Daycare Decisions

Unfortunately, Day Two of daycare went no better than the first day. The good news was that the next day we sent Little K to stay with her aunt for the day. This worked much better. Little K was sleeping peacefully when I picked her up. She ate rice cereal and took a bottle. YAY!

The bottom line:

 1. Find a daycare location where your baby is comfortable. Little K had visited and spent several hours a time at her aunt's house while I was there, too. So, she had semi-familiar surroundings.

2. Provide opportunities for you and your baby to visit your provider. Let your baby know your provider is a friend.

3. Leave some baby clothes at your provider's house, then put them on your child when you are at home. This way your baby becomes familiar with the smell of your provider's home. Sometimes it helps to send something from home with a comforting scent (like a blanket).

Down in the Daycare Dumps

So, everyone said, "It's going to be so hard to leave her." Confession: It wasn't. I knew Little K would enjoy playing and watching the other kids. She had been taking a bottle of formula regularly for me during mid day. While she was shy around others, when I wasn't around, she didn't seem to care... So I left her, smiling and cooing, at daycare, confident she would enjoy herself.

WRONG! When I picked Little K up from her first day (only a half day) she was screaming. The daycare provider confided that Little K had bawled the whole time and refused to eat. My provider had rocked her, walked around with her, tried to distract her with toys, the pacifier, and a bottle to no avail. Little K quieted the instant I picked her up.

I spent hours crying, thinking, "She thought that she had to cry for FOUR HOURS until I came for her." To top off my anguish, the provider said she won't take Little K if she won't eat. (When we got home, Little K took 4 ounces from her bottle.)

What am I going to do? Well, we're trying it again, with pumped breastmilk instead of formula, and LOTS of prayer. Fingers crossed for a better half day this morning.

Almond Cranberry Granola Bites

Do any other breastfeeding mothers feel like they're always starving or is it just me? I have eaten so much food today, I don't even want to think about it.

One of my healthy snack foods has been granola bites. I got started with Funfetti Granola Bites, but, like my husband pointed out, they're too sweet. So, I tried to find healthier granola recipes. I tweaked this Almond Cranberry Granola recipe to fit my tastes. The original recipe called for peanut butter (why do that when almond butter is available?).


After assembling the ingredients, mix everything together and chill for about 30 minutes.






Use one of these nifty scoops to shape the bites. TA-DA!

Almond Cranberry Granola Bites

1 cup oatmeal

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup almonds, chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup almond butter

1/3 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients together. Chill 30 minutes. Scoop into bites. Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Granola Bites a.k.a. Mom Snacks

I got addicted to granola bites when I made a Funfetti version. My hubby complained they were too sweet.....which would explain why they were sooooo good. So, I tried several different recipes. My favorite (after the Funfetti) were these.

Dark Chocolate Granola Bites

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup flax seed

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, chopped

Mix all ingredients together. Chill 30 minutes. Roll into balls.  

 This is a great recipe for a breastfeeding mother because it has lactation encouraging oatmeal! Plus, they're quick to make and easy to snack on while nursing.