toddler food – Page 2 – BabyCostsMoney

Baby Bento.

Published on August 28, 2017August 27, 2017 by Darlene Dee17 Comments

*Sponsored post.*

Remember when bento boxes got SUUUUUPER trendy in the States a few months ago? It was right between Mason Jar salads and DIY Instant Ramen. I think we’re doing Grain Bowls now, right? Or is it still kombucha?

ANYWAY.

I never got a super cool bento box, but I really wanted one. So I was SUPER EXCITED to get the innobaby Keeping’ SMART Double Insulated Stainless Divided Snackbox at 50% off to review. It’s basically a baby bento box. How cute is this?!?

The Keepin’ SMART Stainless Divided Snackboxes come in two sizes, 11 ounce and 15 ounce. The 11 ounce retails for $12.99. I chose the 11 ounce size and it is kind of perfect for Babystar’s 2yo hands. (I paid $6.49 plus $4.16 shipping for a total of $10.65.)

We have had the innobaby Snackbox for almost a week now and brought it along on a few outings. The strawberries and cheese stayed nice and chilled while we waited outside in the hot August weather for almost two hours. The waffles and strawberries (not pictured) stayed separated during a two-hour car ride. The strawberries and graham crackers did not spill during a stroll to the park.

(I don’t know if you can tell, but Babystar REALLY likes strawberries. Both in her mouth and on her eyes.)

For size reference, the 11 ounce innobaby Keepin’ SMART Double Insulated Stainless Divided Snackbox above held five graham cracker halves and five sliced medium size strawberries. The divider was moved to one of the side positions.

The metal divider is a bit of a mystery to me. There are ostensibly three positions. Let’s call them A, B, and C. Position B is dead center, to divide the container in half. And there are two more, A and C, each on either side of the center slot B. The container is a three dimensional rectangle that you can turn upside down, so A and C are identical. It would make more sense to me, design-wise, if position A was dead center and B and C were on the same side. Does this make sense? Am I overthinking my ninth-grade geometry?

I love the size of the 11 ounce Keepin’ SMART Divided Snackbox. It is perfect for the ToddlerMonster to manage on her own. I love that the divider is removable and repositionable. I love that the entire thing comes apart for easy cleaning. And I really love that it is dishwasher safe. I MOSTLY love that the stainless steel keeps the strawberries chilled for longer than our other plastic containers. Especially if you pack them the night before (or even just put the stainless steel section in the refrigerator to chill overnight).

I wish the 11 ounce size came in the same cute printed patterns that the 15 ounce size did. Though I’m sure that if I wait five more minutes, the ToddlerMonster will decorate it with stickers.

RAISING BABYSTAR: $20,631.52

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SNACK CONTAINER FOR HOME OR ON-THE-GO?

O Target! My Target!

Published on August 25, 2017August 25, 2017 by Darlene Dee30 Comments

O Target! my Target! our shopping trip is done,

This mom has search’ed every rack, the prize we sought is won,

With Cat and Jack, with Up and Up, through self check-out gates,

With empty Starbucks in my hand, the minivan awaits;

But O heart! heart! heart!

O the concrete balls of red,

Where in the haste my Cartwheel app,

Was forgotten once again.

I love Target. I am basic af and I don’t even care.

I love Target like Babystar loves coloring. Which is, like, a LOT.

During my most recent journey to paradise, I bought two new Cat and Jack shirts for Babystar because I just can’t get enough. ($4.50 each.)

I bought four more Up and Up blank paper pads for the insatiable Toddler Artist. ($2.19 each.)

And then I went back because their Back to School sales are ridiculous (and because I live at Target now) and bought two more paper pads and two packs of markers for $5.75.

And THEN I was like WUUUUUT so I went back again and bought a whole bunch of art supplies for $15.36. I stocked the art supply chest for the YEAR with this haul.

Oh, and I got some scissors for $0.94 and pencil cases (that I’m using to corral crayons and markers) for $0.97 each.

Then I noticed that the Cat and Jack shirts were on sale and/or clearance so I (obviously) bought four more for $2.10, $4.00, $2.25, and $3.15.

Also, I DISCOVERED A NEW ~~LAND~~ AISLE with tons of super cute baby and toddler plates and cups and bowls and utensils. You guys. OMG. I snapped some pictures to show you. Have you seen this adorableness??

I love that there exists colorful BPA-free divided and non-divided plates for as low as seventy-nine cents! Circles AND squares! (Though the divided plates seem about as shallow as a Kardashian.)

The Pillowfort printed plates also look really cool but I wish the dividers reached the top of the lip of the plates, like my beloved Re-play Recycled divided plates.

