Home cooked v packet food - help!

[stuckinthesnow]

I started weaning my nearly 7 month old DD1 a few weeks ago. It started ok and I've been trying to ramp up to three meals a day. However she seems to have completely gone off the idea of any food I make for her at home. I tried a couple of pouches of Ella's kitchen food and she literally wolfed them down so I know she knows what to do and can enjoy food. For about a week now she's point blank refused anything home cooked (even things like parsnip and butternut squash which she seemed to really enjoy at first).

Any recommendations for what I should do? Would really appreciate any advice on whether to keep trying with home cooked stuff or just give her Ella's kitchen pouches for a while so she doesn't start to get upset at mealtimes and have bad associations going forward. Have another battle on my hands trying to get her to take a bottle (she's only ever taken breastmilk from me and never any breastmilk, formula or water from a bottle or cup) so really can't face having another battle over food - especially with all the sleepless nights we're having at the moment!

Thanks for any help or suggestions you can give me.

I'd keep up trying the home cooked stuff for the sake of long term. At her age she is still getting all her nutrition from milk anyway. If she gets upset and doesn't want it, then try again later. And maybe offer food before or half way through milk.

Good luck - never easy is it?

Oh and nothiing wrong with ready made btw - I gave them to ds quite often - but not if she is refusing your good stuff.

Thanks Nicky - just so depressing spending all that time cooking, pureeing, freezing and defrosting just to then throw it all the bin! I know in my heart of hearts you're right though - I'll soon be broke if I keep on with the ready made stuff!

I'm finding weaning very frustrating and am in the same situation as you. DS started ok the first few days but then refused everything except yoghurt and when we went away and I bought the pouches he wolfed it down. I have kept on offering my home cooked food and today we made a break through and he ate a small bit. If you are happy to buy the pouches then go for that otherwise just keep offering your food and I'm sure your DD will eat it eventually. Have you tried offering finger food?

Not much advice re the bottle but maybe wait until she is established on solids before trying anything else new

Good luck!

Try finger food - steamed broccoli spears, carrot sticks, pear sticks, toast fingers, mashed boiled egg.

Dd3 is also 7 months and I think she gets a bit bored with simple mush. I also give her fishfingers to chew, mashed up baked beans, bits of chicken to chew and fish in mashed potato. Pasta also v. Popular.

Just keep trying a variety of foods, and don't be afraid to give her what you have.

Mine also has the ella's kitchen pouches but is now rejecting them in favour of what her sisters are eating which us annoying as they are very convenient.

Also gave you tried giving her a cup? Mine loves chewing hers.

And don't worry if she goes through a funny phase or two - she might be teething or just not interested right now. Give her lots of variety and you will be fine.

Thanks for advice - will defnitely try some more finger foods - have done bread and cheese so far which has just ended up on the floor but will keep going!

Honeypeckle - let me know how you get on - hope that today's breakthrough carries on into tomorrow!

route of least resistance - if she eats ella's kitchen give it to her. my dd refused all glooopy stuff and i got really annoyed about time and effort wasted. ds ate anything and everything but i did do packets to vary flavours more.

then we progressed to just mushing up what sis had and he stopped eating them and went onto normal un mushed stuff very easily.

Me too!!

just thought how about mixing some of the pouches with your food..or would that just be ridiculous? Thinking of cost here..

I'll report back tomorrow, wish me luck

AM in a similar situation, but DD is 10mo. She loves Hipp jars, but turns her nose up at my stuff. I give her a jar at lunchtime and bits of whatever we're having at tea time - at lunch i follow with a pud of finger food (ie generally fruit), then at tea time she generally gets a yogurt pud, so I know she's eating mush at one meal, whilst also getting the chance to learn to chew properly.

What I do now with the jars is put a cube of pureed mixed veg in with them, - I noticed she was straining to get her poos out, altho thye're fine when they get out (sorry, TMI ), so at least now I know she's getting fresh veg in her, as the finger food is hit and miss. I actually puree it rather than mash, so she doesn't gag - she's learning to eat with the finger foods and she's fine with the lumps already in the jars, so I don't want to put her off. I always give her little bits of whatever me and DS are having too, so she will munch on bits of cucumber, potato wedges, pasta twirls.

It gets me down sometimes, but I keep living in hope that she'll eventually just take more of the real food and not be interested in the jars! good luck.

Ellas kitchen pounches are quite sweet, maybe try adding apple to your homemade stuff with a squeeze of lemon juice.

My ds has started to play up with eating our food but the other night we had bolognese and i whizzed it in the food processor so it was still lumpy and he loved it!!

Ellas is brilliant, i add home made mash and cream cheese to it sometimes, but its always a good bet. for dessert i give custard and mash banana, or rice pudding etc. nothing wrong with giving ready made stuff for a time. ellas is organic and healthy anyway.