https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:53:40 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is/page/2#post-1665184 Thu, 29 May 2014 10:31:19 +0000 septca 1665184@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD (16 mo) eats all table food at this point, but rarely what we are eating unless it's leftovers. I do a lot of cooking and freezing for her. I also buy a lot of frozen vegetables that are super easy to defrost and stick on her tray (think butternut squash chunks, broccoli, peas). Some things that work well (some are great for making ahead, reheating, and freezing):<br /> meatballs<br /> grilled chicken<br /> breaded chicken (sometimes I buy this frozen)<br /> Dr. Prager's spinch-potato pancakes<br /> sweet potato wedges<br /> macaroni and cheese<br /> baked oatmeal<br /> omelets or scrambled eggs<br /> baked egg cups with any type of veg + cheese<br /> quesadillas<br /> black beans<br /> bananas<br /> pears<br /> grapes<br /> cantaloupe<br /> any type of berries<br /> green smoothies<br /> peas<br /> broccoli<br /> green beans<br /> cooked carrots<br /> butternut squash<br /> cheese<br /> graham crackers with peanut butter<br /> whole wheat toaster waffles<br /> toast/toasted bagels<br /> hummus<br /> salmon<br /> any type of soup - either in a cup with a straw or strained (DD particularly loves bean soups) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is/page/2#post-1665167 Thu, 29 May 2014 10:23:17 +0000 Cherrybee 1665167@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: That's amazing!! Hahaha! I luuuurve hummus - I might try this myself!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is/page/2#post-1665164 Thu, 29 May 2014 10:20:42 +0000 blackbird 1665164@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@foodnerd81, carbs and fat? :) </p> <p>@cherrybee, well first I had given her a snap pea and she was dipping it, but not getting much on it. And i got tired of her double dipping in the container, so i plopped the hummus onto her high chair. Then she chucked the snap pea and just started shoving her fingers in it and licking them clean....so that's how she eats it, lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is/page/2#post-1665149 Thu, 29 May 2014 10:15:46 +0000 Cherrybee 1665149@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: Re: cucumber - we used to peel it but I don't bother now because she has five teeth! :grin: </p> <p>@blackbird: How does she eat hummus then? With a spoon? Or with her hands??! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is/page/2#post-1665146 Thu, 29 May 2014 10:14:28 +0000 Foodnerd81 1665146@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: I keep reminding myself that she knows why she needs but it's hard when 80% of her meals seem to be strawberries, blueberries, and cheese. But I also remind myself good before one is (mostly) just for fun. The licking the hummus off and tossing the pita over the side cracks me up though, especially because I absolutely remember doing that with carrots and dip when I was younger. </p> <p>Who am I kidding. I've dipped my finger in hummus and ate it as an adult. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is/page/2#post-1665136 Thu, 29 May 2014 10:10:54 +0000 Foodnerd81 1665136@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cherrybee: oh also, for pouches, c would happily hold it herself but she would make a gigantic mess so I still hold it for her. She puts her hands on the side like she is holding it too, but she sucks the purée out, rather than me squeezing it up, she she is more in charge than spoon feeding or something. She E might not mind it as much, especially if you start with flavors she really likes. We use them when we are out and I want to make sure she eats something not too messy (though the kid can make a mess out of anything.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is/page/2#post-1665133 Thu, 29 May 2014 10:10:06 +0000 blackbird 1665133@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@cherrybee, haha, yeah it really helps to make lots of food and stick it in the fridge! We're getting away from that as she gets older, though, and is more interested in what is specifically on DH and mine's plate. Makes for an easy transition for us. </p> <p>@foodnerd, mine is in a hummus obsession and I spread it on some tortillas for her. She. Flipped. Out. Only plain hummus will do. She licked it off and threw the tortillas overboard! </p> <p>Babies aren't always going to have well rounded meals. They know what they want and they go for it. If you look at their diet over a week, I think that's a much better idea of the nutrients they are taking in. They just really seem to focus in on one type of food, and then they want nothing to do with it. They know what they need :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is/page/2#post-1665129 Thu, 29 May 2014 10:09:13 +0000 looch 1665129@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Full disclosure: I am often not hungry for a huge dinner at dinnertime and would be satisfied with a container of yogurt and a banana. My husband and I both work out of the home and have access to fab cafeterias, so we can eat gourmet for breakfast and lunch for reasonable prices. I don't feel like cooking frankly, during the week and I don't feel like fussing with dishes on the weekends!