I found are ‘big girl’ cups and utensils, too. I bought a set of utensils from Cheeky Kids for $3.99. The front of the box promises that Cheeky Kids will donate a meal for every item sold.

The back of the box explains that actually means a ten cent donation. And that the products are made in China. Cheeky Kids website says they are ‘made with love in China’. I’m not sure if that means there are pictures of hearts on the sweatshop’s walls or what. I’ll hope for the best. At least they are feeding hungry children with some of the money they are saving by making their products overseas. I guess.

Babystar loves the innobaby fork and spoon that came with the Din Din Bus Platter Mealtime Set. The utensil sets are available on innobaby’s web site for $9.99 each, but I am looking for a lower cost alternative. The Cheeky Kids utensils are a bit smaller and lighter than the innobaby utensils, but Babystar doesn’t seem to have a preference. Unless she is in a ‘pink’ mood. Or a ‘penguin’ mood.

I guess I should go back to Target for a set of the Pillowfort utensils to really compare. Oh no. Golly darn it. I have to go back to Target. JUST KIDDING I’M AT TARGET RIGHT NOW.

MAYDAY MAYDAY: When did you switch your child from plastic to metal utensils? Did you buy child size metal utensils or just go straight to the adult size ones? Are you also a fan of the Target? (I know it’s not just me. I’ve seen the memes.)

RAISING BABYSTAR: $20,620.87

The Wheels on the Bus Go YUM YUM YUM.

Published on August 4, 2017August 4, 2017 by Darlene Dee34 Comments

*Sponsored post.*

I received a 50% discount on the Innobaby Din Din Smart Stainless Mealtime Set in exchange for my honest opinions. With shipping, I paid $33.71. The retail price for the set is $49.99.

And dude, I was SO EXCITED, because I have wanted to try one of these Innobaby Bus Platters since I saw the Innobaby booth at MommyCon DC last year. When I got the email to apply to become a Brand Ambassador, I was like, YES PLEASE. Pick me! Pick me!

They totally did.

I fell in love with these platters at first sight because they are 1) freaking adorable and 2) stainless steel and 3) DIVIDED plates because you never know when a toddlers food is allowed to touch other food and 4) they have a lid that keeps the compartments separated. Even if you shake it upside down which I definitely did.

I filled each compartment with normal everyday ToddlerMonster foods: juicy sliced clementines, chopped strawberries, SHREDDED cheese, cut up chicken, and crispy peas. I sealed the top and turned it upside down a few times, just as a test. When I removed the lid, everything was still in its original compartment. Even every bit of the shredded cheese, which I admit I only added to really test the bus. (I usually give her sliced cheese because shredded cheese is so messy. But she LOVES shredded cheese probably precisely because it’s so messy.)

Babystar loves her new ‘bus plate’. She has only had it a week but asks for it by name. She tries food from the bus that she doesn’t normally try. I think the smaller sections are perfect for introducing new foods. And since they are completely separated, they don’t touch her favorite foods so maybe they are less threatening?

She also really likes the cup and utensils that come in the Din Din Smart Stainless Mealtime Set. The cup has a cool handle, and she calls it her ‘coffee cup,’ which is just adorable. The utensils are actually metal but with a chunky plastic handle, and I notice that she uses her fork more when she is using this metal one. It must work better at stabbing her foods than her plastic forks. I wouldn’t give the metal fork a baby that was just learning about forks, though. For safety and all that jazz.
RAISING BABYSTAR: $20,394.91

July is for Ice Cream and Popsicles.

Published on July 31, 2017July 31, 2017 by Darlene Dee6 Comments

Babystar is ALL ABOUT POPSICLES. We bought the Popsicle brand (that’s a brand, right?) sugar-free version but then she was eating SO MANY of them that we were like, hold up, aspartame and food dyes are bad, right? (My husband pointed this out and I was a proud Crunchy Mama and also an embarrassed Crunchy Mama because I should have thought of this myself. But alas, I am forever a TIRED Crunchy Mama so I immediately forgave myself and then forgot what I forgave myself for.)

**Blogger’s Note: I learned at Wordcamp DC that you should avoid run-on sentences for better SEO so basically I’m fucked because run-on sentences are totally my bae. And so is (ironic) slang which is another SEO no-no. Um, whoops?

What was I talking about? Was it sleep? It is usually sleep. Oh! Popsicles.

I had previously purchased a pack of popsicle molds at Ikea and I had a bunch of Honest juice boxes left over from Babystar’s birthday party so I filled the popsicles molds with juice and crossed my fingers that she would like them. SHE LOVED THEM. And these are way better for her than the store-bought popsicles. I could make them even healthier by adding vegetable juices but I’m a bit too lazy for all that. I like having that option, though. I can pretend to be a much better mother than I actually am.

