Doula Jennie Doula Services-Santa Clarita, Ventura, SFV and beyond

I love EO's and couldn't agree more!

DR. BOB'S DAILY: REMEMBER THE MOVIE SOYLENT GREEN? DID ANYONE EVER FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS IN IT? So I'm doing a checkup on a nine-month-old the other day. He was f...ussy, which is annoying. Why can't babies just be quiet? But that's for another post. Anyway . . . doing my checkup, and I was trying to calm him down so I could listen to his heart. I was dangling little toys in front of him, making funny faces (which probably scared him even more), singing a little song (even worse), but nothing was helping. Mom comes to the rescue. "Here you go - he LOVES these." She hands the baby a little vegetable puff out of a can. Baby went immediately silent. His hand darted out. Puff went into his mouth. Big sigh. His eyes glazed over - pupils a little dilated. Cool. Now I can listen to his heart. Mom continued to rave about how much her baby loved his puffs. He gobbled them up by the can-full. She was especially proud of the way they exercised his manual dexterity. His fine motor pincer grasp was out of this world. So, I agree that little soft foods can benefit kids this way. And this was a really good mom. But I was also like, Ya, and he'll be snacking on potato chips next year and soda the year after that. I was "like" that, but I didn't actually say it out loud. So what happened to plain old fruit? How about bringing some frozen berries along for the car ride? Hey, I know - give your toddler some vegetables to snack on. I continuously see parents bring in vegetable puffs, melt-in-your-mouth dried yogurt or "fruit," and pouches that toddlers can suck the life out of. Why? Because they are easy. You can take them anywhere. They can sit in your diaper bag for months, ready at a moment's notice. And most of all, toddlers love them. They are reliable - little kids gobble them up no matter what. But is this the best thing for babies? Just because they love convenience food, does that mean we should buy them and make them a primary go-to snack? Hey, kids love Oreos. They love ice cream. Why just let them snack on those? Well, duh, there is no fruit in Oreos. And no veggies in ice cream. So obviously they aren't healthy, like vegetable puffs are. Because vegetable puffs are vegetables, right? Well, technically they contain a bit of veggies, yes. But veggies they are not. Not that there is anything unhealthy in puffs, or melts, or pouches. But I worry that they teach babies that foods come in packages. They melt in your mouth, have a smooth, yummy, uniform taste, or provide a crispy satisfying crunch. Hey - kind of like potato chips. After all, who can really have only one? You gotta eat the whole bag. No wonder most toddlers are so picky when we try to introduce raw veggies, fruit, and other whole, natural foods. Feed them out of a package, and they'll want to keep eating out of a package. Hey - why bother with making a chicken, rice, veggie, and salad dinner, when you could just suck one right out of a pouch? Why waste an hour on dinner? Meal-in-a-pouch we'll call it. I think I will patent that. We'll make it green, so people will know it's healthy. So, natural, fresh, raw, whole fruit, veggies, berries, and meals are out. Pouches, melts, and puffs are in. Don't worry that your toddler will get hooked - you won't even need to bother trying to get him to eat real foods. I know what you're thinking . . . "My child won't eat fruit, veggies, or berries. He will literally only eat snack foods." So let me get this straight - your child walks to the store, buys these snacks, brings them home, and eats them? I've literally asked parents that question. And that's when they realize that THEY are the problem. If you don't buy it, they can't eat it. Just let them starve between meals, if they choose to. Any child who routinely sees their own parent snacking on whole foods throughout the day is going to eventually join in. Especially if you don't try to get them to. Just model good snacking, and they will come around. They may get the shakes for a little while, but they'll come around. Dr. Bob

Some good stuff here. When dropping food off, please make sure that the containers are disposable. New families don't need more dishes to do or the stress of remembering who the container needs to be returned to.

Laura Walker of Blessed Bums Organic Diaper Service and I will be starting another 4 week Natural Childbirth Education Series at the Santa Clarita Birth Center this Wednesday night. Space is limited so PM me for more details.

Her smile is SO contagious!

Gotta admit, I'm a sucker (no pun intended) for celebrities breastfeeding.

Getting ready to teach some wonderful couples tonight. http://www.sweetbeginningsvalencia.com/birthclass.html

We agree, ditch the rice cereal.

Ad: Natural and Evidence Based Childbirth Ed classes Laura Walker and I will be starting a three week intensive session on Wednesday, July 2nd in Saugus. Only two spots left! http://www.sweetbeginningsvalencia.com/birthclass.html

Try and find opportunities to take your baby out to the stroller or car seat bucket and wear them. Baby wearing is great for dads too!