</p> <p>So, what we do is family breakfast on the weekends. We often do an errand and then come home and we all have a nice breakfast of cold meat, cheese, bread, jam, cream cheese, etc. We all get what we like, but it comes from the same source. We all sit at the table, with proper furnishings and my son loves to pour us our juice. </p> <p>I guess what I am trying to say is that you don't have to have family meals every single day, and it doesn't have to be dinner, to instill good eating habits and proper function at the table! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1665070 Thu, 29 May 2014 09:55:17 +0000 Foodnerd81 1665070@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cherrybee: haha. That's pretty much C's reaction to any fish. She did try it, then she carefully picked up each and every speck from her tray and tossed it over the side. I haven't tried cucumber in a while, will try it again today. Do you peel it first? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1665043 Thu, 29 May 2014 09:49:07 +0000 kiddosc 1665043@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>E eats much earlier than we do. DH works until 8:30, so we don't eat until late at night, long after E is in bed. He eats our leftovers most of the time, or rather, that's what I give him. Whether or not he eats it is another story. Poor kid barely knows what a freshly cooked dinner tastes like, but I don't get him home until 6 and I don't have time to cook him a fresh meal. He gets offered all of our regular/regularly spiced food, though on that note, I have tried to limit the salt I put into our food because of this. Sometimes he'll go for it, sometimes not. On nights where he doesn't eat our meals, he'll get down, play and do bath and I'll feed him a snack before bed so he doesn't go hungry. I'm hoping that he doesn't associate not eating dinner with getting a snack, but he's too young to know that he'll be hungry in the middle of the night if he doesn't eat dinner. And I don't want to get in the habit of cooking two dinners every night, one of stuff E will eat, and one for us. </p> <p>As for weekends, he gets a small "snack" when he wakes up. A banana or some applesauce and oatmeal. That will hold him over until we eat breakfast a little later. He eats our breakfast sandwiches, eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, whatever we're having. Then usually he'll get leftovers for lunch, and we'll eat his dinner with him, which is actually usually our lunch. We usually get two meals together on a weekend, and when he's eating and we're not, I sit with him and I'll eat a snack while he eats. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664931 Thu, 29 May 2014 09:19:21 +0000 MrsTiz 1664931@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cherrybee: Uhhhhmm.. Sweet Elliot, where is your fuzzy hair I love so much?!!? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664901 Thu, 29 May 2014 09:13:12 +0000 snowjewelz 1664901@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I really should ask my mom how she did it, b/c I know for sure my sister &amp; I both ate what they ate starting at a very young age. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664883 Thu, 29 May 2014 09:09:03 +0000 Cherrybee 1664883@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: Interestingly, cheese cubes and fruit is all I'm getting down E at the moment! Mature cheddar, fruit (any type), cucumber and avocado to be precise. Asparagus was NOT a success, look at her face:</p> <p>[attach=2581/14/n6c9z4.449x600.WP_003143.jpg]</p> <p>"what is this shit?"</p> <p>[attach=2581/14/n6c9z6.449x600.WP_003145.jpg]</p> <p>"I said I ain't eating this shit!" </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664850 Thu, 29 May 2014 09:01:57 +0000 Foodnerd81 1664850@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've been doing BLW for just about 4 months now and I still struggle with this. I definitely want to eventually get into the habit of family meals, but DH rarely gets home before 7 and C is in bed by 7:30-8, then DH and I eat dinner after she is in bed, so it's not going to happen for a little while. When she is a little older, I'll probably switch to eating dinner with her, not DH, I guess. For now in terms of eating together, since I SAH I always eat lunch with C, and I snack while I give her dinner. But she doesn't always eat what I do, even if I do make a point now to always eat things I can offer her at least (like, I'd be happy for her to eat a turkey and cheese sandwich, but she isn't a big fan.) </p> <p>Confession: I was feeling a little smug about how my baby would eat anything I offered her and she wasn't picky and she was soooo good at feeding herself. And now all she wants is cheese cubes and fruit, sometimes she will lick the hummus off the piece of bread I put it on. :meh: </p> <p>So, I definitely cook up a bunch of vegetables at once-- steam a whole head of broccoli, bunch of carrots, and keep them in the fridge. And I cut up a bunch of fruit-- lately strawberries and blueberries are on a sale and she LOVES them. Shovels them into her mouth. I snack on whatever she is eating, even if I'm also eating something she doesn't like. Oh and she loves tortellini, so I'm going to try making a pasta salad with them and a bunch of veggies that she has liked before and hope she will eat them again. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664710 Thu, 29 May 2014 08:32:01 +0000 StrawberryBee 1664710@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yeah, often times we don't even get a real dinner, so we certainly aren't feeding her from our plates every night :P. I can only seem to do food shopping once every two weeks now. DH is useless in that respect, since he'd be happy with frozen pizza every night.</p> <p>DH watches her during the day, drops her off at my office, then goes off to work for four hours. I get home about 5pm. He gets home about 9pm. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664686 Thu, 29 May 2014 08:22:34 +0000 Cherrybee 1664686@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@heartonastring: Yeah, I love puree pouches!! So convenient! But E isn't coordinated enough yet to hold one and eat from it (she can't hold her own bottle/sippy yet). She does great with the finger foods I've tried her on though - cucumber, avocado, fruit, potato wedges etc. She's so ready for table food! </p> <p>@blackbird: That's a good idea, to keep some in the fridge. It's all new to me, I just need to start planning a bit better when it comes to Bean-food (we call E The Bean!) - I was spoiled by jars of baby food!! :-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664660 Thu, 29 May 2014 08:14:11 +0000 blackbird 1664660@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I always keep "Wiggly Food" in the fridge for E (we call her wiggly). Trays of pre-cooked ravioli, some noodles, chopped fruit, hummus. Sometimes she gets so hungry, she eats before us because I parcel it all out for her while I'm pulling dinner together and then lo and behold, she's not hungry at dinnertime. But she sits in her highchair and plays while we eat. </p> <p>I used to cook one big batch of something I knew she'd eat. Spaghetti squash "mac and cheese" for example, so I always had emergency food to give her, and then Dh knew it was there so he wasn't scrambling to throw a meal together for her. I also boil a bunch of eggs every week and she loves them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664647 Thu, 29 May 2014 08:11:18 +0000 Smurfette 1664647@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cherrybee: I agree with @MsLipGloss: there is PLENTY of time for family dinner. DH and I both agree they are important but right now they just don't work for us. In a year or so, when she starts going to bed later and we can eat at 630 then DH and I will make that work but 530 is just too early for us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664643 Thu, 29 May 2014 08:10:35 +0000 heartonastring 1664643@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cherrybee: Can you get puree pouches there? Would she like that more since she can feed herself? Sometimes I throw one of those (well, not literally) at DD if she finishes eating before DH and I are done at the table. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664639 Thu, 29 May 2014 08:09:06 +0000 Cherrybee 1664639@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@heartonastring: Yeah, she has always been a terrible napper but since i went back to work, the poor thing just will not sleep. She's often hysterical by the time I get her home..... some nights, she doesn't even drink her bed bottle. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664631 Thu, 29 May 2014 08:07:06 +0000 Cherrybee 1664631@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MsLipGloss: Thanks. :heart: Weekday family dinners are definitely out for the time being but it would be nice to eat together at the weekends..... if I can find something to feed her that isn't toast!! :happy: I wish she'd eat store-bought baby food again, I loved just pulling a jar out of the cupboard twice a day! She too independent now!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664622 Thu, 29 May 2014 08:04:08 +0000 Cherrybee 1664622@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Silva: Ravioli is a great idea - little hand sized parcels of goodness!!!! I might make some this weekend!! </p> <p>This is great!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664618 Thu, 29 May 2014 08:03:53 +0000 heartonastring 1664618@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cherrybee: I think they keep just fine for 3-5 days. I also have frozen veggies on hand (broccoli and peas) in case I don't have any leftovers in the fridge.</p> <p>15 mins of naps :( Poor little bunny and poor mama! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664610 Thu, 29 May 2014 08:02:33 +0000 MsLipGloss 1664610@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cherrybee: I also wanted to add that you will always be able to do family dinners later . . . your little lady won't remember family dinners for some time. All hope is not lost if you don't start family dinners until later! