help with feeding pre-toddler

February 28, 2005

My baby turned eight months old this week. She still has no teeth

but has become quite adept at chewing small pieces of fruit and

cooked food (i.e. pizza, broccoli, whole wheat toast, banana) but

now she refuses pureed baby food. Today she ate well at lunch--

petit pois, pieces of cheese and spinach tortellini, a jar of Tender

Harvest Blueberry Banana, but for dinner she turned up her nose

at sweet potatoes, because they were pureed.

For a while I could fool her by using baby food as a " fondue " and

dipping small pieces of other food, usually bread, into it. The

problem is, she insists on feeding herself. Sometimes I can get

her to eat if I let her spoon it into her mouth, and help her guide

the spoon.

I don't want to quantify every bite she eats. She is still nursing five

times a day. So I'm not too concerned about vitamins.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get her to eat her

veggies? Or how much to feed her now that she only wants table

food? I will mention it to her pediatrician but was hoping to hear

some real life " well, when it happened to me... "

February 28, 2005

I had to play games with my son and our dinner. We pretended we were

dinosaurs and the broccoli were trees. A half of a sweet potato could be a boat

or

canoe. I also remember stabbing two kidney beans onto the tines of the fork

and pretending they were shoes. The kidney beans would walk around our plates

and then jump into out mouthes.

A little crazy, but he ate his whole plate!

Hope this helps, Tracy

> Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get her to eat her

> veggies? Or how much to feed her now that she only wants table

> food? I will mention it to her pediatrician but was hoping to hear

> some real life " well, when it happened to me... "

>

February 28, 2005

I would be sooooo happy to give my 6 mo old bits of real food. We are just

starting to do that. Last night we went out to dinner and I gave her pieces of

baked potato, beets and a tiny bit of vanilla ice cream. The night before I

gave her a little bit of miso soup and a piece of tofu frm the soup. She loved

it. She still needs a few months to really be able to handle all chunky food

but the time is coming fast. I would suggest that you give your baby soft

cooked veggies. At some point babies don't want to eat baby food. They want

what we have. As long as she is still nursing I'm sure she will be fine. It is

hard to know what to do witht the first child. Just trust your instincts.

Angel <darranged wrote:

My baby turned eight months old this week. She still has no teeth

but has become quite adept at chewing small pieces of fruit and

cooked food (i.e. pizza, broccoli, whole wheat toast, banana) but

now she refuses pureed baby food. Today she ate well at lunch--

petit pois, pieces of cheese and spinach tortellini, a jar of Tender

Harvest Blueberry Banana, but for dinner she turned up her nose

at sweet potatoes, because they were pureed.

For a while I could fool her by using baby food as a " fondue " and

dipping small pieces of other food, usually bread, into it. The

problem is, she insists on feeding herself. Sometimes I can get

her to eat if I let her spoon it into her mouth, and help her guide

the spoon.

I don't want to quantify every bite she eats. She is still nursing five

times a day. So I'm not too concerned about vitamins.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get her to eat her

veggies? Or how much to feed her now that she only wants table

food? I will mention it to her pediatrician but was hoping to hear

some real life " well, when it happened to me... "

For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at

http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to

http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to

provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a

qualified health professional.

edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health

professional.

February 28, 2005

Hi,

My daughter is a year old now. We started her on

home-made fruits and veggies when she was 4 months

old. She has only tried store-bought premade baby

food once and she did not like it. I think it was

mostly because of the consistancy. Making your own

food has the benefit of choosing the right consistancy

for your baby. If your daughter won't eat pureed food

anymore, try steaming the fruits and veggies, and them

just mashing them up until they're easy enough for her

to eat. You can make bulk batches and freeze them to

save you time. This will also be easier for her to

get used to eating the same foods you eat at your

meals. That's great that you're still nursing, I

nursed for almost the whole first year, (then the

teeth were too much to handle.) Good luck!

Mandy

--- Angel <darranged wrote:

>

> My baby turned eight months old this week. She still

> has no teeth

> but has become quite adept at chewing small pieces

> of fruit and

> cooked food (i.e. pizza, broccoli, whole wheat

> toast, banana) but

> now she refuses pureed baby food. Today she ate well

> at lunch--

> petit pois, pieces of cheese and spinach tortellini,

> a jar of Tender

> Harvest Blueberry Banana, but for dinner she turned

> up her nose

> at sweet potatoes, because they were pureed.

