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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Original poster

Refusing vegetables

12 replies

tinkerbug · 23/08/2010 13:06

DS is almost 6 months and we started weaning him about 2 weeks ago. We are following (whisper it!) GF, which is esentially a puree based way of doing things. DS has really taken to pear and apple puree, along with baby rice. He has gradually increased the amount he eats at dinner time (at 5.30pm ish) and now eats about 3 teaspoons of baby rice mixed with 2 cubes of apple / pear puree. We have just started giving 1 or 2 cubes of fruit puree at breakfast too. But at lunch (11ish) when we try him with vegetables, he will not eat them! We have tried carrot and sweet potato so far and are planning to try swede soon (all of which are naturally sweet so thought would go down better!) He sometimes has a little bit but only ever about a third of a cube, and he pulls faces! Don't want to have to force it down him but am a bit stuck about what to do.

Should I just keep trying veggies? I know it is ridiculous to be worried about this only 2 weeks in but am just wondering if I can expect it to improve?!

OP posts:
skidoodly · 23/08/2010 13:14

I'm trying (and failing mostly) to do BLW-lite with DD2 and she is similar.

She's not great yet at the holding of the food, but put an apple, a mango, a peach or a plum in front of her face and she guzzles away.

Today we gave her some broccoli - nowhere near her mouth. Same with other veg.

I already have a 2yo who is obsessed with fruit and would eat 5 apples a day if I let her (some days, I do let her Blush)

I'm going to try an avocado next.

No idea if things will improve. I seem to be singularly shit at weaning. My babies just don't appear to be that interested in food. Even big fat DD2.

pinkypanther · 23/08/2010 16:07

I'm struggling with DS too (am using AK's book). He loves fruit and will eat it enthusiastically but the only vegetable I've managed to get past his lips in the two weeks I've been weaning is sweet potato.

I am going to keep offering it, but if anyone has a magic solution I'd love to hear it!

SoLongAsItsHealthy · 23/08/2010 17:43

Mix fruit into your vegetable purees - apple works especially well with most root veg.

And my DS thought avocado was revolting until I mixed it with pear... Wink

NotSoRampantRabbit · 23/08/2010 17:49

PLonk well cooked veg on tray.

Let him play with it.

After 10 mins. Remove.

At 6 months all he needs nutritionally speaking is milk.

Trust me, after faffing with purees with DS and producing the worlds fussiest eater, I have done plonking with DD (out of necessity, rather than as part of a 'plan'). I don't stress. She enjoys mealtimes.

It is a lot nicer IMO.

Fourleaf · 23/08/2010 18:28

I did purees and found it easy enough. FWIW I was raised on purees and am (and have always been) the most unfussy eater ever!
Anyway, DS was exactly as you describe - he's now 9.5 months and eats everything - veggies and all. So... I think it may just be a phase, and they'll get more into veggies when they're a bit more interesting (mixed with carbs, meat, dairy or whatever). It makes sense really- I wouldn't eat plain mushed carrot but wouldn't mind mushed apple or pear... Another thing I found helped with DS was making sure veggies were always served warm - much more tasty! Mixing them with fruit as suggested above is a good idea too. Good luck and don't worry - it will probably resolve itself.

Fourleaf · 23/08/2010 18:29

Ahem, not exactly raised on purees... just weaned on them Wink

SoLongAsItsHealthy · 24/08/2010 09:49

Me too, weaned on purees and perfectly fine, unfussy eater now. Doing same for DS, enjoying the prep and planning, not finding it a faff at all. Weird obsession on MN these days with BLW if you ask me. Some kids will be fussy eaters, no matter how you wean them. Others will clean their plate their whole lives. It's far more to do with your attitudes to meal-times as they grow up I think and very little to do with these early experiences. Personally I have never done this before so I like knowing what DS is having and how much. Perhaps with future DCs I will have a different approach but, for now, this works for me.

It is soooo patronising/irritating the way any question you ask on MN about traditional weaning will eventually receive a post saying something along the lines of "OMG don't bother with purees, what a faff, just plonk filet mignon down in front of him and let him hurl it around the room."

Original poster
tinkerbug · 24/08/2010 13:20

SLAIH - thanks for the tip about mixing veg with fruit and FL for the tip about warming them first.

Tried both these things for DS's lunch today, so he had warm sweet pot mixed with apple. Scoffed the lot! That's what I call a success!!

Am glad there are other people doing traditional weaning with purees. From reading other weaning threads on MN, it does seem like everyone is doing BLW apart from me! But I suppose every child is different and you have to do what works for you. I know for a fact that DS would eat nothing at all if we did BLW, and so far purees are working well for us, so I plan to continue!

OP posts:
messylittlemonkey · 24/08/2010 21:05

We're doing GF too with DD2 having followed it with DD1.

I think they do find the fruit naturally more palatable than even the sweetest veg, so I agree about adding fruit to the veg. I find that the face pulling isn't always an indicator of not liking something. DD2 generally pulls a disgruntled face for the first couple of spoons of whatever and then tucks in!

We did puree weaning with DD1 and are now doing puree and finger food with DD2 - I like the expression BLW-lite btw skidoodly!

Good luck!

Aitch · 24/08/2010 21:15

"It is soooo patronising/irritating the way any question you ask on MN about traditional weaning will eventually receive a post saying something along the lines of "OMG don't bother with purees, what a faff, just plonk filet mignon down in front of him and let him hurl it around the room."
that's a bit precious, don't you think? not to mention innaccurate thus far on this thread, so... Grin

just wanted to say to skidoodly that it sounds, if your children are healthy and eating oodles of fruit, like you are absolutely FINE at weaning. Smile vit c etc is vit c. one dd of mine LOVES broccoli but not carrot, the other LOVES carrot but not broccoli. both chuck down apples like there's no tomorrow but despite their pleas are generally disappointed by bananas. Wink by the end of the week both get enough fruit/veg/relevant vits for me not to care about the fact that what they like best is not what i like best, iykwim?

zebedeethezebra · 26/08/2010 09:53

Its true though.

Every thread I've seen regarding purees, some irritating person pops up saying "oh do BLW instead its SOOOOOO much better for the baby", which basically is a load of bollocks so I don't know where these people come from.

Aitch · 26/08/2010 11:37

some irritating person or some helpful person? why be so bothered, just read it, think 'oh that's not for me' and then move along.

plenty of people have never heard of BLW and are VERY attracted to doing it, esp if they are posting about having difficulty with purees. if it's horses for courses with those babies who would never solely self-feed (as mentioned on this thread), then it works both ways. plenty of babies hate puree and letting them self-feed is exactly the advice that parents need.

so chill out, it's not a criticism of you, just advice given on a website where people ask for advice...

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