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664607 Thu, 29 May 2014 08:01:55 +0000 Cherrybee 1664607@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@heartonastring: How long do cooked veggies keep for in the fridge? This is a great idea! (ps - my LO skipped her bath and went to bed at 5.20pm last night! She had 15 minutes worth of naps in total yesterday!! Sigh). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664599 Thu, 29 May 2014 07:59:54 +0000 Silva 1664599@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@heartonastring: oh, yeah- we have ravioli with spinach and cheese, and broccoli pancakes in the freezer to pull out if we need a meal for her (like if we are going out after she goes to bed or something). I always check the frozen section for good sales and stock up on that kind of stuff.<br /> But I do resist the temptation to break it out if she just doesn't like what we are having. If she really won't touch anything on her plate I might give her a bit of bread with hummus or something because she is still pretty tiny and can't lose weight- but for the most part what's for dinner is what's for dinner. I don't do separate meals because I'm lazy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664597 Thu, 29 May 2014 07:59:40 +0000 Cherrybee 1664597@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Silva: My husband is massively into eating a full meal around the table every evening (it's me that wishes we could just have some toast!!) but he likes to eat it when he wants to eat it (eg 7pm). It's traditional here in the UK to have "Sunday Lunch" - a big roast dinner - but he insists on having it at 7pm instead of the traditional lunchtime. Like I say, he's the main cook; he also makes our lunches - he does home-made soups and freezes it in portions or he makes a batch of sandwiches and freezes them (YUK!!). </p> <p>Your idea of giving your LO some banana while you make her breakfast is going to change our lives! LO usually cries while I'm making her milk and porridge - and it stresses me out!! I never thought of giving her some banana! Revolutionary! :happy: </p> <p>Is does look like I'm going to have to cook her special food though.... she certainly can't have tonight's leftovers because it's chili con carne (the kind that you can feel burning all the way through your intestines!!). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664587 Thu, 29 May 2014 07:55:13 +0000 heartonastring 1664587@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are the same as @Silva: in that I have told DH since before we got married that family dinnertime would be non-neogtiable for me. It has meant, since I've gone back to work, that our meals are very simple. It's been a lot easier since the weather's gotten warmer, as we're able to cook most meals entirely on the BBQ, but they are not at all elaborate (e.g. tonight we're having some sausage we got at the farmers' market and a huge amount of mixed grilled veggies). We typically get home around 5 (we all commute together) and have dinner by 5:30/5:45. DD starts her bath/bed routine at 7.</p> <p>As for the weekends, we often pick up stuff while we're on the go on weekends and some of it isn't stuff I want DD to eat. So I've gotten into the habit of cooking extra through the week so that she can have those leftovers on the weekend. So, to give you some idea, earlier this week we had teriyaki pork chops we dinner...we only ate 2.5 chops, but they came in packs of 2 at the grocery store, so I bought 4 and now have extra for DD to eat this weekend. I also save leftover vegetables through the week. And I always have some of her 'standbys' on hand (frozen blueberries, avocados, banana and peanut butter etc.) that I can use as sides on the weekend or any time DH and I have a meal that isn't baby-appropriate :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664556 Thu, 29 May 2014 07:47:42 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1664556@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Silva: This is pretty much exactly how we do things too. Now that lo is going to bed at 7 instead of 6 we are able to eat at 6, but before we were eating at 5:15 as soon as dh got home from work. Sometimes he would miss "family dinner" when he had to work late, but it was only for a time. They won't go to bed this early forever... Family meals are super important to me too, and so far so good with lo not being picky. He definitely has preferences, but he will try anything we give him, and I feel like that is the goal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-problem-with-let-them-have-a-bit-of-whatever-youre-eating-is#post-1664541 Thu, 29 May 2014 07:43:28 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1664541@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cherrybee: He really loves the filling for these too <a href="http://www.hellobee.com/2014/02/17/15-minute-lettuce-wraps/" rel="nofollow">http://www.hellobee.com/2014/02/17/15-minute-lettuce-wraps/</a> I still don't give him lettuce yet (not enough teeth I don't think) </p>