O kas vietoje "Beržinės košės"?

I am writing this post in Lithuanian due to current events in the country and this is about educating children without physical punishments, if anyone interested to read it in English, please let me know :)


Dvi dienas jau sėdžiu ir skaitau apie baisią ketverių metų berniuko istoriją. O šiandien sėdžiu ir žliumbiu, širdis kraujuoja. Oi, galima čia didele demagogika ir filosofija užsiminėti, kur to šaknys, ką galima būtų keisti, kad taip daugiau neįvyktų, bet aš ne apie tai. Aš noriu parašyti apie vaikų auklėjimą be smurto. Gal tai bus kažkam informatyvu, gal įdomu, gal nauja, gal kas nors pasidalins mintimis namie, darbe ir aš būsiu prie to prisidėjusi, nors kiek. Taip, tai ne apie maistą ir sveiką gyvenimą. Tai maistas smegenims bei sielai.



Mūsų sūnui buvo gal 6 mėnesiai, perskaičiau kažkokią istoriją apie vaiko sumušimą Lietuvoje (eilinis atvejis, pasirodo) ir savo nuostaba, bei skausmu pasidalinau su draugu bei paklausiau, kokia jo nuomonė apie "beržinę košę" (mano draugas yra ne lietuvis, anglas, pusiau italas). Mano didelei nuostabai, jo nuomonė buvo ta, kad na turbūt nieko tokio jei šiek tiek "beržinės košės", kaip kitaip sutramdyti įsisiautėjusį ar neklausantį vaiką? Aš pasiutau, iš akių virto žaibai ir spjaudžiausi ugnimi. Nusiramink, sako, o kaip gi kitaip? Tada pradėjau kalbėti apie ryšio su vaiku kūrimą, kad bet kokia fizinė bausmė vaikui yra nesuprantama, kad tai traumuoja, neišsprendžia kilusios problemos. Aš tau įrodysiu, sakau. Tada jam į paštą prisiunčiau nuorodų apie visą teoriją vaiko auginimo be ir su "beržine koše".

Šių teorijų pagrindinėmis mintimis noriu ir pasidalinti. Visos jos yra vertimai iš anglų kalbos, šaltiniai nurodyti teksto apačioje, jei kas nori pasigilinti.


Daugumoje informacijos šaltinių apie fizines bausmes vaikui, minima, jog labai daug tėvų nemano, kad "pliaukštelėjimas per užpakalį" yra fizinė bausmė, tačiau mokslininkų tyrimai rodo visai ką kita. Labai patiko žurnalistės Lisa Belkin iš HuffPost mintis, jog kalbant apie smurtą prieš vaikus, negali būti jokio žodžio "diskusija" apie tai, jog pliaukštelėjimas yra smurtas. Yra krūva mokslinių įrodymų, jog fizinė bausmė yra neefektyvi ir kenksminga vaiko vystymuisi. Lisa Belkin dar 2012 metais rašė: " Nėra dviejų pusių. Yra įrodytas faktas ir yra žmonės, kuriems nėra patogu priimti šį faktą" (kalba apie fizinį smurtą prieš vaikus). Taigi kokie tie faktai apie fizinį smurtą prieš vaikus?

Vienas iš pirmesnių didelių tyrimų buvo atliktas 1997 metais, buvo stebėti vaikai įvairiose aplinkose, įtraukiant skirtingus faktorius, kaip: amžius, ekonominis šeimos būvis, rasė ir pan. Įrodyta, jog fizinės bausmės tarp 6 ir 9 metų vaikų tarpe nulėmė jų didesnį anti socialų elgesį dvejais metais vėliau. Tame pačiame tyrime pateikti įrodymai, jog fizinės bausmės įtakoja vaiko agresiją bei anti socialų elgesį.


Iki 2000 metų tyrėjai aiškinosi ryšį tarp fizinės bausmės vaikui ir agresijos, tačiau tyrimai pakrypo kitomis linkmėmis ir buvo domimasi, kaip fizinės bausmės veikia vaiko psichinę būseną, vaiko - tėvų santykius, smurtą šeimoje, kai vaikas suauga. Visuose tyrimuose nuo 2000 metų fizinės bausmės asocijuojamos su įvairiausiomis vaikų, jaunimo bei suaugusiųjų psichinėmis problemomis, įskaitant depresiją, nelaimingumo pojūtį, nerimą, bejėgiškumo jausmą, narkotikų bei alkoholio vartojimą ir bendrus psichologinius nepakankamumus. Tyrėjai taip pat nurodo neigiamas fizinių bausmių pasekmes kognityvinei vaiko raidai bei įtaką neigiamiems akademiniams pasiekimams.


