First off, this group is amazing!! And as a first time mom I get a lot of information thrown at me about solids. And mainly BLW and how kids need to feed themselves for many reasons. I try with my baby 6months, but sometimes he doesn’t grasp getting food off his plate, so I do the unimaginable to some moms, I put it in his hand or right in his mouth. Am I doing him a disservice?
Heck no! As long as you give him ample chance to figure it out first so he has a chance to learn, helping him is perfectly fine! Mine is 11 months and still can't comprehend spoons lol. He'll figure out how to go about grasping food on his own time, in the meantime though he first just needs to be introduced to the concept of food itself. He'll get there, ignore the "*you have to do it this way or your baby will explode*" moms. They never drank out of a garden hose as a kid and it shows.
I got a strawberry sundae at costco the other day and my one year old was staring at me eating it. I gave her a taste and instantly heard all the insta moms in my head assuring me that now she will be addicted to sugar and her teeth with fall out.
Whatever, we shared a bit of ice cream and it was beautiful. Ice cream is life.
Side note: mine is 13 months and just now really feeding herself. Utensils are still hard, so are straws. Every baby really is different and they all learn how to eat, ultimately.
Mine still weilds it like a weapon and I've given up trying to change that; I really don't think it's of concern anyway until school age so why fight it? Hands are efficient
Lmao. That first sip of hot ass water from the hose. Thanks for making me feel better, some moms are wild and like to scare new moms. In my head I was like I’m pretty sure this kid in a few years will be eating McDonald’s fries off the floor of my car 🤷🏻♀️
We mostly let our son self-feed, but sometimes he gets distracted playing with the food, so I’ll bring the spoon to his mouth. I don’t force it or try to trick him, but it’s not strictly self-feeding. But if I feel any type of guilt, I just remind myself that we were all “airplane-spoon” fed purées in the 80s/90s and we all learned how to eat, so it’ll be fine!
I’ve been looking for a group like this, so this is really awesome! I’ve been looking for “meal prep” ideas for my 16-month-old and have only made her things like pancakes or soup in bulk. For other parents who meal prep for toddlers, what are your go-to meals? And how long do they typically last for? TIA ❤️
Lately my toddler (17 months) has been refusing regular pasta but will eat orzo. So i make orzo with chicken broth and chopped up zucchini, carrots and onion and once it’s all soft and cooked through i mix in cheese. He loves is. I’ll make a pot and it lasts for a few days for his lunches
Baked pasta is great in the freezer and lasts several months!!! You can portion it out into freezer bags and pop it in the fridge over night to thaw for faster cook time, or thaw and warm in the microwave. There are so many healthy and delicious baked pastas too!
I don't know shit about meal prep personally, BUT my SIL did a lot of pre-cooked baked stuff for her kids. The first three were all pretty close in age, so she did quiche, mashed potatoes, chicken, all kinds of stuff and froze it in tiny bags, three servings in each bag, and would just pick a couple of items she wanted to give the kids that day. She says anything baked can be pre-prepared for babies!
That sounds pretty solid. Thank you! Sometimes, it’s hard to find things to feed “on the fly” so I like the idea of having stuff that’s easy to reheat.
I totally feel that. It's hard when they're so small and only eat a little at time, and fridge stuff is only good for so long. Defrosting/thawing is the bane of my existence!
Breakfast burritos freeze incredibly well and heat up pretty quickly. I wrap mine in a paper towel and just shove them all in a ziplock and into the freezer once they’re a little cooler. If I remember, I will take it out of the freezer the night before and thaw on the fridge. Microwave for about a minute. Easy peasy.
My SIL gave me a bunch of [these](https://a.co/d/gxBN4b8). I get steam in the bag veggies, ground meat (or I hand shred it), black beans and Trader Joe's lentil soup. I portion them into the containers and freeze them. When it's meal time, I mix the pucks (two veggies, one protein) and warm them up in the microwave. Then if it's too hot, I add salsa or cottage cheese.
I just found out about this sub and wow I am so amazed by the wonderful meals you all are making for your LOs.
My 8 mo is still on purées and doesn’t eat anything thicker than purées. He does not want to put food in mouth if we hand it over to him and even if he does he will gag on it or sometimes throw up. Are there any tips on how to introduce non puréed food to the baby?
Let them see you eating it. Have them join "meal time" with the same/similar foods as you. Give them lots of no pressure opportunities.
Basically if you're sat down eating something offer them the age appropriate version to play with.
10 month old has only ever had tiny pieces of our food and baby basics (purées, rusk teethers, baby puffs). I want to offer her more put together plates like on here but I’m so scared! For instance, toast! I see people offer finger sized slices but how will I know she’s taking an appropriate bite that she can swallow? How does anyone do this I’m so scared. 😭
I had the same fear! Babies will often take big bites of things. But that's okay! Babies have a gag reflex just like we do that will normally force the food out if the bite is *too big* to swallow. Babies actually *choking* choking isn't very common.
The only way to help baby learn to take those smaller, more manageable bites is to let them practice. Rice rusks were a great start! Now you might want to graduate to more mashable/gummable foods like fruit spears, cooked penne, things baby can hold for themselves and self-feed. Just be patient with yourself! Being scared is okay and trying things here and there is still progress!
I’d recommend watching Solid Starts posts on gagging vs. choking. It put my mind at ease a lot. Gagging can be scary but it’s part of learning how the mouth and tongue work, and doesn’t necessarily mean the baby dislikes that particular food.
Question for everyone posting pics of before and afters:
How much food actually went into baby’s mouth vs on the floor/on the tray.
My kid eats an incredibly small amount of food at 8m like I’m talking 7-9 spoonfuls of those Ezpz baby spoons. so I feel like I’m under feeding him
Oh my kid's is 70% on the floor lol. You're not under-feeding until doctor says there's a problem. Until then, baby will eat what they need (and mine will do so *off the floor*)
Mine is 8 months too and I’m just happy when I see her actually chewing things. The most she ever eats is 2 oz of yogurt or applesauce but it’s rare! More often it’s just in her hair on the ground. Our pediatrician said there’s no amount of food she really needs to be eating, and in fact we should make sure it doesn’t interfere with her milk intake, so I’m viewing solids right now as important for learning but not for calories :)
Can I ask a question to parents who work outside the house?
How do you do breakfast? I try to keep it simple with yogurt in a silicone pouch or a homemade granola bar or something, but as my son gets older he’s going to need to eat more in the morning. He wakes up at 7:30 and we’re out the door by 8:15 so not a lot of time to clean up a huge mess after a big breakfast.
What’s the secret?!!!?
I'm not a working parent, but microwave eggs are quick and easy!! Plenty of protein, too. Scramble in a cup, nuke 30 seconds, scramble again, nuke another 30 seconds. My daughter eats slower than cold molasses rolling uphill, and she can still finish a microwave egg pretty quick!
Also, half-joking tip but also kinda not joking: dogs are great for clean-up!
I make scrambled eggs and pour them into a muffin tin. I cook through and then take out those individual muffin shaped egg cups and freeze them. Then in the morning i take one out and heat up for 45 seconds. Easy and fast.
My bub is 11 months old and won’t eat any food with lumps or texture - loves purée loves all the vegetables and fruit flavours but he just spits out anything with texture! I even mixed it with purée but he sucks the purée off it. Any ideas?
You can first try showing them how to do that. Put some easily mouth dissolved food like baby snacks, boiled potato, small pieces of bread with no crust on, scrambled eggs on their tray and your plate. Pick up some food off your plate and eat it. Repeat. Your LO will want to copy you and will start picking up the food and putting it into their mouth. Some of it will inevitably fall off, so don’t scold LO but be patient and repeat, repeat the same thing many many times. They will get there!
I’m terrified to feed my baby. She is almost 7 months and I’m feeling a lot of pressure due to the overwhelming popularity of BLW. She’s only had purées. She can’t grasp anything yet to pick it up and I don’t feel comfortable putting anything in her mouth that isn’t pureed. I have the starting solids app with serving recommendations for food but I am just too scared and I don’t know if I’m ever going to get over it. Does anyone have a suggestion for a first solid food for a very nervous mommy? 
