the boy just won’t eat

he won’t eat at home, at daycare, or anywhere else for that matter. The doctor said he’s underweight but perfect height. I don’t want him to become greedy but I do want him to eat what I place in front of him to eat. It is beginning to irk me …. I’m stressed!
Is this normal!? I’ve heard of kids being picky eaters but my gee gosh.
So to soothe myself, I logged on my favorite parenting website of all times, parents.com and browsed for solutions. After about 20 minutes of staring at the cutest birthday cakes, I ran across one article titled “Tiny Diners” and I found exactly what I was dreading.
Mister Marley is a style four eater: the extremely discriminating dinner eater. The article states: “Your toddler acts as if eating is torture [so like him]. He'll push the food around on his high-chair tray, but he seems to have no interest in putting it in his mouth [that sounds about right].
So my evaluation I must first, look at what he does eat; which includes a lot of milk and juice and a lot of snacks, which states that I am ruining his appetite for the healthy foods he needs. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than 16 to 24 ounces of milk and four to six ounces of fruit juice a day for a one-year-old. The only other liquid your child should drink is water. By sticking to these nutrition guidelines, you'll ensure that your baby's appetite isn't obliterated before his mealtime even begins. [I guess I found our enemy source].

I am not the enemy, nor will I ever be, so this weekend my goal has changed. New goal, getting Mister Marley to eat!

first day of daycare

The first of anything is a challenge and at times very difficult so when the first day of daycare quickly approaches for my Mister Marley, I was nervous. I can honestly say that I was beyond nervous. His father and I began our hunt a month before but all the preparation in the world could actually prepare us for the livings of the first day of care for our first born.

The thought of placing my Mister in the care of complete strangers sent chills down my spine. All of my worries and fears appeared long before I pull along the curb to get him out and on his way and then every horror story about daycare I had ever heard was remembered and began flooding my mind… children crying, screaming, falling out and just plain fainting, made me shudder... But, Mister showed us and didn’t shed a single tear. He made his father and me proud parents! I don't even think he look our way when we left the room. His father and I couldn't have asked for a [more] perfect child.

To others who will have a first day of anything, here are SEVEN tips from someone who has undergone

(1) Be Calm: Kids pick up on the stress parents and caregivers experience. Many parents upset, worried, fearful and stressed about dropping their children off for the first time and during the first few weeks. There is a perfectly normal and natural but it is best to learn to control your emotions so that the child does not feel them as well.

(2) Make drop off time a happy time: Be sure to get in lots of snuggles, kisses, and happy voices before you take them in and leave them. Talk to your child and remind them that when you come back to get them you’ll play with them and snuggle some more.

(3) Call for Information: If you feel the need to call and check on your child, go ahead. But remember that it can be hard on the staff if you do it several times a day. Make sure your daycare is providing you with a daily report, who, what, when, where, and why of what child does during the day; IT HELPS YOU!

(4) Watch your teacher or caregiver with the children: See how the teacher or caregiver reacts when you drop your child off. Are they warm and welcoming? Do you feel or see them comforting babies that are upset? Are they taking the extra time needed for infants? How many people are in the room?

(5) Make pick up time a happy time, but not too happy: Don't over compensate for being gone. Be happy to see your child, talk lovingly to her or him; snuggle and yes, spend that extra time reading a book or playing toys or tummy time in the floor when you get home.

(6) Evaluate your expectations: Are your expectations too high? Remember if you are in a daycare center setting your child will be one of a few getting attention. You cannot expect that your child will receive the majority or all of the attention that they received with you one on one. They can still receive quality care even if they have to wait a few extra minutes to get a bottle. After all, how often do you drop everything to address their needs?

(7) Listen to your intuition: there is nothing like it in the world especially when it comes to our children. If after a couple of weeks or even a few days you don't see improvement, then maybe this is not the right child care arrangement for you. If it is not, you need to find other arrangements both for your child's well being, your job security and your piece of mind to make changes.