Foodie First Birthday (Munching With Maddie)

It’s not easy being the daughter of a foodie… Especially on your birthday! So, Maddie is here today to share her tips for celebrating a first birthday, foodie style…

A first birthday is very important… This is something that a baby knows.

(Babies know a lot of things… It’s amazing adults get anything done without us!)

After a first birthday, a baby instantly becomes a big kid. It’s true. So, it’s pertinent that we celebrate in style. 

Breakfast for Birthday Dinner…

If you’re reading this, you probably know that my mama likes food… It’s fortunate for her that I am also a bit of a foodie myself. You’ve never met a baby foodie before? Babies know a lot about food. We know what we like… Don’t even think about feeding us something that isn’t delicious. No baby will eat it.

Since a baby really shouldn’t eat too much sugar, I decided not to have any cake on my actual birthday. (Don’t worry, I did celebrate with cake at my party over the weekend… You’ll hear more about that in a few days.) Instead, I decided to have a four layer pan-cake. I ate the whole thing, along with some scrambled eggs and sausage!

Want to celebrate your first birthday in baby foodie style with breakfast for dinner? Here’s what I did…

• Inform your mama that you want pancakes. They are delicious. Here is my favorite recipe.
• Dig through the kitchen until you find a mini ice cream scoop and throw it at her. She can use it to make mini pancakes for your four layer pan-cake. (She probably won’t think of this on her own… You will need to give her a hand.)
• Be sure to smile and clap while your parents sing “Happy Birthday”… You get to eat pancakes soon.
• A baby cannot live on pancakes alone. Fresh eggs and sausage from the farmer’s market go very well with pancakes. Parents like them, too.

Foodie Baby Gift Guide…

If you love cooking and baking as much as I do, I have some great food-themed gift ideas for you!

• Miniature kitchen… As a foodie baby, I need to get in the kitchen and start working on recipes ASAP. But, I’m still a bit vertically challenged.  So, I convinced my parents to get me my very own kitchen for my birthday. It’s located in my mama’s kitchen so that I can give her pointers while she is cooking and baking. Babies can provide a lot of useful feedback.
• Pots and pans… What good is a kitchen without any pots and pans? Babies are resourceful, so we don’t require a lot. My baby starter set includes a fry pan, wok, steamer set, bundt pan, tart pan, and sheet pan.
• Fruits and veggies… I’m not talking about the real ones (though, they are tasty… most of them).  I’m talking about fruits and veggies that a baby can cook with. I asked my parents for fun soft fabric fruits and veggies that are perfect for whipping something up in my kitchen and for throwing at Yellowdog.

Stuff for the Adults…

Babies don’t care that much about all of the fuss that adults make over a birthday.  I’m sure, as a baby, that you can relate. Personally, I was just interested in munching on my four layer pan-cake and chasing Yellowdog around the house with my brand new rolling pin. But, since I’m pretty sure my parents were never babies, I have to indulge them.They just don’t understand what it’s like to be a baby. I’m used to it.

My mama insisted on decorating cookies for my birthday. She calls me a pumpkin (Honestly, I don’t get it… I am neither orange nor round), so she decorated pumpkin cookies to share with all of the other adults. She also decorated birthday candle cookies. I did have a tiny nibble of one before it had any of that colored goop on it… I wasn’t all that impressed.

Dealing with Siblings…

If you’re lucky enough to have a furry sister like I do, you will probably have to share some of the spotlight on your big day… But, it’s OK. Furry sister’s are so much fun. And, you can learn a lot from them.

Here are a few things I learned from my furry sister on my birthday…

• Always put your nose IN a gift bag. Gift bags almost always contain good stuff, and you will probably want to sniff it.
• Wrapping paper is fun to chew on. I was skeptical at first when Yellowdog started munching on the paper, but it turns out that the stuff is kind of tasty. Don’t eat too much, though… You need to save room for pancakes.
• It’s important to share. When in doubt, let your furry sister nibble on your new vegetables. She will probably repay you by waking you up from your nap an hour early, so it’s worth it.

Want to know more about my birthday? My mom will be back later this week to tell you all about my birthday party. She also has a recipe for cupcakes that are baby tested and baby approved!

In the meantime, here’s another photo of those cookies she made… Seriously, parents can be so strange.  A baby would never take so many pictures of cookies. No baby would.