Alimentatia lui Vlad la 2 ani

Alimentatia lui Vlad la 2 ani

Da, stiu, din nou un subiect din categoria Parenting. Ce sa-i faci, nu ma pot abtine! Iar alimentatia copilului este o grija permanenta a oricarui parinte. Am vorbit  pana acum despre alaptare, despre diversificare, despre alimentatia copilului dupa varsta de 1 an, iar acum va voi aduce la zi cu “meniul” lui Vlad. Si chiar daca unii dintre voi nu sunteti parinti acum, o sa puteti reveni la aceste articole la momentul potrivit.

 

EN: Yes, I know, another parenting subject. What can you do, I just can’t help it! And the child’s nourishment is a permanent concern for any parent. So far we have talked about breastfeeding, weaning, about the child’s feedings after 1 year, and now I am going to update you on Vlad’s “menu”. And even if some of you aren’t parents yet, you can always come back to this article when the time is right.

Trebuie sa incep prin a va marturisi ca mi-e foarte dor de perioada alaptarii. Desi nu mi-a fost deloc usor la inceput – stat zi si noapte cu bebe la san, grija permaneta ca nu ia suficient in greutate, dureri etc – dupa vreo luna de eforturi sustinute din partea mea, a lui Radu, care m-a incurajat in cele mai grele nopti, dar inclusiv din partea lui Vlad, mancaciosul, care putea sa aiba si cate 18 “mese” pe zi la san, cu durata variabila de la 30 minute la 1h jumate – am ajuns pe cand avea el o luna sa comunicam perfect si sa asteptam amandoi cu bucurie momentul mesei. Acum cand o vad pe Adela cum il alapteaza pe Alexandru, mi se face un dor teribil!!!

Ajunsese sa fie totul atat de simplu la varsta respectiva si atat de frumos. Eram linistita gandidu-ma ca alaptandu-l Vlad primeste tot ce are nevoie. Si apoi a inceput diversificarea…alte emotii. O sa manance hrana solida pe care i-o prepar eu? O sa aiba vreo alergie? O sa ii placa mai mult legumele, carnita ori fructele?

Pe scurt, pana la 1 an, lui Vlad i-a placut ORICE mancare. Manca absolut tot ce ii pregateam. Ba chiar la fructe, ajunsesem sa o intreb pe pediatra daca nu exista totusi vreo limita. Avea vreo 8 luni si ar fi fost in stare sa manance ca gustare (avea 3 mese principale si 2 gustari pe zi) si 350 de grame de fructe! Cu toate acestea, a ramas mereu genul skinny 🙂 Adica, desi manca foarte mult, nu lua in greutate mai mult decat era necesar. S-a nascut cu 3kg, la 1 an avea 9, iar ieri l-am cantarit la 2 ani si (maine) 4 luni si are 12,3 kg.

Dupa varsta de 1 an Vlad a devenit brusc mofturos. Mancarea trebuia sa aiba gust (am adaugat sarea), trebuia sa aiba consistena potrivita si, daca ar fost dupa el, trebuia sa fie …dulce. Si nu ma refer la dulce desert, ci la fructe. Este innebunit dupa fructe si acum. Ma trezesc ca sunt cu el in masina, in trafic, si incepe sa planga in spate dupa “Afine” ori dupa “Casuni” ori “Pepeneeee”. “Mama, veau fucte!!!” imi striga plangand de pofta, daca puteti crede asa ceva. Asadar, fructele sunt pe locul 1 in preferintele lui actuale. Dar hai sa va zic cum arata meniul lui acum:

Dimineata si seara inca mai bea lapte. Eu ii dau si acum, desi e mare, lapte praf. Am mai mare incredere in laptele conceput special pentru ei, decat in laptele de vaca din comert. In plus, la ultimele analize (i le-am facut inainte de a pleca in Australia, dar si la implinirea varstei de 2 ani), am constatat ca vitamina D nu e cea mai grozava. Asa ca prefer un lapte praf imbogatit cu vitamina D. Stiti ca m-am alaturat in trecut campaniei “Nestle Incepe Sanatos, Creste Sanatos” si ca am participat la numeroase intalniri cu medici, de la care va zic cat se poate de sincer ca am invatat o multime de lucruri. Chiar si acum revin de multe ori la informatiile primite in cadrul acestor conferinte, pentru ca porneau de la importanta unei alimentatii sanatoase a copilului. Ceea ce am invatat atunci este ca noi ca parinti putem influenta dezvoltarea copilului intr-un mod sanatos doar printr-o alimentatie corespunzatoare varstei (puteti citi mai multe despre asta si dand cautare “programare metabolica” pe blogul meu in casuta de search).

