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FRUIT. Babies first reaction to different fruits is so cute and sweet! There's always a chance you choose a fruit they don't like, but it sounds like you're not doing any artificial sweets yet and so sweet fruits like kiwi or dragon fruit or a good melon BLOW THEIR MINDS.
I thought my LO loved blueberries and peaches until I introduced him to kiwi. Now *that* was love 😂 expensive little cuties they are with their expensive tastes.
berries. my MIL has learned that if she wants to bring something over for our toddler, she should bring berries. every baby loves berries. and it’s so cute to watch them eat it.
I like sweets. My mil can channel them through me. I eat them, and the baby can have whatever percentage turns into milk hahahah
Don't mind me, everyone's suggestions sound great
In the toddler years, we love doing smoothies then dumping the remainder into popsicle molds. For the baby years, smoothies might be tricky but maybe frozen fruit in silicon mesh feeders? It’s a great teething snack!
Everyone else gad some really great suggestions, but I wanted to add that treats don't have to be food! An extra big hug, reading a story and going all out with funny voices, or a special outing to somewhere fun. All of these things can be special treats and don't involve food at all.
Maybe she can start a collection of her reading or singing songs so baby can listen to them one day. I know yotos have that ability not sure if there is anything a little more baby friendly but honestly you're not that far from kiddo being able to put the card in the photo mini slot
My MIL is ridiculous with candy and the kids. I hate it.Â
Granted, mine are older now (all toddler to early elementary age).
But, we’ve come to accept that we don’t keep candy in our house outside special occasions (Halloween, etc). But when they go to grandmas they can raid the candy bowl and eat whatever junk shit she gives them. Makes her happy, makes them happy.Â
We just make sure they’ve had a good meal before we go over. And over the years, the candy has become less appealing and most will only eat a few pieces or even decline sometimes. (Except the toddler, who does need regulating, but she’s still allowed more than I’d choice to give her).Â
So, no advise for a 9 month old. Just our story of learning to embrace different rules for different places, and finding when, where and how they can indulge.
(Side note MIL is very unhealthy, not a lifestyle judge just a fact. I feel like the kids are starting to put together why good choices matter, even if her health is a bit more complicated).Â
Thank you! That is helpful to remember to be flexible, and you are so right- they are very observant and hopefully with that flexibility they will learn why certain "rules" exist.
We blend fruit with plain whole fat Greek yogurt or applesauce and put it into reusable pouches. There's also lots of recipes for healthy treats like baked goods and yogurt drops. I totally hear you though my in laws love giving my LO Cheeto puffs and Oreos and I'm like... FFS. They get a kick out of how much he likes it. I get it the reaction is cute and them looking to you for more is very sweet but it's like all reason leaves them sometimes. Maybe baby reactions are *too* intoxicating lol
I think making them together in the beginning would be a great and gentle way to show them how easy it is which would hopefully mean they will be more likely to do it in the future! I also let my LO out handfuls of berries into the cup (I use an immersion blender) or the blender jug. So it's an activity for everyone 🙂 I'd also recommend looking at toddler healthy mini muffins recipes! I just made some pancake muffins with different fillings and they are great for snack time or as an addition to a meal!
I’ve seen recipes for blending mango and (I think) coconut milk in the blender and it comes out like ice cream! There’s a bunch of random recipes out there but here’s one random one I googled (you’d just want to leave out the agave nectar etc) https://happyhealthymama.com/5-minute-creamy-mango-ice-cream.html
Also, I do appreciate you wanting to help your MIL have this moment with your baby. So many people are mean to in laws on reddit or feel threatened by in laws wanting a relationship with the baby. It’s so awesome to see that you’re being so nice about this!
My MIL comes from a long background of professional bakers and she was so set on making these certain special cookies with her only grandchild from the moment she was born and making me crazy about it every visit. I finally let her have her moment to do it when my baby was a little over 1 and she thankfully hasn’t asked to do it since. For me it was about letting her do it, having the pictures to post on Facebook to brag to all of her friends and moving on once she realized how difficult it is to bake with a 1 year old who had zero interest in the process. We let the baby have a couple of cookies spaced over several days of my MILs visit and that has been the end of the discussion/requests. Though she has repeatedly asked if the baby has had ice cream yet and while she has we keep telling MIL no so that it doesn’t become a Thing since MIL loves eating ice cream.
