Toddlers and French Braids

If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen these photos. I had a few people ask me how I managed to braid E's hair and have her sit still long enough to finish. To be honest, I don't really know. Growing up, my sisters and I had our hair braided countless times by our mom - for as long as I can remember. Even in high school on the bus rides to soccer games, we'd be the ones french braiding the team's hair.

One morning last week, I decided that E's hair had reached the perfect length to braid. I sat her on the floor, stood above her and just got started. She moved a lot, but I moved with her. I would pause in the braid if she started shaking her head, and then begin again when she found a moment to pause. My sister reminded me that Mom used to have us count as high as we could (a great distraction!). I just kept telling E that she'd look like Rapunzel when I was done (her new favorite princess).

I braided it while it was still kind of damp, so that it wasn't so slippery. I don't have a step-by-step tutorial to offer, other than give it a try - if it's a bust, you can always start over! Plus it's super crimpy and reminiscent of the 80s when you take it out at the end of the day.

What's your go-to hair style for your little ones?

Muffin Tin Meals

Emmalyn has always been a fantastic eater - from the time she was nursing through the introduction of solid foods. She's eaten things I never thought she would - pickles, olives, tuna, cottage cheese, the list goes on...she would try just about everything.

These last few weeks have been difficult in the food area. She sometimes flat out refuses to eat her meals and may only have one full meal in a day. But, I was putting options out there. If she was hungry, she would eat - that was my philosophy.

A while back I had run across a blog and added it to my Google Reader. I don't think Emma was even eating solids at the time, but I knew I had to save it for the future. Enter Muffin Tin Mom. Genius. Meals in cute muffin cups? Even I would eat that, no matter what was served! Michelle has a ton of great ideas and recipes on her blog.

I didn't have any cute shaped tins, but this week I pulled out my old muffin tin and started filling it with different things. Sometimes was just a matter of just cutting things differently. Example: Emmalyn has not been into string cheese lately (one of her prior favorites). I cut up the cheese in small squares and BOOM - empty cup and she was asking for more. The first night I filled the tins, she ate EVERY LAST THING. Amazing.

 

Now, I don't know how long the newness of the muffin cups will last. Just when you think you have toddlers figured out, they go and change things up. In the meantime, I'll be slicing and dicing to fill those cups. What tips and tricks do you use to get your toddler to eat?