Cheesy Cocktails

It is funny how food on sticks does appeal to little ones.

This was put together for Arthur's second birthday party.

Simply wrap the cocktail sausages with sliced cheese (previously divided by four strips per slice) and assemble with cherry tomatoes and zucchini. A hit at the party ;)

'Tools and Gadgets'

If you happen to have a tot, like me... chances are, you will be trying out different gadgets/utensils that can make meal times easier...

Most essential on the list happens to be a high chair. Not the typical have-meals-together family? Whether or not, it is good to have your little one on the high chair (best if the little one can have the meals with you) everytime they are to eat something. Start as soon as they are able to sit without supprt. Yes, even when it's just 2 spoonfuls of cereals or 2 pieces of cookies.

I find that this is important to get them understand the idea of needing to sit 'still' (they won't be running around... legs still shake... still try to move around) at meal times.

Some friends and relatives of mine often complain that they cannot go out for a meal with their toddler or the only place they could go would be somewhere with a play area as the little one won't be eating but playing... When asked about how meal times go at home.. it's the typical Malaysian Chinese - little ones eat first (spoonfed around the house), adults later. This is mostly done in fear that the little ones will not have enough to eat... Anyway, that is another topic altogether.

Where highchairs are concerned, the Ikea Antelope seems to work best for us... they seem to be everywhere nowadays. As such, no complains about being not familiar to it during the early stages.


Just so you haven't noticed, the highchair is made of all plastic... means, washable from top to bottom. This is especially handy when I use it for Arthur's haircut sessions :)

Also, take a closer look as you will see that there's nothing for their legs to rest on... means, nothing for them to 'stand' on. I just love this high chair to bits!

Next on the list is something to keep the clothes clean. I am a huge fan of bibs.. from little ones for 6 months-old to toddler ones that can keep the food from dropping to the floor. These are the 2 recent ones that Arthur's been using:
From Ikea (in Sydney), this is meant to be a children's bib (I guess) since it is too long for Arthur. The fold-over bottom does not catch much as the opening lays flat with the back layer... not a worthy bib :(
Looking for a Tommee Tippee Catch it All... I can across this Sunny Lion bib which basically uses the same concept. This is great for when eating dry food such as cookies and rice... catches most of it. With squishy food, you might want think twice and consider your little one's behaviour... will they try to scoop the food from the bib and put it inside their mouths?

Letting your little one feed themselves would also require some feeding set. This one from Ikea is the very first feeding set that Arthur's got. It was a full moon's gift from one of his aunty. The plate is good as it has anti-slip bottom. Spoon is just nice for him to handle but the cup... didn't really use much of it as it is not spillproof :( What a waste. So cute, too.

As the menu for my little one grows, so does his bowls and cutleries. The one on the left is a suction bowl from Anakku.. too small, really, to eat anything with. Few pieces of fruits or a couple of cookies is all it could take.

The one on the right is from Toys R Us... their housebrand... also a suction bowl. This is a good size and the curves make it easier for Arthur to scoop his food :)

One thing about suctions, though, is that you shouldn't be thinking that the suction will be strong enough for prevent the toddler from taking over the bowl and pour the contents out. It is really more for so that the bowl doesn't move around as they try to scoop/poke their food ;)

Then, comes cutleries... again, as the menu increases, so does the size of his cutleries...
Left-most is the first and truly easy to use spoon-feeding spoon from Nuk. Comes with heat indicator but faded as time passes. Still, a worthwhile investment due to the unique shape. You've got to try it to believe it.

Second from left is Braun's learning cutleries. Slightly slanted to ease toddlers to feed themselves at the early stages as they are often unable to bend their wrists like we adults do. Works great. Would be greater if the spoon bowl is not so narrow.

Third from left is Take 'n Toss Cutleries. Graduating from the slanted cutleries, I got this for Arthur to train him to bend his wrists. Too small spoon and food ends up falling all over... and thus, this led to the latest in Arthur's cutlery collections... the adults cutleries, in plastic.

Last but definitely not the least is the Edison Chopsticks. Been Arthur's best buddy for noodles and sushi since March 2008. I got them for him when I noticed him showing interest in chopsticks and wanted to take ours for use. No. The adults version are too dangerous to play with. Even knowing he won't really be using it for months to come, I bought them just so he could hold on to them whenever he sees us having chopsticks in our hands.

Now, whenever he's given a choice between rice or noodles, Arthur will most likely opt for noodles. Could it be the chopsticks?

Oats and Cereals

One of the good things about oats and cerels, other than many of their nutritious benefits, is that it is easy to make...

Lucky me, my little Arthur is very into the basic food. I seldom have to add any flavours to anything at all.