Kanadoje šie tyrimai įžiebė gilias diskusijas dar prieš gerus 10 metų atgal, buvo pasitelkta visos bazės, jog apginti vaikus nuo bet kokios fizinės bausmės. Pavyzdžiui, Toronto sveikatos organizacija siuntė tokią žinutę: "Pliaukštelėjimas skaudina labiau negu tu manai" (Spanking hurts more thank you think).

Ką daro tas pliaukštelėjimas, ar "su rykštele per rankutę":

Visų pirma, tai įbauginą vaiką. O baimės pasėjimas vaiko širdelėje neturi jokio tikslo ir sukuria tik gėdos bei pažeminimo jausmus. Baimė, buvo įrodyta, gali išauginti anti socialų vaiką, kuris gali lengvai neatsispirti nusikalstamumui bei piktnaudžiavimui įvairiausiais narkotikais.


Žiauri, fizinė disciplina moko vaikus, jog smurtas yra vienintelis problemų sprendimo būdas.

Kontroliuojanti ar manipuliuojanti disciplina sukompromituoja pasitikėjimą tarp tėvų ir vaiko, sutrikdo jų ryšį.


Įsivaizduokite, kaip turi jaustis vaikas, kuriam buvo "pliaukštelta"? Gėdingai, jis nesupranta, kodėl tas JO žmogus jam sudavė. O gal kai "bosas" nemato, tada galima?!

Fizinės bausmės, kad ir menkiausios "nesukeliančios pavojaus gyvybei" įskaudina taip pat, kaip žaizda ir tik rodo, jog jei esi stipresnis, gali užvožti kam nors ir problema išspręsta. Bet ar tikrai? Ar tikrai pliaukštelėję savo nepaklusniam vaikui išspręsime problemą. Dažniausiai vaikai kartoja "neleistinus" veiksmus, kada tėvai nemato, nes fizinės bausmės jų nemoko išspręsti savo elgesio netinkamumo, nenustato problemos ir nemoko vaiko jos nustatyti.


Aš vis galvoju, kodėl čia taip yra, kodėl tėvai, atidavę savo vaikui visą dėmesį ir meilę vis tiek sugeba jam užvožti? Aš asmeniškai kaltinu sovietinį palikimą mūsų galvose, mus taip auklėjo, ir mes kitaip nemokame. Bet jei paskaitytume literatūros, įsigilintume į savo jausmus, padirbėtume "su savimi", galima atrasti kitus kelius, kurie, žinoma, yra žymiai sudėtingesni, bet, patikėkite manimi, labiau veiksmingesni ir džiuginantys. Juk kai vaikas elgiasi netinkamai ar ne taip, kaip mes norime, ar tikimės - jam yra 3, 6, 8 ar kiek ten metų - ne mums. Mes esame suaugę žmonės, iš kurių vaikas tikisi auklėjimo, mes jį mokome, kaip toliau gyventi. Tad jei mes nemokame su savo pykčiu susivaldyti ir težinome, jog pliaukštelsiu, ir viskas išsispręs, tuomet nesitikėkime didesnio supratingumo ir kitokio elgesio iš vaiko.


Turbūt dauguma tėvų, kurie supranta, jog fizinė bausmė ne išeitis, yra skaitę literatūros, yra paklausę savęs, kaip aš auklėsiu savo vaiką, jų tėvai su jais kalbėdavo ir nepliaukšteldavo, kilus stresinei, sunkiai valdomai situacijai. Dauguma tėvų nori susivaldyti, bet gal nežino kaip? Nuo ko pradėti? Noriu jums išversti kelis patarimus, parašytus kanadietės psichologės, "Natūralus vaikas" projekto įkūrėjos, prieraišiosios tėvystės patarėjos ir garsios veikėjos už vaikų teisės Jan Hunt.

