Hi wonderful moms...
for some reason my creative wheels are not turning so I'm seeking out some help here. All of the sudden my almost 18 month old is refusing to eat anything she cannot spoon feed herself. So she's been eating a lot of yogurt, applesauce, and oatmeal these past 2 days. What are some good foods for this stage? I really thought she would still be ok w/ eating finger foods and foods that go with a spoon. I know eventually she will, but in the meantime I need some ideas! Thanks!
You can also buy a spoon that has little holes in it with the baby spoone so food sticks to it easier. I think giving a fork is also great- it is woderful that she is wanting to be so independent!
Gerber Graduates sells the shells and cheese. It's really thick and creamy, so it sticks to the spoon. My 14 month old LOVES them and is enjoying feeding them to herself. I just make sure she eats it RIGHT before bathtime! lol! It can get messy!
Guacamole(mashed avocado), ground beef, mashed potato, scrambled eggs,mac and cheese,rice,beans,cottage cheese,lasagna(cut in small pieces), very small cut weiners mixed with pork and beans, corn,risotto,couscous, hamburger helper.
Another good one is chicken salad or tuns salad( the kind you put in sandwiches).
The Gerber Graduate Stews are great for that... they have gerber graduate mac and cheese, chicken and rice...and more.
they also have sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes...
Hope that helps.
A. J
How about a really thick soup? If you make them yourself, you can adjust the consistency. My baby loves potato (actually cream of potato and broccoli with cheddar) and butternut squash (with pears).
Bakes sweet potato slices, mashed potatoes, pasta with beans.
pudding, also i would just take anything we had for dinner & either puree it thick or chop small and add applesauce, or a creamed soup (no water added) so it all sticks on the spoon
Try some mashed potatoes, mashed carrots, cooked ground beef, scrambled eggs. You could also mash beans. Anything that you can mash she can use the spoon to eat with. Hope this info helps.
Just wanted to say that believe it or not, but 17 month old does better with a little fork. Not the plastic ones, the ones that are metal, typically found in a character theme with a matching spoon. She has started doing the same thing, and it is so frustrating sometimes. But she can fork any soft fruits, and pastas work great. We have found some Barilla pastas that are made really small, and they have been a crowd pleaser around my house. Another thing that she will allow for things that are more difficult, is for me to get it on the spoon or fork for her, and then hand it to her for her to put it in her mouth!! She is killing me with the independance these days, but it is also so fun to watch her grow up! Have fun trying new things!! ~A.~
im sure other people have suggested this but im going through the same thing with MY 18 mo and mashed potatoes work the best because they stick to the spoon!
Anything like scrambeled eggs soft cooked, refried beans,yogurts, mashed alvacados, Gerber makes great graduate foods. Our little Grandaughter loves using a fork. She probably uses this more than a spoon. You can always just ground a little anything your family is eating that would be good for her.
Some suggestions: mashed potatoes, peas, peaches, spagettios (messy, yes, but my son loves them!), mac and cheese
My 18 mo. old son loves to eat with a fork! He has a hard time with the spoon b/c it's difficult for him to scoop and make it to his mouth. But he loves to stab everything with a fork. The plastic ones are no good, b/c they don't stab the food as well. Target had some in their $ spot area before Christmas, so my son got some for stocking stuffers. He has been very independent and will only eat if he feeds himself since before he was 1. I didn't even think about trying a fork until my MIL gave one to him a few months ago, and he's done great with it! Before he had trouble with the spoon and usually just held the spoon in one hand and ate with the other.
We used to use an inexpensive hand crank baby food grinder and just grind up what we were having for dinner (we purposely cooked without seasonings when baby was new). When we first started, we would stir in ground up home cooked food about half and half with baby cereal. After the food passed the "ok" test, we would gradually stir in less cereal until it was eliminated.
You can grind up almost anything and mix it with baby cereal! We saved a lot of money that way. I think I bought 2 jars of baby food total - and my babies hated them! Mix whole peas/corn kernals/diced carrots with mashed potatoes to make them "spoonable"
Good luck! and have fun!
Refried beans are great at this stage--they stick to the spoon!
My daughter likes nibblets corn, mashed potatoes (both russet and sweet), and mashed avocado.