Nu stiu daca stiti, dar Nestle implineste acum 150 de ani si revine cu promisiunea de a sustine si a promova in continuare alaptarea, facand parte inca din 2011 din programul FTSE4Good Index, singurul indice de investitii la nivel mondial responsabil cu stabilirea clara a criteriilor privind comercializarea inlocuitorilor de lapte de mama pana la varsta de 12 luni. Mai multe informații despre promisiunea pe care o fac privind alăptarea și creșterea implicita a unor generații sănătoase puteți citi aici. Apreciez și grija pentru îmbunătățirea continua a calității produselor destinate copiilor și transparenta cu care specifica cantitatea de zaharuri sau calorii pe fiecare porție. Spre exemplu, cerealele pentru copii nu au mai mult de 9 gr zaharuri, iar o înghețată nu mai mult de 80 calorii.

Revenind la mesele lui Vlad, incepe ziua cu o cana cu lapte sau apa. Il lasam pe el sa aleaga deja ce doreste. Sunt dimineti in care plange daca nu te grabesti cu preparatul laptelui, iar altele (mai putine) in care iti spune cat se poate de clar ca vrea APA. Tot dimineata mananca si cereale imbogatite cu Fier, caci anemia feripriva e frecventa in randul micutilor si pacatoasa, asa ca dorim sa ne ferim de ea. Cerealele le mananca fie cu lapte, fie cu iaurt sau branza de vaci, fie simple. Le imprastie pe toata masa, pe sub masa – de unde le mananca Yorick… Ii mai pun deasupra lor stafide, mersisoare ori goji – pe care singur si le-a ales din raftul de la supermarket, nuci sau migdale. Si neaparat niste fructe proaspete, pe care daca nu le mananca pe loc, cel mai probabil le va cere la pachet pentru plecarea in parc ori pe drumul spre buni.

Cert e ca micul dejun e masa pe care apucam sa o luam cel mai des in familie. Eu si Radu nu aveam acest obicei inainte, dar de cand cu Vlad, vrem sa fim un exemplu bun. Asadar pe masa punem acum numai alimente ok, pe care sa le poata manca si el. Sigur ca e frustrant uneori cand tu ii pregatesti ceva (azi dimineata am facut o omleta cu lapte, branza de vaci, branza telemea, mazare si zucchini absolut delicioasa pe care Vlad nici nu a vrut sa o guste!) si el nu se atinge. Dar nu il fortam cu mancarea. Il pacalim doar, atunci cand se cere 🙂 caci altfel ne pacaleste el pe noi.

La pranz prefera sa manance paste sau orez cu legume. Mancarica gatita la cuptor e cea mai sanatoasa, asa ca multe feluri de mancare i le pregatim asa. Ii place si “pizza”, zice el, care de fapt e focaccia peste care punem ce vrem noi, dar asta mai mult in vacante sau iesiri in oras. Dar ii place cum suna “pizza”, se pare. In schimb, avem o mare problema cu carnea. Nu vreti sa stiti ce combinatii face mama mea pentru a se asigura ca mananca totusi si putina carne: pui cu portocale, vita cu banane…Si de fapt in toate aceste combinatii predomina fructele, ca gustul carnii sa fie cat mai putin prezent. Am incercat o multime de variante. De exemplu, am pus carnea pe frigaruie, gandidu-ma ca o sa-i placa “sistemul” de mancare. Ne imita perfect, musca din frigaruie ca si noi, dar dupa ce o mesteca 3 secunde, o scuipa fix pe jos. Drept urmare e chinul lumii cu carnea. Noroc ca mai mananca oua, dar nu ii dam decat de 2 ori pe saptamana.

Seara mananca peste, de exemplu, ori cate o placinta de casa cu iaurt si smantana deasupra. Iar inainte de culcare mai cere o cana cu lapte. In plus, gustarile din timpul zilei sunt fie fructe, fie cate un iaurt sau “ghe” – adica orez sau porumb expandat.