1. Užkirskite kelią nenorimam vaiko elgesiui, patenkinant visus vaiko poreikius, kada jie yra išreiškiami. Kada poreikiai patenkinti, vaikas automatiškai pereina į kita mokymosi lygmenį. (turima omenyje psichologinius ir fiziologinius poreikius).
2. Suteikite saugią, vaikui draugišką aplinką. Pavyzdžiui, jums itin brangius daiktus padėkite taip, jog vaikas nepasiektų.
3. Taikykite auksinę taisyklę. Pagalvokite, kaip norėtumėte, jog elgtųsi su jumis tokioje pačioje situacijoje, kurioje yra jūsų vaikas. Žmogaus prigimtis yra žmogiška, nesvarbu, kiek jums metų.
4. Rodykite empatiją savo vaiko jausmams. Net jeigu vaiko veiksmai atrodo nelogiški, jo jausmai bei poreikiai jam yra patys tikriausi. Pasakymas "Tu atrodai labai nelaimingas" yra geras būdas parodyti, jog esate jo pusėje.
5. Patvirtinkite vaiko jausmus, jog jis suprastų, kad jūs suprantate ir jums rūpi, ir kad jis niekada nebus atstumtas dėl savo jausmų. Pavyzdžiui, "Mane tai taip pat gąsdindavo, kai aš buvau maža".
6. Suraskite pagrindinius poreikius, kurie sukėlė tokį elgesį. Jei mes baudžiame matomą elgesį, nors vaiko poreikiai nebuvo patenkinti, nenorimas elgesys vis atsiras iki tol, kol poreikiai bus patenkinti. Klausimai, kaip "Ar tu supykai, nes aš visą dieną buvau užsiėmęs? Ar norėtum kartu pasivaikščioti?" gali padėti vaikui jaustis mylimam bei suprastam.
7. Visur, kur įmanoma, suraskite "laimėjau-laimėjau" sprendimą. Tai efektyvus konflikto sprendimo būdas.
8. Patvirtinkite savo vaikui, jog jis yra mylimas ir vertinamas. Taip vadinamas "blogas" vaiko elgesys yra vaiko išraiška meilei bei dėmesiui tuo metu. Jei jis mokėtų tuos poreikius išreikšti kitaip, taip ir padarytų.
9. Nukreipkite savo dėmesį kitur nuo situacijos, kuri tapo per stresinė. Tą momentą pasakykite sau ir vaikui: ''Atsikvėpkime, ką norėtum paveikti?".
10. Būkite tikri, jog jūs ir jūsų vaikas per visą dieną valgėte naudingo maisto, jog jūsų cukraus kiekis kraujyje yra normalus. Dažni, bet maži pavalgymai yra geriausi.
11. Kvėpuokite! Kada stresuojame, mums reikia daugiau deguonies. Netgi keli gilūs įkvėpimai gali padėti mums nusiraminti ir mąstyti aiškiau.
12. Mes nesitikime, jog automobilis užsives su tuščiu baku, taip pat neturime tikėtis, jog vaikas kuo puikiausiai elgsis, jei jo "emocinis bakas" senka. Suteikite tris dalykus, kurie pripildo vaiko "emocinį baką": akių kontaktas, švelnus prisilietimas ir nedalomas dėmesys.
13. Ramunėlių arbata yra itin gera relaksacijos priemonė tiek vaikams, tiek suaugusiems. 
14. Pasiimkite laisvą minutėlę - kartu su vaiku. Pakeiskite aplinką, net jei tai trumpa kelionė į lauką, tai gali pakeisti situaciją.
15. Galite susikurti sau priminimo korteles, padrąsinimo žodžius, jog atsimintumėte, kas padeda nusiraminti.
16. Pasiūlykite vaikui masažą. Masažas prieš miegą gali padėti vaikui miegoti daug geriau, suteikiant daugiau jėgų kitai dienai.
17. Duokite vaikui pasirinkti. Vaikai turi žinoti, jog jų balsas yra svarbus. Siūlant pasirinkimus, net jei jie jums atrodo nesvarbūs ("Norėtum raudono ar mėlyno puodelio?"), gali padėti vaikui pasijusti, jog jis pats valdo savo gyvenimą ypač, jei vyksta svarbūs pasikeitimai.
18. Pabandykite šnabždėjimą. Kuomet visi yra įsitempę, šnabždėjimas gali padėti patraukti vaiko dėmesį, taip pat nuraminti tėvus.
19. Skirkite vaikui savo dėmesį. Pasakymas, kaip: "Pranešk man, kada būsi pasiruošęs dalintis žaisliuku/kada norėsi sėsti į kėdutę/užsidėti striukę" sukurs vaikui savarankiškumo jausmą ir leis jam lengviau bendradarbiauti.
20. Duokite sau laiko. Skaičiuokite iki 10 arba paprašykite laiko: "Aš nesu tikras, ką dabar pasakyti. Duok man minutėlę pagalvoti". 
21. Prisiminkite, jog vaikai susikuria vaizdinius iš mūsų žodžių: "Šiek tiek lėčiau" yra efektyviau negu "Nustok bėgti/nebėk, nu sustok/". Pirmasis pasakymas sukuria vaizdinį, kaip viskas sulėtėja, o antrasis sukuria bėgimo vaizdą, o žodis "ne" yra sunkiai suprantamas, jį sunku įsivaizduoti. Panašiai, specifiškas prašymas yra efektyvesnis negu bendras: "Prašau, padėk stiklinę" nei "Būk atsargus".
22. Paklauskite savęs: "Ar žiūrėdamas atgal į tai, aš juoksiuosi?" Jei taip, kodėl nesijuokti dabar? Sukurkite prisiminus, į kuriuos norėtumėte pažiūrėti.