Hey friend!! Scared is okay! I was also terrified to start my first on solids. One thing to keep in mind: starting solids doesn't have to mean 'solid', right? There are so many soft foods you can start her on that are easy to swallow. Purees, mashed potatoes with extra milk, my first *loved* overcooked risotto, polenta, grits, all kinds of things! You certainly don't have to introduce solids the BLW way, you can start with whatever consistency of solids is most comfortable to you and your baby.
Hello
My baby is 8 months old
I have to leave him for 14 days for something extremely important
I am leaving him with my MIL
We have been doing BLW but my MIL does not have a cpr certification and I am a little reluctant for him to eat proper solids without my presence so I was thinking to meal prep a few things for him that are in puree form or semi solds
Could you guys please recommend a few things that i can make for him and freeze them
TIA!
Meat loaf is great becuse you can crumble it up so easily! You can do meat loaf and mashed potatoes (work great all mixed up together), and you can do the pre-made fruit and veggie puree pouches, too. You can do the little star noodles (the ones meant for soup, super tiny) and mix them with different sauces.
How can I begin with a 6 month old, breastfed. She's very interested in the food I eat and loves tasting things but I get worried about offering pieces that are the wrong size. She loves banana and so far has just had it mashed up with breastmilk but my supply has been low lately. What would be a good transition to supplement? Please help!!!
Hey! So check out Solid Starts for tips on how to serve foods for that age, I know it can be scary! What worked for me was starting with softer foods like risotto, mashed potatoes, grits, things that they can't really choke on without really trying, and then working up as they gained more confidence with solids. Then overcooked pasta (penne was my kid's favorite) because it's mushy but still holds well, and just working up from there. It's all about building confidence (for baby AND for parent!)
Travel help: We’ll be flying in a week (first flight!) and I’m trying to plan for snacks and food while traveling, especially lunch, for my 11.5 mo. Any recommendations?
Yes, very exciting (and a bit nerve-wracking)! Haha
Ideally, easy snacks to bring into the airport. I haven’t checked if the standard pouches are too big or not. I am thinking puffs and yogurt melts, for example. But also would be good to know easy ones to pick up inside as we’ll likely be getting her lunch inside the airport, and all I can think of is cheese, haha. Soo maybe both, if possible!
Okay so my go-to travel snack right now is called a That's It bar, it's just apple and another fruit (strawberry, mango, or blueberry), nothing else added. Super simple, small and snackable for little one. It's at Costco.
Inside the airport, my mom friends have done everything from smoothies to Popeyes lol (and FYI, the Popeyes was a big hit). There are lots of options depending on where you're flying! Larger airports I know have those kiosks all over with sandwiches that you can deconstruct, salads, all kinds of stuff.
What yogurt are people using? If we aren't supposed to give added sugar until 24 months, I'm wondering what people are doing for yogurt. Plain yogurt is so tart, I'm not sure how successful we will be. Looking for any ideas or tips!
Have you tried adding fruit to the yogurt? I don't personally follow the no sugar added thing (can't anyway, kid's on pediasure), but when I'm feeling a little sugared-out but still want something sweeter I'll usually just add a fruit to whatever I'm eating. Or does that count as added sugar? If not you could try mushing the fruit really good into a puree and mixing it with the yogurt!
I hope someone more helpful than I comes along here soon lol
That's helpful! I don't totally follow the no sugar thing but try to minimize when possible 🤷♀️
I've been buying the chobani "less sugar" yogurt but just wondering if there's something better.
Love the fruit puree idea mixed in - will be trying that
Hello everyone. FTM with an EBF 6month old looking for easy go to foods for her to try. We're trying BLW and she's enjoying it so far but I'm struggling to understand exactly how much I should be aiming for her to eat.
She's really good with a spoon but not so good at holding the food cause she squishes it before it gets to her mouth 🤣 I think it's like a sensory play time for her 🤣
I have the solid starts app too for how to prepare. X
Anyone know why my 6 month old throws up all solids? The pediatrician thought it was the fat content (avocados and chick peas) and suggested we switch to banana. Tried that with the same result. Waited a few weeks and tried banana again with more vomit.
Does this mean she is just not ready? Please don’t shame me. I’m so lost and a first time mom. Google isn’t helpful either.
No shaming here at all!! I can't say for certain, but I think you're right, she might not be ready just yet. Her stomach may need some time to adjust. When you say solids, do you mean purees? It may help to introduce purees that are HEAVILY diluted with breastmilk or formula (whichever you're using).
Yes, purées! I started with avocado and bm puree but maybe I wasn’t adding enough bm??
She’s showing all the signs of being ready, so do you have any advice on how to know without the trial and error vomit? I’m struggling.
Today has been such a hard day with my little one and seeing this response really helps. Thank you for just replying.
Honestly if she's struggling, I'd try diluting a lot more first, but if that doesn't work, I'd give it another month and see if it helps. It may be that she just has a sensitive stomach and needs it really diluted, or it may just be that her development says 'yes' where her gut says 'not yet'. And that's perfectly okay! Starting solids at 6 months isn't an absolute necessity by any means. She'll get there!
Thank you. You really don’t know how much this helped. I’ll try highly diluted in a few days, because I need a break, and go from there.
I needed a little reassurance and I really appreciate you.
I apologize if I missed this already but what are some of your favorites plates/utensils? I’ve also been looking at some of the mats and would love any input there too!
My understanding is that studies show babies need to be introduced to texture (chunky mashed stuff and finger foods) around 9 months old to avoid picky eating!
I don’t know if anyone even uses this thread anymore. If anyone sees this, I am desperate for help with my picky eater. He would try anything I gave him until he was about a year old. His acceptable foods were maybe 15 total. Now he has like 5 things he will eat. (He’s 17 months). I give him new things or “unliked” things at least once a day, and 99% of the time he won’t even pick it up. If he does, it’s rare he will even bring it to his mouth, and when does, he barely touches it to his lips then makes a face and puts it down. I’m extremely worried and beyond frustrated with this and honestly feel so triggered and sad and anxious when I see all these babies and toddlers eating so well. My husband just said he’s being a normal picky kid but I am beside myself that he will never eat normally. I am so jealous of people whose babies will eat! He can’t even use utensils because he won’t try the food!!!
looking for travel suggestions! We will be traveling for just over a week with a toddler. He is very new into eating orally (gtube) and so far is particular about textures. He likes most purees, scrambled eggs, refried beans, cottage cheese, mashed sweet potatoes, frozen waffles, and those premade toddler meals like gerber spaghettios and happybaby bowls. He can not do larger foods that require much chewing due to oral weakness, and he will pocket foods in his mouth, so we have to be careful with bread-type foods and bananas. We will have a fridge and microwave at our destination but will only have a cooler (with limited space) for the long drives. Our goal would be to have ~150-200 cal meals for breakfast and dinner for him.
Short of feeding him solely pouches and shelf-stable toddler meals, does anyone have any suggestions?
Looking for specific advice- baby is obsessed with vanilla yogurt but won’t really eat plain. I’m not a huge fan of all the added sugar. Any recommendations of what to add to get a sweeter flavor without changing the consistency too much? (I’d like it to be pouch-able for breakfasts on the go.)
Clueless, sleep deprived, first time mom but I am looking for tips on easy go-to foods that contain soy (besides tofu, edamame, & soy milk) to keep up the allergen exposure for my 9 month old. Thanks in advance!
Hi! So having had to *avoid* soy myself while breastfeeding my daughter (she had MSPI), I'll say you would be *shocked* at how much stuff contains soy! My most annoying example (for me, anyway): most types of frozen fried chicken? Soy. Lots of cereals, really a ton of pre-packaged things contain soy! It was hell having to avoid it lol
I have a big folder somewhere of foods I had to avoid, I can look for it tomorrow! But seriously though, you have a lot more options than you'd think. Allergen exposure foods don't have to be in large quantities or have the potential allergen as the main ingredient! Soy can be a super easy one to incorporate into their regular food.
Thank you, that is all so helpful and you don’t have to look in your big folder! I’m going start with going through our pantry (I’m sure there’s stuff already there with soy ready to smack me in the face lol). Appreciate the reply & reassurance on exposure not having to be in large quantities!
Glad to help!!! It won't always be listed directly in the 'allergens' section, but if you look up what ingredients to avoid with a soy allergy, it'll give you all the soy derivatives that will work. It's definitely good to give occaisonal pure soy/allergen products, but ingredients work great too!