>

> For a while I could fool her by using baby food as a

> " fondue " and

> dipping small pieces of other food, usually bread,

> into it. The

> problem is, she insists on feeding herself.

> Sometimes I can get

> her to eat if I let her spoon it into her mouth, and

> help her guide

> the spoon.

>

> I don't want to quantify every bite she eats. She is

> still nursing five

> times a day. So I'm not too concerned about

> vitamins.

>

> Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get her

> to eat her

> veggies? Or how much to feed her now that she only

> wants table

> food? I will mention it to her pediatrician but was

> hoping to hear

> some real life " well, when it happened to me... "

>

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February 28, 2005

Hi Angel,

My daughter started this at around the same time too. Both her and my son (now 2

and 4) were very

late in getting teeth, but I gave them mostly everything we were having. I just

cooked it a bit

more so it would fall apart for them easier as they gummed it, and/or cut it

into very small

pieces so they didn't choke. It seemed like they were so smart and thought

themselves so grown up

that they didn't want to be bothered with " baby " food. It may be the first sign

of independence.

Yougurt went over well, apple sauces, sweet potato straight from the potato

(just mashed a bit).

That's just a few ideas but I didn't worry about it too much either. I was

breastfeeding also, and

even when I switched to soy formula I knew they were getting all they needed.

Best of luck to you,

and try not to worry it seems like you are doing so many good things for your

baby.

Janeen

--- Angel <darranged wrote:

>

> My baby turned eight months old this week. She still has no teeth

> but has become quite adept at chewing small pieces of fruit and

> cooked food (i.e. pizza, broccoli, whole wheat toast, banana) but

> now she refuses pureed baby food. Today she ate well at lunch--

> petit pois, pieces of cheese and spinach tortellini, a jar of Tender

> Harvest Blueberry Banana, but for dinner she turned up her nose

> at sweet potatoes, because they were pureed.

>

> For a while I could fool her by using baby food as a " fondue " and

> dipping small pieces of other food, usually bread, into it. The

> problem is, she insists on feeding herself. Sometimes I can get

> her to eat if I let her spoon it into her mouth, and help her guide

> the spoon.

>

> I don't want to quantify every bite she eats. She is still nursing five

> times a day. So I'm not too concerned about vitamins.

>

> Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get her to eat her

> veggies? Or how much to feed her now that she only wants table

> food? I will mention it to her pediatrician but was hoping to hear

> some real life " well, when it happened to me... "

>

Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more.

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February 28, 2005

my daughter didn't even come close to eating real foods until she was close

to 15 months old. she didn't show much interest before a year old and then

never liked the puree or bland (one fruit or veggie) food, she always ate

what we did and in whatever amount she decided she wanted/needed.at 3 she is

still like this and some days eats almost nothing and then other days

literally eats as much as i do kids seem to know how much they

want/need, give your daughter small amounts of everything and whatever she

finishes give her seconds of it

tara

-

" Angel " <darranged

Sunday, February 27, 2005 7:12 PM

help with feeding pre-toddler

>

> My baby turned eight months old this week. She still has no teeth

> but has become quite adept at chewing small pieces of fruit and

> cooked food (i.e. pizza, broccoli, whole wheat toast, banana) but

> now she refuses pureed baby food. Today she ate well at lunch--

> petit pois, pieces of cheese and spinach tortellini, a jar of Tender

> Harvest Blueberry Banana, but for dinner she turned up her nose

> at sweet potatoes, because they were pureed.

>

> For a while I could fool her by using baby food as a " fondue " and

> dipping small pieces of other food, usually bread, into it. The

> problem is, she insists on feeding herself. Sometimes I can get

> her to eat if I let her spoon it into her mouth, and help her guide

> the spoon.

>

> I don't want to quantify every bite she eats. She is still nursing five

> times a day. So I'm not too concerned about vitamins.

>

> Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get her to eat her

> veggies? Or how much to feed her now that she only wants table

> food? I will mention it to her pediatrician but was hoping to hear

> some real life " well, when it happened to me... "

>

February 28, 2005

My daughter did the same thing but not as early as 8

months. I remember having to mix everything with

applesauce or something else sweet like soy yogurt and

feed her fast before she got bored. But she also liked

to feed herself and is still like that. We hardly ever

use a spoon or fork which limits what she'll eat.

Could you try the advanced stages of baby food that

has pieces in it? I made a lot of polenta that comes

in the tube so I could cut it up into chunks and saute

it with tomato sauce and beans. It gets soft that way

but also keeps it shape. We also did a lot of O's and

cut up grapes and bananas. Good luck!

