Woes of feeding a fussy eater

If you've been following the feeding section of my blog, you'd know by now that I have an extremely picky eater. Sometimes, I really wish that she were not so fussy then I'd have an easier time (and I can spend more time playing with her instead of feeding her). Very often, I get people telling me that I shouldn't give such 'fanciful' food to Alicia and just feed her fish and spinach porridge for her meals as everybody else does. I get really pissed by comments like these because people just don't understand (and they don't even bother to try to) that I'm feeding a fussy baby and fish and spinach porridge for every meal and every day just doesn't work out at all. And the most irritating thing is that because Alicia's on the smaller side (her weight's been hovering between the 10th-25th percentile since she became mobile), people just think that it must be because of what I'm feeding Alicia: if only I'd listen to them and feed porridge day in and day out instead of fanciful 'rubbish', Alicia would surely grow. I'd just say 'thank you very much for your input, but really, if you know what my daughter is like, you'd know that it isn't as easy as it looks'. Then there are those who say that it's because I've introduced 'fanciful' food to Alicia, she's rejecting simple porridge. Honestly, if Alicia were agreeable to eating simple porridge for every meal, I'd most certainly have given her that. Need I spend so much time every day, racking my brains and planning her meals if things were that simple? It's because she refuses the simple food which other babies have no problems with that I have to come up with so many ideas of what to feed her. These people just can't get things right.

My daughter's not only fussy about food, she's extremely active. How can she possibly put on much weight? But of course, people don't understand. They just think that I'm a bad mummy. And there's the breast milk issue. If it's not the food that I'm feeding that's not causing her to grow, it must be the milk I'm providing. Breastfeeding beyond the first year and even after the first 6 months seems undesirable to most people. When am I ever gonna stop breastfeeding, people would ask in a most irritating manner. Well, my response is always a flat 'as long as Alicia wants to'. If you've read my musings in the breastfeeding section, you'd understand why I really love breastfeeding and why being able to breastfeed is so precious to me. I really don't want to switch or even supplement with formula when I've got no issues with milk supply.

It seems that once I have my baby, everyone has something to say about the way I treat my baby and somehow what I'm doing is always 'wrong' or 'just not desirable'. I'm sure every new mummy (and daddy) knows just how irritating that can be. Maybe next time when someone tells me to feed simple porridge to Alicia instead of the food she eats, I'd tell her to try feeding Alicia herself...

Sample Meal Planner (11-12 months)

Alicia started eating quite a bit of food in these 2 months but she only takes 2 big meals mainly rather than 3 because she started taking longer naps in the afternoon and by the time she wakes up, it's time for dinner most of the time. Anyway, here's an idea of how I plan her meals for her (for most of the recipes of dishes stated here, please refer to Feeding at 11 months and Feeding at 12 months):

Mon
Lunch
Earth's Best Instant Oatmeal
Steamed cod served with applesauce
Sauteed vegetables* with a bit of garlic and simmered in stock (click here for details of this dish)

Snack (if she's awake)
Yogurt

Dinner
Heinz Beef Casserole
Sweet potato**
Fruits***

Tue
Lunch
Scrambled egg with breast milk, peas and carrots
Wholemeal bread
Pan-fried cod served with applesauce

Snack (if she's awake)
Eggless apple muffins

Dinner
Pasta with meat, veggies and tomato sauce (unsalted)
Fruits***

Wed
Lunch
Heinz Apple and Muesli Cereal with a bit of wheatgerm and some applesauce stirred in
Sauteed vegetables* with a bit of garlic and simmered in stock
Steamed cod served with applesauce

Snack (if she's awake)
Healthy Times Teddy Puffs in breast milk

Dinner
Brown rice lentil porridge
Sweet potatoes**
Fruits***

Thu
Lunch
French toast combi meal (spread some yogurt on the toast and sprinkle some finely minced pan-fried chicken on top)
Sauteed vegetables* with a bit of garlic and simmered in stock

Snack (if she's awake)
Eggless apple muffins

Dinner
Only’s lamb and mediterranean vegetables
Sweet potatoes**
Pan-fried cod served with applesauce
Fruits***

Fri
Lunch
Baby oats with mango puree and cubes
Steamed cod served with applesauce
Sauteed vegetables* with a bit of garlic and simmered in stock

Snack (if she's awake)
Healthy Times Teddy Puffs

Dinner
Sweet potato chicken porridge
Fruits***

Sat
Lunch
Baked macaroni with chicken, cheese and vegetables

Snack (if she's awake)
Eggless apple muffins

Dinner
Brown rice lentil porridge
Egg yolk
Pan-fried cod with applesauce
Fruits***

Sun
Lunch
Wholewheat pancake with pea and chicken puree served with mango and papaya cubes

Snack (if she's awake)
Healthy Times Teddy Puffs

Dinner
Sweet potato pork porridge
Pan-fried cod served with applesauce
Egg yolk
Fruits***


* You can vary the veggies for each meal/day. She has a mixture of veggies like broccoli, french beans, cauliflower, baby asparagus and baby corn from time to time but because she loves broccoli best, she gets that every day! :)

**A combination of different coloured sweet pototoes are served almost every day (choose from orange, yellow and purple!) because I feel that sweet potatoes are really jam-packed with nutrients.

***She eats a variety of fruits with us at night when we take our fruits.