I’m debating letting AJ try peanut butter for the first time. They do a pretty good job of making you nervous about this, as a nut allergy can be one of the most severe allergies out there. Our doctor recommended waiting until after AJ’s first birthday, for the sheer fact that its harder to resuscitate an infant because of their size. However, people are all over the board on the best time to introduce it. Some say, the longer you wait, the less likely you’ll have a reaction. Some say to wait until your child is old enough to communicate if they have an internal reaction (scratchy throat) or so that you can tell them whats going on if it worsens. Some say if you have no family history of said allergy, “go for it!” (which is not applicable for us, cause even though it wasnt indicated on AJ’s family history, the history is by no means complete).
And there’s not a REAL reason to introduce it. I just think he would like it and it might be an easy way to hide some fruits.

Speaking of hiding fruits… AJ has developed some interesting eating habits. I did decide that I would prepare all his meals (rather than going with the school prepared food). But that means A LOT of work on my part. And he has made it a little harder by deciding that he doesnt prefer to eat the same thing twice in a row. Loves carrots for lunch, hates them for dinner. Loves beans and rice for dinner, wont eat the beans in lunch the next day. I have no problem getting him to eat grains. He eats the same oatmeal (with fruit mixed in) and a slice of wheat bread everyday for breakfast (thank God!). I recently introduced soy yogurt, which he seems to enjoy too. Lunch and dinner include some type of grain (brown rice, wheat flat bread, pasta) and a fruit and veggie. But I have to get creative with those and change it up a lot.

I dont think I’ve mentioned it before, but we discovered that AJ is lactose intolerant.  He’s been drinking Lactaid since the week of his first birthday. It solved the serious issues he was having, but there are still some lingering problems. So, at the suggestion of our doctor, we decided to eliminate cows milk all together and he’s been drinking Soy Milk for three days now. We’ll see if that helps, but so far, it hasnt caused any problems. Not being able to serve any milk based products means I have to be even more creative. Cheese is always an easy way to make things yummier. I did buy some soy cheese, but I havent brought myself to include it in anything…

Sometimes I just want to say “screw it” and let him eat the school food or prepackaged food. However, the majority of those prepackaged meals have some form of cheese. I’m considering going halvesies with the school menu… picking the healthiest items and providing the rest, just so that I’m not spending every free night at home concocting fancy 1/2 cup sized meals.