Hi there,
My 13-month old isn't getting enough veggies. Any ideas of how to get her to eat them? The main issue is that she doesn't like pureed things or being fed with a spoon. She insists on feeding herself so she eats mostly things we can cut into little pieces. But most veggies seem to be too hard or fibrous for her to handle with 4 1/2 teeth (or am I being over cautious?). Also, she has a dairy allergy and hasn't started eating eggs yet, so can't mix veggies with those foods. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Maybe being a little over cautious. Cooked carrots and green beans can be cut into nice small little sizes. She may like cauliflower or broccoli too. Steam them and dice them, she may do great.
My daughter is the same age and loves to feed herself. I’ve found that most veggies work well for her as finger foods if I roast them. Toss them with some olive oil and put them on a cookie sheet for 15-25 min in a 375 degree oven until tender. Then once they’ve cooled enough to handle I chop them into small bits. I do this at the end so I can pull out any parts that are too hard. My daughter actually eats broccoli like this, she loves it. And it’s getting us to eat more veggies too because we’re always roasting some for the baby. Green beans are awesome roasted by the way.
also I saw on another post that you are having some constipation problems with you daughter. we had the same problem. our ped recommended adding 1-2 teaspoons of flax seed oil to her diet every day. It worked like a charm.
You'd be surprised what they manage to gum down, even with only a few teeth! I always used to give my girls whatever my husband and I were eating, just cut into smaller pieces. They always managed to eat most of it! Carrots, broccoli, green beans, peas, tomatoes - you name it. I also used to steam artichokes to the point of being almost mushy, and then give them a little dish of clarified butter - show your daughter how to eat the bottom part of the leaf (which she can do with her 4 little teeth), and let her go to town. I found that this would keep my kids busy for an hour or more sometimes. =)
When my daughter was 13 months old she could eat anything I ate, but I would cut up in small pieces. She loves peas, corn, carrots (raw or cooked), squash and broccoli.
our daughter is the same age. even with very little teeth she was able to gum soft veggies, steamed peas, broccoli, sweet potato etc. sometimes i mix them up with pasta or brown rice. everything is cooked on the softer side. ripe avocado is good too. good luck!
Try the squashes. They are easy to cut into small pieces and mash with the gums.
Have you tried avacados??
Hi H.,
Here's one recipe I make once a week, and my 13 month old "tears it up". :-) (I think it's basically like "dirty rice", at least that's what I was told.)
Sautee a bunch of different diced up veggies in a little bit of olive oil. I usually use onion, bell pepper, green beans and broccoli. Then put about a cup of rice in to the pan and sautee the rice with everything for a couple minutes. Then pour in about 2.5 cups of water (I use chicken broth to add flavor). Cover, and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 20 minutes. Good to go. I also add diced chicken breast (which I usually buy already roasted from the store) to the finished product.
I hope this helps. My daughter has only 6 teeth and I'm amazed at what she can eat with her gums! Steaming veggies until they're really soft also helps.
Good luck!
H. - 2 ideas for you
Does your daughter like juice. My four year old has loved V-8 ever since he was 2. I would think you would need to make it a small amount due to acidity, but my 4 year old drinks a v8 every day.
My 13month old was born in Sept 07 as well. He has 6 teeth and loves veggies. He eats almost all, I just cut them into small pieces or sautee them.
Good luck!
