Cure for a fruit bat?

[Minxy]

Weaning has been a slow process for us as I tried earlier than I would've liked on reflection as Stanley was growing so fast. He's so not bothered about food, and only likes fruit.

I know babies typically go for sugar but he refuses to open his mouth for anything else, even porridge or sweet veg like carrot. He can't live on bananas and pears!

I'm worried now he's 6 months he'll start to suffer. Where have I gone wrong? And what can I do to fix it?

 

[Beany]

Hiya minxy!

Well I cant say I am an expert seeing as Lawson still isnt finger feeding properly at almost 16 months!!! But he has always been a bit of a wotsit regards to feeding and what he will and wont eat!

I found that sweet potato was a winner and also perhaps mixing his fave fruit with a new veg - a sweet and savoury sort of thing. There is a range of baby foods in Boots and Tescos called Plum Baby and they have some with fruit and veg in pureed together - perhaps you can 'borrow' the combination ideas and make your own version.

Here is a link
http://www.graigfarm.co.uk/babyfoodplum.htm#packs

Good luck and let me know how you get on

Xx Beany xX

 

[skatty]

Minxy why not look into baby lead weaning? It puts baby in control of what they are eating and means they have a seletion of whatever the rest of the family are eating and feed themselves. Everyone eats dinner together and the baby feels part of family life and is more likely to eat a wide variety of things and you don't have to get stressed out about spoon feeding. It is recommended from 6 months so could be perfect. I am going to do this with Leorah, we have already sat her at the table when we've had big family dinners with Martin's family and she loves being part of the action, she hasn't eaten yet as I am waiting for the 6th month mark but I give her a spoon to play with and she sits there beaming at everyone feeling all grown up. At first most babies will play with the food but eventually they start to munch on stuff but the golden rule is "until the age of 1 its just for fun" and milk is the main source of nutrition and until one its about exploration and experimentation. I am so excited to get started and a few others on here are going to be doing the same (Mel, Daggers and Tina I think)

I have been doing lots of research on it and have a word doc with the guidelines so if you want them PM me with your email address

 

[Minxy]

Thanks for food combining tips, Stanley has wolfed down apricot/parsnip and porridge/pear today

Skatty, now Stanley is 6 months I will start to give him finger foods but I'm not sold on the BLW thing 100% as we started on purees a while ago So it may be a bit late to go for that now.

I'm pleased about the 'fun until 1' rule though, it means I've got plenty of time to help Stanley into some positive eating habits!

 

[skatty]

Yeah I didn't really think of it like that, it would be a bit confusing for poor Stanley.

I just read this message on another board and thought it was interesting, I don't know how accurate it is but if its true then it's very reassuring for those who have babies that don't eat much veg

There is a biological reason that children stereotypically do not like
vegetables. Their stomach is very small, their gut is very short, and
their liver can't process all the natural toxins contained in
vegetables yet. Let's talk about each in turn. Small stomach --
vegetables are filling and calorically- poor. The baby's rapidly
growing brain and body needs calories! If s/he fills up on broccoli,
there's no room for other, more caloric foods. Short gut -- it takes a
lot of gut to pull nutrients out of vegetables. Babies just don't have
it yet, which is why very often the veg comes out the other end
practically intact. Think about the gut of a carnivore, like a dog.
Those types of animals just can't process vegetables. Cows, with their
super-specialized gut, are perfectly adapted to get maximum nutrition
out of grass and other greens. Liver -- this gets toxins out of the
body. Organic or not, vegetables are filled with naturally-occurring
toxins which are hard for the baby's little system to process.

There is probably a biological reason related to all of the above as to
why our taste buds change as we age. As kids, we may have hated a food
(for me it was asparagus), but as adults, when we try it again, we like
it. Now is the time for those types of nutrients in higher quantity.

That is food for thought