Picky Eater?
For the last few weeks Sarah Graves has become particular about what she will eat. I have heard that this happens as their growth slows and their caloric intake flattens out. I was prepared for a decrease in quantity, but not for an all out refusal of vegetables. So, I have been doing some looking trying to get ideas on what we can do differently. I had the idea that she was frustrated that she couldn't feed herself, so finger foods might be more gratifying for her. I went to Wholesome Baby Food and got some ideas for finger foods as well as some spices to try on her food to give them a bit more flavor. I tried making little sticks of turkey meatloaf that contained pureed carrots and apples as well as making roasted carrots with a little sage and baked sweet potato fries dusted with cinnamon. She was slightly intrigued by the carrots, but Lucy ended up eating the rest of these foods. Aaron and I thought they tasted pretty good, so I know they were edible.
Each night I would put out a few bites of the turkey, carrot, sweet potato, cooked green bean, and steamed broccoli. She would pretty much refuse it all and occasionally eat something off my plate, or just tell me she was done and move on. She eats so much in the mornings that at first I wasn't worried, but then she would wake up around 4 in the morning ravenous to nurse and then telling me how hungry she was. Getting up at 4 every day was going to be the end of me, so I knew I had to find a way to get her full at dinner. She will definitely eat at dinner, mashed potatoes, almond butter sandwich, bread, pretty much anything with carbs and not a lot of good nutrition. I wanted her to get some veggies in so I was trying to think of ways maybe to make things with veggies that she wouldn't detect. I had the idea to add some pureed cauliflower to her oatmeal, which provided some veggie and she didn't mind it at all.
Then, I came across this article on Our 365 and got more motivation to want her to eat her veggies and the idea that babies don't have clear ideas about certain foods only being for breakfast. Over the weekend I started offering her homemade baby food veggies again, but this time for breakfast. To my surprise, she gobbles them right up. She has a huge appetite for breakfast and eats them happily! She is now eating her oatmeal for lunch and for dinner I am offering her the cooked vegetable in bite size pieces as well as whatever she will eat off my plate and bread, yogurt, or banana to get her tummy full before bed. I want her to learn to eat vegetables, but this way we can work with the fact that right now she just won't even try them in their whole form.
I came across this useful blog and she had the experience of a baby who would not eat baby food. She provided some good ideas and one of hers was to mix some pureed veggies into the Greek yogurt. We may try that idea as well since she loves yogurt!
Each night I would put out a few bites of the turkey, carrot, sweet potato, cooked green bean, and steamed broccoli. She would pretty much refuse it all and occasionally eat something off my plate, or just tell me she was done and move on. She eats so much in the mornings that at first I wasn't worried, but then she would wake up around 4 in the morning ravenous to nurse and then telling me how hungry she was. Getting up at 4 every day was going to be the end of me, so I knew I had to find a way to get her full at dinner. She will definitely eat at dinner, mashed potatoes, almond butter sandwich, bread, pretty much anything with carbs and not a lot of good nutrition. I wanted her to get some veggies in so I was trying to think of ways maybe to make things with veggies that she wouldn't detect. I had the idea to add some pureed cauliflower to her oatmeal, which provided some veggie and she didn't mind it at all.
Then, I came across this article on Our 365 and got more motivation to want her to eat her veggies and the idea that babies don't have clear ideas about certain foods only being for breakfast. Over the weekend I started offering her homemade baby food veggies again, but this time for breakfast. To my surprise, she gobbles them right up. She has a huge appetite for breakfast and eats them happily! She is now eating her oatmeal for lunch and for dinner I am offering her the cooked vegetable in bite size pieces as well as whatever she will eat off my plate and bread, yogurt, or banana to get her tummy full before bed. I want her to learn to eat vegetables, but this way we can work with the fact that right now she just won't even try them in their whole form.
I came across this useful blog and she had the experience of a baby who would not eat baby food. She provided some good ideas and one of hers was to mix some pureed veggies into the Greek yogurt. We may try that idea as well since she loves yogurt!
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