Toddlers and Food

[Ella1979]

When I started weaning my LO, I was giving her freshly made stuff. We went on to use jars of food, which she really enjoys - eating everything she's given. I now want to go on to freshly prepared/cooked food again, but I'm really struggling. I suppose I should never have started on the jars, but the last few months have been so stressful, then I've been really unwell with this pregnancy...

Anyhow, excuses aside, I'm just really looking for advice about feeding. She's almost 16 months now. I tried cauliflower cheese today for tea because she liked that last time I gave it, but she waved her arms, shut her mouth and basically made a real fuss - didn't eat any of it. I ended up feeding her a jar of food. Should I have done that? Or just let her go without tea? I'm really reluctant to do that as she may really not like cauliflower cheese anymore... Argh!!! Help!!!

 

[KarenC]

Hmm. Have you ever tried letting her feed herself and offering foods she can pick up instead of feeding her with a spoon? It might help if she has a little more control over what she puts in her mouth, and it could be fun for her to explore food for herself now that she's 16 months. It will be messy but might be worth a try if you've not tried already. Just a thought. Sorry if I misunderstood anything you said x

 

[Ella1979]

Thanks for your reply. I let her pick up the food from the jars, especially when it's pasta or pieces of carrot, potato etc. I probably should have tried making something with reasonable sized bits in it, rather than the cauliflower cheese. We had such a good lunchtime with the food from the jar, followed by her spoon-feeding herself her yoghurt. Tea was just a real battle and I hate her getting so upset.

 

[KarenC]

Hi hun.... sorry, I don't know what to suggest. Definitely try something she can hold like pasta or veggies cut into sticks.

Maybe it's the jars she likes in particular? Have you tried putting your own home cooked food into a old jar to serve it to her and see if she will eat it? And if she does, maybe then you can slowly start trying it without putting into a jar. Sounds kind of crazy, but you never know. Otherwise I would just keep persisting with it and try and find something she absolutely loves that you can cook for her and go from there. Sorry not to be more help. xxx

 

[Ella1979]

Oh! What a good idea! I'll try that, thanks xx

 

[Ella1979]

Just made my LO a homemade lunch. She's always loved anything tomato-y and anything with pasta, so I went for a really simple tomato sauce with fusilli and she loved it!!! So pleased right now! She loved the fact she could pick up the pieces of pasta with her fingers and only started to throw pieces on the floor right at the very end.

 

[Claire123]

Thats good hun i think its so rewarding feeding them homemade stuff, you know exactly whats in it too xx

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[Ella1979]

Yes, absolutely! I started off feeding her all homemade stuff, then moved onto jars as it was easier at the time (me going back to work, dad being seriously ill, pregnancy making me feel like hell etc.), but really want her to eat what I cook. I love cooking and me and my OH always have stuff I've made, so I felt my LO was missing out.

 

[KarenC]

Just made my LO a homemade lunch. She's always loved anything tomato-y and anything with pasta, so I went for a really simple tomato sauce with fusilli and she loved it!!! So pleased right now! She loved the fact she could pick up the pieces of pasta with her fingers and only started to throw pieces on the floor right at the very end.

Ah, that was today's lunch here and is T's favourite food of all time. So glad it's started to work for you. T will eat anything on pasta, so I make 'green' sauces with onions, grated courgette, chopped spinach or broccoli, add some soft cheese a splash of milk. I serve it with a bit of grated cheese mixed in. She loves them too.

Hope you continue to find more things she likes that you can cook for her xxx

 

[Karate Kid]

Hey Hun, one if my friends had to wean there LO off the jars and ended up mixing in home cooked with the jar and then decreasing the quantity of the jar over a period of time.

Xx