In fact, even if I were to serve him plain oats, he would finish them all. As he grows, just to make things a little more interesting as well as nutritious, I have been adding fruits to his breakfast routine and what better than oats and cereals to go with them?

Almost all fruits/food squishy is ok to go with oats and cereals though the pictured fruits are Arthur's all time favourites (i.e. blueberries, banana and kiwi).

Imagine squishy food, think mango, papaya, peach, plum, ripe pear, strawberries etc. etc.

If adding to just cooked oats, just remember to make sure the oats are cooled enough before giving to your little one as oats can contain heat pretty well.

Appropriate age to start oats? Well, from the day your little one starts on solids, you can slowly start introducing oats. Do start with the fine and easily digestable ones, though and do start a bit at a time... gradually build up the amount and add a type fruit a week or so.

Frozen Greens

Frozen greens (or non-greens) is a quick and easy way to meal preparation. While we would much prefer to cook our little one's meals from fresh greens, they are times when stock has run out or, we simply do not have time enough to soak, trim, cut, etc. etc.... to prepare the greens to make it fit for consumption.

Malaysians might not have as big a variety of frozen greens in our supermarkets' chillers but we do at least have the simple corn, peas and/or carrot. If you are lucky enough to be living near a supermarket that sells lots of imported food, like Cold Storage, you will also be able to find varieties such as brocolli, cauliflower, string beans etc. etc.

Choose!
You might want to stay away once anything not 'fresh' comes to mind but frozen greens, if well tended to, can be just as good as fresh ones. Just make sure that the veggies are still fresh to the eye... DO NOT get the over-frozen ones as they will cook to be stiff and stale-tasting

Cook!
Preparing frozen greens for your toddler is simple. Either of these will work as fine:

1. Steam - Just steam with the steamer rack!
2. Boil and drain - Bring water to boil, add a drop of oil (this is essential to lock in the greens), add in the greens, boil until cooked, drain

Season to taste... usually, a little butter and a little salt will do. Some greens do not even need any seasoning at all (e.g. corn, brocolli, peas) as they are naturally sweet and tasty ;)

Junior Pikelets

... aka mini pancakes

Good finger food

1 cup self raising flour

2 tablespoons caster sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons oil

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1. Sift the flour into a bowl. Stir in the sugar.
2. Combine egg, milk and oil.
3. Make a well in the centre and whisk in the combined egg, milk and oil to make a smooth batter. Add raisins if you wish... (only add if your little on is able to chew/process them)
4. Heat and lightly grease a frying pan. Drop teaspoons of the batter into the pan and cook until bubbles form. Turn and cook the other side until golden. Cool and serve.

The cooked pikelets can also be frozen, layered between sheets of greaseproof paper, for up to a month.

Yogurt for Tots

I still remember clearly how little Jung Min (my nephew who was about 2 years old then) got diarrhea from drinking Yakult. Before you start thinking that there's something wrong with the product... it's more like the cultured drink is more for adults and children but not babies and toddlers.

If you do not already know, cultured dairy products (i.e. cultured milk, yoghurt etc.) are usually too strong for your baby/toddler, resulting in disturbed little tummies.

Then again, due to the benefits of the good bacteria it provides, many parents, like myself, would like to introduce them to their little ones.

Just like how they have Yakult for adults and older children and Vitagen for the younger market, there's yogurt for babies and toddlers, too.

You just have to look them up at Cold Storage or even certain Jusco stores. Unfortunately, they are imported (quite pricey) and usually comes in six packs...

Fortunate for me, I am able to get them as they are the very thing that can treat Arthur's cold... even when medication failed.

Baby's first fruits

When Arthur was about 7 months, I have started giving him fruits.

True to many suggestions, I have found a very ripe banana (almost spoilt but not brown yet) is an easy and nutritious option. However, like me, many Malaysian Chinese will probably find that the 'tradition' is not to feed baby any banana as it will attract phlegm. Hmm.. it was ok for Arthur.

Simply, the banana can be mashed with a fork and spoon fed to baby.

Papaya was also a favourite due to it's soft texture and sweet... similar to the banana, really. So, all you have to do is to mash it with a fork and feed to baby.

One particular fruit that was easy and Arthur liked lots was the Pear. Unlike banana and papaya, pear can actually be the meal itself. As you would have encountered with jar food (e.g. Heinz or Gerber), you would have seen one of the more popular fruit would be apple... next is pear... while apples have to be poached to soften it before giving to baby, pear is easy.

With the green pear, all you have to do is to let it be ripe enough (very soft to touch). Then, just cut a small opening (something like a bite... or, you could just bite a bit off) and start scooping it out with a spoon to feed. Easy as jar food and fresh, too ;)