Asa ca topul  lui ar fi urmatorul: fructe, cereale, lactate, legume si…..carnea. Eu imi doresc sa aiba un meniu variat si echilibrat. Nu il fortez la masa, nu il cert, ci incerc ca fiecare portie sa fie atractiva. Am constatat ca am mai mari sanse de reusita cand il iau cu mine la cumparaturi sau cand asista la prepararea mancarii. Si cred ca sunt o mama echilibrata si cand vine vorba de mancare, in sensul ca sunt constienta de importanta unei alimentatii sanatoase la o varsta frageda, dar nu inseamna ca Vlad nu a mancat niciodata un pandispan cu zahar, nu a gustat inghetata sau chiar ciocolata (asta a fost un accident, a gasit intamplator o ciocolata in rulota cu care calatoream prin Noua Zeelanda si a bagat repede un cub in gura, dupa care a avut una dintre cele mai comice reactii din viata lui: “Mmmmmmmmm…mama, ce-i asta????”, ca si cand ar fi vrut sa ma intrebe “ce am gustat eu si voi mi-ati ascuns o viata intreaga???”. Dar toate acestea am inceput sa i le permitem foarte rar, dupa varsta de 1 an jumate.

Voi, la ce capitol din alimetatia copiilor sunteti? Ce va da batai de cap?

P.S.: Pozele sunt din Disneyland, unde evident ca mancarea nu e ca acasa. De acolo i-am cumparat mai mult paste, pizza sau quesadilla cu pui (singura data cand a mancat asa ceva, un compromis, dar a fost calea prin care a acceptat puiul! carnea…). Diminetile si gustarile chiar si acolo erau tot formate din cereale, iaurt si fructe.

EN: I must begin by confessing that I miss breastfeeding very much. Although it wasn’t easy at the beginning- breastfeeding day and night, worrying that he’s not gaining enough weight, pain, etc.- after a month of efforts from my side, from Radu, who encouraged me during the toughest nights, but also from Vlad, who could have 18 “meals” a day, lasting between 30 minutes to 1 and half hours- when he was one month old, we had managed to communicate perfectly and we were both excited about eating time. Seeing Adela breastfeed Alexandru now, I miss it a lot!!!

Everything was so easy at that age and so beautiful. I was calm knowing that by breastfeeding Vlad would get everything he needed. And then weaning began…other emotions. Will he eat the solid food I am going to make for him? Will he have allergies? Will he like vegetables, meat or fruit more?

To keep it short, up to the age of 1, Vlad liked EVERY kind of food. He would eat absolutely everything I would prepare for him. I even got to the point where I asked the pediatrician if there is some limit to how much fruit he can have. He was about 8 months old and he could eat as a snack (he had 3 main meals and 2 snacks each day) even 350 g of fruit! Nevertheless, he was always the skinny kind:) So, even if he ate a lot, he didn’t gain more weight than necessary. He weighed 3 kg when he was born, at 1 year old he had 9, and yesterday I weighed him at 2 years and (tomorrow) 4 months and he has 12,3 kg.

After the age of 1, Vlad turned suddenly into a very picky child. The food had to have taste (I added salt), it had to have the right consistency and, if it were up to him, it had to be…sweet. And I don’t mean dessert sweet, but fruit. He is still crazy about fruit. Sometimes when we are in the car, stuck in traffic, he starts crying for “Bluebeiess” or “Stawbeiess” or “Meon”. “Mum, I want fuit!!!” he yells crying with hunger, if you can believe such a thing. So, fruit is number 1 in his current preferences. But let me tell you what his menu looks like now:

In the morning and in the evening he still drinks milk. I still give him formula. I trust the formula which is made especially for them more than the cow milk from the store. Plus, according to his last blood tests (we did them before going to Australia, but also when he turned 2), his vitamin D levels are not great. So I prefer a formula enriched with vitamin D.  You already know I have joined the campaign “Nestle Begin Healthy, Grow Healthy” in the past and that I went to many meetings with doctors, whom I can honestly say I learned a lot from. I still come back to the information I got during these conferences, because they were all based on the importance of a child’s healthy nourishment. What I have learned then is that we, as parents, can influence the development of our children in a healthy way, only by a nourishment appropriate for their age (you can read more by searching for “metabolic programming” on my blog).

