Homemade Dinners

Larr

My six month old just refuses to eat homemade dinners! He's hooked on that jar stuff. I know its my own fault for starting him on it. We started spoon feeding him at 11 weeks (with an ok from health nurse). He eats the jar stuff no prob, but as soon as I come at him with real food...it's throw up city. Now I've tasted it and it's fine. His older sister had it when she was a baby. I've even tried half jar/half real food. Any ideas???

Victor

Perhaps add some of the home made to the jar stuff, gradually increasing the percentage?

He is also testing you - a little hunger can go a long way also. Obviously not too much though.

Mr Magnolia

We use Annabel Karmel's meal planner. She loves every dish that came out of it.

Quality

Larr wrote: »

My six month old just refuses to eat homemade dinners! He's hooked on that jar stuff. I know its my own fault for starting him on it. We started spoon feeding him at 11 weeks (with an ok from health nurse). He eats the jar stuff no prob, but as soon as I come at him with real food...it's throw up city. Now I've tasted it and it's fine. His older sister had it when she was a baby. I've even tried half jar/half real food. Any ideas???

Could it be down to the consistency of the food, Have you used a handblender to get it really smooth.... Just like from the jar?

Larr

Yep I've used a handblender and even put it in a food processor for a good while...don't know what it is... It's as though he likes what he likes and that's it!!! Will have to persevere, going to get the Annabel Karmel book that was suggested by another reply. I've heard of this book before so I'm gonna get it.

It's just so frustrating cos his sister took the same dinners no bother... a few pukes here and there to start with and then it was happy days...

We'll get there.... eventually

Ta for your reply

Quality

Ah hopefully you will get sorted soon,, Its gas how clever they are from such a young age..:)

Larr

Thanks Victor...going to try him on something different tomorrow but I know I'll end up doing what you said and introduce it gradually

Larr

Will defo be getting that Annabel Karmel book... The Health Centre nurse told me about it and I thought yeah whatever, I'll be fine doing it myself because my daughter was no bother really! Well just goes to show that we don't know it all just cos it's second time round. Guess I'll be cooking up a storm tomorrow morning and possibly mopping up in the evening!!!
Thanks Mr Magnolia!

LolaDub

Have you checked what ingredients are in his favourite jars? My daughter always went made for the beef stew jar but would never eat it homemade. Eventually i figured out that the jar used sweet potato and i gave her that, she was delighted! You could also try having mealtime all together and feeding baby at table with the family all eating (pretty much) the same thing, my girl loves being one of the adults. The jars also use a lot of additives so a pinch of salt (i'm not in favour of it either but it might work) in the dish and see how that goes, you could gradually wean him off. Good Luck!

Big_Mac

I wonder, would it be an idea to try and outsmart the little one as it were. Put some homemade food into a jar and make out like its the jar stuff........

Worth a try

Larr

Like your thinking Big Mac however I'm one of those mums that listened to the PHN's when they told me to NEVER feed the baby directly from the jar always put it in a bowl.

Just going to make up a few different things and see how it goes. And gonna puree the beejesus out of it!!!!!!!!!

Larr

LolaDub, Thanks.

I'll be trying a few different things over the next few days, and that'll be one of them. Ta

LolaDub

You're welcome. Also some of the jars have apple juice in them, you could try a spash perhaps?

The babylicious range are frozen cubes of 'homemade' food, i also used this and popped in a cube or two to my food for a while. I think they are probably used to sauces and stuff. Heinz do baby sauces, just another idea. Hopefully something will be the right one for you baby.

Ludo

We started off using the Anabel Karmel book also for recipes. Both of ours love most of them. Would also highly recommend it for meal ideas. There is the odd one that they both refuse. For some reason they don't like meals with broccoli or cauliflower in it

Luckily, we started off using homemade food all the time so they don't have a bother with it. We only use jarred food very rarely in "emergencies". They have refused a few of them also. Wouldn't blame them to be honest...they smell disgusting!

bazwaldo

Agree with most of the suggestions above, particularly the idea of weaning him off the jarred stuff by adding a bit more homemade to it each time so that he gets used to the taste.

Also if its possible, try add a spoon of juice from meat to the pureed veg. Such as from a roast or boiled chicken, or roast beef. I found ours liked it more as it gave the meal more flavour.

We have the Annabel Karmel's book too and the recipes are good. However ideally, you'd either want to be making the meal and freezing portions to save making it each day, or if he gets used to what you're having for dinner blitzed that would be best. Meaning getting a fresh and different meal each day without having to spend more time cooking.

Good luck, its not easy trying too outsmart a six month, honestly!

Larr

Thanks to all of you for your replies... will let you lot know how we get on

Talk to you soon,

Larr

Crea

Cautionary tale - my niece was on jar food until she was just 4. My sis gave the food while on hols when the child was very small and couldn't get her to eat anything else.
There seems to be a sweetness to the jar food so the apple juice suggestion is a good one.

Oryx

I was going to suggest the sweet potato as mentioned earlier, because its got that sweetness to it that the jars have.

Other than that don't panic. My daughter, almost 3, wouldn't eat potato, rice, veg, jar food or really anything that resembled a proper dinner. Nightmare! But she has survived healthly and now as long as she can pick up her food in her hands, she will try most things. Still rules out mushy foods, but she eats!

Larr

Crea wrote: »

Cautionary tale - my niece was on jar food until she was just 4. My sis gave the food while on hols when the child was very small and couldn't get her to eat anything else.
There seems to be a sweetness to the jar food so the apple juice suggestion is a good one.

My nephew was the same...still sneaking jars at 4 or 5. That's one of the reasons I'm eager to get rid of them

Larr

Oryx wrote: »

Other than that don't panic. My daughter, almost 3, wouldn't eat potato, rice, veg, jar food or really anything that resembled a proper dinner. Nightmare! But she has survived healthly and now as long as she can pick up her food in her hands, she will try most things. Still rules out mushy foods, but she eats!

Not too panicked...my daughter is a great eater...She'll eat anything from spuds to salami...she's great!

Larr

Hi All, just to update you...my son hasn't had a jar in days thanks to that Annabel Karmel book. Made up a few new dishes...picked the ones similar to jars and they seem to be doing the trick. However he has made it perfectly clear that he doesn't like anything with peas or else he just doesn't like the colour green!!!


Thanks to all of you for your suggestions,
Larr

Quality

Larr wrote: »

Hi All, just to update you...my son hasn't had a jar in days thanks to that Annabel Karmel book. Made up a few new dishes...picked the ones similar to jars and they seem to be doing the trick. However he has made it perfectly clear that he doesn't like anything with peas or else he just doesn't like the colour green!!!


Thanks to all of you for your suggestions,
Larr

ahh thats great news. well done!!