Nemažai patarimų susidarė. Bet, tikiuosi, išsirinksite kažką, nes man nemažai jų padeda paleisti savo susikaupusį pyktį kitur. Visas tekstas gali jums pasirodyti, kaip "hipsteriški pezalai", super "mamučių" pasisakymai ir panašiai. Bet anaiptol. Na, nors hipsteris vis tiek esu, bet tai yra faktai. Moksliškai įrodytos neigiamos pasekmės, kada vaikas patiria fizines bausmes, tai kodėl tai ignoruoti, prisidengiant kažkokiais senamadiškais pezalais apie "aš užaugau ir tu užaugsi", ar tikrai?

Viską keisti galime nuo savęs, jei suteiksime savo vaikams šansą užaugti be fizinių bausmių, jiems net nekils klausimų, auginant savo vaikus.


Šiame tekste neįtraukiau kitokio smurto prieš vaikus: verbalinio, moralinio, kuris taip pat labai įdomus reiškinys, bet apie tai gal kitą kartą.


P.S. savo draugą įtikinau.


Vienos mamos patirtis. Eglė. xx



Šaltiniai:

http://www.cmaj.ca/content/184/12/1373

http://www.naturalchild.org/jan_hunt/22_alternatives.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/18/adrian-peterson-corporal-punishment-science_n_5831962.html

About good children.

This time not about the food. Though it was a hard time for me and Benjamin during Christmas with food poisoning and how we have managed it, so maybe later about that.
Now. I just can't get it out of my head, the sentence that was told by one person during this Christmas time. ''He is a very good kid, doesn't disturb his parenst at all, just plays on his own''.
As a first time mum, I am shocked to hear this. Having read loads of books and articles about parenting, children psychology and hearing this... Well, probably shocked is too heavy word to use. I am sad to hear this from people I know. I am not talking about those parents, mentioned in the quote. I don't know the whole situation and how they raise their child. I want to write about that sentence and the meaning behind it.
Does it really mean that a good kid is the one who does not disturb his parents especially in an event or a gathering that you take him to? (this is where the person saw and decided that the kid is good). I mean, if the kid wants mum's or dad's attention and pulls their sleeves and asks to be held on the arms, is he a bad one?
Baaaah, it got me thinking and a bit angry that people think that way. All children are good, there is no doubt in that. What makes them exceptionally good or bad is your perception towards that. But if someone thinks that asking for parents' attention makes you a bad kid, then I am very sorry for that person's understanding as it must be hard to live and see so many bad children.
I want to refer to attachment parenting here. Maybe that particular kid is very independent as his age was around 2,5 years old, and he loves focusing on his games - bravo, I love when kids are so intensely focused on their activities. But what if the situation is that he grew up to be told not to disturb parents when they are around other people. Is that normal?
I have noticed my own behavior during this Christmas. We were sitting by the table and chatting with family about... probably nothing important that would change the world. And my baby was running around and kept asking me to lift him up, dragging me to show important things, wanting to sit on my lap and so on. And I caught myself lifting him up and loudly saying that ''baby please decide what you want, I can't keep on lifting you up''. OMG, I am very sorry! Of course I can, and I will. I don't know why I have said that. It sounds like a pure post soviet heritage as children would not matter, go and play, mummy is busy - talking about nothing.
Benni, my sun, I love when you disturb me (as you really don't) and show all the important things in the kitchen and bathroom. Please keep disturbing me and never doubt that you can not. Then we grow together.

Lets be disturbed by our children, they have something important to teach us. 
Happy New Year!!!

xxx

Friday - a fish day! (with recipes)

It has been a while since my last post. A lot of new changes in our lives: new apartment, new town, new people. Moving houses with a baby is a real challenge! That's where some different eating patterns and ways came up as well, but today I want to write about FISH! Wanted to do that for ages, it has all been piling up in my head.

Why did I start with ''Friday - a fish day''? I think, it has something to do with Christianity and as well as fishermen used to sail to fish for the whole week and normally came back on Friday, before the weekend with the fresh fish.

