Saturday, January 29, 2011

Cheerios® First Foods and a Giveaway!

I remember when the time came for Little One to start eating solid food. Because Little One was a preemie, I worried that her stomach might not be developed enough to handle solid food. I waited longer than many parents do when they introduce first foods to their babies. I waited quite a bit longer.


Little One did express interest in food at an early age though. We couldn't keep her on breast milk alone for much longer. She ended up self-weaning at 16 months of age, but at 8 months, we started her off with rice cereal. Then she tried oats. Then came barley. Pretty soon, she was eating pureed fruits and veggies (homemade, of course!). There wasn't anything Little One didn't like. Until this day, she still has a voracious appetite and she still eats everything and anything! *Knock on wood!*




Being a first time mom, I checked out birth clubs online, and mom/baby online community boards. I sought advice and tips from Little One's family doctor, Neonatologist, medical team, as well as from my family, friends, and other moms I knew. 

When it came to Little One's first finger food, it is no surprise that we chose Cheerios. Little One and I were visiting my friends and family in Montreal, when my friend asked if Little One could have some Cheerios. Her daughter was the same age and was already eating Cheerios. I was a bit nervous, as Little One had never had any finger food before. 


"They get wet and dissolve in their mouths. Don't worry", said my friend.


Little One ended up loving Cheerios, and has been addicted ever since! I have to admit, that moment was kind of like a milestone for me! I always seem to feel a little bit of sadness when Little One reaches a new milestone. I know I should be celebrating, but it makes her being no longer a baby very apparent. Poof! And, now she's 2 years old!

I did go home and scour online community boards for what most moms chose as Baby's first finger food! Yes, I'm weird like that! Again, it is no surprise that there was an overwhelming number of moms and dads who chose Cheerios! It's interesting to note that results of a 2008 independent survey of Canadian pediatricians showed that "4 out of 5 pediatricians recommend Cheerios for their infant or toddler patients". It is also no surprise that Cheerios has been a trusted cereal by Moms for over 50 years!

I felt confident knowing that Little One's pediatrician approved and suggested that we give Little One Cheerios!  She spoke of those nutritious whole grain "O"s being very good for developing motor skills. She couldn't stop talking about how great they were for manual dexterity.  I remember laughing every time Little One tried to get them in her mouth. At the beginning, she would just grab a bunch of Cheerios in her fist and try to shove them in her mouth. It was so funny! After a while, she got better at picking them up...One Cheerio at a time.

Mom Central is very excited to share a totally new section on BabyCenter.ca! It's the Cheerios First Foods Section on babycenter.ca! How exciting is that!? I started following BabyCenter even before we got pregnant. When we were in the "thinking about getting pregnant" stage of our marriage, I would check out BabyCenter.ca, as I knew it was one of the most trusted sites of its kind. I followed Little One's growth online, read weekly updates, chatted with other moms who were expecting around the same time as I was, read lots of great articles, and asked questions on babycenter.ca. I loved that BabyCenter proved to be a trusted resource for both first time moms and seasoned pros experienced moms!

I absolutely love that the Cheerios First Foods section on BabyCenter.ca has launched! The section features expert information on how and when to introduce certain foods,  tips for picky eaters, and so on. There are even menu plans and other tools that can make life a little easier for busy moms!

Two companies trusted by Canadian moms have teamed up to offer moms this great new First Foods section! Cheerios and BabyCenter.ca! Make sure to check out the new Cheerios First Foods section for all your first food questions!

If you thought that was great, it gets even better!


Win a Cheerios Prize Pack!!!
- The Cheerios Prize Pack ($50 value!) will include a: Cheerios On-the-go Tot ContainerCheerios playbookBox of CheeriosBowl and utensil set and a $30 Cash Card.
To enter, simply leave me a comment on my blog and tell me what you think of the Cheerios First Food section!
Contest ends February 14th, 2011!


