How to widen food variety for 18 month DD

[applepatch]

Just looking for advice on that really...and should this post even be in weaning, I feel we should be past this by now!

I'm worried my 18 month DD doesn't eat a wide enough variety of food, textures tastes etc
But rather than it being about her being fussy (well it is a bit) I mean more from the stuck in a rut type of thing with me. I suffered from/still do to an extent post natal anxiety so weaning wasn't easy for me and still now I worry so much about choking or food being too hard for her to chew properly. I'm also slightly paranoid about salt and sugar, acids from fruit juice etc and I feel I've stuck to the same 'safe' foods in my head as I know she's ok.
I'm totally aware I need to encourage her to try lots of different foods (also got great counselling to deal with the PNA) But I'm worried my experimentation now is a case of too little too late.
Don't get me wrong she ate lots of different tastes when weaning but I seem to struggle with the idea she can have bigger chunks now or experiment more with flavours and textures. She won't have anything else other than water from a cup drinks wise and only has milk from a bottle most fresh fruit is flung away and I know that it takes so many tries for them to accept a new food but I think I'm tying myself up in knots of worry! I agonise over whether or not a chickpea will choke her!

Phew. Long post! Anyone care to give me some sensible advice and a good talking to?!

[EveryoneTalkAboutPopMusic]

If you are still worried about choking, I think a really sensible thing to do would be a Paediatric first aid course. Your local NCT, Children’s Centre or St Johns Ambulance may run them.

What does s typical day’s food look like st the moment?

[applepatch]

Thanks EveryoneTalk. I've done the first aid course and it's more like a background worry rather than the main issue. I think I'm more just stuck in the rut of thinking she's just getting used to food when at 18 months she's been eating solids for a while now!
I think I panic about too much sugar or fruit juice acids etc to the extent I avoid it rather than sensible moderation

Typical day now:

Breakfast - weetabix, porridge or sometimes some Cheerios (but not as a regular thing), banana or she loves the Aldi's fruit pots. She's very funny with textures of things so fresh fruit is really hit or miss

Lunch - bread or toast, babybell, most days she has home made soup, occasionally pasta, loves avocado, yoghurt.

Dinner - pasta, spaghetti Bol, sausage casserole, cooked chicken etc. At least one or 2 'extra' veg portions by self to nibble on, loves broccoli.
She eats pasta, rice, spaghetti and sweet potato but changeable with textures so sometimes mashed gets abandoned sometimes she prefers it to chunks! Then more fruit or a mini custard. The dinners are home made about 70% of the time she eats the odd toddler meal packet

Snacks - veggie crisps, toast, grated cheese, banana, mini oat bars, fruit chew things. She drinks water and milk.

I think I've just been a bit OTT with thinking ok avoid this, avoid that and it's kind of just happened and the worry I'm 'doing it wrong' is a bit limiting
I would love her to eat more fresh fruit and veg but way back at start of weaning I was worried her reflux would be triggered so was very cautious about what I introduced and when

Sorry for the HUGE reply!!!

[FartnissEverbeans]

She's doing a lot better than DS anyway! In our house we don't like chicken, cheese, pasta, tomato sauces... We mostly eat avocado, peanut butter, yoghurt and porridge.

Watching your thread because I'm also looking to expand our repertoire...

[mindutopia]

I think what you're offering her sounds fine for her age. I think this is still just your anxiety not freaking out about if you've been too cautious, but that all sounds healthy and varied and perfectly normal for an 18 month old.

If you'd like her to eat more fruit and veg, what about getting her to help you prepare them. I used to sit mine at the table or on a chair up at the counter at that age, and chop veg and fruit for meal preparation and have her help me move things from the chopping board to the bowl/pot. She started to snack along the way and that's how she started to try things she had absolutely refused to get anywhere close to until then. Some of those foods are now her favourites. She's 5 now and since then has consistently loved all fruit and veg. I think it's because she got exposed to them through play.

Also, I would just start expanding the sorts of things you cook. She can of course just eat anything you eat (mine did from 6 months), so find a few new recipes to try eat week and sit down and eat with her. You can also get her helping you to cook those too, which will help.