Eat Your Green Vegetables?

My daughter is 11 months old and she liked the peas but didn't like the green beans. I just didn't buy them and stuck w/what she liked. Now that she can eat regular green beans she likes them, she just didn't like the jared ones. They were pretty yucky! LOL!

S.

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You may want to try making them the way that you normally eat them, butter salt, than throw them in a minni food processer and if she still doesn't like them, stop trying to give them to her for a while than try it again later. It can take up to 100 times of trying certain foods before a child can begin to like them, and then also look into her mouth and check to make sure that she doesn't have an allergy to them. Rashes may show up. Also, there are other fruits that can give her the same nutrients and vitamens that she would get from green veggies. Good luck!

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I steamed my own vegggies at that age and just smashed them up myself. That was the only way I could get mine to eat veggies and they loved them and to this day they eat them, of course not smashed up anymore. I would try that I think the jar veggies have no taste and don't seem to be even close to the taste of veggies. I think it is healthier and cheaper. Good luck and let us know.

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I personal would not give any solids until a year old they just dont need them. But If I did I would make my own foods. There is a thing called a baby food grinder you can buy this works great.I used fresh washed and cooked fruits and veggies no salt needed babies dont have much of a taste bud so they dont need the salt a little butter is fine cooked in the veggies.

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We would just 'sneak' a bite of peas and green beans between bites of food that she liked. Also some of the mixed vegtables like Garden Vegtable worked for us. They had green veggies in there. Worse case - try warming them up and adding a little salt! You know years ago, baby food had salt and sugar in them and they tasted much better.

Hi,
I didn't read all the responses but what I used to do is mix the green veggies with a kind that she likes. My daughter liked the squash and carrots so I would mix in green beans and peas with those. It worked most of the time. To this day she still doesn't like vegetables!! Corn is about it. She will eat just about any kind of fruit and she is 2 now!

The green leafy vegetables are a little bitter so kids have a harder time with them. Try to puree spinach and add it to potatoes, sweet potatoes or squash. Same with broccoli. Making your own baby food is so easy... just boil or steam the veggies until soft and puree in a food processor with a little of the cooking liquid until the right consistency. It's simple (especially if you are cooking the same things for the adults too), cheap and healthier than baby food in jars. You can make extra too and freeze them in ice cube trays (then transfer to ziplocs) for later use.

Being sneaky isn't always bad. I used to mix my son's g-beans or peas with carrots or sweet pots. It took him a couple bites to get the flavor down, but it was no where near as bad as fight to feed them on thier own! Good luck!

I remember mixing a fruit or veggie with the darker veggies or meat that my one daughter didn't like. She didn't mind them that way. It was about half and half of each.

If you have the time, the homemade veggies do taste better!

Hi J.:
There are some excellent recipes in the book "First Meals" by Annabel Karmel. Check it out on Amazon if you have the chance. They're delicious, nutritious and feature some creative combinations that smooth the transition to introducing greens. Best of all they're super easy to make and store. Even though I'm a TERRIBLE cook (I'm hard pressed to even use a microwave!), I was inspired to make a few new recipes this weekend. So far, our baby loves everything we've made from the book. Good luck!

Ha, reading your post brings back some memories! I used jars of baby food with my son at first and he did the same thing... spit most of them out. When I tried them I gagged too! I began maing my own baby food. It's VERY easy so it's worth a shot. My son quickly began eating all the same foods that I did and never had a problem. (Of course I'd pull his out before adding any seasonings) My daughter never had jar food and everything went wonderfully. I would cook up veggies and even meat then put them through the food processor. Any excess was kept in tupper containers or frozen in ice cube trays then put in baggies. The frozen cubes were great in a pinch or for traveling. I'd just pull one out, put it in a container and nuke it. Voila-lunch! They travel well too. I'd drop a couple into little tupper containers and they'd thaw while we were traveling. Most gas stations had a microwaive to heat them further if needed while I was on the road. It was very easy and the best part is I never had to worry about what the heck they put in there because I had made it myself. If you've tried other brands and it's not working, making your own is very simple and sometimes even healthier. Give it a shot! :)

This also brings back memories for me. We went through the jar food thing with my first, but decided it wasn't worth it with my second. My sister and I spent an afternoon in the kitchen steaming and pureeing vegetables. We had a ball! I cooked the vegetables just like I would cook them for the family. We really don't use salt, so that's not an issue with us. After they were cooked, I ran them through the food processer and then put one serving in one of those little snack ziplock bags. (At the time I had one of those processors that look like a wand or a stick. I'm not sure what they are called. They are wonderful... worth the investment!) I then laid them out flat in the freezer. It was perfect for daycare. By the time he was ready for it, it was nearly thawed out and it was just the right amount. By the time he was ready for "table food", he was already used to the taste and it was seamless. I had enough in the freezer to last him through the "jar food months". We also did fruits and some meat that day as well. Above all, I remember the good time my sister and I had that afternoon.

J.,

The green vegetables have a stronger flavor and a lot of times babies just aren't ready for the stronger flavors. Try mixing a green vegetable with another vegetable that is blander and see if your daughter will eat her green vegetables then.

Good Luck,
Mel