PLEASE HELP!!! What main meals does your 17 month old eat and in what consistancy??

[y3dmm]

I really need some help on this, so anyone please!!

TBH at 17 months all of mine were eating whatever we had, just cut up small enough for them to manage.

The usually used their hands to eat, although were ok with spoons at that point.

What are you concerned about?

Same here. My DD has toast with jam and a cut up banana for breakfast and she feeds herself. Or she has pancakes, cereal, scrambled eggs...whatever really.

Lunch is usually a sandwich (ham cheese, peanut butter and jelly ect.) and fruit cut up and again she feeds herself. Or whatever I am having...

Dinner she eats whatever we are eating. Usually she can feed herself but as she does not use a spoon yet, anything like soup or creamy pasta ect I help her eat...otherwise she uses her hands or a plastic fork.

Tonight we had turkey meatloaf which I just cut up, mashed potatoes (i gave her chunks of potato before I mashed ours) and green beans and corn. She fed herself...

By 17 months they can make your life a lot easier if you just give them what you have

I have tons of ideas if you need them

Thank-you. Yes please emmabemmasmon - can I have them all please!?

Breakfast and Lunch we all eat together, well at least me as Daddy is working, but our LO eats his tea at 4 as he is in bed by 6:30 so we don't eat together.......that is probably not great is it.

He is eating so little as hates the feel of everything in his hands etc. He is really struggling with chewing but rejects most mush. I am at my wits end. He lives of grated cheese, cereal and crackers at the moment.
Can you be really spectific as to the foods and how it is served.

THANKS SOOOOOOO MUCH EVERYONE

I found that pushing DD's dinner to 5:30 works so we eat together and she is in her bath about 6:20 and in bed by 6:30-6:45. I give her a light snack at 4. This worked for her to get her to sleep until about 7:30am without waking and she tends to me a little more hungry and eats more.

Does he have many teeth? DD has 16 so maybe that makes a difference...

Breakfast: Scrambled egg, toast with butter, pancakes, crumpets, any fruit (grapes must be cut in half), cereal (DD loves plain cherrios which I help her eat with milk), omelette (you can add ham or cheese or mushrooms all cut fine), yogurt...

Snacks: crackers, breadsticks, cheese, raisins, fig rolls, any fruit, yogurt, DD loves the Organix range of cheese puffs ect but I only give her that as a treat, animal crackers, rice cakes (plain maybe better to start?)

Lunch: Sandwich (1 piece of bread cut in half, mayo ham cheese, peanut butter and jam, just cheese and mayo, boiled egg sliced with mayo (as DD does not like egg salad). Anything really, but I don't use butter on sandwiches trying to keep them healthy, cheesy pasta, hotdogs and again any fruit or veg (cucumber, tomato, grated carrot...)

Snack #2: Same as above

Dinner: Whatever we eat...If I make mashed potatoes I will take out a few chunks and cut up before I mash ours. Any meat, just cut up in bite sized pieces.

I think the best advice with anything is to just keep trying. Give a variety through out the day. They say it could take 15 tries before a baby will like something. DD used to hate peas but I always offer them to her and now she is just starting to eat them. Also, cut up everything into bite sized pieces. DD loves anything she can dunk so maybe offer hummus with carrot sticks, or cream cheese on crackers, even peanut butter with apples to dip in. I cut up everything even toast. I would not be to concerned if he plays with his food for a bit as it is also a learning experience about what foods feel like. I always give DD plenty of time to eat...sometimes she plays and it takes 20 min before she starts to eat, however she always eats something. It may not look like a lot but if she has a few bites then I am happy. You could always try taking a break and offering it again in 10-15 min.

Hope that helps, but if you need more ideas just let me know!

Thank-you so much that list really helps.

The hotdogs - what type of sausage?
When you have a meat and veg type meal do you add any sauce/gravy to this? Does she use her fingers? Also do you mash anything at all now?

How much milk does she now drink?

Oh and puddings.......he will eat yogart and homemade crumble, he hates the texture of fruit and won't even pick it up, but will suck a fruit pouch! Any other ideas?

Thank you, you have been reallt REALLY helpful!

