sellers for pregnant mothers all around the world. For me I just love the beautiful scent and texture that this oil provides me before before a warm shower. Best to massage it in 1 hour before you step into the shower.

I then moved on to other products like cleansers, scrubs, toner, masks and other treatment serum to help boost my skincare regime.  Discipline is ultimately crucial for you to see results. I am guilty of not keeping to that rule but I must say on the weeks and months where my spirits are high, I do see a huge difference in skin quality compared to the times where I just hit the pillows sans products. If my skin could protest it will be BERSIH 5! The only person that is really happy about no skin care on is my husband, he just labels everything as harmful chemical can't expect much from a person who washes his face with only plain water. 

Since being a Clarins user, I have been stocking up products especially on my birthday month so that I can earn double cash rebate points, Oh did I tell you about this wonderful system that gives you some money back for purchasing their products, well Clarins rewards their customers through a cash rebate system, for every ringgit  spent 10 point is earned I spent about RM1000  during my birthday month and earned RM300 in rebate cash point which I find very reasonable, any better you will have to resort to MLM products.

Since my skin is pretty oily with open pores, I find the Truly Matte Pore Minimising Serum to be really effective in regulating sebum level and leaving your skin looking matt and clean. I have at least 2 bottle of this in my drawers in fear of running out and not having the time to buy.  Throughout my pregnancy I have used Clarins, even my Obgy gave me a thumbs up, which is good because all expecting mothers should have a peace of mind and confidence in their choice of skin care during those delicate months, however I stopped using the pore minimising serum while I was pregnant because it contains salicylic acid, Clarins told me to listen to my Obgy and was not pushy at all in defending their products which I truly appreciate, other than that all products were used in great confidence. I also attended a workshop by Clarins for expecting mummies, Yes that's how concerned they are about mother's confidence in their products.

So for mummies out there, expecting or not and is on a quest for good skin care for you and your little one perhaps you can give Clarins a go.

Happy trying

Travelling with a Toddler

Road trips are fun minus the tiring bit, but travelling with a toddler brings on a new ball game. We have been making few road trips up and down our Malaysian highways with my little tot and with each trip I seem to be packing more and more. Since my little princess is now a toddler and has 3 square meals besides her finger food, I  find myself packing in carrots, pumpkin, broccoli, leafy vegetable, pasta and the list goes on and on besides the basic clothes and milk.


There is a whole box dedicated to her organic produce. It is certainly a feat packing for road trips with a toddler in mind. Below is my checklist for a 4 day 3 nights away from home

Food and Supplements
1. Bread
2. Probiotics
3. Yogurt
4. Cheese
5. Fruits
6. Box Organic vegetables
7. Baby pasta and rice
8. Cereal
9. Puffs and snacks from IHerb

I keep the probiotics and yogurt in my used to be breast milk insulated bag, stashed up with ice packs. This bag must be kept in the car where it can stay cool from the air condition. Yogurt is for breakfast and it saves me time from preparing another set of meal in the morning. 

Medication and First Aid ((just incase we need them)
1. Paracetamol
2. Terumo thermometer
3. Dentinox
4. Iliadin for nasal congestion
5. Smecta for runny stools

Feeding
1. Steriliser 
2. Feeding bottles and teats
3. Milk powder

Others
1. Cloth diapers
2. Disposable diapers
3. Clothes and PJs for 4 days
4. Soothers
5. Bumbo seat (for feeding)
6. Soap nuts
7. A small basket of toys and   books
8. Burts Bee shower Gel and Shampoo



In total there were 25 items on my checklist...pheww  all that into the car with our own luggage and stroller.  Packing it up in the first place is already a challenge.I know some mothers who have double of my list and that is certainly scary.

Travelling with a toddler needs a lot of planning and skills in manoeuvring tasks in a moving car. I get motion sickness when I have to look down and rummage through things when the car is on the go, however I survived this trip having served lunch, breakfast and dinner in the car to her royal highness. 

Tips for mothers who are travelling, do keep a goodie bag of food in the car so your child is entertained besides playing with toys. For this road trip, I prepared a bag of cut apples, baked some cheese muffins (recipe from my bread story board ) and packed in some finger food.  Have too, lots of tissue papers, small hankies and wet tissues near you as it can be get messy when eating is purely for fun. Don't forget plain water, long distance travelling can dehydrate young children easily so do keep the fluids up. For me, my little munchkin always ends up constipated from the excitement,  long hours of travelling and the just the sheer joy of refusing water.


Pit stops are needed so that your little fella gets to air their bum bum, stretch a little, touch some flowers at the R&R areas, wave at strangers, run about and perhaps have a snack or  a change of diaper under a nice shady tree. Mummy and Daddy too can get a run for the toilets. Isn't that just lovely? 

Entertainment is important and crucial for your sanity, so do pack in books and toys, I tried Violet this trip and it seems to work, as my little tot was occupied off and on with this travel companion of hers. Press its paws and Violent responds with a list of songs, nursery rhyme and catchy phrases but most of the time, mummy is the CLOWN. I wish I was the one behind the wheels. 


As you can see, I only had one bag cramped between my legs which carried my important items, even that is shared with some other things not belonging to me.  Motherhood certainly shakes, rocks, turns your world upside down and inside out, but good things never come easy. Raising a child is never easy, I keep telling myself that when things do go downhill at times, looking around I see so many courages mothers raising children and special angels  and I know their shoulders must be heavier. These mothers inspire me and I look to them for strength. I thank god everyday for the blessings he has given us and honestly every night my simple prayer is to thank him for bringing us all back safely  as a family amen!

Reaching your destination brings great relief that you have survived the drive without a melt-down. The next trip I swear, we need to install a bracket so the iPad can be fixed for some in-car entertainment.   To be honest, I was exhausted to the bone but there was still  the unpacking and preparing stock for next day's meals...oh the joys of motherhood.  


Breakfast the next day was splendid. Basking in the morning ray, my little girl had her yogurt and cereal.  I would say if my 15month  old could articulate her thoughts, she would be telling her friends at the nanny what an adventure she had over the week, the driving on long long roads, the yummy yums she had in the car, the extra attention from mummy, the exploring of these strange stop places where people zoom in and out,  not eating in her feeding chair, breaking all table mannerism, exploring a strange kitchen and house, plucking flowers and leaves....if only I could get in her mind and see how happy it is. 

Happy travelling mamas!