--- Angel <darranged wrote:

>

> My baby turned eight months old this week. She still

> has no teeth

> but has become quite adept at chewing small pieces

> of fruit and

> cooked food (i.e. pizza, broccoli, whole wheat

> toast, banana) but

> now she refuses pureed baby food. Today she ate well

> at lunch--

> petit pois, pieces of cheese and spinach tortellini,

> a jar of Tender

> Harvest Blueberry Banana, but for dinner she turned

> up her nose

> at sweet potatoes, because they were pureed.

>

> For a while I could fool her by using baby food as a

> " fondue " and

> dipping small pieces of other food, usually bread,

> into it. The

> problem is, she insists on feeding herself.

> Sometimes I can get

> her to eat if I let her spoon it into her mouth, and

> help her guide

> the spoon.

>

> I don't want to quantify every bite she eats. She is

> still nursing five

> times a day. So I'm not too concerned about

> vitamins.

>

> Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get her

> to eat her

> veggies? Or how much to feed her now that she only

> wants table

> food? I will mention it to her pediatrician but was

> hoping to hear

> some real life " well, when it happened to me... "

>

Mail - 250MB free storage. Do more. Manage less.

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March 1, 2005

Angel,

My advice is, don't worry about it. Technically a baby doesn't need

anything but breastmilk (or formula) until at least one year. Eating

before that is just for exploration and learning to eat. Let her have

fun with her food and enjoy the experience and tastes, and rest

assured she's getting enough nutrition from nursing. (Just don't give

her any junk food/empty calories.) If she is into table food, give her

anything soft enough to gum that she can pick up and eat and thus

enjoy the accomplishment of self-feeding. Chunks of baked sweet potato

or white potato, steamed carrots, broccoli, or cauliflower, pieces of

banana or peach, slightly steamed pieces of pear or apple, and even

leftover oatmeal from the fridge (then it is firm enough to scoop up

pieces that can be picked up with her fingers.) Just make sure nothing

is a choking hazard.

My child never ate any jarred baby food. Neither did any babies before

the stuff was invented and mass marketed, what, about 60 years ago? If

the human race survived this long without strained peas I don't think

they are essential to babies' nutrition. (They can be a nice

convenience if your kid likes it, but not something they " have " to have.)

I've never gotten any good advice on nutrition from a pediatrician.

I'm not a dietician or anything either... I'm just telling you what

I've picked up from experience and reading. For good advice from an

actual expert probably more informed than a pediatrician, try

contacting your local La Leche League.

Have fun feeding your baby!

Jen

, " Angel " <darranged@f...> wrote:

>

> My baby turned eight months old this week. She still has no teeth

> but has become quite adept at chewing small pieces of fruit and

> cooked food (i.e. pizza, broccoli, whole wheat toast, banana) but

> now she refuses pureed baby food. Today she ate well at lunch--

> petit pois, pieces of cheese and spinach tortellini, a jar of Tender

> Harvest Blueberry Banana, but for dinner she turned up her nose

> at sweet potatoes, because they were pureed.

>

> For a while I could fool her by using baby food as a " fondue " and

> dipping small pieces of other food, usually bread, into it. The

> problem is, she insists on feeding herself. Sometimes I can get

> her to eat if I let her spoon it into her mouth, and help her guide

> the spoon.

>

> I don't want to quantify every bite she eats. She is still nursing five

> times a day. So I'm not too concerned about vitamins.

>

> Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get her to eat her

> veggies? Or how much to feed her now that she only wants table

> food? I will mention it to her pediatrician but was hoping to hear

> some real life " well, when it happened to me... "

March 1, 2005

I spread most of my daughter's food on toast fingers because she wanted to

feed herself. I also mostly mashed what we were eating and rarely pureed

anything.

My second child would eat anything I gave him so it was not a problem.

My third was a little fussier but I didn't worry about it too much and gave

him whatever we were having which he would eat or not and then nurse to fill

in the gaps.

Jacqueline

http://adhdnme.blogspot.com

carol sobczak [cpsobczak]

February 28, 2005 10:26 AM

Re: help with feeding pre-toddler

I would be sooooo happy to give my 6 mo old bits of real food. We are just

starting to do that. Last night we went out to dinner and I gave her pieces

of baked potato, beets and a tiny bit of vanilla ice cream. The night

before I gave her a little bit of miso soup and a piece of tofu frm the

soup. She loved it. She still needs a few months to really be able to

handle all chunky food but the time is coming fast. I would suggest that

you give your baby soft cooked veggies. At some point babies don't want to

eat baby food. They want what we have. As long as she is still nursing I'm

sure she will be fine. It is hard to know what to do witht the first child.

