Fill Baby's Belly with Fiber

A full belly is one of my Top 10 Must Haves for your little one to reach his optimal amount of sleep. With young infants it can be simply a matter of increasing the number of feedings each day, however, when it comes to an older infant or a toddler a full belly can be a much harder goal to reach.

Babies go from great eaters to extremely picky overnight and that is when it is important to know

exactly which foods you should be offering, because at that point every little bit counts. Your child's taste can literally change from one day to the next, so you may easily find yourself at the end of the day realizing; your toddler has really not taken in many calories, and he will most likely be waking overnight looking for a snack.

 As adults we tend to focus soley on fat, calories and sugar, but when it comes to introduceing food to your baby, fiber should be on the top of your list. Foods that are high in fiber take longer to digest and will therfore keep everyone fuller longer.  To decipher how much fiber you should be pushing, take your toddlers age and add 5. So if your baby is 1, you will offer 6 grams of fiber per day. To acheive this, it will be helpful to start learning which foods are fiberous and contain at least 2.5 grams per serving.

Below I have listed a number of foods that will help your baby's belly feel fuller longer -

- Whole Wheat Bread

-Whole Grain Waffles

-High Fiber Cereals

-Brown Rice

-Beans

-Whole Wheat Pasta

-Leave skins on fruits, such as apples and pears

-Freah fruit over canned

-Oven baked potatos/fries with the skins on

-Smoothies - Sneak in fruits/veggies and proteins

                  - These move quicker through the system so they are great for kids with reflux.

If you find that you have not been offering your baby much fiber up until now, you should make it a gradual process. Introducing too much too quickly may cause constipation, which really just replaces one problem for another. So if you are typically serving a sugary cereal in the morning, slowly mix in a healthier option day by day. Adding fruits can also be beneficial. Plenty of water and other fluids will help baby's body to keep things moving and avoid any backups as well.

Start offeirng these high fiber foods early on so your kids grow to like them and will expect them at each meal. Kids thrive off of consistency with their mealtime routines just as they do with their bedtime routines. So when they know what to expect, they will be more likely to eat a full lunch or dinner and and therefore be more likely to get a full nights sleep.