I discovered a new tip for making baby food this afternoon. (If you’re new and want more info on making your own baby food check out my post on Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans.)
First Tip: Measure your water while pureeing your food in very small increments. I’d say about a tablespoon or so at a time. This way you don’t end up with a watery mess.
Second Tip: If you happen to be daydreaming or clumsy (who would that be??) and dump several cups of water in before pureeing, I have an easy fix. Add rice or oatmeal baby cereal to thicken the consistency. I just stirred baby oatmeal in until it reached the consistency I wanted and then froze them as usual.
Ok, the question part. I pictured sweet potatoes and bananas with oatmeal above because those are the only things we’ve been successful with.
We’ve also tried green beans and avocado, and he threw up both times. I mean really threw up. Like out his nose, threw up.
Now, I know he’s only 6 months old and has plenty of time to develop his tastes, but here’s the thing. His Mommy? Is a former extremely picky eater, who is now only a very picky eater. I’ve hated being picky my whole life (it’s quite embarrassing, actually!) and now it seems my son has inherited my taste buds. Green = gross.
So tell me, what’s your best tip for getting picky eaters to eat a healthy diet? Besides forcing it down their throat… you’re welcome to come clean up the vomit if you want me to do that! ha!
Want to see more great tips? Check out We are THAT Family.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m laughing b/c I saw this post at We are THAT Family and checked it out, but of course I would of read it anyway. There are lots of ways to find you.
I love making baby food! Adding oatmeal or rice is a great idea, and I’ve done that too. Maybe the avocado, etc. has too strong a taste for him right now. My baby hated banana for a long time, especially if it was too ripe. I think the strong sweet taste was just too much for her. Have you tried applesauce or pureed pears? They are more bland and taste yummy with their cereal.
My baby is just starting on food, so I have no experience with this, but he disliked avocado at first. He likes it now that I’ve sweetened it a little.
Don't rush the process. Let your baby take his time, he's only 6 months old. You might even wait a bit, until he can pick up baby peas, pieces of bananas, grated carrots, etc. himself. Let him "play" with his food. Don't worry about the mess. This will give hiim multi-sensory experiences he needs to learn to eat it. What you do now will set the stage for a picky or a healthy eater later. I think you'll find this post interesting>
http://www.babybites.info/2009/05/12/picky-eater-no-more/
Gabriel eats some veggies better when they are mixed with cereal. Also, if I sneak in a little bit of veggie with the fruit he falls for it. I don’t like to do that b/c I want him to get the full taste of the veggie, but it’s all about baby steps. If all else fails, just continue to give him the veggie every once in a while to see if his taste buds change or he decides he likes it after all.
I have been making baby food for my daughter and recently gave her some peas. I noticed that they were still a little grainy and had tiny little bits, how do you get it perfectly smooth like jarred food or is that possible?
Lisa- If it’s possible I don’t know how! Sweet Potatoes are easy to get smooth, but veggies with skins are harder. I’m thinking about trying a store brand to see if the texture makes a difference.
Welcome to the club! Have you tried squash yet? I’d say to go ahead and move on to some fruit – nora loves bananas and when she was little she liked the applesauce. Supposedly you are supposed to offer something up to 6times before some babies will eat it.
Hey! Allyson gave me the tip of putting a little green bean on the spoon then put fruit on the tip of it. After she had taken a few bites i started putting less and less fruit on the end of the spoon until…tricky mama…she was taking full bites of green beans! I also agree with “Nora” … don’t give up with the first few attempts. Sometimes it takes awhile for them to adjust to something new.
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Have him stay with me for a few days. We LOVE greens! lol
Seriously though, I would give it time. Spend a little more time on each veggie/fruit before moving on to the next one (like days on one thing). I think sweet potatoes and squash are the easiest veggies to start with because they’re sweet like fruit and have very little texture.
I do think there is something to texture. I know the different stages of baby food you get at the store have different textures depending on the stage. You might want to stick to the stuff that’s completely smooth for now.
If all else fails on the picky eating, ask your mom what she did with you and just don’t do that. lol