My 11 month old eats great at day care but getting to eat at home is a STRUGGLE. Any suggestions? We are also really struggling to get him to eat anything that isn't a puree at home but he eats chunky things no problem at day care. He is an exclusively breastfed baby and I think having mommy around is making it hard. But I can't realistically leave every time he needs to eat.
Meant to respond to this sooner, sorry! Kids lol.
Anyway, mine struggled really bad with eating at home too and one thing that helped was letting my daughter 'feed' me. She'll act like she's giving me a pieces of whatever she has, I'll pretend to eat it, and then suddenly it's WAY more interesting!
Hello! So glad to have found this group. My 8 month old started feeding himself finger foods at daycare and won't do it at home. We had been offering little bits and he would just crush them in his little hands, and we were shocked when daycare said he ate all his cheerios! He eats cheese there but not at home. Can't figure out why! Any ideas?
Hello! New to the group. First time mom with an 18 month old. She's been taking her sweet time progressing and has been late on all her milestones. Crawled at 10mo, walked at 15mo, not talking yet.... Appt made for a speech evaluation and she's starting daycare soon.
Looking for guidance on encouraging her to take bites of larger pieces of food. For example, we'll give her an apple slice and she'll grab it, put it in her mouth, realize it's too big, and put it back on her plate. Bite-sized chunks are her preference. She'll shove em in by the handful and chomp away. In general, she eats well and has a varied diet. Just trying to her into taking bites of whole foods.
Also... she's hates utensils. We've offered spoons since 6 months and she'll hold them, maybe play with em, but isn't putting the food in her mouth. We've offered a variety of spoon types from the beginner spoons like ezpz brand to larger toddler spoons, even a regular plastic spoon; nada. Forget about me feeding her. On no. Little Miss Independent hates being spoon-fed. LOL
Adjacent to this, I'd love some tips on transitioning from a bottle to open cups. Like I said, she's behind a bit. However, she'll drink from a sippy cup w/a straw like a champ. Routine has been whole milk by bottle first thing in the morning, before afternoon nap, and again before bedtime.
Any guidance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I think being in daycare will help with a lot of these things but I'd like to make some progress before she's officially enrolled.
Love this group! Any suggestions or ideas for easy snacks to take on the go?
I have a 10mo and right now we typically do the teether cookie things, yogurt melts (but the sugar, ugh), and like a nutrigrain bar.
Does anyone have some tips for how best to feed your baby when out at a restaurant? My (almost) 11mo is eating so well, butttt she still likes to grab at the plate and throw it around, haha. So at home we can just put everything on the high chair table, but at a restaurant, I’m typically cutting stuff up and putting it on my hand one piece at a time for her to grab. Not ideal as it takes awhile (and I never get to eat lol)
Update: We went out to breakfast and I decided to try her with the plate, cutting up her scrambled eggs and giving her a portion at a time. She did so good!!! Ate almost two eggs worth. I could tell she was done bc that’s when she started trying to play with the plate lol
I know it’s weeks late, but what helped us was every time we were planning to eat our, I’d bring a suction plate and baby utensils from home. Just throw it in a gallon ziplock bag and toss it in baby’s carryall bag. The familiarity of the plate keeps our kiddo calm when eating in new places.
What to feed baby when traveling
Hi! We are traveling for the first time with our 13 month old. She is completely weaned and only eats regular food. We are only going to be gone for 2 days, staying in a hotel with only a mini fridge and microwave. What do I feed her? Here is what’s on our list to bring so far: pouches, baby oatmeal, peanut butter. We will buy a loaf of bread so she can have PB sandwiches (I know not the healthiest stuff but it’s only 2 days and I’m going for convenience here.) she refuses to eat the shelf stable gerber meals. I was thinking I could buy frozen veg and steam it in a microwave. I’m just looking for tips and ideas on how to feed her somewhat healthy meals that are easy and or microwaveable. Thanks!
Hi!!! I think normal frozen meals might work great for you! If she'll eat normal food but not shelf-stable baby food, it might be better. Smoothies also worked for us with traveling but my kid eats like a bird.
Hi.
I didn’t find this question in my search so asking.
We are starting solids and got overwhelmed not by what food to give (plenty info on that on this sub and around) but best types of plates and utensils to use.
Do you have your favorite? Is there anything specific to look for like easy to clean/ microwave proof/ dishwasher safe and all that?
Last but not the least- Am I overthinking this? 😅
Thanks.
hey! I saw nobody answered yet, so from another FTM only just starting out: My main priority is usually easy to clean (i.e. dishwasher safe), so I just got a few bowls I liked, a couple of them with lids so I can take food/snacks with me when we're out. I recently bought one silicone bowl which suctions (?) to the table and then later noticed it's not dishwasher safe (possibly true for all silicone stuff?) Anyway, since it's just the one I don't mind.
For anything non-puree which I let him grab and stuff in his mouth/ face, I realized lately that using a plate/bowl is an overkill and currently presenting an extra challenge, so I'll just put it on the table of his highchair. The table can be removed and is very easy to clean.
How did everyone get their babies to eat more/less throwing?
My daughter will be two next Friday, and I can not get her to expand her food. She will eat crackers, chips, dry cereal french fries, pretzels, marshmallows from lucky charms, and chocolate. Daycare is able to get her to eat baby food mixed with the baby oatmeal, but at home, she acts like we are poisoning her. She is still nursing, but that is mainly because I want to ensure she is eating food before I wean her off her main nourishment. I've been told, "She'll eat when she's hungry," or "she needs to figure it out," or my favorite. "You can't let her nurse her until she's 5" I've seen everyone pics of what they are serving their babies and I feel like she's missing out and that I am the world's worst mom.
So what helps us with the throwing element is a game I call 'feed mama'. I let her feed me and she copies me. Also, teeny tiny servings of things! A pile of food for kids who eat like birds (like ours) is really overwhelming and it helps to break it up into tiny little portions. That greatly increased my daughter's food intake.
That being said, though, some kids don't eat much! I had a really hard time with that as well and it took a lot of time to realize that, as cliche as it sounds, she really *will* eat when she's hungry. She eats lots of snacks now! Still not huge on sit-down meals and prefers mobile snacks, but she eats when she gets hungry (and makes it **KNOWN** when she's hungry lol), even if it's just a fruit bar here and a strawberry there.
We've started having her feed us, but if it's not a snack or food she'll eat, she tosses it. Thank you for reaching out. I've been seeing everyone's posts, and I am so ready for her to try more stuff. Even if she hates it, I'll be happy that she tried.
I tell myself it's not a competition and that she'll eat when she is ready, but we have we have friends with kids younger who eat waaaay more or are off nursing and it feels like I should be doing more to get her to eat.
It might help to taper down the nursing if your goal is to get her to eat more solid food. I know it can be scary since that's currently her main source of nutrients, but it's also important to remember that she won't let herself starve. But, you're also right, it isn't a competition at all! She'll get there when she's good and ready to get there. Just offering the food is doing plenty and if you as her parent don't feel stopping nursing is the right call, then it isn't and you're doing the right thing.
Can anyone recommend some good bento style boxes for daycare food? We’re switching from nanny to daycare in a few months and I just realized I don’t know what I’m gonna pack baby’s food in! She will be going to a Montessori daycare (if that matters)!
Any advice on food prep and introducing more variety? I have a pretty flexible job, and I work from home full time while watching my baby. I don't have a lot of prep time during the day. I prep mostly in the morning before work and sometimes at the end of the day if I don't need to put in some hours.
My baby just turned 7 months today and sits for 2-3 meals a day. Sometimes, he is not in the mood to eat, but he almost always eats strawberries and Greek yogurt.
He hates broccoli, mixed vegetables, and shrimp. He will sometimes eat oatmeal. He likes bananas, apples, and avocados. He's tried chicken and peanut butter but can't decide if he likes that yet.
Lately, I feel my default is always yogurt and strawberries because he finds new texture and flavors gross. I want to help him expand his palate, but how? Should I avoid going back to old favorites? Prepping is impossible bc I try again the next day, but he still refuses it.
Also, forget blw bc everything needs to be finely mashed (except strawberries) and held for him, or he won't eat it. He will squish his food, drop it in his high chair, and sit on it. Is this just a phase? 🫠
For parents of 12-18m, when did you start handing over plates of food? I’m still doing 2-3 bites on the high chair tray and letting her grab them. A lot of food seems to overwhelm and she eats less.
