while feeding your little ones do you often feel as though having your teeth pulled, maybe even novocaine free, would be better, more enjoyable, and easier than trying to get them to eat? are you prying their mouths open to force feed, much like a dentist? if you’re having trouble at meal time there are some things you can do from the beginning to try a make things a bit easier on everyone. of course, every baby/child is different. different tastes, more picky than others by nature, smaller appetites, and the list goes on. therefore, my suggestions are just suggestions to try and help you avoid some of these issues if at all possible.
i have to young boys whom both eat extremely well. maybe even too well! they have both been chubby chubberton babies and love, love, love meal times! as i mentioned before, some of this may be their nature, and some i believe comes from the environment they are in and what types of foods they are offered. the most important key to start your baby off on meal time success is homemade baby food. i know the sound of this sounds overwhelming to many and you feel as though you just won’t have the time, energy, or desire to take that route. so, listen to my reasons and helpful tips to make it easier and maybe, just maybe, i can change your point of view!
yes, jarred food this day and age is all organic with no preservatives. so i’m not saying it’s bad for your baby, unhealthy, or in any way makes you a bad parent for choosing this method. what i am saying is, that it doesn’t taste like real food! they do put something in the food to preserve it (lemon juice, etc) and therefore the true taste is altered. many babies enjoy jarred foods, but the problem arises when it comes time to stop pureed foods and begin small pieces. no longer are you giving jarred broccoli, or what may have tasted like some mystery food. you are now giving pieces of broccoli, which to them tastes completely foreign. they will wonder what the heck you are trying to feed them! if you give them streamed and pureed homemade baby food, than the flavour from pureed to pieces is the same. this is the same for all foods you serve them. therefore, their palate is trained to eat the natural flavours and the chances of your baby being a picky eater at meal time is drastically less. of course, not for all. some of you may have given homemade food and still have a picky eater. it happens! they will be who they want to be, to some extent! this is why we love them, right?!
some ways to make this homemade food process easier, is first and foremost, to bite the bullet and splurge on the beaba baby food maker! it is a dream! you can use it for infants (pureed) to toddlers (steamed veggies, rice, smoothies, etc.). i have used mine so often for the past 3 years that i am needing a new one! i 100% couldn’t live without it! another way to organize yourself is to do a massive shop and spend 1-2 days working on a off throughout the day to make the food. than pop out the frozen cubes, throw them into labeled ziplocks, and you will have ready made meals for the next few weeks to come. with your toddler’s veggies, i steam broccoli, carrots, etc. and then wrap individual servings into plastic wrap. then put the wrapped servings into a labeled ziplock bag and now your veggies are seconds away each meal time for your toddler as well.
i hope you find some useful tips to take away from this so your meal times can be a more enjoyable experience for the whole family. not to mention faster to prep and easier on you!!