Fish for the baby. I have introduced fish to Benjamin at around his 9th month as he did not show any signs of having allergies so far. Fish is considered as a possible allergen for little ones. We have started with a white fish, just sadly frozen one. Austria is not very rich in fish choice in the shops. So I had to go with what it is there. And he loved it!
I have heard that some babies refuse to eat fish. I would say OK, just think of something to change a necessary Omega 3 which comes from the fish. Linseed oil can be an option. My younger sister started eating fish only when she turned 18, I think. She always didn't like the fishy smell. My son's face was not the happiest one as well after tasting fish, but I think with the right ingredients it is yummy and of course healthy! Coming back to the Omega 3... fish is a great source of that! Omega 3 is important for brain and eye development. Fish is saturated with vitamin D, protein and other nutrients. One factor that was worrying me was the mercury level in the fish, so I have got deeper into it.

Mercury levels. I really did not know about mercury levels in the fish before, that it is a concern and has impact on your health. So literature recommends starting with fish by following tables and charts which show mercury levels in the different fish. How do fish get that mercury? Shortly, mercury is everywhere. It is in the air as well, so when air particles set down, it goes into the water as well, and from the water to the fish.

''Almost all fish and shellfish contain some mercury, but large predator fish accumulate the most. That's because predator fish eat other fish – fish that have absorbed mercury themselves. And the bigger the predator fish, the more fish it eats. Larger fish also tend to live longer than smaller fish, so there's simply more time for mercury to build up in their bodies (quote babycenter.com) ''.

As mercury is a metal, it can have some negative effect on brain and nervous systems. There is a lot of debate about how much mercury is harmful for people, but definitely it has a bigger impact on children as they are so little and their systems are still developing. So basically it is recommended to choose fish with low mercury levels. In my head, you don't feed your baby with fish every day (I hope so), so it can't have such a huge impact, especially that most of the fish in supermarkets come from farms not wild waters. Anyways, it is good to be cautious and have a knowledge. So I use this table which shows which fish is rated as having a lot of or a little bit of mercury and just normally use it in a shop while buying fish. Maybe it will be useful to someone: https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/walletcard.pdf (2nd page).

Implication - don't cook tuna steak for your baby :)


I have got into a habit of preparing a fish dish once a weak for Benjamin and he seems to love it. Fish that he is eating now is mainly white fish and salmon. Few tips while preparing fish for a baby:

a. of course, check for bones!!! I always double check after it's cooked.

b. make sure fish is not bad, if you have any doubts, better throw it away.

c. if it is possible, buy fresh and local fish.

d. I always use something sour to go with a fish, like a drop of lemon or grated apple, it hides the ''fishy smell''.

e. I normally steam the fish as then it contains most of it's nutrients.


And few recipes that I cook and they seem to work :)

Steamed Salmon with veggies

• Salmon
• Sweet potato, peas, broccoli, fresh dills and splash of olive oil

Steamed Plaice with veggies and couscous

• Plaice
• Carrots, broccoli, peas, cauliflower
• Couscous, squeeze of lemon juice and a drop of olive oil

Salmon and Potato balls

• Steam salmon and potato
• Then mash everything into one mass, mix in an egg
• Form little balls and roll in bread crumbs (I use bought ones if I'm too lazy to make it, though bought ones contain a bit of salt)
• Cook in the oven around 15 min. 180 C hot oven.
• Can put cheddar or Parmesan inside (grated), onions (better steam before) or fresh dill.

Plaice with Basmati rice

• Steam plaice
• Steam veggies: I have used zucchini and tomato. As for the tomato, at the beginning I peeled of the skin by pouring hot water on and making few cuts in the tomato. And then steamed it with other vegetables. Even now, when Benjamin is one year old and has 8 teeth to chew, he gets a bit choking on the tomato skin, so peeling of  is just a good precaution. 
• Cook rice and mix all together!

Fish is not hard to cook, you can mix everything with fish and normally it will go well :) Just don't buy those frozen, already made fish sticks - make ones at home, it is easy! And I would say if your baby refuses to eat fish - I would read what kind of substitutes would be recommended to use instead for the same vitamin intake. Fish fingers.... sounds yummy - I will make Saturday a fish day then :)

Wishes xx

niom niom by Mama

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Snacks and Banana Bread (baby edition) recipe!

To let your baby snack or not....that is the question?!
The children's doctor that Benjamin was seeing in Lithuania is organizing lectures about baby's first foods and there she told that until baby starts walking - snack are not necessary. Ok, I thought.