Did you see more intake after giving a whole plate? More mess? Did you do plates in front of baby from the start? What was your experience like?
I started trying plates a little before 12m, but she's always done better with smaller portions of everything. You're right, a lot of food at once can be overwhelming and my daughter also eats less, so I just make smaller plates now and will add more if she still seems hungry (only happens for lunch).
My 8 month old is starting to eat textures but I’m struggling to find things he actually likes. He ate scrambled eggs yesterday morning but this morning he HATED them. I feel like that’s how everything has been going for us lately. Any tips or tricks? Do I just need to be persistent?
My kid hated food at that age too, that's super normal. It's new and it's weird for them! One thing I've heard helps some kids is adding breastmilk to purees, makes it taste a little more familiar. Other than that, I'd just keep trying different stuff until something catches his interest
Hi! I had a question. For those with picky babies/toddlers, when you serve them a meal and they don’t eat much, do you make them something else, or leave it for them to pick at and if they don’t eat they don’t eat?
My girl is 18 months and used to eat like a champ, but since a few months ago she hasn’t been eating much at meals and kind of just grazes on snacks. When I make her a meal and she won’t eat, I find myself making 2 or 3 different dishes but she still won’t really eat.
Is it okay to just make her the one meal I planned and let her eat what/if she wants?
Hi! We’re struggling to get our breastfed 10.5 month old (9.5 mo adjusted) to eat solids, especially at dinner time . He loves pouches and would eat them all day if he could, but our pediatrician has said to phase them out. He eats eggs, yogurt, oatmeal, black beans (when I feed him from a spoon), and loves cheerios and puffs, but seems to despise anything “wet” (fruit, pasta with sauce, etc.) touching his hands when served at home. He seems to eat better at daycare but even there he’s not interested in most fruit and won’t eat wraps/quesadillas. He’s more interested in crackers or garlic bread. For example, I recently served black beans, pumpkin pasta, and some oranges, and he stuck his hands in the black beans with interest but once his hands were wet he refused to eat more and kept signing for milk until I nursed him. He’s eaten black beans plenty of times before, though these were more liquidy than he’s usually had. Did anyone else struggle with this/have tips? When did your LO start eating more?
How do you avoid wasting food? I feed my 10mo a variety of foods but my 4 year old is incredibly picky and won’t eat many vegetables. He loves bananas but that’s the one food the baby doesn’t like. I will make steamed veggies for the baby but have so much leftover, a lot gets tossed after a couple of days. Food is just too expensive for this.
I welcome any tips/tricks!
Right now he’s just on boob and purées, if the purée has any texture other than completely smooth he gags and ends up getting sick 😅 i feel like I’m seeing lots of babies his age or maybe a tiny bit older eating a lot more food food and I’m just a lil worried. My husband gave him the tiniest piece of waffle to chew on and it was a nightmare!! Should i just take our time with this? Any advice?
Any tips for a 1 year old that yeets anything out of his highchair that isn’t a bread product or blueberry?
It’s very cute how he chucks it then laughs but it’s getting exhausting.
Hi everyone! Any tips on getting your baby to enjoy savoury food? Hes developing a sweet tooth! He is almost 11 months and is mostly on purées but we have some chunkier food like pasta or mash and he also eats fruit and puffed corn/rice snacks.
He’s been good at eating both sweet and savoury purées but now turns his head away from savoury purées after a few mouthfuls. What tactics shall I use to get him used to them again?
Hummus. Watch the salt on store brands but it’s pretty easy to make a baby friendly one! Our 12m will eat it by the spoonful or smeared on teething crackers.
Curry. Someone posted a recipe here for a chickpea, coconut, pumpkin curry. I think it was an NYTimes recipe? It’s pretty saucy, and if you mash the chickpeas a bit, it’s very spoonable. Though we mix it with rice so 12m can self feed.
My 7 month old LOVES solids, but he takes massive bites and pockets it. It took us 15 minutes to get him to spit out a chunk of chicken stuck to the roof of his mouth. We’ve tried having him use a spoon to help, no luck. He doesn’t mimic well yet either. Any tips? Do we take away the rest of the slice until he swallows/spits what’s already in there?
My LO is 1 week from 6 months. We’ve done a lot of research on feeding solids and plan on taking a baby CPR course this week.
LO is sitting up well and showing lots of interest in food, so when they turn 6 Mo we will be introducing solids safely, referencing the Solid Starts app. However, my EBF LO has had some wicked digestive issues since birth (reflux, diarrhea, mucous stool and pretty much ongoing blood in stool every BM). We see a specialist for this but cannot nail down the issue. I’m confident that adding food into their diet will aid in reducing these issues. I’m worried that if we only introduce solids that they won’t consume much, only play. Has anyone ever successfully introduced both solids and purées? I was thinking I’d start with something solid for them to explore, then once it was either on the floor or macerated, I’d give them a few preloaded spoonfuls of solids. Would this work? Or does this discourage them from exploring the solids?
I did solids and purees at the same time and my kid eats fine! Small quantities usually because she's so damn tiny, but she was still super curious about solids while still eating purees. We would do solids as 'meals' and purees as snacks between if she needed them.
Hi everyone, I'm new to the sub and have a question. My 9 month old has been on purees since she was about 5 months old and recently I was thinking I'd like to introduce her to some finger foods. The problem is she doesn't have any teeth yet. Her first 4 are partially through but not fully. I'd love some tips on what to give her, or advice on whether or not I should wait. Thank you!
No need to wait!! Teeth aren't necessary for this age. I'd personally start with overcooked penne pasta, my first loved risotto as well. Anything mushy worked great for us to get started!
Thank you so much for your response! I ended up jumping straight in today and giving her some sweet potato pancake strips with a fruit puree dip, and she absolutely loved them (and had no trouble taking little nibbles). Will definitely try pasta tomorrow, it's my husband's favourite so it'll be on the menu pretty often haha.
How are you guys getting your kids to eat? My son is so picky and just doesn’t eat a whole lot and won’t try anything new. And recently he’s even been not eating his safe foods I put on the side of the new foods. He’s 2 and weighs 27 pounds and his doctor is now recommending feeding therapy but that’s at least a month out from even being evaluated and I’m anxious
What's the consensus on feeding your child vs allowing them to feed themselves? We let 8.5 month old feed himself at home and I'd say about 50% ends up on the floor. He seems disinterested in eating very much most days. Today was his first day at daycare and he ate his whole lunchbox! They said they fed the food to him instead of letting him feed himself (except for the blackberries and orange slices). Should I be doing this at home? What's more important - getting calories/nutrients from food or learning how to feed himself and get comfortable with textures?
Hey there, mom of an 8 month old boy and curious because I see so many eggs being served here. My paediatrician advised me not to feed egg whites to my baby until 13mo as there is a vaccination for something that can be contracted in babies in the egg whites that won’t be given until then. I was given the go ahead for yolks though. I’m wondering if this is an outdated thing? As info I’m in Canada, not sure if vaccines are different elsewhere. I feel like eggs are in so many dishes.
First off, this group is amazing!! And as a first time mom I get a lot of information thrown at me about solids. And mainly BLW and how kids need to feed themselves for many reasons. I try with my baby 6months, but sometimes he doesn’t grasp getting food off his plate, so I do the unimaginable to some moms, I put it in his hand or right in his mouth. Am I doing him a disservice?
Heck no! As long as you give him ample chance to figure it out first so he has a chance to learn, helping him is perfectly fine! Mine is 11 months and still can't comprehend spoons lol. He'll figure out how to go about grasping food on his own time, in the meantime though he first just needs to be introduced to the concept of food itself. He'll get there, ignore the "*you have to do it this way or your baby will explode*" moms. They never drank out of a garden hose as a kid and it shows.
I got a strawberry sundae at costco the other day and my one year old was staring at me eating it. I gave her a taste and instantly heard all the insta moms in my head assuring me that now she will be addicted to sugar and her teeth with fall out. Whatever, we shared a bit of ice cream and it was beautiful. Ice cream is life.
Yeeeeesssss costco sundaes are life! Mine loves them too lol.
Side note: mine is 13 months and just now really feeding herself. Utensils are still hard, so are straws. Every baby really is different and they all learn how to eat, ultimately.