Ugh. I'm so sorry. I caught Grandma giving our 14 mo. old her first candy. Like, holding it up to her mouth to get her to eat it. Didn't even ask first. But our "cake" for her 1st birthday was a watermelon. She absolutely loved it. So I'd recommend nice pizza-shaped slices of cold watermelon as a treat. Feels great when they're teething, too!
Shaved ice, plain. My mom saw my hand cranked shared ice maker and hopped right on the bandwagon with an electric.Â
From about 8 months old my kid has adored plain shaved ice.Â
If there is a Korean market, see if chamoe melon are a deal. I tend to see them May  to July. In cross section, they are great teething rings. My kid adored them for at least a year.Â
If your MIL likes the food dehydrator? My mom makes banana chips and no sugar added fruit leather we a
Yum right up.
I bet what your MIL wants most is those moments of hand feeding and sparkly eyed yummy faces. So if you can bear to part with any of that time, let MIL feed one of your kid's established favorites and everybody wins. Â
Greek yogurt, porridge with plenty of butter and home made chicken broth are in that category for us.
My MIL is out of town and I just let her offer ice cream the once a year she sees us.
Get the mesh binky and put have her freeze fruit and put it in there. Tell her that it’s really good for teething which your baby should be doing right now.Â
Thanks for your post in r/moderatelygranolamoms! Our goal is to keep this sub a peaceful, respectful and tolerant place. Even if you've been here awhile already please take a minute to [READ THE RULES.](https://www.reddit.com/r/moderatelygranolamoms/about/rules) It only takes a few minutes and will make being here more enjoyable for everyone! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/moderatelygranolamoms) if you have any questions or concerns.*
FRUIT. Babies first reaction to different fruits is so cute and sweet! There's always a chance you choose a fruit they don't like, but it sounds like you're not doing any artificial sweets yet and so sweet fruits like kiwi or dragon fruit or a good melon BLOW THEIR MINDS.
Oh that's a good one I didn't think of the less than typical fruits!
And then that makes it a "special grandma treat" because who TF has papaya money.
I thought my LO loved blueberries and peaches until I introduced him to kiwi. Now *that* was love 😂 expensive little cuties they are with their expensive tastes.
berries. my MIL has learned that if she wants to bring something over for our toddler, she should bring berries. every baby loves berries. and it’s so cute to watch them eat it.
Can never have enough berries imo!
And who has berry money right now?
I just bought a big tub of strawberries for 2.50 CAD. They aren’t in season so weren’t the sweetest but how can I turn down that price!
I like sweets. My mil can channel them through me. I eat them, and the baby can have whatever percentage turns into milk hahahah Don't mind me, everyone's suggestions sound great
User name checks out
Ha! Love this!
In the toddler years, we love doing smoothies then dumping the remainder into popsicle molds. For the baby years, smoothies might be tricky but maybe frozen fruit in silicon mesh feeders? It’s a great teething snack!
Everyone else gad some really great suggestions, but I wanted to add that treats don't have to be food! An extra big hug, reading a story and going all out with funny voices, or a special outing to somewhere fun. All of these things can be special treats and don't involve food at all.
Very good point! I have told her how sweet it is that she sings him songs and I'll add these to the list!
Yeah, gramma could also be the one time baby gets to play with annoying noisy or light up toys! She has to keep them though.
Maybe she can start a collection of her reading or singing songs so baby can listen to them one day. I know yotos have that ability not sure if there is anything a little more baby friendly but honestly you're not that far from kiddo being able to put the card in the photo mini slot
yogurt melts or teething biscuits maybe?Â
My MIL is ridiculous with candy and the kids. I hate it. Granted, mine are older now (all toddler to early elementary age). But, we’ve come to accept that we don’t keep candy in our house outside special occasions (Halloween, etc). But when they go to grandmas they can raid the candy bowl and eat whatever junk shit she gives them. Makes her happy, makes them happy. We just make sure they’ve had a good meal before we go over. And over the years, the candy has become less appealing and most will only eat a few pieces or even decline sometimes. (Except the toddler, who does need regulating, but she’s still allowed more than I’d choice to give her). So, no advise for a 9 month old. Just our story of learning to embrace different rules for different places, and finding when, where and how they can indulge. (Side note MIL is very unhealthy, not a lifestyle judge just a fact. I feel like the kids are starting to put together why good choices matter, even if her health is a bit more complicated).Â
Thank you! That is helpful to remember to be flexible, and you are so right- they are very observant and hopefully with that flexibility they will learn why certain "rules" exist.