When Benjamin started eating food, fully three times a day, he was still being not satisfied and wanting some snack in between. So I gave him. I am not going to starve my baby just because of some books or doctors :) So my choice of snacks are:

raw, peeled carrots
peeled apples
nectarines (a hit)
cookies with base from dates
baby rice crackers
bread crackers (very rarely)
baby cookies from Organix finger foods brand - this is a true finding this brand - totally love it.

At the beginning it was pretty hard to understand if he still wants food or not, but with the time I had my hands on it. If all the basics are satisfied: food, milk, nappie, water, means - mummy, I want a snack! And now you can't have an apple in the room and not give it to Benjamin :)

During this Easter we got this awesome book as a present - Deliciously Ella. I have read it before, my mum had it, now it's in my shelf! Full of interesting stuff - really. So my eye caught this courgette and banana bread recipe which I am going to share now, as I have made it and it's ridiculously delicious! I have made a baby edition though so Benjamin can enjoy it as well - no vanilla or maple syrup.

Courgette and Banana Bread (baby edition)

If anyone wonders courgette is a synonym for zucchini (cause I had a doubt :) )

Needed:

Normal size zucchini

4 ripe bananas

Apple puree (I've cooked two peeled apples on a steam)

Cinnamon (two tablespoons)

Chia seeds

Oil you use - I use Ghi butter, like for everything mostly

Brown rice flour (recommended in the book) - as we live a bit in outskirts of Austria such things are non existent, so I have used brown bread wheat flour with linseed instead (300g.)

Making:

Use two tablespoons of Chia seeds - I immersed those into water a night before cooking.

Roughly grate zucchini (I used half of it). Mix it with 4 ripe bananas, apple puree, Chia seeds and around 300 g. of flour, cinnamon of course (one tablespoon is enough, unless you really love it :) ).

You can have one more banana for a decoration.

The whole mix shouldn't be too runny and too dry as well. 

Preheat the oven. I have cooked it in 180 C. degrees (on a fan function) for 45 min.

Cook it in a bread tin. I didn't have one for this time, so used all the forms that I have found at home. Definitely getting one now.

I covered the form with Ghi butter.

After 45 min. put it aside to cool down. If stored in closed container, the bread can be used for 5 days!

Buon apetit! Delicious courgette and banana bread (baby edition)!

Yours,

niom niom by Mama  xx

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Sugar and the baby

Don't give sugar to your baby.

That would be my original post, no further discussion, but I guess I need to support my bold opinion. 

Why would you? I mean, sugar.

Babies and children get enough sugar with products they eat, especially fruit, veggies or starches. Sugar is necessary for body functioning, though it's fully enough of the natural one. It's a big issue especially during big gatherings like Christmas or coming Easter when bunnies and Easter eggs are everywhere and grandparents, relatives show up holding Kinder Surprise eggs or other goodies. How to deal with that?

Well, I am not shy about this - straight forward - my baby does not eat sugar, thank you for your gifts, it will be well taken care of by me :)

By the way, I truly apologize to my friend when I showed up with massive chocolates for her 2 year old, I didn't have my baby then.

Sugar is evil, unhealthy in all the ways. So be wise and brave. Too much sugar rotens teeth, causes tummy aches, rises energy levels, can cause diabetes, messes hormones and ruins taste receptors, especially for little ones. The biggest worry of mine are roten teeth! Imagine your own tooth pain, so explain that to a small child, plus they normally need narcosis in order to fix their teeth. Just type in google images chidren teeth decay, you will see, 'yummy' images. I think they should put those images on every chocolate bar or baby food thats contains sugar:) like disturbing images on cigarette packs.

I always read all the ingriedients on the packages of baby food, especially snacks. So if it says unrefined sugar, still it doesn't mean it is healthy as usually it is processed. Therefore, unrefined, not processed sugar is the best and that comes from natural products!

Sugar is addictive, so later you give it to your baby, healthier he will be. Anyway, there will be someone else who will give his first chocolate to your baby and it will be 'because he really wanted it' :)

Yours,

niom niom by Mama  xxx

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Pancakes and all other yummy, chewy goodies!