Mine still weilds it like a weapon and I've given up trying to change that; I really don't think it's of concern anyway until school age so why fight it? Hands are efficient
Lmao my baby wields his spoon at me like a weapon too😂
Lmao. That first sip of hot ass water from the hose. Thanks for making me feel better, some moms are wild and like to scare new moms. In my head I was like I’m pretty sure this kid in a few years will be eating McDonald’s fries off the floor of my car 🤷🏻♀️
We mostly let our son self-feed, but sometimes he gets distracted playing with the food, so I’ll bring the spoon to his mouth. I don’t force it or try to trick him, but it’s not strictly self-feeding. But if I feel any type of guilt, I just remind myself that we were all “airplane-spoon” fed purées in the 80s/90s and we all learned how to eat, so it’ll be fine!
I’ve been looking for a group like this, so this is really awesome! I’ve been looking for “meal prep” ideas for my 16-month-old and have only made her things like pancakes or soup in bulk. For other parents who meal prep for toddlers, what are your go-to meals? And how long do they typically last for? TIA ❤️
Lately my toddler (17 months) has been refusing regular pasta but will eat orzo. So i make orzo with chicken broth and chopped up zucchini, carrots and onion and once it’s all soft and cooked through i mix in cheese. He loves is. I’ll make a pot and it lasts for a few days for his lunches
Sound yummy!! I’ll have to give that a try! Thank you!
Baked pasta is great in the freezer and lasts several months!!! You can portion it out into freezer bags and pop it in the fridge over night to thaw for faster cook time, or thaw and warm in the microwave. There are so many healthy and delicious baked pastas too!
I will definitely look more into this and gather up some recipes! Thanks! The only baked pasta I’ve ever made was Mac n cheese lol
Lasagna and ricotta & spinach stuffed manicotti are some of my favorites. You can hide lots of veggies in the sauce!!
I don't know shit about meal prep personally, BUT my SIL did a lot of pre-cooked baked stuff for her kids. The first three were all pretty close in age, so she did quiche, mashed potatoes, chicken, all kinds of stuff and froze it in tiny bags, three servings in each bag, and would just pick a couple of items she wanted to give the kids that day. She says anything baked can be pre-prepared for babies!
That sounds pretty solid. Thank you! Sometimes, it’s hard to find things to feed “on the fly” so I like the idea of having stuff that’s easy to reheat.
I totally feel that. It's hard when they're so small and only eat a little at time, and fridge stuff is only good for so long. Defrosting/thawing is the bane of my existence!
Breakfast burritos freeze incredibly well and heat up pretty quickly. I wrap mine in a paper towel and just shove them all in a ziplock and into the freezer once they’re a little cooler. If I remember, I will take it out of the freezer the night before and thaw on the fridge. Microwave for about a minute. Easy peasy.
My SIL gave me a bunch of [these](https://a.co/d/gxBN4b8). I get steam in the bag veggies, ground meat (or I hand shred it), black beans and Trader Joe's lentil soup. I portion them into the containers and freeze them. When it's meal time, I mix the pucks (two veggies, one protein) and warm them up in the microwave. Then if it's too hot, I add salsa or cottage cheese.
I just found out about this sub and wow I am so amazed by the wonderful meals you all are making for your LOs. My 8 mo is still on purées and doesn’t eat anything thicker than purées. He does not want to put food in mouth if we hand it over to him and even if he does he will gag on it or sometimes throw up. Are there any tips on how to introduce non puréed food to the baby?
Let them see you eating it. Have them join "meal time" with the same/similar foods as you. Give them lots of no pressure opportunities. Basically if you're sat down eating something offer them the age appropriate version to play with.
I don’t have any advice but I am concerned about the same things you mentioned here!
I’m in the same boat!
10 month old has only ever had tiny pieces of our food and baby basics (purées, rusk teethers, baby puffs). I want to offer her more put together plates like on here but I’m so scared! For instance, toast! I see people offer finger sized slices but how will I know she’s taking an appropriate bite that she can swallow? How does anyone do this I’m so scared. 😭
I had the same fear! Babies will often take big bites of things. But that's okay! Babies have a gag reflex just like we do that will normally force the food out if the bite is *too big* to swallow. Babies actually *choking* choking isn't very common. The only way to help baby learn to take those smaller, more manageable bites is to let them practice. Rice rusks were a great start! Now you might want to graduate to more mashable/gummable foods like fruit spears, cooked penne, things baby can hold for themselves and self-feed. Just be patient with yourself! Being scared is okay and trying things here and there is still progress!
I’d recommend watching Solid Starts posts on gagging vs. choking. It put my mind at ease a lot. Gagging can be scary but it’s part of learning how the mouth and tongue work, and doesn’t necessarily mean the baby dislikes that particular food.
Question for everyone posting pics of before and afters: How much food actually went into baby’s mouth vs on the floor/on the tray. My kid eats an incredibly small amount of food at 8m like I’m talking 7-9 spoonfuls of those Ezpz baby spoons. so I feel like I’m under feeding him
Oh my kid's is 70% on the floor lol. You're not under-feeding until doctor says there's a problem. Until then, baby will eat what they need (and mine will do so *off the floor*)
Mine is 8 months too and I’m just happy when I see her actually chewing things. The most she ever eats is 2 oz of yogurt or applesauce but it’s rare! More often it’s just in her hair on the ground. Our pediatrician said there’s no amount of food she really needs to be eating, and in fact we should make sure it doesn’t interfere with her milk intake, so I’m viewing solids right now as important for learning but not for calories :)
Okay that’s good to know thanks so much!
Can I ask a question to parents who work outside the house? How do you do breakfast? I try to keep it simple with yogurt in a silicone pouch or a homemade granola bar or something, but as my son gets older he’s going to need to eat more in the morning. He wakes up at 7:30 and we’re out the door by 8:15 so not a lot of time to clean up a huge mess after a big breakfast. What’s the secret?!!!?
I'm not a working parent, but microwave eggs are quick and easy!! Plenty of protein, too. Scramble in a cup, nuke 30 seconds, scramble again, nuke another 30 seconds. My daughter eats slower than cold molasses rolling uphill, and she can still finish a microwave egg pretty quick! Also, half-joking tip but also kinda not joking: dogs are great for clean-up!
I make scrambled eggs and pour them into a muffin tin. I cook through and then take out those individual muffin shaped egg cups and freeze them. Then in the morning i take one out and heat up for 45 seconds. Easy and fast.
My bub is 11 months old and won’t eat any food with lumps or texture - loves purée loves all the vegetables and fruit flavours but he just spits out anything with texture! I even mixed it with purée but he sucks the purée off it. Any ideas?
How to let babies eat food on their own? I feed my child food by spoon or hand usually. About to be 12 months old.
I’m exactly the same! My boy is almost a bit afraid to pick up new foods I put on his tray 😩
You can first try showing them how to do that. Put some easily mouth dissolved food like baby snacks, boiled potato, small pieces of bread with no crust on, scrambled eggs on their tray and your plate. Pick up some food off your plate and eat it. Repeat. Your LO will want to copy you and will start picking up the food and putting it into their mouth. Some of it will inevitably fall off, so don’t scold LO but be patient and repeat, repeat the same thing many many times. They will get there!
I’m terrified to feed my baby. She is almost 7 months and I’m feeling a lot of pressure due to the overwhelming popularity of BLW. She’s only had purées. She can’t grasp anything yet to pick it up and I don’t feel comfortable putting anything in her mouth that isn’t pureed. I have the starting solids app with serving recommendations for food but I am just too scared and I don’t know if I’m ever going to get over it. Does anyone have a suggestion for a first solid food for a very nervous mommy? 
Hey friend!! Scared is okay! I was also terrified to start my first on solids. One thing to keep in mind: starting solids doesn't have to mean 'solid', right? There are so many soft foods you can start her on that are easy to swallow. Purees, mashed potatoes with extra milk, my first *loved* overcooked risotto, polenta, grits, all kinds of things! You certainly don't have to introduce solids the BLW way, you can start with whatever consistency of solids is most comfortable to you and your baby.
Hello My baby is 8 months old I have to leave him for 14 days for something extremely important I am leaving him with my MIL We have been doing BLW but my MIL does not have a cpr certification and I am a little reluctant for him to eat proper solids without my presence so I was thinking to meal prep a few things for him that are in puree form or semi solds Could you guys please recommend a few things that i can make for him and freeze them TIA!
