Easy and Healthy Banana Coconut Polka Dot Crepes- Gluten and sugar freefamily breakfasts with a toddler

Ok, sugar free is a bit of a misnomer, because these do have fruit which of course is sugar, but otherwise, there is no refined sugar in these. Best part though- they are delicious and very easy to make. Second best part, my daughter loved them as much as I did. Third best part, a homemade crepe sounds even fancier than a pancake and actually my day is already off to a more refined start (in my head. In reality, I'm still in pj's with no make up and my Birdie just peed on the kitchen floor).  Forth best part, these have sesame, flax, and chia seeds in them which make them "polka dotted" but also even more healthy.

Banana Coconut Polka Dot Crepes

Made 3 large Crepes

(Gluten free, refined sugar free. Recipe adapted from Super Nutrition for Babies)

Ingredients

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 mashed banana
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup +2 Tbsp arrowroot starch
1/4 tsp. chia seeds
1/2 tsp. black sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. flax seeds

Butter for pan

Instructions

Mix eggs vanilla cinnamon and banana and a medium bowl. Add arrowroot and mix to form batter. Heat a small pan over low heat melting butter. Continue to heat butter until it begins to brown, about 2 to 4 minutes. Once butter browns for in just enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan. Tilt and turn pan so batter coats the  pan creating a flat crepe. Let cook ~1 minute until edges easily lift. Flip the crepe and cook for another minute then remove from heat, top with whatever delicious topping you want and serve.  Add a bit more butter to pan between each crepe.

Topping ideas:

Berries

Peaches or nectarines
Homemade Ricotta

Bananas and chopped walnuts

Applesauce

Peanut butter or any other nut/seed butter

Exploration And Taste Approach to Early Feeding (Baby led EATing)

10 months old baby, 4 teeth.  Loving chicken, lentils, bell pepper, and fish roe!

Eating at ten months is still all about Exploration And Tastes (EAT), not quantity consumed. Calories and nutrition come from breastmilk or formula while your baby learns to use their mouth muscles in a coordinated way! The more varied and fun the textures and flavors are, the more your baby learns. 

Feeding Readiness, Engagment, and"All Done" Signs with a Baby

This is definitely its own long topic but I am being lazy. So I thought I'd just post these two videos which I think highlight the difference between when a baby is actively interested and engaged in a feeding compared to when she or he is done. It's so important to honor those "all done" cues because it helps foster a sense of reciprocity and connectedness between parent and baby, as well as a feeling of safety around meal times that she will be listened to when she tells you she's had enough. Also, it lays the foundation of your child being able to rely on his own sense of hunger and satiety without over-eating or needing an adult to tell him when to stop or eat more.  Additionally, acknowledging those "all done" cues as just that, communication, instead of bad behavior, can help keep us parents from getting man, which ultimately prevent those behaviors from becoming power struggles.

This first video highlights feeding readiness and engagement.  Note how she leans towards the spoon and opens her mouth.  Pretty obvious that she's into the meal and wants more food:

The second video highlights the same baby (my baby!) at the end of a different meal where she is clearly disinterested in continuing feeding.  Note how she makes it perfectly clear that she is no longer interest in eating her meal:

While it can seem very frustrating to stop a meal when there is still food left, or worse, when your baby has not eaten anything, it shows respect and that he or she is heard and understood.  Start with explaining the situation, such as "it looks like you are all done." Or, if it's more behavioral than that, consider, "food stays on the table.  If you throw your food on the ground, the meal will end." If the behavior continues, most likely the child is done eating (or bored or tired but clearly not motivated to eat and therefore most likely not too hungry.)  Honor the communication and avoid getting upset or making a big deal out of it.  Just start your "all done" routine, such as you and baby wiping the table, wiping hands and face, then getting out of the high chair.  Know that your baby will get another chance to eat soon.  Move on and enjoy the next activity with your baby!

Baby Led Eating: corn on the cob

Corn on the cob: easy to hold and manipulate, great oral sensory input, sweet and delicious, difficult to bite off large choking hazard sized pieces.

Baby Led Spoon Feeding

Babies are born learners and explorers. They find joy in exploring and mastering a skill. Babies are driven to do this and will learn and explore with food if we give them the opportunity to do so at their own pace. If we let this joy flourish and let them feel confident and successful, they will have a positive relationship with food that will last a lifetime. This is especially true for the more reticent feeder, who may never eat vigorously for the sheer love of it, but who will learn to eat what she or he needs and enjoy it. It holds true for all babies. Often the more we push them to eat or stop eating, the less likely they are to do so.

With this in mind, I'll offer my tips for baby led spoon feeding. Spoon feeding is primarily an adult let activity and can easily lead to a disconnect between patent and child's communication if we aren't  proactive about being "tuned-in". These tips are focused on making spoon feeding an interactive dance or a conversation. 

- Let your baby take the lead by giving him or her a spoon to hold from the very beginning. 

- Expect the activity to get messy and be ok with that. Mess is fun and it enriches the sensory experience. Your baby is learning a new skill and she can't do it perfectly from the start. If your baby isn't getting messy that means you're controlling the activity and doing it for them, which means your baby is not learning as much and probably not enjoying it as much. 

- Forget about quantity. Let the focus be on exploration and discovery, even if that means that zero amounts of food is actually swallowed or even tasted.

- Try loading the spoon for your baby at first, then just set it on the table, handle towards your baby. Let your baby pick it up and do whatever she or he wants with it!

- If your baby is struggling and appears interested, hold and offer the spoon directly to your baby. Keep the spoon near your baby's mouth and wait. Do not touch your baby's lips or try to put it in his or her mouth. Just wait until your baby opens his or her mouth or leans towards the food. If that never happens, eat the food yourself and let your baby just watch or touch the food if interested. 

- At all meals, try to have your own spoon and bowl of food to eat. Model eating and enjoy a meal with your baby. Babies and children learn best from watching you. They want to do what you're doing. If he is eating applesauce, you should eat applesauce. 

- If your baby is into the food and the activity, re-load the spoon and offer it again. 

- If not, let him or her enjoy time at the table, touching and playing with the food with his or her hands while you eat. Do not stress or worry. Offer a milk feed (breastmilk or formula) instead.