Just trust your instincts.

Angel <darranged wrote:

My baby turned eight months old this week. She still has no teeth

but has become quite adept at chewing small pieces of fruit and

cooked food (i.e. pizza, broccoli, whole wheat toast, banana) but

now she refuses pureed baby food. Today she ate well at lunch--

petit pois, pieces of cheese and spinach tortellini, a jar of Tender

Harvest Blueberry Banana, but for dinner she turned up her nose

at sweet potatoes, because they were pureed.

For a while I could fool her by using baby food as a " fondue " and

dipping small pieces of other food, usually bread, into it. The

problem is, she insists on feeding herself. Sometimes I can get

her to eat if I let her spoon it into her mouth, and help her guide

the spoon.

I don't want to quantify every bite she eats. She is still nursing five

times a day. So I'm not too concerned about vitamins.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get her to eat her

veggies? Or how much to feed her now that she only wants table

food? I will mention it to her pediatrician but was hoping to hear

some real life " well, when it happened to me... "

For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at

http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to

http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to

provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a

qualified health professional.

edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health

professional.

March 1, 2005

I have a daughter who is almost two. I understand what you are going through.

Although I hate to say it.....ya just have to hang in there! It is just a

phase (I always hate hearing that but now that Lilli is almost two they were

right!) Keep offering her a small variety (not too much as to overwhelm her).

Include a favorite with a new food. Dont give up on the foods she is refusing.

She WILL come around on some of them. I have read that it may take up to 10

offerings before a baby will accept a new food. Then that will be favorite for

a while then she will change her mind again! Try the sweet potato in small soft

chunks versus pureed. My daughter refused pureed foods at around 10 months and

would no longer let me feed her. Continue to offer her soft veggies, potatoes,

pastas, rices, fruits, hard boiled eggs and cheeses (if she does dairy). At 9

months, I started beans. I too was so concerned about nutrition but everything

ended up okay. My daughter was still getting

formula during that time so I knew she was getting what she needed. It is VERY

normal for babies/toddlers to be a bit picky. She can still be a picky eater

but I just take deep breaths and keep offering her a variety of foods. She

continues to surprise me and I am very proud of her and her diet. I hope this

was helpful!

Lisa

Angel <darranged wrote:

My baby turned eight months old this week. She still has no teeth

but has become quite adept at chewing small pieces of fruit and

cooked food (i.e. pizza, broccoli, whole wheat toast, banana) but

now she refuses pureed baby food. Today she ate well at lunch--

petit pois, pieces of cheese and spinach tortellini, a jar of Tender

Harvest Blueberry Banana, but for dinner she turned up her nose

at sweet potatoes, because they were pureed.

For a while I could fool her by using baby food as a " fondue " and

dipping small pieces of other food, usually bread, into it. The

problem is, she insists on feeding herself. Sometimes I can get

her to eat if I let her spoon it into her mouth, and help her guide

the spoon.

I don't want to quantify every bite she eats. She is still nursing five

times a day. So I'm not too concerned about vitamins.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get her to eat her

veggies? Or how much to feed her now that she only wants table

food? I will mention it to her pediatrician but was hoping to hear

some real life " well, when it happened to me... "

For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at

http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to

http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to

provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a

qualified health professional.

edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health

professional.

March 1, 2005

<< Last night we went out to dinner and I gave her pieces of baked

potato, beets and a tiny bit of vanilla ice cream. >>

An interesting fact I learned as part of being a co-op member of an

organic farm is that beets contain wildly differing amounts of nitrate,

so it's not the best thing to feed them to infants. Apparently, if

they're in prepared baby food, they've been tested, but there's no way

for a parent to be able to " tell " by looking at them which have

excessive amounts (too high for children) and which don't.

FWIW,

Liz

March 1, 2005

I freeze food for the baby in the 4 oz glad containers. That way I can defrost

only the small amount that she needs. With my older two I used to freeze food

in ice cube containers and then pop them out and put them in ziploc bags. These

containers are so much easier.

mandy symonds <starpopple67 wrote: You can make bulk batches and

freeze them to

save you time.

