Getting Baby to Eat Table Foods

I try to give my baby healthy food as much as possible but sometimes it is hard.
What I do for breakfest is give her pancakes or french toast with nothing on it. Then I give her fruit. She doesn't like the texture of natural fruit but will still eat the Gerber 2nd foods. Her favorite's are peaches, pears and bannana's with mixed berries. Then about 10:00 AM I will give her yogurt. There is a brand called Yo Baby which has whole milk in it and I get the peaches and pear one and she loves it.
For lunch there are some graduate soups that have chicken with vegetables either rice or noodles and also ones with Turkey I give her those or some lunch meat turkey, chicken with cheese.
For dinner she gets either beef, turkey or chicken with vegetables. She is not one for spaghetti. Then again with the vegetables she doesn't really like but certain kinds so I give her the 2nd foods garden vegetables that has carrots, peas and spinach in it and also mixed vegetables that has carrots, peas and potatos. Graduates has some meals that are made up already that have pasta with chicken and real small carotts and a side of peas in it. She loves that one. Also there is one with mashed potatos, diced chicken and gravy with a side of peas and carrots.
I am not a true beliver in giving a child peanut butter sandwhiches or grilled cheese all the time. I know you want your baby to eat healthy and it's hard I am sure with a picky eater but here are a few things for you to try to see if it will help you out. Hopefully she will like some of them so you can start to feel better with what you are giving her. My friend has a daughter who is also picky and she gets so upset cause her daughter will only eat certain things.

I hope this helps you out some.
R.

My 13 month old daughter loves to eat Lunchables. I cut up the turkey and cheese for her and she munches on the crackers in between. It's quick, easy, and I am pretty sure a 6 year old would love it too :)

One of the easiest things to do is to buy 1st or 2nd stage baby food and add it to any sauce you make...or if you make cookies as a "family time" activity, add applesauce, or one of the baby food fruits to it...Add a baby foo9d fruit to the top of the pancakes as the Syrup....or mix in the batter. Add a veggie or two to the pasta sauce....

Start cutting up small pieces of fruits or veggies and offer them at every meal and at snack...offer dipping sauces. You can do anything from dressing, to syrup, to all fruit jellys, to ketchup and mustard, even the baby foods are a good dipping sauce...and the fruits taste really good!...my son surprized me the other day and dipped his fritos in the blackberry (no seeds) all fruit jelly...and loved it!! He likes apples dipped in ketchup...(I know...yuck!) Offer a few dipping sauces....just a few suggestions

Not sure if this would help or if you have already tried it but...my daughter, Baylee is 16 months old and had a hard time eating as well. I began to just let her feed herself. I think being able to do it herself with a fork or a spoon (supervised of course) made it more fun. The food gets from head to toe and we still have to bathe frequently after meal time, but she will eat anything I put in front of her now. I try to make it fun instead of a chore. You might try that and see what happens!

I have a 3 year old and a 16 mth old...I am very focused on getting all 5 food groups in each day (with 1 somewhat picky eater). I have found that if I create a dip or sauce for things they really do not like it makes eating it FUN! example; vanilla lowfat yogurt with berries (any kind) and let them do the dipping; dill sauce for fish or chicken- plain low fat yogurt with fresh dill, black pepper and a bit of lemon juice; Apples & Celery with peanut butter; frozen grapes (not for the baby though) make a great snack on a hot day.

Create casseroles that have healthy items in it that may be less obivous to them. My oldest gets a special treat after dinner if he tries everything on his plate whether he believes he likes it or not!

hi J.!
try finely chopping fresh spinach and sauteeing it in a little bit of olive oil and tossing it in with the pasta. season the pasta with some butter or however you like it. if you boil the pasta in chicken broth/stock you may not need the butter on it. i also add finely chopped canned carrots to the pasta.
good luck!

M.....sahm of an 8 y.o. boy and a very picky 3y.o.boy.

p.s.my kids won't eat wheat pasta or bread so we eat barilla plus pasta(it has more protein and more fiber than regular, but less than whole wheat) and white wheat bread(has more fiber han regular bread)

I fed my children finger food at that age. It will help them start feeding themselves. They both loved hot dogs that we cut into pieces that they wouldn't choke on and the six year old should loved them too. Of course they also ate mixed vegetable like peas and carrots, and corn, etc. Use the canned type because they are much softer. Mashed potatoes were another favorite. Cut up some ham chuncks and mix with scrambled eggs. Rolled lunch meat/cheese is also easy. Please note that babies of that age range are usually picky and not to worry yet. Be assured that they will get enough nutrients and will grow...mine were picky also. Introduce a variety of foods often and that should help with the pickiness. Make the food look fun; that was sonething I learned later on from a friend. Give them a multi-vitamin to be on the safe side.