ALSO: One Honest juice box fills THREE Ikea size popsicle molds and a pack of forty juice boxes at Costco is $9.99 so these babies are less than nine cents each. I let Babystar have as many of these homemade popsicles as she wants, because she only ever drinks water otherwise. If she eats six popsicles in a day (honestly about average) but only eats half of each popsicle (her usual M.O.), she’s basically had one juice box. I am completely fine with that.

Since Babystar usually only eats about half of one before it is a drippy mess, we taught her to put the popsicle stick in the sink when she is finished. (Yay for independent toddlers!) Of course, the grown-ups in the house have to check the garbage disposal for the popsicle sticks and we have failed more than once. I was at Ikea shopping for Dorm Essential (SOB!) last week so I bought three more packs of the popsicle molds (only $1.99 now!) so that we never ever ever run out of popsicles.

We also bought some more food for Babystar in July. Though she really isn’t eating that much right now. And we rolled into July with a surplus (due to lots of family visiting).

Strawberries $3, $3, $1.29, $1.29, $1.29
Blueberries $3.99, $1.99, $3.12
Popsicles $3 (before the switch)
Apples $4.99, $3.99, $3.99
Honest juice boxes at Costco $9.99
Granola bars $1.99
Frozen french fries (we bought more but we share so only one on her tally) $3.59
Animal crackers $1.49, $1.49
Penguin crackers $1.49, $1.49, $1.49, $1.49
Pasta Snakes (Babystar’s name for penne) $1.39
Sea bass (spoiled baby) $12
Cod $4.50
Rotisserie chicken (half) $2.50
Tots $3, $1.65, $1.65
Haagen-Daas ice cream on a stick $3
Chick-fil-A kids meal $3.39, $3.39, $3.39, $3.39
McDonalds kids meal $2.99, $2.99
Cracker Barrel kids meal $4.99
La Cantina kids quesadilla $5.50
Pizza at food court $3.69
Haagen-Diaz cone with sprinkles (yes she had to have the sprinkle cone) $6.83
Peter Chang’s Spring Rolls and fried rice $3.50, $3.50, $3.50
Estimated overtipping for dining out with a toddler $15 (five meals out)

I’m also going to add in some boring things that do not deserve their own blog post but we totally bought so I need to add into the total somewhere and here is as good as anywhere.

Baby nail clippers two-pack (I briefly lost hers but of course I found them again) $4.55
Nook membership for May/June/July $360 ($120 per month and we love it; Nook is not boring but constantly posting about the monthly fee is boring. And they are discontinuing the monthly membership option as of today, which makes me sad but might mean cooler things are coming. We shall see.)
The train at Tyson’s Mall which is NOT boring but I forgot to post about it $10, $11 (They either charge more on weekends or less with cash but I need to investigate this discrepancy.)
White paper pads from Target $2.19 (x6). Babystar looooves coloring so I have a special drawer for her with crayons and paper so she can color when the inspiration strikes which is every single second.
Giant pack of AA batteries from Costco $14.99. I realize that most of these batteries go into Babystar’s toys. (Toys that were gifts because what parent purchased battery-operated toys ON PURPOSE?)

RAISING BABYSTAR: $20,336.21

Baby’s Gotta Eat.

Published on June 1, 2017 by Darlene Dee10 Comments

I have no idea how to make these posts more interesting.

Once again, I fed the baby. A+ parenting, I know.

Trader Joe’s Mac & cheese $2.99, $2.99, $2.99
Trader Joe’s Apple bars $1.99, $1.99
TJ’s Blueberry bars $1.99
Multigrain Cheerios $5.49
Eggs $3.99
Salmon $4.00
Mahimahi $3.00
Ice cream minis $1.49, $1.49, $1.49
Cookies (she wanted them but I ate them whoops) $2.89
Blueberries $2.99, $2.99, $2.99, $2.99, $3.99, $2.99
Strawberries $1.50, $3.00
Pineapple $2.99, $1.86
Bananas $1.11
Watermelon $4.99
TJ’s French fries $2.99
Robek’s small smoothie $4.99, $4.99
Starbucks fruit cup $2.99
Chick-fil-A kids meal $3.75, $3.75, $3.25, $3.25
Wendy’s French fries $1.00
m&m’s $0.99

MAYDAY MAYDAY: How do I get my toddler to eat vegetables? I put them on her plate all the time. Sometimes she takes a bite or two. But not often. I am trying to remember the whole ‘my job is to offer the food and her job is to eat it’ thing. She loved Brussels sprouts red pepper and spinich purees as a baby. What gives??

Have I broken the baby somehow?

RAISING BABYSTAR: $17,877.65