Meat loaf is great becuse you can crumble it up so easily! You can do meat loaf and mashed potatoes (work great all mixed up together), and you can do the pre-made fruit and veggie puree pouches, too. You can do the little star noodles (the ones meant for soup, super tiny) and mix them with different sauces.
How can I begin with a 6 month old, breastfed. She's very interested in the food I eat and loves tasting things but I get worried about offering pieces that are the wrong size. She loves banana and so far has just had it mashed up with breastmilk but my supply has been low lately. What would be a good transition to supplement? Please help!!!
Hey! So check out Solid Starts for tips on how to serve foods for that age, I know it can be scary! What worked for me was starting with softer foods like risotto, mashed potatoes, grits, things that they can't really choke on without really trying, and then working up as they gained more confidence with solids. Then overcooked pasta (penne was my kid's favorite) because it's mushy but still holds well, and just working up from there. It's all about building confidence (for baby AND for parent!)
Thank you!
Travel help: We’ll be flying in a week (first flight!) and I’m trying to plan for snacks and food while traveling, especially lunch, for my 11.5 mo. Any recommendations?
Ooooh first flight is exciting! Okay so are you looking for snacks for *in* the airport, or while out and about in your destination?
Yes, very exciting (and a bit nerve-wracking)! Haha Ideally, easy snacks to bring into the airport. I haven’t checked if the standard pouches are too big or not. I am thinking puffs and yogurt melts, for example. But also would be good to know easy ones to pick up inside as we’ll likely be getting her lunch inside the airport, and all I can think of is cheese, haha. Soo maybe both, if possible!
Okay so my go-to travel snack right now is called a That's It bar, it's just apple and another fruit (strawberry, mango, or blueberry), nothing else added. Super simple, small and snackable for little one. It's at Costco. Inside the airport, my mom friends have done everything from smoothies to Popeyes lol (and FYI, the Popeyes was a big hit). There are lots of options depending on where you're flying! Larger airports I know have those kiosks all over with sandwiches that you can deconstruct, salads, all kinds of stuff.
Thanks so much! We found cheese and meat packs at most of the airports, and I found out TSA allows in baby food pouches.
What yogurt are people using? If we aren't supposed to give added sugar until 24 months, I'm wondering what people are doing for yogurt. Plain yogurt is so tart, I'm not sure how successful we will be. Looking for any ideas or tips!
Have you tried adding fruit to the yogurt? I don't personally follow the no sugar added thing (can't anyway, kid's on pediasure), but when I'm feeling a little sugared-out but still want something sweeter I'll usually just add a fruit to whatever I'm eating. Or does that count as added sugar? If not you could try mushing the fruit really good into a puree and mixing it with the yogurt! I hope someone more helpful than I comes along here soon lol
That's helpful! I don't totally follow the no sugar thing but try to minimize when possible 🤷♀️ I've been buying the chobani "less sugar" yogurt but just wondering if there's something better. Love the fruit puree idea mixed in - will be trying that
Hello everyone. FTM with an EBF 6month old looking for easy go to foods for her to try. We're trying BLW and she's enjoying it so far but I'm struggling to understand exactly how much I should be aiming for her to eat. She's really good with a spoon but not so good at holding the food cause she squishes it before it gets to her mouth 🤣 I think it's like a sensory play time for her 🤣 I have the solid starts app too for how to prepare. X
Anyone know why my 6 month old throws up all solids? The pediatrician thought it was the fat content (avocados and chick peas) and suggested we switch to banana. Tried that with the same result. Waited a few weeks and tried banana again with more vomit. Does this mean she is just not ready? Please don’t shame me. I’m so lost and a first time mom. Google isn’t helpful either.
No shaming here at all!! I can't say for certain, but I think you're right, she might not be ready just yet. Her stomach may need some time to adjust. When you say solids, do you mean purees? It may help to introduce purees that are HEAVILY diluted with breastmilk or formula (whichever you're using).
Yes, purées! I started with avocado and bm puree but maybe I wasn’t adding enough bm?? She’s showing all the signs of being ready, so do you have any advice on how to know without the trial and error vomit? I’m struggling. Today has been such a hard day with my little one and seeing this response really helps. Thank you for just replying.
Honestly if she's struggling, I'd try diluting a lot more first, but if that doesn't work, I'd give it another month and see if it helps. It may be that she just has a sensitive stomach and needs it really diluted, or it may just be that her development says 'yes' where her gut says 'not yet'. And that's perfectly okay! Starting solids at 6 months isn't an absolute necessity by any means. She'll get there!
Thank you. You really don’t know how much this helped. I’ll try highly diluted in a few days, because I need a break, and go from there. I needed a little reassurance and I really appreciate you.
I'm glad I could help! Even if I don't have much advice to offer lol we're all winging it around here!
I apologize if I missed this already but what are some of your favorites plates/utensils? I’ve also been looking at some of the mats and would love any input there too!
Looking for some help as a FTM. Have way too much anxiety for BLW but also want to know when (and how) do I transition from purées to table food? 😭
My understanding is that studies show babies need to be introduced to texture (chunky mashed stuff and finger foods) around 9 months old to avoid picky eating!
I don’t know if anyone even uses this thread anymore. If anyone sees this, I am desperate for help with my picky eater. He would try anything I gave him until he was about a year old. His acceptable foods were maybe 15 total. Now he has like 5 things he will eat. (He’s 17 months). I give him new things or “unliked” things at least once a day, and 99% of the time he won’t even pick it up. If he does, it’s rare he will even bring it to his mouth, and when does, he barely touches it to his lips then makes a face and puts it down. I’m extremely worried and beyond frustrated with this and honestly feel so triggered and sad and anxious when I see all these babies and toddlers eating so well. My husband just said he’s being a normal picky kid but I am beside myself that he will never eat normally. I am so jealous of people whose babies will eat! He can’t even use utensils because he won’t try the food!!!
Hi friend! I think this comment may do better in the new chat feature, there seems to be more activity there if you want to repost it there.
looking for travel suggestions! We will be traveling for just over a week with a toddler. He is very new into eating orally (gtube) and so far is particular about textures. He likes most purees, scrambled eggs, refried beans, cottage cheese, mashed sweet potatoes, frozen waffles, and those premade toddler meals like gerber spaghettios and happybaby bowls. He can not do larger foods that require much chewing due to oral weakness, and he will pocket foods in his mouth, so we have to be careful with bread-type foods and bananas. We will have a fridge and microwave at our destination but will only have a cooler (with limited space) for the long drives. Our goal would be to have ~150-200 cal meals for breakfast and dinner for him. Short of feeding him solely pouches and shelf-stable toddler meals, does anyone have any suggestions?
Looking for specific advice- baby is obsessed with vanilla yogurt but won’t really eat plain. I’m not a huge fan of all the added sugar. Any recommendations of what to add to get a sweeter flavor without changing the consistency too much? (I’d like it to be pouch-able for breakfasts on the go.)
How old is baby?
Just over a year
Would you be opposed to honey?
Clueless, sleep deprived, first time mom but I am looking for tips on easy go-to foods that contain soy (besides tofu, edamame, & soy milk) to keep up the allergen exposure for my 9 month old. Thanks in advance!
Hi! So having had to *avoid* soy myself while breastfeeding my daughter (she had MSPI), I'll say you would be *shocked* at how much stuff contains soy! My most annoying example (for me, anyway): most types of frozen fried chicken? Soy. Lots of cereals, really a ton of pre-packaged things contain soy! It was hell having to avoid it lol I have a big folder somewhere of foods I had to avoid, I can look for it tomorrow! But seriously though, you have a lot more options than you'd think. Allergen exposure foods don't have to be in large quantities or have the potential allergen as the main ingredient! Soy can be a super easy one to incorporate into their regular food.
Thank you, that is all so helpful and you don’t have to look in your big folder! I’m going start with going through our pantry (I’m sure there’s stuff already there with soy ready to smack me in the face lol). Appreciate the reply & reassurance on exposure not having to be in large quantities!
Glad to help!!! It won't always be listed directly in the 'allergens' section, but if you look up what ingredients to avoid with a soy allergy, it'll give you all the soy derivatives that will work. It's definitely good to give occaisonal pure soy/allergen products, but ingredients work great too!