I buy the chicken hotdogs as I think they are better for her. I cut then in half length wise and then in little bites.

I don't add any gravy or sauce no as it makes it messy and tricky for her to pick up. She uses her fingers or a plastic fork. I don't mash anything at all now. The only things she eats like that are soups, stews, fried rice, pastas and in those cases I help her eat with a spoon.

She is off the bottle so she has cows milk in a cup with breakfast and with dinner. She drinks plain water or 100% juice watered down during the day. She likes orange juice, and cranberry/raspberry juice...but watered down.

She loves the fruit pouches. I find them great for when out and about. i would keep trying with different fruits. She loves her fruit now and usually will eat that before anything else as I always offer it to her. She still does not like strawberries but I keep trying!

I will think of more and get back to you! Any other questions?

I found that if you want your dc to eat food with sauces as well as 'clean' food you have to spoon feed at least one meal every couple of days,
IE breakfast toast and half a weetabix (you could leave the last couple of spoonfulls for dc to get but the rest you could put on the spoon and give to him. So a little of him and a little of you.
Lunch, all finger food with a spoon provided.
Dinner Pasta and sauce that you cut up and feed.

Invest in a plastic smallish fork and spoon set, the bendy ones.

whatever we're having.
if it's anything big I cut it up a bit. he eats with a fork/spoon and hands.

erm, some suggestions
last night we had tofu hotdogs and fries. he just had his sausage whole in a bun, same as everyone else. fries on the side. and a corn on the cob.

tonight we had jacket potatoes with beans. I mashed his potato about a bit to make it easier for him to get out with a spoon and then I cut the skin up for him to eat

i mean, he literally does just have whatever we are having. we don't mash anything up, he just gets on with it.
if your LO doesn't like feeding himself with his hands (my first hated dirty hands too) then try loading a fork/spoon up for him and letting him self-feed that way.

oh and do keep offering things he seems not to like. sometimes it does just take them ages to get used to textures and feel of stuff. but that's what weaning is all about... learning how stuff tastes and feels.

so if you're having fruit then give him a bit, doesn't matter if he doesn't eat it

This is great thank-you so much.
I am finding the finger food verses foods like shephards pie quite hard, I don't think he even knows what he likes at the moment. He just isn't a hungry boy!

I have never heard of chicken hot dogs I'll have to investigate!

Thank you again!

It can take up to 22 times to accept a new taste and/or texture.

DS is currently going through a second fussy phase, but I've recently found that instead of trying to cram food into him at every opportunity, I'm giving him a good breakfast, small lunch, tiny snack, and then a jar for dinner (he will NOT eat anything I make for him... GRRR)

So...
8am - Breakfast is 1 1/2 weetabix, + a fruit pot (only none-pureed fruit he will eat is raisins or dried apple)

9am - 6oz milk

(he sleeps 10-12)

12:30 - lunch, usually half a toasted muffin with teeny amount of marmite (will not eat sandwiches, just rips them to pieces)

• 2 petit filous

2:30 - rice cakes/raisins + small cup of milk

4:30 - 5pm - jar of food (10 month+ consistency) he will eat mashed potato with gravy, and sometimes fish if it's mashed into the potato, but not often.

He's only just got his first molar, and his eating is definitely improving.

One thing that might set your mind at ease - there's actually a lot of protein in milk/formula/petit filous

I totally understand the amount of times it takes to accept a new taste but I'm talking about even picking up the food! He looks at it and shakes his head....."no thanks mummy that looks like posion mummy" type look!

Would say just make what you're having and just cut it into bits and put it on the table. Eat at the same time as your little one - let them feed you, share a plate. Let them eat with their hands & make a mess

Maybe an idea would be to start a meal with some finger foods and give him maybe 20 min to look at it and touch it and see what happens...then if need be help him with a few bites on a fork...and if he still does not then feed him something you know he will eat.

Also, if you wait until they are really hungry they are not as likely to try something new so maybe try to give him some finger foods after milk or after his breakfast and just let him play with it a bit. You could give him a few bites to edge off hunger and then leave him with some finger foods and then finish with some more help by you. You may be suprised in a few days he will start to experiment and before you know it will be shoveling it all in