Food Aversion - Saint Michael,MN

It seems to me that this is the parents' Responsibility. Inform them that you will have to start charging for meals unless they want to start bringing her food with her.

(I've never used daycare for my kids, so I have no idea what's normal in this situation. But I feel that this is your Business - You decide what services you offer. Too many daycare moms seem to let themselves be walked over by parents as if they don't deserve to be paid for what they are doing.)

I would need to talk to the parents and find out what they are doing at home first of all? Are they at all interested in changing this...supporting a change???

I too do home childcare...and recently started making my own baby food....I have more control over texture and freshness this way....some baby foods are fine (variety and flavor) but if I had to eat it..I prefer the fresh stuff (I make batches in my small food chopper and freeze it in ice cube trays for convenient size servings...pop them into a baggie after frozen solid and lable with date and contents...and lately..texture...lumpy or fine, etc....easy, cheap and tastes better!)......

Is this child gagging on it, or simply won't eat the more textured stuff? Sounds like perhaps they need to be weaned into it more? They are all different, and some are all on table food at 9 or 10 mos and feeding themselves...tohers are much later...I have one of these "later" kids right now due to ruling out allergies....

Either way, this child really needs to be making progress towards table foods....and the parents help and support can be key.....

My last two kids were this way they were about 13 month old before they would eat anything above a stage 2 bb food. It is a texture issue, all you can do is keep trying, with my last one I made my own bb food, it is a lot easier and way cheaper, I also make the bb food for my daycare kids when they start eating solids.

If you are interested PM me and I can give pointers, it is super easy, I had always avoided it b/c I thought it was so time consuming and hard but boy was I wrong.

S.

I am also a day care provider. I have a rule in my daycare, as long as a child is on baby food the parents have to provide for their own child. My uncle was a pediatrician and he advised my mother to test one food a week until each baby food was gone through - this is to make clear if a child had a food allergy. I always provided my daughter's caregivers with her food so I was sure of what she was eating, until she was on solids. If they ask, I advise parents to try this method but they are free to feed their child any which way they feel inclined to but it was on their dollar. Us daycare providers don't make much money as it is and baby food is very expensive and full of food allergy peril.

By the way, I would check to see if there is a program in your area that helps day care providers with the food budget. If not, keep your receipts and use them as a deduction on your taxes.

Good Luck

I tried to make my own baby food as much as possible also, but it's easier if you start when they are just beginning on solids. What you could do is mash it as much as possible or put it in a blender/food processor and then mix a little bit in with the purchased baby food. Then each time add a little more and mash it not quite as much. Eventually you can phase out the purchased baby food. How long it will take just depends on the child. I have read and heard that you may have to introduce a food 20 times before a baby will like it. Good luck and hang in there!