Pancakes are awesome! All sorts of pancakes, not only sweet ones. I could be alive on those myself :)
Probably around month 8, I have started giving Benjamin food with chewy bits and as he already had 8 teeth, he constantly wanted to chew. Smoothly mashed purees are not that very good all the time as baby grows, he needs to learn how to chew and eat more normal food. As I have mentioned earlier, I am really afraid of baby choking, and as I had already few times where I had Benjamin on my knees to ''unchoke'' him....but probably it's the way to learn, isn't? So I have found that pancakes are a really awesome start to eating normal food. And that's how babies learn about texture and food, they can rip pancakes apart, feel whats inside (Benjamin eats those only using his hands, so it's everywhere!). If ingredients are a bit chunky, I just mash them before putting into a pancake mass. First pancakes that I have made were without any egg, so I have chosen stickier ingredients in order to glue it together, like: buckwheat or chickpeas. When Benjamin started eating egg, probably around month 8 or the end of 7th, I have mixed egg yolk into pancakes. I cook food that need sticking together in the oven, using no oil or no other fat. Pancakes are perfect for any day of time really, normally I make them for dinner as it's an easy meal before going to sleep.

And there's meat balls. Nothing new about them probably. I have already made meat balls from minced chicken and beef. When making with beef, I always put some veggies inside, so it would't be that dry. And when the meat ball is made I roll it in bread crumbs or corn grits and cook it in the oven! Normally I freeze what's left so to have it for future meals. I am really looking to buy a meat mincer so I could do it at home!
The whole food I make, I steam it in the baby food steamer from Avent. Amazing device, really recommended for home cooking mums as it blends at the same time!

So enough about the process, I will share few recipes that I have already tried and it's Niom Niom!!!

Potato Pancakes

They are very popular in Lithuania, it is one of national foods. But the original ones, I think, are too heavy for baby, so I made a lighter version. I haven't used any egg until he started eating one. So without eggs, pancakes get a bit soft and not sticking together, but that's fine, as it gets ripped in the first place!

Potatoes (cooked)

Zucchini (cooked) - can use any preferred veggie instead

Cook in the oven for until it sticks together, turn around and cook a bit more (total 15 min., watch out for burning!)

Combinations of these that I have made, were: 

Potato+broccoli 

Potato+zucchini+carrot+broccoli

Pancakes with meat

Turkey 

Buckwheat

Zucchini

Carrot

All the ingredients steamed before shaping into pancakes. I used egg yolk to put them together. 15 min. in the oven. These ones were a hit!

Buckwheat Pancakes

Buckwheat is awesome for pancakes as it's sticky. And really yummy!

Buckwheat    

Broccoli 

Potato

or

Buckwheat

Couscous

Broccoli

or

Buckwheat

Carrot + Zucchini + Broccoli

Any combinations really. Depends on what your baby likes, what you have in the fridge at that moment.

The latest one's I have made were a bit sweeter pancakes, but its natural sugar, didn't harm anyone yet:)

Sweet Potato

Banana

Cinnamon

Sweet potato is actually a discovery for me as in Lithuania we don't use it that much, but it's amazingly tasty, Benjamin loves it.

Pumpkin

Apple

Banana

Cinnamon

Chickpeas and broccoli balls - chickpeas are full of proteins, same as chicken or beef and doesn't contain any fats. Pancakes or balls made of chickpeas are a bit dry, but very good to chew. Chickpeas need immersing into water before cooking at least for 6 hours. Really yummy!

Another tip would be that pancakes and meat balls are not very suitable for journeys and trips. Not because it tastes different then, but because the bits are falling everywhere and it is a great mess after eating it! 

Keep calm and eat pancakes!

Yours,

niom niom by Mama  xxx

Follow me on Instagram for every day baby food: niom_niom_by_Mama

OMG - travel food - to buy it or make it at home?!!!

Babies do eat when you travel! That's one more thing to think about. Honestly, at the beggining, when Benjamin started eating normal food, I realized that where ever I go he needs his food with him. So there was a lot of questions again: do I buy baby food, if yes, what kind of, which brand or do I make the food? Of course, it's every mum's choice, I have started with baby food for trips pretty weirdly, basically I didn't have too much knowledge about baby food in shops. So on first trips Benjamin was eating bought baby food (I am sorry for that now, baby!) Probably here you can see which direction I am going to with the bought baby food, though it is purely my opinion and doesn't have to affect anyone else. It is not a crime to buy baby food, not at all, I do it sometimes, but every time I do it - I regret it. And I will explain why.


Introduction to food British people normally call weaning off, for me it is a bit misleading as I introduce my baby to normal food not in order to wean him off, but to form his eating habits and from 6 months old, baby is not enough of nutrition only from mothers milk. So my decision was to form his eating habits by cooking my own food and not constantly buying one. I have read a number of online forums where mums explain that they buy baby food, because baby doesn't like their home cooked food. Well, if you give bought food right from the start, he will like that more, because it's tastier in some ways than real food. For example, a child doesn't want or need chocolate (remark for grandparents :) ), just after tasting it he doesn't want anything else, because it's yummy!!! I have decided that only rarely bought baby food will be for our trips and journeys.


