Does he DISLIKE milk or FRUITS?

Dear Oby,

i have some questions.


1)my son doesn't like fruits and dislikes drinking milk though i pile loads of milk in his cereals.


2) i try to feed him with african food but he loves his cereals a lot. how do i get him off cereal or rather make it just a morning routine.


Cheers sweetie
Liz

Response,

Dear Liz,
FRUITS
In the world of all fruits, I'm very sure there is one he must love. There are so many to choose from and from experience I see children eating berries. It's quite irresistable to them. Try serving him strawberries, raspberries or even blackberries. When next you go shopping, if you buy mostly apples, pears or oranges, extend your fruit choices to peaches, clementines, watermelon, grapes, kiwi etc. There are so many you can try out and see his preference. When you buy his strawberries and want to serve him, sprinkle with sugar(castor) or confectioners sugar. Also while serving him his cereal, try adding strawberries to it or any fruit that comes in handy like cubed apples, pear, banana or even peaches. Yoghurts can go a long way in making him eat his fruits. Serve him fruits with dolops of yoghurt as the fruit topping.
MILK
If he doesn't like to drink milk but uses it in his cereal, it's very well then. At least, he's taking milk which is very rich in the food elements human beings need even if it's through another means. When he eats his cereal and eats it well, then you don't have to stress about him drinking milk. Nevertheless, if you want him to try drinking milk like from a glass, why not try making the milk a little different by flavouring it. You can use cocoa to make him hot chocolate or even add a little bit of vanilla to the milk but avoid making it too sweet for fear of spoiling the appetite. Also, you can blend some strawberries with milk and serve him, I bet you he'll love the colour and reach for it instantly!!!




There is something I tried out with my son. I noticed he didn't like drinking his milk from his little plastic cup after a while and would prefer taking sips from my mug and so I bought him a baby mug. I can tell you, it worked!
Based on your second question on him not liking African foods, it's okay. Never force him to eat what he doesn't feel like. Children when forced to eat something they don't feel like might turn out hating the food entirely which is what we must avoid. It might be a phase and he might come around later to start liking African dishes.
Concerning his cereals and his love for it, please never deny him his cereals when he asks for it. Cereals are wonderful for breakfast yeah, but if he decides not to eat dinner on a particular evening and would rather prefer cereals even after your indulgence, do serve him the cereal cos it's better he eats that than go to bed without any food. Structure his meals and menu in a way that it will be exciting and eating his meals will be fun for him and the whole family also.

I hope this helps. Do post a comment if it did.
Ate ja.

Night breastfeeding - how to avoid that!

Question

Hi Oby,
I wanted to ask what I should do to help stop my baby from waking up at night to breast feed. Hope to hear from u. Cheerio
O.O
Nigeria



Response

Dear O.O,
I usually don't advice mothers to avoid night breast feeds until they introduce solid foods to the baby. When the baby starts eating solid foods, then gradually the night feeds can be denied baby till he gets used to the new routine of sleeping all through the night without waking up to for night breast feeds. You can use these steps:

• Solid foods: I usually introduce solid foods to my babies from 4 months starting with vegetables like potatoes, carrots, lettuce which I boil together and then make into a puree with a liquidizer while adding a dash of olive oil. When solid food is given to the baby, the baby's system also starts readjusting to the new food being introduced. With time, the mother graduates from veggies to more complex foods. When this is achieved, the mother can then start denying the baby night breast feeds.
• Feeding Habits: When baby has fully started eating complex foods, then the mother will be more comfortable to stop night breast feeds because the baby is eating other kinds of food to sustain him through out the night most especially. With my son, after I introduced solid food to him and complex carbs, I made sure he ate exceptionally well during dinner to keep him through out the night. This worked for a few days till he started waking up again to breast feed. Meanwhile, i knew my son loved his bottle alot and so I would make his milk, get him to drink it around midnight even though he was already asleep. Not too much work right? At least you all get to sleep through the entire night.
• Water feeding: This is my last step. If you've tried the above things and your baby still wakes up to breast feed, you can try this. Buy a feeding bottle with very soft nipples almost like human nipples, wash and fill bottle with water instead of milk. If your baby still wakes up in the night or mid morning for breast feeds, give her the bottled water to drink. Definitely, she would not like it because it is not as sweet as the breast milk she's used to and might complain by crying but don't give up. Since baby is sleepy, give water, rock baby back to sleep. If tomorrow your baby wakes up again, use the same method and after you stick to this for some time, she will see that the breast milk will not likely be coming again and so she wouldn't bother waking up to water.

Just try the above mentioned steps and I hope it works in your favour.
Ate ja.