I don’t know if you know, but Nestle just turned 150 years and comes back with the promise to support and promote breastfeeding, by being part of the FTSE4Good Index program ever since 2011, the only investment indicator worldwide responsible with the clear establishing of the criteria for selling the replacements of mother’s milk up to the age of 12months. You can read here more about the promise they make regarding breastfeeding and the implicit raising of healthy generations. I also appreciate the concern for continuous quality improvement of the products for children and the transparency when specifying the quantities of sugar or calories in each portion. For instance, kids cereal don’t have more than 9 gr of sugar, and an ice cream doesn’t have more than 80 calories.    

Coming back to Vlad’s meals, he starts his day with a cup of milk or water. We let him choose what he wants. There are mornings when he cries if you don’t hurry up with the milk, and others (fewer) when he tells you as clear as possible that he wants WATER. Also in the morning he eats cereal with Iron, because anemia occurs often in kids and it’s pretty bad, so we want to stay away from it. He eats his cereal either with milk, or yoghurt, or cheese, or plain. He scatters them across the table, under it – where Yorick eats them from… I also put raisins, or goji on top- which he chose himself from the supermarket, nuts or almonds. And necessarily some fresh fruit, which if he doesn’t eat right away he will most certainly want for the road to the park or the drive to grandma’s.

It’s clear that breakfast is the meal which we manage most often to have together as a family. Radu and I didn’t have this habit before, but since Vlad is with us, we want to set a good example. So we only put healthy food on the table, which he can also eat. Of course it’s frustrating sometimes when you prepare something for him (this morning I made an omelet with milk, cream cheese, peas and zucchini which was absolutely delicious and Vlad didn’t even want to taste!) and he doesn’t want to touch it. But we don’t force food on him. We just trick him, when it’s necessary:) because otherwise he tricks us.

For lunch he prefers to eat pasta or rice with vegetables. Oven cooked food is the healthiest, so that’s how we make most meals him. He also likes “Pizza”, as he calls it, which is actually focaccia on which we put whatever we want, but this mostly on vacation or when going out. But apparently he likes the way “pizza” sounds. On the other hand, we have a big problem with meat. You don’t want to know the lengths my mother goes to, to make sure that he eats even a little bit of meat: chicken with oranges, veal with bananas… And actually in all these combinations the taste of fruit prevails, so that the taste of meat is hardly there. We have tried in many ways. For example, I put the meat on a skewer, thinking that he will like the way he eats. He imitates us perfectly, he bites the skewer like we do, but after he chews on it for 3 seconds, he spits it right on the floor. We’re lucky he eats eggs, but we only give them to him twice a week.  .

In the evening he eats fish, for example, or a home baked pie with yoghurt and cream on top. And before he goes to bed, he asks for one cup of milk. Plus, the snacks during the day are either fruit, or yoghurt or “ghe” – which is dry rice or corn.   

So his top would be the following: fruit, cereal, dairy, vegetables and…meat. I want him to have a varied and balanced diet. I don’t force him during his meals, I don’t yell at him, I am trying to make each portion attractive. I have come to the conclusion that I have more chance of succeeding when I take him grocery shopping with me or when he assists me while I make his food. And I think I am a balanced mother when it comes to food too, meaning that I am aware of the importance of a healthy diet at a young age, but that doesn’t mean that Vlad never had a sponge cake with sugar, or that he never tried ice cream or even chocolate (this was an accident, he found a chocolate in the trailer while travelling through New Zeeland and he quickly bit off a piece. Afterwards he had one of the funniest reactions in his life: “Mmmmmmmmmm….mama, what is this?????”, like he meant to ask “this I have just tasted and you have hidden from me my entire life????”. But we have only started allowing these things very rarely, after he was 1 and a half years old.

How about you, which chapter in your child’s nourishment are you on? What gives you a hard time?

P.S.: The pictures are from Disneyland, where obviously food isn’t like home. We mostly got him pasta, pizza or chicken quesadilla (the only time he ate something like that, a compromise, but it was how he accepted the chicken! the meat…). Even there breakfast and snacks were made from cereal, yoghurt and fruit.