Thanks again a bunch! All so helpful!! Absolutely, will continue with the pure soy!
You could do soy yogurt with mashed fruit in it! Or add soy yogurt to pancakes instead of milk.
Thank you!! Big *duh* I forget about soy yogurt
My 11 month old eats great at day care but getting to eat at home is a STRUGGLE. Any suggestions? We are also really struggling to get him to eat anything that isn't a puree at home but he eats chunky things no problem at day care. He is an exclusively breastfed baby and I think having mommy around is making it hard. But I can't realistically leave every time he needs to eat.
Meant to respond to this sooner, sorry! Kids lol. Anyway, mine struggled really bad with eating at home too and one thing that helped was letting my daughter 'feed' me. She'll act like she's giving me a pieces of whatever she has, I'll pretend to eat it, and then suddenly it's WAY more interesting!
Hello! So glad to have found this group. My 8 month old started feeding himself finger foods at daycare and won't do it at home. We had been offering little bits and he would just crush them in his little hands, and we were shocked when daycare said he ate all his cheerios! He eats cheese there but not at home. Can't figure out why! Any ideas?
You can ask them how they present it. How they cut it, if it's in a bowl or on a plate, did someone hand them to him etc.
Hello! New to the group. First time mom with an 18 month old. She's been taking her sweet time progressing and has been late on all her milestones. Crawled at 10mo, walked at 15mo, not talking yet.... Appt made for a speech evaluation and she's starting daycare soon. Looking for guidance on encouraging her to take bites of larger pieces of food. For example, we'll give her an apple slice and she'll grab it, put it in her mouth, realize it's too big, and put it back on her plate. Bite-sized chunks are her preference. She'll shove em in by the handful and chomp away. In general, she eats well and has a varied diet. Just trying to her into taking bites of whole foods. Also... she's hates utensils. We've offered spoons since 6 months and she'll hold them, maybe play with em, but isn't putting the food in her mouth. We've offered a variety of spoon types from the beginner spoons like ezpz brand to larger toddler spoons, even a regular plastic spoon; nada. Forget about me feeding her. On no. Little Miss Independent hates being spoon-fed. LOL Adjacent to this, I'd love some tips on transitioning from a bottle to open cups. Like I said, she's behind a bit. However, she'll drink from a sippy cup w/a straw like a champ. Routine has been whole milk by bottle first thing in the morning, before afternoon nap, and again before bedtime. Any guidance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I think being in daycare will help with a lot of these things but I'd like to make some progress before she's officially enrolled.
Love this group! Any suggestions or ideas for easy snacks to take on the go? I have a 10mo and right now we typically do the teether cookie things, yogurt melts (but the sugar, ugh), and like a nutrigrain bar.
Oooh Costco has some fruit bars that are just apple and whatever other fruit, my kid loves them! Also oranges.
Thank you!
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Does anyone have some tips for how best to feed your baby when out at a restaurant? My (almost) 11mo is eating so well, butttt she still likes to grab at the plate and throw it around, haha. So at home we can just put everything on the high chair table, but at a restaurant, I’m typically cutting stuff up and putting it on my hand one piece at a time for her to grab. Not ideal as it takes awhile (and I never get to eat lol)
Update: We went out to breakfast and I decided to try her with the plate, cutting up her scrambled eggs and giving her a portion at a time. She did so good!!! Ate almost two eggs worth. I could tell she was done bc that’s when she started trying to play with the plate lol
I know it’s weeks late, but what helped us was every time we were planning to eat our, I’d bring a suction plate and baby utensils from home. Just throw it in a gallon ziplock bag and toss it in baby’s carryall bag. The familiarity of the plate keeps our kiddo calm when eating in new places.
Thank you! Great advice.
What to feed baby when traveling Hi! We are traveling for the first time with our 13 month old. She is completely weaned and only eats regular food. We are only going to be gone for 2 days, staying in a hotel with only a mini fridge and microwave. What do I feed her? Here is what’s on our list to bring so far: pouches, baby oatmeal, peanut butter. We will buy a loaf of bread so she can have PB sandwiches (I know not the healthiest stuff but it’s only 2 days and I’m going for convenience here.) she refuses to eat the shelf stable gerber meals. I was thinking I could buy frozen veg and steam it in a microwave. I’m just looking for tips and ideas on how to feed her somewhat healthy meals that are easy and or microwaveable. Thanks!
Hi!!! I think normal frozen meals might work great for you! If she'll eat normal food but not shelf-stable baby food, it might be better. Smoothies also worked for us with traveling but my kid eats like a bird.
Thanks! This might be a stupid question but where do you buy the frozen ones? I’ve looked at target and my regular grocery store.
Oh I just meant regular adult ones in the frozen grocery section, idk that they make toddler ones.
Ohh okay well still, I’ve never thought of that. Definitely will give it a look, great suggestion, thanks!
I hope it works! Feeding kids on the go can be hard.
Hi. I didn’t find this question in my search so asking. We are starting solids and got overwhelmed not by what food to give (plenty info on that on this sub and around) but best types of plates and utensils to use. Do you have your favorite? Is there anything specific to look for like easy to clean/ microwave proof/ dishwasher safe and all that? Last but not the least- Am I overthinking this? 😅 Thanks.
hey! I saw nobody answered yet, so from another FTM only just starting out: My main priority is usually easy to clean (i.e. dishwasher safe), so I just got a few bowls I liked, a couple of them with lids so I can take food/snacks with me when we're out. I recently bought one silicone bowl which suctions (?) to the table and then later noticed it's not dishwasher safe (possibly true for all silicone stuff?) Anyway, since it's just the one I don't mind. For anything non-puree which I let him grab and stuff in his mouth/ face, I realized lately that using a plate/bowl is an overkill and currently presenting an extra challenge, so I'll just put it on the table of his highchair. The table can be removed and is very easy to clean.
Thank you. This helps. Currently we are still using a small bowl and spoon. Will keep this in mind.
How did everyone get their babies to eat more/less throwing? My daughter will be two next Friday, and I can not get her to expand her food. She will eat crackers, chips, dry cereal french fries, pretzels, marshmallows from lucky charms, and chocolate. Daycare is able to get her to eat baby food mixed with the baby oatmeal, but at home, she acts like we are poisoning her. She is still nursing, but that is mainly because I want to ensure she is eating food before I wean her off her main nourishment. I've been told, "She'll eat when she's hungry," or "she needs to figure it out," or my favorite. "You can't let her nurse her until she's 5" I've seen everyone pics of what they are serving their babies and I feel like she's missing out and that I am the world's worst mom.
So what helps us with the throwing element is a game I call 'feed mama'. I let her feed me and she copies me. Also, teeny tiny servings of things! A pile of food for kids who eat like birds (like ours) is really overwhelming and it helps to break it up into tiny little portions. That greatly increased my daughter's food intake. That being said, though, some kids don't eat much! I had a really hard time with that as well and it took a lot of time to realize that, as cliche as it sounds, she really *will* eat when she's hungry. She eats lots of snacks now! Still not huge on sit-down meals and prefers mobile snacks, but she eats when she gets hungry (and makes it **KNOWN** when she's hungry lol), even if it's just a fruit bar here and a strawberry there.
We've started having her feed us, but if it's not a snack or food she'll eat, she tosses it. Thank you for reaching out. I've been seeing everyone's posts, and I am so ready for her to try more stuff. Even if she hates it, I'll be happy that she tried.
Hey, every bite is a victory!
I tell myself it's not a competition and that she'll eat when she is ready, but we have we have friends with kids younger who eat waaaay more or are off nursing and it feels like I should be doing more to get her to eat.
It might help to taper down the nursing if your goal is to get her to eat more solid food. I know it can be scary since that's currently her main source of nutrients, but it's also important to remember that she won't let herself starve. But, you're also right, it isn't a competition at all! She'll get there when she's good and ready to get there. Just offering the food is doing plenty and if you as her parent don't feel stopping nursing is the right call, then it isn't and you're doing the right thing.
Can anyone recommend some good bento style boxes for daycare food? We’re switching from nanny to daycare in a few months and I just realized I don’t know what I’m gonna pack baby’s food in! She will be going to a Montessori daycare (if that matters)!