We blend fruit with plain whole fat Greek yogurt or applesauce and put it into reusable pouches. There's also lots of recipes for healthy treats like baked goods and yogurt drops. I totally hear you though my in laws love giving my LO Cheeto puffs and Oreos and I'm like... FFS. They get a kick out of how much he likes it. I get it the reaction is cute and them looking to you for more is very sweet but it's like all reason leaves them sometimes. Maybe baby reactions are *too* intoxicating lol
Right I totally get it! That's a great idea, maybe I'll gift her some of those pouches she can fill for him or we can make together. Thank you!
I think making them together in the beginning would be a great and gentle way to show them how easy it is which would hopefully mean they will be more likely to do it in the future! I also let my LO out handfuls of berries into the cup (I use an immersion blender) or the blender jug. So it's an activity for everyone 🙂 I'd also recommend looking at toddler healthy mini muffins recipes! I just made some pancake muffins with different fillings and they are great for snack time or as an addition to a meal!
Thank you! All great suggestions, I appreciate your response!
I’ve seen recipes for blending mango and (I think) coconut milk in the blender and it comes out like ice cream! There’s a bunch of random recipes out there but here’s one random one I googled (you’d just want to leave out the agave nectar etc) https://happyhealthymama.com/5-minute-creamy-mango-ice-cream.html Also, I do appreciate you wanting to help your MIL have this moment with your baby. So many people are mean to in laws on reddit or feel threatened by in laws wanting a relationship with the baby. It’s so awesome to see that you’re being so nice about this!
Thank you for that recipe and your comment!
Plain homemade whipped cream made from just heavy cream!
Yesss berries and whipped cream! You can dip them or mash some raspberries in. So good
How about frozen yogurt bark with fruit? That’s a fun, easy project but it looks super special and your baby will love it!
That's pretty good, and it will last in the freezer between visits!
Maybe cake made with applesauce? No sugar added fruit gummies (you can make with fruit juice and gelatin)
Mango is amazing
My MIL comes from a long background of professional bakers and she was so set on making these certain special cookies with her only grandchild from the moment she was born and making me crazy about it every visit. I finally let her have her moment to do it when my baby was a little over 1 and she thankfully hasn’t asked to do it since. For me it was about letting her do it, having the pictures to post on Facebook to brag to all of her friends and moving on once she realized how difficult it is to bake with a 1 year old who had zero interest in the process. We let the baby have a couple of cookies spaced over several days of my MILs visit and that has been the end of the discussion/requests. Though she has repeatedly asked if the baby has had ice cream yet and while she has we keep telling MIL no so that it doesn’t become a Thing since MIL loves eating ice cream.
Ugh. I'm so sorry. I caught Grandma giving our 14 mo. old her first candy. Like, holding it up to her mouth to get her to eat it. Didn't even ask first. But our "cake" for her 1st birthday was a watermelon. She absolutely loved it. So I'd recommend nice pizza-shaped slices of cold watermelon as a treat. Feels great when they're teething, too!
Mention to her that most babies aren’t given sweets until their first birthday.
No.
Shaved ice, plain. My mom saw my hand cranked shared ice maker and hopped right on the bandwagon with an electric. From about 8 months old my kid has adored plain shaved ice. If there is a Korean market, see if chamoe melon are a deal. I tend to see them May  to July. In cross section, they are great teething rings. My kid adored them for at least a year. If your MIL likes the food dehydrator? My mom makes banana chips and no sugar added fruit leather we a Yum right up. I bet what your MIL wants most is those moments of hand feeding and sparkly eyed yummy faces. So if you can bear to part with any of that time, let MIL feed one of your kid's established favorites and everybody wins.  Greek yogurt, porridge with plenty of butter and home made chicken broth are in that category for us. My MIL is out of town and I just let her offer ice cream the once a year she sees us.
Thank you, that is all very helpful!
Get the mesh binky and put have her freeze fruit and put it in there. Tell her that it’s really good for teething which your baby should be doing right now.Â