Carol, mom to

Melissa, 3/14/94

Julia, 2/18/97

Lily, 9/7/04

March 1, 2005

Another idea is to use the jar food (veggie varieties) as a sauce on

bite size pieces of noodles, beans, rice or veggies or use fruit

variety jar food as a spread on toast. Might be a little messy if

she insist on feeding herself though.

One thing that worked with both of my kids when they went through a

similar stage was to give them their own spoon to " feed themselves "

and play with while quick darting in with my own spoon, which they

would gobble the food off of once it was in their mouth. After a

few weeks the second spoon was no longer needed.

> > My baby turned eight months old this week. She still

> > has no teeth

> > but has become quite adept at chewing small pieces

> > of fruit and

> > cooked food (i.e. pizza, broccoli, whole wheat

> > toast, banana) but

> > now she refuses pureed baby food. Today she ate well

> > at lunch--

> > petit pois, pieces of cheese and spinach tortellini,

> > a jar of Tender

> > Harvest Blueberry Banana, but for dinner she turned

> > up her nose

> > at sweet potatoes, because they were pureed.

> >

> > For a while I could fool her by using baby food as a

> > " fondue " and

> > dipping small pieces of other food, usually bread,

> > into it. The

> > problem is, she insists on feeding herself.

> > Sometimes I can get

> > her to eat if I let her spoon it into her mouth, and

> > help her guide

> > the spoon.

> >

> > I don't want to quantify every bite she eats. She is

> > still nursing five

> > times a day. So I'm not too concerned about

> > vitamins.

> >

> > Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get her

> > to eat her

> > veggies? Or how much to feed her now that she only

> > wants table

> > food? I will mention it to her pediatrician but was

> > hoping to hear

> > some real life " well, when it happened to me... "

> >

>

> Mail - 250MB free storage. Do more. Manage less.

> http://info.mail./mail_250

March 1, 2005

, " jpetrusplus " <jen.petrus@e...>

> banana or peach, slightly steamed pieces of pear or apple, and even

Duh, I realized after I posted that pears get pretty soft on their

own, no need to steam. I just did that once when I had some real firm

(even though they were ripe) pears.

Jen

March 2, 2005

I didn't know that. Is that true even for organic beets?

Elizabeth Bakwin <bakwin wrote:

An interesting fact I learned as part of being a co-op member of an

organic farm is that beets contain wildly differing amounts of nitrate,

so it's not the best thing to feed them to infants. Apparently, if

they're in prepared baby food, they've been tested, but there's no way

for a parent to be able to " tell " by looking at them which have

excessive amounts (too high for children) and which don't.

FWIW,

Liz

For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at

http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to

http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to

provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a

qualified health professional.

edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health

professional.

March 3, 2005

I used to freeze food for my daughter in ice trays, covered with plastic wrap,

or something. Tupperware, actually has a nice ice tray for freezing food, it

has a lid on it, but it is quite expensive, at around $10/tray. Ouch!

carol sobczak <cpsobczak wrote:

I freeze food for the baby in the 4 oz glad containers. That way I can defrost

only the small amount that she needs. With my older two I used to freeze food

in ice cube containers and then pop them out and put them in ziploc bags. These

containers are so much easier.

mandy symonds <starpopple67 wrote: You can make bulk batches and

freeze them to

save you time.

Carol, mom to

Melissa, 3/14/94

Julia, 2/18/97

Lily, 9/7/04

March 3, 2005

My daugher is 2.5, and I am still having a hard time feeding her! She has her

favorite for a month, then she doesn't like that food, and you have to spend

another few weeks figuring out her next favorite! I bought muffin pans, the 6

muffin tins, and gave her food to her in those. That helped for a little while,

but that doesn't help any more. I found that divided, TV style trays work well

now. She thinks they are great. Also, what I figured out when she was a little

younger, was she always wanted what I was eating. So we went awhile, not giving

her food on her own plate, but feeding her off ours. She ate lots that way.

Now the " big girl " stage has set in, and she just doesn't eat! Well, she does,

but she is in a stage where only bananas, apples, and peanutbutter sandwiches

will do. Oh, and cheerios. Now that she is beyond eating things that aren't

food, I put O shaped cereal on a string, and give it to her to wear like a

bracelet, or necklace, and she has a wearable

snack. She thinks that is totally cool!

How creative we get to get our kiddos to eat. But if this is a stage, I am

anxiously awaiting for it to end!!

Melanie

Lisa Wallace Larkin <wallylarkin wrote: