https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 12 May 2026 23:31:25 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/oops-has-anyone-else-struggled-with-this#post-2789774 Sat, 02 Dec 2017 21:58:43 +0000 maddyz 2789774@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We eat a lot of roast chicken. Rice, pasta, meat loaf, meat balls, hamburger, steamed green beans, frozen peas, mac and cheese, ground meat, precooked chicken sausage, hummus, anything that can be dipped in catsup. yogurt and more yogurt. Apples, bananas, berries, cucumbers. pretzels, pirate bootie, gram crackers, fig bars. cheerios, pancakes, eggs, frozen waffles, muffins.</p> <p>DS1 will be 3 in feb DS2 is 14 months.</p> <p>Both boys drink about 6oz of cow milk a day and DS2 is still breast fed. I dont push the milk because the eat about two servings of yogurt or Kiefer a day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/oops-has-anyone-else-struggled-with-this#post-2789759 Sat, 02 Dec 2017 19:53:15 +0000 KT326 2789759@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LAZB: oh we have pizza probably once a week! My five year old would eat it for every meal if I let him! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/oops-has-anyone-else-struggled-with-this#post-2789746 Sat, 02 Dec 2017 16:05:32 +0000 LAZB 2789746@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@KT326: gotcha, I thought you meant something was bad about it. I thought uh oh, I totally give it to mine! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/oops-has-anyone-else-struggled-with-this#post-2789720 Sat, 02 Dec 2017 14:03:01 +0000 gingerbebe 2789720@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We keep easy fruit and veg at home. That’s like blueberries, grapes, clementines, and bananas. They are easy to eat and prep. For veg, my eldest really likes carrots and cukes so we keep little Persian cukes and baby carrots for him. DS2 still won’t eat regular veg, never has, so I have to put it in cooked food. So we keep a variety of frozen and canned veggies. Mixed vegetables, peas and carrots, corn, and baby spinach in the freezer. Canned green beans go over better bc they are soft.</p> <p>For my boys I always keep a pot of cooked multigrain rice on hand and usually boil some pasta, toss it in olive oil, and keep it in the fridge. We are big on one-bowl meals because then DS2 will eat veggies because he’s just shoveling into his mouth. Neither of my boys like cuts of meat - it has to be ground up or mixed into something somehow. So I usually make a stew, soup, curry, or sauce and mix it up with the rice or pasta. If the food is too hot, I throw some frozen peas or corn into it and mix it up to cool it down.</p> <p>We/the boys eat a variation of the same thing:</p> <p>Taco bowls (meat, rice, beans, veg, all mixed up) with chips on the side<br /> Curry with rice (Thai, Indian, Japanese)<br /> Brothy soups mixed with rice (so it’s thick like porridge)<br /> Pasta with frozen meatballs or meat sauce<br /> Pasta with veggies and Alfredo sauce and cheese<br /> Risotto<br /> Breakfast for dinner with spinach omelet and cut up breakfast sausage</p> <p>We will usually cook three times a week and eat the meal twice. If they don’t eat their dinner I pack it for lunch the next day. None of my meals take more than 30 minutes to cook and I like to cook at night after the boys are down so I can just reheat and serve the next day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/oops-has-anyone-else-struggled-with-this#post-2789714 Sat, 02 Dec 2017 13:19:58 +0000 SweetiePie 2789714@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So I didn’t really forget about solids but I hate cooking so I didn’t really enjoy it. So every day I was like crappppppp what am I going to feed him. We live in NYC and usually just order our meals. And it’s not like it’s all McDonald’s but still not always food Id want to share with my 1yo. </p> <p>My go tos:<br /> -Steamed veggies (fortunately he loves a variety of them). You can buy frozen and they are just as nutritious as fresh. That way you don’t have to have too much forethought into them (shopping and prep). Just steam in microwave and good to go.<br /> -rice/couscous/quinoa/pasta are all things you can make for the week. @gingerbebe: does some cool things too with sticky rice and makes little rice balls. That’s too much work for me. I truly hate cooking.<br /> - chick peas and black beans are an excellent source of protein and fiber as well and my son loved them. I just got canned and rinsed them off. Then for chickpeas I squeezed the outer “shell/skin” off of them to make it a little easier to eat. Black beans good as is.<br /> - ground beef plain or a little seasoned. Just brown in a pan.<br /> - and off of that, a mild chili is always a hit with my son. And I can make a batch of that in the crock pot and freeze. It’s like my once monthly cooking 😂<br /> - cheese cut into tiny cubes<br /> - I made these too (all 3) and his favorite were the quinoa and broccoli and cheese bites. Make a big batch in mini muffin tins and freeze. Perfect little size. With the quinoa, egg, and cheese and broccoli it’s pretty much a full meal.