Disclosure - I am participating in the Cheerios First Foods program by Mom Central on behalf of General Mills. I received a gift card as a thank you for my participation.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

26 comments:

  1. Its funny I just bought my 8 month old son Cheerios a couple days ago. I don't think he has gotten any in his mouth yet but he sure like playing with them! The Cheerios First Food section has a lot of great info! I can see I am going to be spending some more time there reading! Thanks

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  2. My little girlie is 9 months old and started cheerios earlier this month she loveeess them!!! I love the babycenter for all my baby related questions and find that the first food section helps eaze my worries when it comes to what she does and doesnt eat :) (as first time single mom, I have lots of questions and worries :P )

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  3. Lucas loves Cheerios and I found it very helpful that they wouldn't make him sick b/c of his milk, egg, banana and avocado allergies; peace of mind for this momma!! Now that he is 14 months old he still enjoys them and likes to pop them in his mouth (just picture mouth wide open and him tossing them in from a distance!!).
    I like the variety of articles on the Cheerios First Foods section b/c I don't have to keep googling many topics as there are a lot there to look at!!
    kdanyluk@hotmail.com

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  4. I love that there is so much information there! It is a wealth of knowledge!!

    ssummmer(at)gmail(dot)com

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  5. I thought the site was awesome! A lot of great information, and I really liked the recipe section for feeding your baby. karasceviour at hotmail dot com

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  6. I think they did an awesome job on it. That will be the first website I'll go on when I'm Mom. I really love the fact that they have recipes posted on there as well.

    dhunter at musician dot org

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  7. I think the section is great. I wish I had resources like that 16 years ago when I had my first. My two year old is more of a pickt nibbler so I think I will be checking the page ouy often :)

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  8. There is a lot of information on there! Think I'll be going there and reading moreof the information when my youngest starts eating solid foods, which will be quite soon.
    xjanelle at hotmail dot com

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  9. I loved the site. I will have to tell my friends and family about it. Jenn29love@hotmail.com

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  10. I like the recipes section.

    billiondollarprincesss@hotmail.com

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  11. Lots of good info for new moms.
    vivaglampink@yahoo.ca

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  12. The recipes section is great! This would make a great baby shower present!

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  13. I love how there's recipes and the food is sectioned into by age.

    carrie_dodd at hotmail dot com

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  14. I saw that there are lots of articles to help mom's out with baby. From feeding solids to what baby needs. It is a very informative site, I like it and I will bookmark mark it because it could come in very handy

    bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  15. What a great site! I usually head to the internet for resources rather than look in books; however, the one thing I followed in a particular book someone gave me was what foods to start at different ages.

    I was impressed when I went through the Cheerios First Foods page on BabyCenter. This site has it all! My toddler has been fussy lately so I read up on the "How do I monitor what my baby eats when he is in childcare?" page. Great tips! I also love the information on "Solids by age". There's even a template for a weekly meal planner with a shopping list attached! This site is a great resource for all parents!

    arctic_teacher AT yahoo DOT ca

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  16. There are a lot of helpful articles and recipes. I learned that it’s best not to give baby herbal teas.
    wrotek5 at gmail dot com

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  17. I like the Recipes section :)

    spdls0215@yahoo.com

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  18. Love the website! Very informative! Just learned that Lentils is actually one of the 10 great foods! It's very useful for first time mom like me!

    sweetpanda2010 at gmail dot com

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  19. Hey Tin! It's funny, I've been eating cheerios for breakfast for the last two weeks! For sure, when our baby is old enough, he will definitely be getting some :) I check out baby centre every week and I didn't know they have a feeding section (looks very informative!) Thanks for sharing :)

    Shar
    xoxo
    sharon.montealegre@gmail.com

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  20. The First Foods Section is jam packed with tips, videos and the how to's of feeding at every stage. This is what Mom's and caregiver's need!
    Mrs. Shopper @simplyshopandsave.ca

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  21. I have been on baby center before and never checked out the first foods section. I have a 20 month old and I found some great tips and food ideas to try on her. I am always looking for menu ideas, and this was a nice resource for me

    corrieb96@hotmail.com

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  22. Very informative site. I like the article about allergies.
    catamorg@gmail.com

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  23. There is a wealth of information on the First Foods section. A great resource for new parents. I like the articles on what solid foods to feed based on age.

    ajmizen(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  24. I've been following the BabyCenter site since I found out I was preggie! I Love the weekly updates how baby is coming along!
    All three of the kids here LOVE thier Cheerios for breakfest and or just a fast snack! In fact my 6 year old is having a party for 100 days of school soon, and I've already counted out 100 pcs of Cheerios for the occasion! I can;t wait to see how baby XYZ will take to these little O's!!!!

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  25. I think the site is great! I especially like the meal planner - so handy for a busy Mom!
    kady@thebeerguy.ca

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  26. I think it has a bunch of great info, but it could use some better organization.
    theknitwitbyshair@hotmail.com

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