Need help getting baby to eat healthy!

BootsOrHearts · November 2014

We've been doing BLW since he was 5.5 months old and have tried to give him a variety of healthy foods but the last few months, I swear all he will eat is goldfish crackers, bunny grahams and blueberries. It's so frustrating to make up a plate for him and watch him just chew things up and then spit them out into his lap. I really want him to develop good eating habits. At the same time, he needs to eat! In the last month he's actually lost about 10 oz. It could be because he's just starting walking but it still worries me. Although he's grown an inch since September so I know he's growing even if he's not gaining weight.

This morning I got frustrated and threw out all the salty and sweet packaged snacks, cereal and whatnot. I feel like we made a big mistake giving him that kind of crap to begin with and I'm wondering how we recover.

We try to give him a good variety of fruits, veggies, meats, etc. and we usually over him a bit of whatever we're having. We try to make healthy meals and leave out the salt and spice so he can have the same thing we're having. The only thing he doesn't get is non-kosher proteins (pork, shellfish, etc.) because we don't have those things in the house.

Any tips? Recipes? Ideas? What worked for you or didn't work?

Thanks ladies, here's some healthy foods instead of cake. ;-)

Edit: For those on mobile, Baby Boots turns 1 in a couple weeks. ;-)

BootsOrHearts · November 2014

dillngr9 said:

Baby Boots (can we still call him that after he's one? Because I don't like the sound of Toddler Boots nearly as much) will figure it out. Just keep doing your best - it's HARD!!

He will always be my baby. I can't believe he's growing up so fast. Make it stop!

ball.and.chain · November 2014

I'm with mamalamb that more seasoning might help. I haven't started B on solids yet, so take this advice with a grain of salt (HA! HA!).

So my wife graduated from culinary school and cooked in a popular restaurant for years, and the biggest thing I have learned from her is that most home cooks use waaaay less salt than professional chefs do. She attributes all of her cooking "talent" to seasoning properly (rather than under-seasoning, which is what she feels most home cooks do), and often gets complemented on food that has nothing more than salt, pepper and oil on it. I think people underestimate how much better salt makes things taste.

Now I've read Baby-Led Weaning and several baby food cookbooks and I know they all advise you not to use salt in preparing baby's food and that this is supposedly based on AAP recommendations. However, the fact is that processed food, even "healthier" processed food, has waaay more sodium in it than a typical home-cooked dish that you added a normal amount of salt to. If Baby Boots can eat goldfish and bunny crackers, he can eat the food you and your husband eat, WITH the salt in it. It will still be lower in sodium, and it will be tastier than salt-free food. Maybe that's why he likes the crackers so much more than the "healthy" food you're giving him?

Good luck!

BootsOrHearts · November 2014

ball.and.chain said:

I'm with mamalamb that more seasoning might help. I haven't started B on solids yet, so take this advice with a grain of salt (HA! HA!).

So my wife graduated from culinary school and cooked in a popular restaurant for years, and the biggest thing I have learned from her is that most home cooks use waaaay less salt than professional chefs do. She attributes all of her cooking "talent" to seasoning properly (rather than under-seasoning, which is what she feels most home cooks do), and often gets complemented on food that has nothing more than salt, pepper and oil on it. I think people underestimate how much better salt makes things taste.

Now I've read Baby-Led Weaning and several baby food cookbooks and I know they all advise you not to use salt in preparing baby's food and that this is supposedly based on AAP recommendations. However, the fact is that processed food, even "healthier" processed food, has waaay more sodium in it than a typical home-cooked dish that you added a normal amount of salt to. If Baby Boots can eat goldfish and bunny crackers, he can eat the food you and your husband eat, WITH the salt in it. It will still be lower in sodium, and it will be tastier than salt-free food. Maybe that's why he likes the crackers so much more than the "healthy" food you're giving him?

Good luck!

I never thought about it this way, I will try that thank you!

BootsOrHearts · November 2014

Thank you ladies for all the good advice! We are going to try some of your ideas, I'll let you know how it goes!

Wifey xo · November 2014

Good luck Boots. Just wanted to chime in and agree with the seasoning. I personally do not salt my food because I really don't like it, but if I make a chicken breast I will use garlic powder and onion powder. I was amazed how much Tate enjoys it! I also mix things with puréed grapes to sweeten, or even a little broth (there's the salt). Kudos to BB with the BLW! Tate will self feed snacks, but is a work in progress at meal time.

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