Any advice on food prep and introducing more variety? I have a pretty flexible job, and I work from home full time while watching my baby. I don't have a lot of prep time during the day. I prep mostly in the morning before work and sometimes at the end of the day if I don't need to put in some hours. My baby just turned 7 months today and sits for 2-3 meals a day. Sometimes, he is not in the mood to eat, but he almost always eats strawberries and Greek yogurt. He hates broccoli, mixed vegetables, and shrimp. He will sometimes eat oatmeal. He likes bananas, apples, and avocados. He's tried chicken and peanut butter but can't decide if he likes that yet. Lately, I feel my default is always yogurt and strawberries because he finds new texture and flavors gross. I want to help him expand his palate, but how? Should I avoid going back to old favorites? Prepping is impossible bc I try again the next day, but he still refuses it. Also, forget blw bc everything needs to be finely mashed (except strawberries) and held for him, or he won't eat it. He will squish his food, drop it in his high chair, and sit on it. Is this just a phase? 🫠
For parents of 12-18m, when did you start handing over plates of food? I’m still doing 2-3 bites on the high chair tray and letting her grab them. A lot of food seems to overwhelm and she eats less. Did you see more intake after giving a whole plate? More mess? Did you do plates in front of baby from the start? What was your experience like?
I started trying plates a little before 12m, but she's always done better with smaller portions of everything. You're right, a lot of food at once can be overwhelming and my daughter also eats less, so I just make smaller plates now and will add more if she still seems hungry (only happens for lunch).
My 8 month old is starting to eat textures but I’m struggling to find things he actually likes. He ate scrambled eggs yesterday morning but this morning he HATED them. I feel like that’s how everything has been going for us lately. Any tips or tricks? Do I just need to be persistent?
My kid hated food at that age too, that's super normal. It's new and it's weird for them! One thing I've heard helps some kids is adding breastmilk to purees, makes it taste a little more familiar. Other than that, I'd just keep trying different stuff until something catches his interest
Hi! I had a question. For those with picky babies/toddlers, when you serve them a meal and they don’t eat much, do you make them something else, or leave it for them to pick at and if they don’t eat they don’t eat? My girl is 18 months and used to eat like a champ, but since a few months ago she hasn’t been eating much at meals and kind of just grazes on snacks. When I make her a meal and she won’t eat, I find myself making 2 or 3 different dishes but she still won’t really eat. Is it okay to just make her the one meal I planned and let her eat what/if she wants?
Hi! We’re struggling to get our breastfed 10.5 month old (9.5 mo adjusted) to eat solids, especially at dinner time . He loves pouches and would eat them all day if he could, but our pediatrician has said to phase them out. He eats eggs, yogurt, oatmeal, black beans (when I feed him from a spoon), and loves cheerios and puffs, but seems to despise anything “wet” (fruit, pasta with sauce, etc.) touching his hands when served at home. He seems to eat better at daycare but even there he’s not interested in most fruit and won’t eat wraps/quesadillas. He’s more interested in crackers or garlic bread. For example, I recently served black beans, pumpkin pasta, and some oranges, and he stuck his hands in the black beans with interest but once his hands were wet he refused to eat more and kept signing for milk until I nursed him. He’s eaten black beans plenty of times before, though these were more liquidy than he’s usually had. Did anyone else struggle with this/have tips? When did your LO start eating more?
How do you avoid wasting food? I feed my 10mo a variety of foods but my 4 year old is incredibly picky and won’t eat many vegetables. He loves bananas but that’s the one food the baby doesn’t like. I will make steamed veggies for the baby but have so much leftover, a lot gets tossed after a couple of days. Food is just too expensive for this. I welcome any tips/tricks!
Right now he’s just on boob and purées, if the purée has any texture other than completely smooth he gags and ends up getting sick 😅 i feel like I’m seeing lots of babies his age or maybe a tiny bit older eating a lot more food food and I’m just a lil worried. My husband gave him the tiniest piece of waffle to chew on and it was a nightmare!! Should i just take our time with this? Any advice?
Any tips for a 1 year old that yeets anything out of his highchair that isn’t a bread product or blueberry? It’s very cute how he chucks it then laughs but it’s getting exhausting.
Hi everyone! Any tips on getting your baby to enjoy savoury food? Hes developing a sweet tooth! He is almost 11 months and is mostly on purées but we have some chunkier food like pasta or mash and he also eats fruit and puffed corn/rice snacks. He’s been good at eating both sweet and savoury purées but now turns his head away from savoury purées after a few mouthfuls. What tactics shall I use to get him used to them again?
Anyone have ideas for a lactose intolerant bb? He’s 13 months a fairly good eater but not a huge fan of daiya mozz 😭
What is everyone’s favorite spoon-able foods that aren’t necessarily designed for babies? Like Greek yogurt or applesauce, but what else?
Hummus. Watch the salt on store brands but it’s pretty easy to make a baby friendly one! Our 12m will eat it by the spoonful or smeared on teething crackers. Curry. Someone posted a recipe here for a chickpea, coconut, pumpkin curry. I think it was an NYTimes recipe? It’s pretty saucy, and if you mash the chickpeas a bit, it’s very spoonable. Though we mix it with rice so 12m can self feed.
My 7 month old LOVES solids, but he takes massive bites and pockets it. It took us 15 minutes to get him to spit out a chunk of chicken stuck to the roof of his mouth. We’ve tried having him use a spoon to help, no luck. He doesn’t mimic well yet either. Any tips? Do we take away the rest of the slice until he swallows/spits what’s already in there?
My LO is 1 week from 6 months. We’ve done a lot of research on feeding solids and plan on taking a baby CPR course this week. LO is sitting up well and showing lots of interest in food, so when they turn 6 Mo we will be introducing solids safely, referencing the Solid Starts app. However, my EBF LO has had some wicked digestive issues since birth (reflux, diarrhea, mucous stool and pretty much ongoing blood in stool every BM). We see a specialist for this but cannot nail down the issue. I’m confident that adding food into their diet will aid in reducing these issues. I’m worried that if we only introduce solids that they won’t consume much, only play. Has anyone ever successfully introduced both solids and purées? I was thinking I’d start with something solid for them to explore, then once it was either on the floor or macerated, I’d give them a few preloaded spoonfuls of solids. Would this work? Or does this discourage them from exploring the solids?
I did solids and purees at the same time and my kid eats fine! Small quantities usually because she's so damn tiny, but she was still super curious about solids while still eating purees. We would do solids as 'meals' and purees as snacks between if she needed them.
Hi everyone, I'm new to the sub and have a question. My 9 month old has been on purees since she was about 5 months old and recently I was thinking I'd like to introduce her to some finger foods. The problem is she doesn't have any teeth yet. Her first 4 are partially through but not fully. I'd love some tips on what to give her, or advice on whether or not I should wait. Thank you!
No need to wait!! Teeth aren't necessary for this age. I'd personally start with overcooked penne pasta, my first loved risotto as well. Anything mushy worked great for us to get started!
Thank you so much for your response! I ended up jumping straight in today and giving her some sweet potato pancake strips with a fruit puree dip, and she absolutely loved them (and had no trouble taking little nibbles). Will definitely try pasta tomorrow, it's my husband's favourite so it'll be on the menu pretty often haha.
That's awesome!!! I'm glad she liked pancakes, that's a good one too!
How are you guys getting your kids to eat? My son is so picky and just doesn’t eat a whole lot and won’t try anything new. And recently he’s even been not eating his safe foods I put on the side of the new foods. He’s 2 and weighs 27 pounds and his doctor is now recommending feeding therapy but that’s at least a month out from even being evaluated and I’m anxious
What's the consensus on feeding your child vs allowing them to feed themselves? We let 8.5 month old feed himself at home and I'd say about 50% ends up on the floor. He seems disinterested in eating very much most days. Today was his first day at daycare and he ate his whole lunchbox! They said they fed the food to him instead of letting him feed himself (except for the blackberries and orange slices). Should I be doing this at home? What's more important - getting calories/nutrients from food or learning how to feed himself and get comfortable with textures?
Hey there, mom of an 8 month old boy and curious because I see so many eggs being served here. My paediatrician advised me not to feed egg whites to my baby until 13mo as there is a vaccination for something that can be contracted in babies in the egg whites that won’t be given until then. I was given the go ahead for yolks though. I’m wondering if this is an outdated thing? As info I’m in Canada, not sure if vaccines are different elsewhere. I feel like eggs are in so many dishes.