5 Favourite Signs for Mealtime with Baby

Baby sign language is a great way to increase communication with your baby before oral language skills are developed. I love using sign language with our babies and have found it hugely helpful in reducing frustration in their non-verbal days. 

I often get asked when we started signing, and how we developed and added to our repertoire over time. I'll be sharing more about our journey with Baby Sign Language over the next few months, but for now I thought I would share a few of our favourite signs for mealtime. 

One of the ways that we naturally increased our sign language vocabulary was adding signs as we encountered new situations or started new routines for our babies. Starting Solids is a great time to introduce basic signs like food and drink, as well as signs that help baby tell us that they want more, or have had enough. These signs are especially important so we can ensure that we are always listening to our baby, and giving them full control over what, and how much, they eat. 

Watch this video of Penny to see one of our favourite Baby Led Feeding Breakfasts. Plus learn 5 of our Favourite Signs for Mealtime with Baby.

To learn more Subscribe to my YouTube Channel (more videos to come soon!) and check out my Starting Solids Workshops. Don't hesitate to contact me if you need any help registering, or have questions about group or private sessions. Have fun signing!

Care 

*This post is not sponsored.

What's really new in the New Allergy Guidelines for Babies?

A new guideline came out this week from the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Disease focusing on prevention of peanut allergies, and specifically when to introduce high allergen foods to babies. When I heard the news of the new guideline I felt like I could hear every parent collectively sigh out of frustration. It seems like every few months a new guideline is being released, making it hard for parents to stay up to date on safe practices. Unfortunately that's just the way it is in this day and age of non-stop research, but hopefully that's for our benefit.  

The new guideline made headlines Thursday and I've already had a few parents contact me wanting to know if I'll be addressing them in my Starting Solids Workshop. I always incorporate the most up to date guidelines and research in my courses, but thought it would be helpful to break it down for everyone here, to save you the headache of actually reading the entire guideline.  

Rest assured that for the vast majority of babies there is absolutely no change. In 2015 Health Canada released a Guideline that covered feeding your baby from 6-24 months and in it the recommendation was made for high allergen foods such as nut butters and cooked eggs (yolk & white) to be introduced around 6 months with the introduction of solids. This new guideline agrees with this practice, and reminds parents not to be afraid of feeding age appropriate nut products to babies regularly in your homes, starting around 6 months. Research has shown that frequent early exposure is beneficial to reducing life threatening allergies, so it's important not to let your fear of an allergy keep you from introducing this important food group. 

Where the new guideline has made changes is with "high risk children." This category includes all babies with diagnosed egg allergy or severe eczema. In these babies the recommendation is now to start high allergen foods earlier, if the baby is showing signs of readiness. Parents of high risk babies should work in partnership with their baby's physician to plan exposure to high allergen foods starting between 4-6 months when the baby is ready. Nut products and high allergen foods should be started after the baby has started solids "so that the child can demonstrate the ability to consume solid food without evidence of nonspecific signs and symptoms that could be confused with IgE-mediated food allergy." Again this is only for high risk babies. This new guideline is not advocating that we start all babies on solid food earlier. Breastmilk or Formula is still the appropriate food for the vast majority of babies for approximately the first 6 months of life.  

Parents can feel very guilty when new guildelines emerge that conflict with how they raised their children. It's important to keep in mind that this ever changing research is not perfect. As always, it could change in years to come, so all we can do is educate ourselves with the best information we can, and focus on feeding our babies a variety of healthy foods. Babies around the world start solids in many different ways, and no one way is proven perfect. Follow your instinct and your baby's lead and speak to your baby's health care provider if you have any concerns about starting solids. 

When feeding any nut products to your baby please remember that whole nuts, and large globs or thick layers of nut butters, are choking hazards. Always apply a thin layer of nut butter to toast, crackers etc, or create a thin puree mixed with other foods. Avoid whole nuts with young children. Everyone who feeds your baby should know how to help them in the event of an emergency such as choking, or a life threatening allergic reaction. For more information on how to be prepared to start solids safely with your baby check out my Starting Solids & Infant CPR Workshops and subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch my baby Penny's journey through starting solids.

- Care 

Simple, Healthy & Delicious Family Breakfast Recipe - Overnight Oats With Apple Chia Jam

Mornings are hard. Period. At least for most of us parents they are. So much to do to get ready for the day and so many demands from our little people. Keeping breakfast as simple as possible helps me survive, but recently I was feeling bad about offering up the same old greek yogurt with fruit, nut butter on whole grains, scrambled eggs, or leftovers from dinner (because seriously, kids don't care if they eat chicken for breakfast).

I decided to check out some new recipes online and turned to one of my new favourite food blogs Oh She Glows. What I found was the perfect healthy warm winter breakfast: Sugar-Free Apple Pie Chia Seed Jam + Breakfast Parfait. The recipe is so simple and quick to make and can be prepped in advance which I love. 

I didn't bother layering the oats & apple jam into a fancy parfait, 'cause this is real life people, but no one seemed to care. Lucy gobbled hers up in mere minutes and then screamed for more. Always a good sign. Plus mommy enjoyed it too. Win Win!

Can't wait to try out some new fruit combos on these overnight oats. I'd love to hear if you make any great ones! Tweet or Facebook me your ideas. Hope you enjoy this healthy recipe as much as we do. 

- Care

Feeding Your Baby at This Little Piggy - Join us Today!

I've been meaning all week to write a quick blog piece about the upcoming Feeding Your Baby event at This Little Piggy that I'm taking part in. This Little Piggy is an amazing baby shop in the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto. I especially love this shop because they feature so many locally made products and love to host community events. At today's street sale I will be available to answer any questions about starting solids or progressing through foods with your baby. Something that we cover regularly in our workshops at Fifty-Seven. 

Embarrassingly the event is today! Saturday July 26th 11am-3pm...and I'm just getting around to it now! Sometimes my life as a stay at home mom of 2 (Ben 3 years & Lucy 9 months) and business owner can be overwhelming and I need to make choices. So this week instead of doing more things to check off my work to-do list I spent some uninterrupted time in the backyard with the kids. We weeded & harvested our veggie garden, ate apricots fresh from the tree, and enjoyed afternoon cuddles under the branches. Pure bliss. 

In the evening I went for bike ride with my husband & celebrated 4 years of marriage while eating a delicious local meal right in our neighbourhood at The Passenger. Days like these make a life.

Last night I was feeling guilty that I hadn't done anything to prepare for today, but upon reflection I realized that I had. Feeding Your Baby isn't just about choosing the right first food. After all, there is always more than one way to do anything right. 

Feeding your baby is about incorporating a healthy lifestyle early in life. It's about introducing healthy whole foods & regular physical activity. It's about teaching your kids about food systems and where our food comes from, as well as respect for our bodies and our health. It's about teaching moderation and enjoying snacks and treats too. It's about setting an example for our kids and taking the time to enjoy life. This is my message to parents about Feeding Your Baby. 

So for anyone who is looking for something to do on this summer Saturday come join us at This Little Piggy 1594 Queen St W (Queen at Sorauren Ave), to chat about everything food! Or really anything baby you want to discuss. 

-Carolyn