“I want a treat! I want a snack!”
Oh, the soundtrack of toddlerhood. I swear there are days when I want to yell “BUT YOU JUST ATE!” or “TREATS ARE NOT GOOD FOR YOU!” or “IT IS ALMOST DINNER TIME!”. Trying to raise a healthy child can sometimes feel like an impossible task when they are fighting you every step of the way.
I am constantly trying to keep my house stocked with healthy snacks that Cameron will actually eat. I can’t tell you how often he picks out something that I agree with in the grocery store only to have him refuse to eat it at home while begging for more junk. I am still learning what I need to buy at the store to keep everyone both happy and healthy throughout the week.
There is one snack that is always on my grocery list. And now that I have a second child eating (and loving) it, I daresay we’ll be buying it on the double.
I don’t know what it is about yogurt, but my kids love it. Both of them. It tastes great to them. And as a Mom, I love it too. My kids think it is a treat and I know it is good for their bodies. There are very few foods that serve both purposes in this family. In fact, I fully admit to sometimes letting Cameron grab a yogurt from the fridge if he is absolutely refusing to eat the dinner I made. Sometimes all I need to know as a parent is that my child is getting some good nutrients into his body.
Cameron’s top choice of yogurt is Danino by Danone. For him, it is a delicious snack bursting with taste that comes in a variety of flavours. For me, it is a naturally nutritious food made with real fruit purée and no artificial colours. A single serving contains DHA to help their growing brains, is a source of Calcium, a source of Vitamin D, and provides 3g of protein when eaten as part of a balanced diet. But Cameron doesn’t know any of that stuff. He just knows that he wants “Berry-Banilla Ogurt” for breakfast please!
Gavin has just recently started to enjoy eating yogurt too. He had a major aversion to spoons for a while, but last week when we were all sick, yogurt seemed to be just the thing that his little tummy craved. In fact, did you know that yogurt can start being introduced to babies as young as six months? The active bacteria cultures in yogurt help break down the lactose making it easier to digest. This is why babies can have yogurt before 12 months, but not cow’s milk. This is also why I prefer to get my calcium in yogurt form and not from milk.
Does your family like yogurt? What other foods are win-win for you and your kids?
This post is the second in my two-part collaborative series with Danone Danino yogurt and Treehouse TV. Did you see the first post? If not, you should definitely go read it. I write about the process of being in a television commercial! What? Did you also miss that announcement? Yup! Cameron and I are officially TV stars. You can catch our commercials on Treehouse TV in Canada, or find all four of them on TreehouseTV.com. While you’re there, why not check out the Dino and the World of Learning games for your kids? Plus, find a $1 off coupon for any Danino product. Now that is what I call a win-win-win!
Loving your blog and pics as always. I found out recently that bubs can be introduced to cow’s milk from 6 months but it should be considered part of the solids component of the diet rather than a replacement for breastmilk or formula. So for example it is fine mixed with cereal, in mashed potato etc I found this helpful to let the kids eat family meals that contained milk, cream, cheese rather than specially prepared meals. Similarly unless there is family history of allergies and intolerances it is considered ok to introduce other previously avoided foods such as egg, wheat, fish, nut pastes from 6 months :) My Jace is a dairy man he would live on cheese, yoghurt, custard and icecream if I would let him!
Great tip Jane! I’ve definitely already given Gavin cheese and some other dairy, and I don’t worry if it is cooked into things, but he hasn’t had a drink of cow’s milk yet. That will likely change shortly – he’s starting daycare on Monday (he is 11months now) and we’ve been pretty much exclusively breastfeeding up until now. I have a few ounces frozen for bottles, but my guess is that those will be wasted in the first week while he refuses to take a bottle. After that we’ll probably just switch him to whole milk while he is at daycare (he probably won’t take in much anyway) and then a steady diet of breastfeeding while he is home. :)
Laura recently posted..Let There Be ‘Ogurt
All the best for your return to work, and how lovely to be able to continue breastfeeding. Gavin seems to know he is on a good thing ;)
Thank you! :) Part of me is kind of glad that he will get to learn a little independence at daycare. When we’re together, he likes to be attached to the boob ALL THE TIME. And if not, there is screaming. Lots of screaming.
He is great when I’m not around. Happy as can be. Barely even thinks twice about me or boobs, it seems. ;)
Laura recently posted..Let There Be ‘Ogurt
My kids go through stages with yogurt. Cady loves it… sometimes, and James thinks it is okay… sometimes. I eat it several times a week. My favorite is Danon Greek Light and Fit vanilla.
Jennifer recently posted..Sleeping Away Time
Cam will pass on yogurt if he knows he can get a more delicious, less healthy snack instead, but otherwise, he is usually quite happy to eat it! (Although he did take a bit of a break from yogurt after we did the commercial shooting. He might have had a yogurt overload that day!) :)
Laura recently posted..Let There Be ‘Ogurt
Yogurt is also great for recovering after antibiotics. Since they kill off good and bad bacteria you need to build the good back up!
Also, Max has been protesting whole milk for 4 weeks now. Blerg! He will not let me cut down on breastfeeding! Come on already!
Awesome point about the antibiotics! I know that info is somewhere in my brain but I never remember at the right time. Will have to remember to push yogurt hard during antibiotic times (which I am sure will be soon since the boys start daycare fulltime next week!)
Can you mix whole milk and breastmilk for a bit to see if he can transition to it? Also – try it at different temperatures, and in different cups. If you’re doing warm in a bottle, he might drink it cold from a sippy cup. Or any combination of those things. :)
Laura recently posted..Let There Be ‘Ogurt
I am a huge fan of yogurt, and the baby loves it! (I’m sure you’ve seen some of the messy food pictures I’ve posted of him post-yogurt)
I also like that yogurt is so versatile. I use Greek yogurt in baking and cooking, it’s such a healthy alternative.
Alison recently posted..My Now, Your Future
YES! I too use Greek yogurt when I am cooking – especially as an alternative to sour cream. Yogurt and applesauce are baking & cooking super foods!
I love buying yogurt at Costco – 2kg of plain yogurt for $5.79! I was careful to introduce my kids to plain yogurt first to get their taste buds used to that. Now they love it and will both eat a big bowl with no sweetener in it at all. So much better for them! I’ll admit, I still stir a teaspoon or so of maple syrup into my bowl when they aren’t looking – MY taste buds aren’t as well adjusted as theirs :) They still love when they get the sweetened Danimo at playgroup once a week, but because they’re so used to the flavour of the plain they still consider it a treat at home. For an extra special treat I stir in frozen blueberries. The yogurt freezes around the blueberries and it’s almost like eating a bowl of ice cream. Mmmmm!