Extra Calcium

I am a lucky mom. I have a child who has such a wide palate that we can honestly say "If it's food, he likes it." Sure he has his favorites, and even his few things that he doesn't truly care for, but for the most part I never see meal time as a struggle. Now there was a time though when he was about 13 months old, we did have a small conundrum on our hands; but in the scheme of things, and compared to other parents dealing with picky eaters, I know it was on a very small scale.

You see, as soon as Alex could drink whole milk, and we could finally stop buying those pricey cans of formula, he wanted no part of it! The only way he would drink milk was in is bottle, warmed up, the same as he enjoyed his formula. Well, by this time, he was down to only 1 bottle per day, right before bed. I remember feeling so helpless because I could not get him to drink it any other way, any other time of day. I spoke to my doctor and she suggested a couple things. One, he's only a little over 1, so if he still wants a bottle, wait a little while to wean him. So we did. My child took that bedtime bottle until he was 15 months old, and then one night quit cold turkey! Two, she suggested flavoring it to help ease him into drinking it from a cup. She said to try a powdered mix that contained extra vitamins and minerals. I must have had a look of horror on my face upon this suggestion because she said "Look, I know as a parent you don't expect me to tell you that, but sometimes parents make it so hard on themselves, and if putting a little flavoring, that does have some nutritional value, into his milk makes your day a little easier, and does indeed result in him drinking it, I say go for it." So that's exactly what we did. For those few months until he was weaned, the milk he drank through the day was vanilla flavored, and I was okay with that. He was getting the milk he needed and I wasn't in tears during lunch anymore. Then when the day came when the bottles were a thing of the past, and he was used to drinking it, and even enjoying it, the flavoring became not so necessary.

But during this time I also made sure he was getting calcium in other ways too, which to this day I still to, even though he will happily sit down and drink a glass of milk...heck, he will even ask for it! He takes 6 vitamins per day, a multivitamin, one with extra immunity and one with extra calcium. And he is the kid that loves cheese and yogurt. Not likes. Loves! And I know there are many of  parents out there simply trying to get your kids to eat ____. Fill in the blank. But for those that would finish that sentence with calcium or dairy, I've got the perfect treat for you! It's 2 ingredients, and one of those is yogurt! These are super fun, and the kids can even help make them. They make a great mini dessert or even an after school snack. And with all the yogurt/gelatin flavors the combinations are endless.

While I am very lucky to have the child who pretty much eats anything and everything, I do sympathize with those out there who aren't so lucky and hope this helps even just one make dinner time a little easier.

Strawberry Yogurt Bites From JELL-O

3 (6 oz) containers strawberry yogurt

1 (0.3 oz) package strawberry gelatin

Fresh strawberries, optional

Line muffin tin with paper liners. (Mine made 10 large) Mix yogurt and dry gelatin mix in microwavable bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave 2-3 minutes more until gelatin completely dissolved, stirring after each minute. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin tin. Chill for at least an hour to set. Top with fresh berries. Peel from paper and serve.

*NOTE* This can easily be made with light yogurt and sugar free gelatin.

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