Mmmmmm... O's
My daughter is 8 months old and has always been a very happy, easygoing baby. But she has recently surprised me by developing quite a will of her own with definite likes and dislikes. I don't mean the obvious sorts of things that psychology has studied, like a baby's partialness to a cuddly bear rather than one made of barbed wire. I'm referring to a more refined taste, such as with food. One would think a baby would have very little precedence on which to judge, however, my daughter has made it abundantly clear that Cheerios are the best food on earth.

"Babababababababa" (Translation: "These are damn good O's.")
Now Maddie will eat most things presented to her, mostly in the form of baby food. However, she has broadened her horizons to biscotti, teething biscuits and ice cream. Nothing though, causes her to shake with anticipation the way a sighting of the big yellow box does. This child squeals when you shake a box of Cheerios and proceeds to double fist the tasty little O's into her mouth that currently contains 1/2 of a tooth.

????????
What is it, I wonder, about these circles of oats and grains that turn Maddie into a Pavlovian stereotype? And it is not just my daughter. All of her classmates at daycare have their own boxes of Cheerios, and at any given time 2 or more babies can be found happily munching away on the cereal. This stuff is like baby crack.

When in Rome...
So I decided to give Cheerios a try as a light commuter snack. Just as if I was traveling with Maddie, I packed a little zip lock bag of Cheerios in my purse, but leave the sippy cup of apple juice at home. My snack was very portable and easy to eat both standing and sitting on the T. But also, much to my delight, it tasted good! It is very finger-food friendly, not leaving any dust or salt coating my hands, so I don't have to wipe greasy fingers on the suit of the person standing next to me. Cheerios have just the right amount of crunch without disturbing fellow commuters who still have morning crankiness, or afternoon anger. And it's one of the better things for me to eat, especially as a snack. I've since tried some modifications such as mixing in raisins or dried cranberries, but the staple remains Cheerios.

Thanks to my baby girl, I have quickly become an O's convert. Now when my husband wants my attention, he just shakes the yellow box, my head snaps up, and I "Bababababababababa."