The lump free lunch

[Lucylou21]

My DD is approaching a year old and we still haven't mastered lumps. Very small lumps are okay but anything else makes her projectile vomit everywhere!
So far I've been giving her food from jars and using the food processor to puree it down, but this is expensive and I really want her to try new things. We both have ready brek together in the mornings and I'd really like to make things for lunch that we can both have. Can anyone give me suggestions for food I can make for us both? I am fresh out of ideas and any help would be very much appreciated!!!
Thankyou!

soup?
with bread for you but none for her?

(NB how is she with food she can pick up in her fingers? Is it just lumps on a spoon that fox her or anything solid at all?)

Soup sounds good, any idea what types have low salt content?

no clue, you'd have to read the sides of packets, but to be honest it's dead easy to make yourself - ideal for making in huge batches and freezing in you+dd lunch-sized portions.

NB the gagging on food thing is actually a really common reflex - good info by Aitch on it here . Not much help if she really is sick every time though

DS1 didn't master lumps until he was at least 18 months - something about the texture I suppose. However, a good chat with my HV when he was about 10 months convinced me to move straight to finger foods and miss out the lumps - she said aroud half of all her children had trouble with lumps. After a few very messy and sticky attempts he got the hang of it - gagging is completely normal, the trick is not to panic and keep a smile on yourself - it gives the child confidence that you weren't worried so they can try again.

Favoutrite finger foods were pitta bread, beardsticks, cheese, cooked baby carrots and any sort of fruit - suck it and see!

Ohh, thankyou for the gagging info!
I was thinking of trying that baby safe feeder thing (the weird net bag thing that they chew) so she can try out different things, is this any good anyone?
I was also thinking of steaming some veg for her to try. She likes feeding herself until the vomit starts!

funny thing about lumps is that my dd is 7 months and enjoying feeding herself now with all types of finger foods,and no purees.But the other day,I tried to give her some mushed up lumpy homemade crumble,and she gagged on it.She'll happily munch on whole pieces of food without gagging though.!
Maybe you should just try her with soft finger foods?

have you tried couscous?

just put a wee bit in a baby pot or bowl and pour over hot water - keep adding more until couscous is soft

then you can either stir a puree (like a tomato pasta sauce or pureed bolognese) or you can add bits like chunks of cheese, bits of ham, chopped tomoates, raisins etc

this was a standard lunch for ds from the ages of about 10 months and 2.5 and he still (aged 4) likes it.

she might just have a very sensitive gag reflex, still. frustrating for you, i'd imagine. there is a case to be made for letting her proceed with the finger food (steamed veg would be great) as the gag reflex can be trained to move backwards. i can give you a good example of how this is done by a lot of people but it is frankly disgusting so i'll let you use your imagination.

Aitch, you've gone and mentioned that thing again.

i blame NQC, she said it first!

Like Redbeki said, if my LO is eating a piece of something (eg a piece of carrot, apple etc)she can quite happily chew it up and swallow any lumps (and she doesnt have teeth). If however, i hand her a spoon with something mushy with lumps in, like soup, cottage pie etc she will gag and spit the food out. i think its something to do with them controlling the food-with finger foods they know exactly what they are getting, with lumps in a smooth base they seem to get confused and try to treat the food as if it is a smooth puree which then leads to gagging. Incidentally my dd will quite happily eat cottage pie etc if i dump it on her tray and let her go for it with her hands. It's messy but all good fun (esp chiselling that dried on lump off the high chair 2 days later when u find a bit you missed!)

Ds was exactly the same. Would gag and puke up his whole feed if I put anything even slightly lumpy on a spoon in his mouth but would happily munch on roast chicken, broccoli florets etc. I would increase the amounts of finger food you give and not worry about lumpy mush

My son is a year old this week (and has no teeth).He still gags and brings back most of his food if it is lumpy mush but he is improving with finger food.