Like with many tiny tots, Little One's very first 'finger food' that she was able to eat on her own was Cheerios!

With all milestones, I get weepy.  It's not that I am not excited about all the new things my child learns and all the new stages of development she enters.  It's just so bittersweet for me to see how quickly my baby is growing up!

All tears aside, what's more exciting than being able to witness first hand your child's first smile, first laugh, first time rolling over, first time sitting on their own, first time crawling, first time walking, first word? You get the picture! If you're anything like me, you've got scrapbooks upon scrapbooks documenting and chronicling every single milestone event for posterity to see.  Friends and family members think I'm a bit obsessive with the documenting, but Little One was a preemie and we weren't even sure if she was going to survive, so documenting every single special occasion (and even many every day occasions) is important to me. That, and she's an only child (for now).

One of the most exciting "firsts" was watching Little One feed herself for the very first time.  Every mom I spoke to said Cheerios was their pick for baby's first snack food/finger food.  Why? They're good for practising the pinching reflexes, therefore good for manual dexterity, motor skills, and coordination.  They're healthy and nutritious for your child.  They've been a trusted cereal for generations.  Plus, you cannot beat the look of satisfaction and sense of accomplishment your little one has when they finally figure out how to pinch and grasp those little O's and put them in their mouth!

I remember the applause and fanfare that went on when Little One figured out how to feed herself Cheerios.   To this day, Cheerios remain Little One's favourite cereal for breakfast and for snacking.  She is going to be 4 years old in November, and has just started JK this year.  She starts her day with a bowl of Cheerios and sometimes even says things like, "Remember when I was a teeny tiny baby and I was eating Cheerios?!!" followed by a crazy laugh.  She's a goofball!

I found these photos of Little One enjoying her Cheerios and just had to share!  Seems like it was just yesterday that she was fumbling for her Cheerios and learning how to grasp them between her fingers and get them into her mouth! As she got older, she got so much better at feeding herself.  Now she's in Junior Kindergarten! Crazy how quickly time flies!
I am so happy that Cheerios has been a part of that special milestone.  I am also thrilled to that General Mills wants you to join them on their Life Made Delicious page on Facebook and share a photo of your little one's first Cheerios moment!

COOL STUFF!
If you're one of the first 1000 to upload your child's photo, you will receive a coupon for a FREE box of Cheerios!  If you miss being one of the first 1000, don't worry!  You can receive a $1.00 off coupon if you weren't one of the first 1000 to upload your wee one's pic!  FYI: The offer is limited to one free box of Cheerios per household and one $1.00 off coupon per household per calendar year.

How's this for exciting?!
How would you like to see a photo of your little one on a box of Cheerios?! Check out the store shelves in 2013 when Cheerios unveils the completed mosaic on limited-edition family-sized boxes of cereal (400g boxes)!

Go to the Cheerios Mosaic and upload that photo of your baby's first Cheerios experience! I am going to be uploading Little One's special milestone moment for her to see a photo of her introduction to Cheerios!  I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's photos!  Please let me know if you upload yours! What fun!

Disclosure – I am participating in the First Cheerios Blog Tour by Mom Central Canada on behalf of General Mills. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.