<br /> <a href="http://www.hellobee.com/2013/11/12/our-favorite-recipes-baby-led-weaning/" rel="nofollow">http://www.hellobee.com/2013/11/12/our-favorite-recipes-baby-led-weaning/</a><br /> - at that age my son also really liked fish! Even salmon which I don’t like. So I would get frozen seasoned salmon or tilapia and bake it in the oven. Serve it with the aforementioned premade carb and frozen veggie. Fish is soft and flakes easily so it’s great for them. I can’t find it anymore but Bumblebee actually makes some great ones and they have super minimal simple ingredients. Like tilapia, olive oil, garlic, salt. That’s it. Really great and my husband also says it tastes like a restaurant dish. </p> <p>I also go to a small market near us that has upscale prepared foods. Fish, chicken, meatloaf, veggie burgers, etc. and I’ll get that stuff maybe once a week and that will be dinner for him. </p> <p>Now that he’s 3 I’m even lazier and I’ve fallen into the frozen kid food trap that I made fun of everyone else for. But he still isn’t very picky I think because I did a variety early and often when he was younger. Like we went to a diner the other night and I asked if he wanted chicken soup, grilled cheese or salmon. And he said salmon. And he ate it. So I strongly believe in introducing things even you may not like early! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/oops-has-anyone-else-struggled-with-this#post-2789687 Sat, 02 Dec 2017 08:56:37 +0000 KT326 2789687@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LAZB: he wasn't very good at chewing any kind of bread until just recently (he 11 months). He would always gag on it or spit it out so I just fed him something else. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/oops-has-anyone-else-struggled-with-this#post-2789683 Sat, 02 Dec 2017 08:30:06 +0000 LAZB 2789683@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@KT326: why no to pizza? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/oops-has-anyone-else-struggled-with-this#post-2789682 Sat, 02 Dec 2017 08:14:10 +0000 Mrs. Goose 2789682@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My kid wasn’t picky at 1, just barely ate any food. Only now, at 2, is the quantity slightly increasing, but it’s still not on par with the amount that a lot of other children her age or younger eat. I’d say just keep trying to remember to give solids and I use pouches if I was out for the day. Pouches and containers or goldfish/Cheerios/raisins. I now make little batches of stuff I can freeze and thaw for a toddler meal if I can’t make stuff, like alphabet pasta that I mix with a veggie pasta sauce and some butter. Freezes and thaws well. Little batches of quinoa bake, soups, stir fry. My toddler loves rice and I can mix rice with baked beans from a can and it’s a good meal. Keeping cut up veggies or fruit in the fridge helps too. Yesterday’s dinner was cottage cheese and vegetable soup. Lunch was a pouch and goldfish because we were out and breakfast was Oatmeal and some milk for the toad. Her afternoon snack was some leftover baked beans. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/oops-has-anyone-else-struggled-with-this#post-2789678 Sat, 02 Dec 2017 07:14:01 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2789678@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO attends daycare, so I lucked out M-F with only having to provide solids for dinner. On the weekends we tried to follow daycare’s meal and snack schedule. We fed him the same foods in different combos for months. </p> <p>I suggest writing down a meal plan for your LO to help you stay on track. The rule was milk and then 45 minutes later food. </p> <p>Easy meals/ finger foods.<br /> -frozen waffle with melted cheese.<br /> -Yogurt or cottage cheese<br /> -toast with melted cheese<br /> - cheese stick and crackers<br /> -pasta in pesto with cherry tomatoes.<br /> For most meals we served a handful of frozen peas and fresh berries on the side. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/oops-has-anyone-else-struggled-with-this#post-2789675 Sat, 02 Dec 2017 06:55:26 +0000 Msglass 2789675@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thank you! These are all really helpful! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/oops-has-anyone-else-struggled-with-this#post-2789659 Fri, 01 Dec 2017 21:34:17 +0000 mrsjd 2789659@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: has given you wonderful advice and very similar to what we do. My daughter is a fantastic eater but loved her milk and so it was a transition that happened slowly. But consistency and preparation was key for us. And she also likes flavorful foods. But, you have to commit to it. Keep trying, a little at a time. </p> <p>For some practical ideas - It's so hard to fit it in, so often on Sunday nights, I'll make something that can be good leftovers for her twice that week - enchiladas, spaghetti, etc. And then one night a week I'll making something that can be leftover again another night. I also keep veggie burgers on hand to heat up, as well as mac and cheese in a pinch. Peanut butter sandwiches are my last resource when I am just OVER making dinner. For breakfast, Trader Joe's has silver dollar pancakes that I serve without butter or syrup a couple times a week, with fruit on the side. I try to keep everything as low on added sugar as possible. When I make scrambled eggs, I add cheese to them, and I usually make a double batch so I can save half and reheat them 10-15 seconds in the microwave the next day. Hard boiled eggs work too. Eggs are my daughter's favorite! They're great for breakfast. Sometimes breakfast is just cheerios and some fruit, but I usually try to give her something more substantial. Yogurt is also something she likes but it's so messy we save it for dinner. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/oops-has-anyone-else-struggled-with-this#post-2789641 Fri, 01 Dec 2017 19:42:03 +0000 LCTBQE 2789641@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I hear you, we struggled with this, too--we both work full time and commute and our baby is obsessed with milk, so it was easy to forget to feed him food when we were getting started. and, I was so excited to wean at 12 months that it didn't occur to me that all the energy I was spending pumping and nursing would just turn into energy spent grocery shopping and cooking for the baby. My husband and I are pretty inconsistent eaters and the offer-what-the-family-eats advice REALLY didn't resonate with us. The other thing that made it not so simple was the realization that our baby loves (and will eat with gusto, and more of it) real food that's super flavorful-- if it's dull to me, it's gross to him too. So he'll reject super simple cooked chicken, but he will eat a ton of homemade chicken enchiladas; he'll reject steamed broccoli, but loves it when it has pesto and salt all over it. Doesn't like avocado plain but loves it lightly salted and sprinkled with lemon juice and ground cumin. I bring it up because I'm wondering if your baby gets bored with the solids because the solids themselves are boring??<br /> Anyway, what we did was just commit to breakfast at 7am (oatmeal with cream and a little brown sugar, or scrambled eggs, or full fat yogurt, and always a serving of fruit); lunch at 11:45am (real food, the kind you have to cook, plus a veggie and a fruit), snack at 3 or 4pm (this one I let myself off the hook and do puffs or a fruit bar which I call Baby Snickers Bar) and dinner at 6pm (same deal as lunch). Once the schedule was in place we just stuck to it, but we're a psycho schedule family. Def ditto the pp with do-ahead prep on the lunch and dinner stuff--steaming or sautéing veggies and putting portions of food into his tiny little tupperware containers saves a ton of time. There's no way around how much work all the cooking is, but your little guy needs it and when he gets more into eating it'll be more fun :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/oops-has-anyone-else-struggled-with-this#post-2789640 Fri, 01 Dec 2017 19:38:38 +0000 Foodnerd81 2789640@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>With my second in particular I forgot to feed her “food” way longer than I was supposed to. I totally get it. I agree with the idea of having a small batch of easy to serve food on hand so you can put a little handful on his tray while you eat your food. Obviously it would be good to feed what you are eating but I know a lot of times my meal wasn’t as healthy as what I wanted to feed a baby. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/oops-has-anyone-else-struggled-with-this#post-2789636 Fri, 01 Dec 2017 19:22:41 +0000 KT326 2789636@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We offer whatever we are eating. If it's something I don't want him having yet (like pizza) then I'll cut up some fruit, cheese and a steamed veggie (in the microwave). Super easy stuff. He also doesn't really eat that much yet. Like half a string cheese, one or two strawberries and a couple broccoli florets. So eats easy to prep a bunch at once and feed it to him for a couple of days. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/oops-has-anyone-else-struggled-with-this#post-2789628 Fri, 01 Dec 2017 19:07:24 +0000 2littlepumpkins 2789628@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My first kid was still on purees for a few months after one. She's five now and while I would say she's picky, and it did take her awhile to chew meats/other chewy foods, she did come around and she even eats steak now, occasionally. :) </p> <p>I would just keep trying different things but not worry too much about it/consistency. I promise he won't drink formula in high school! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/oops-has-anyone-else-struggled-with-this#post-2789624 Fri, 01 Dec 2017 18:28:57 +0000 petitenoisette 2789624@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO was still gagging on solids at 1, I really wouldn’t stress too much about it. I think you’d be surprised how many babies aren’t eating 3meals/snacks at that point. Follow his lead and he will eat more solids as time goes by, I promise! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/oops-has-anyone-else-struggled-with-this#post-2789622 Fri, 01 Dec 2017 18:04:07 +0000 Msglass 2789622@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wasn't sure which board to post this on, but I'm mostly just looking for solidarity (and any tips if you have had similar experiences). My little boy just turned one, and we've been introducing him to a lot of solid foods. He isn't a super picky eater and will eat meat, veggies, fruit, etc without much of a problem. He still is primarily fed with bottles of formula, but we try to give him some solids every day. I know at this point most babies are eating three meals of solid food plus a few snacks a day, but my problem is this- when I do give him solids, it always seems like he gets bored really quickly and doesn't eat enough to qualify it as a meal. And often we'll go whole days where I'll just forget to give him some finger foods and he'll just have puffs here and there. So basically what I'm saying is, I'm having a lot of trouble staying on track with consistency and I'm nervous that he's going to be drinking formula until he's in high school because I always forget to put together a meal of solid food for him or I'm just too exhausted to think through what to prepare for him. I know that sounds horrible. Any help on meal ideas or tips for how to incorporate finger foods into our day would be most appreciated! </p>