I went to the shop to buy some pouches for Benjamin as we were travelling somewhere. And....omg!!! I have no clue what to buy. I have started from reading the ingredients. Everything seems to be organic or bio or from biological farm. Sounds too good to be true, so I started reading articles online what it is really in there. Not one source states that home made foods compared to commercially processed ones are mote nutritious. Appears that you would need as twice as much bought food to get same vitamins and nutrition as from the home cooked food. Few sources write that fruit or vegetable used for baby food are bio and organic, but in the process are used almost out of date (the ones that can't be used anywhere else). Though it is really hard to prove such statements. Few articles to read about findings in bought baby food:

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/the_kids/2013/09/homemade_versus_store_bought_baby_food_your_kitchen_beats_the_jars.html

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/scary-ingredients-in-commercial-baby-food-and-how-to-make-your-own-at-home/

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/dr-dina-kulik/danger-baby-food-pouches-_b_7122852.html

Very good reading from another mama:
http://mamalikes.org/2015/07/14/pureed-food/

And then there are these fancy words to cover sugar or salt levels. A lot of baby foods from the shop state that there is no added sugar or salt in it, but what about concentrates used in it? And then artificial vitamins. When I cook I don't put any artificial vitamins in the food, but in the bought food there's normally Vitamin B, companies claim, it must be there in order to absorb all the nutrition. Well, I don't give my baby any additional Vitamin B.

I think it can be a very long discussion about what it is in shelves. I normally choose fruit pouches. I'm trying to find ones without fruit concentrate, as you can't really do wrong with fruit, right? These seemed to be all right:

(photo taken from familien-zauber.de)

I could say that Austrian shops are not that rich with baby food choices as Lithuanian or British. Here you can find only brands like: Nestle, Fruchtbar, Hipp and Milupa, maybe some more that I haven't seen yet. Whereas in Lithuania or England you can find mentioned ones plus Ella's kitchen (one of my favorites), Marmaluzi (awesome Lithuanian brand), Heinz (have negative feelings for this) and many more. So my preferences whenever it is possible are Ella's kitchen and Marmaluzi as these contain pure ingredients, no sugars, salts or any oils, vitamins, plus the date of expiry is not longer than my baby's age.

Our travels

Equipment. For Benjamin travels I have bought a 290 ml. food flask which surprisingly hold the warmth very well (bought on Amazon).

I have equipped myself with a small plastic box for snacks and of course water bottle (we use the one with the straw only).

Food. As I have mentioned already, I try to make food for all our travels. I wouldn't lie, it's pretty hard as you need to plan your time ahead, count how many meals will be needed and so on. And for me it is the hardest job:) Very rarely, but I do buy baby food, mostly fruit purees. Snacks are handy as well especially for time in the car when it gets boring. Our snacks so far are carrot and puffy 'kringels', not sure how it is called in English :)

I find these amazing as they were the only ones in the shop that didn't have any additional stuff to it as salt, sugar, color or any other taste. Benjamin loves 'kringels', can recognize those even by the sound of the pack :) This is only for our journeys as I guess it is not the most healthy option, but so good for calming down, sharpen those teeth and there's no mess! 'Kringels' melt very quickly in mouth so don't think choking can happen. We have tried another brand, but it was full of oil (I have tried it myself, really disgusting). Other options like this, baby rice crackers and cookies had sugar inside or fruit powder which I am still not sure about. Lets say the baby rice cracker is with the blueberries, so the ingredients are blueberry powder with perfect violet color....I have mixed feelings about this so I don't buy it.


Oat cookies perfect for travels

Oats

Apple puree

Cranberries or plums

Ripe banana

Cinnamon or not

I make apple puree myself, just steam a peeled apple, then mix it with another fruit (steamed cranberries - great natural antibiotic, steamed peeled plums, etc.) and ripe banana and pour in the oats. Form cookies and cook in the oven around 15 min. on 180°C. Cookies turn out very soft and nice to chew. I normally freeze the rest just to have it for future.

I have a journey coming up where in my head I need to plan Benjamin's menu for few days, probably will end up buying fruit purees and making few jars of lunch and dinner food. Well basically everything the same that you would cook at home, just packed to go!

Enjoy your travels and consider making baby food at home!


Yours,

niom niom by Mama xxx


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