[Rissa812]

This is so frustrating. I am constantly buying the store out of stage 3 sweet potatos. Maybe not the entire store, but what is left on the shelf. He will seal his lips and turn his head for any other vegetable. He has no problems with fruits (except peaches) and cereal. He used to eat stage 2 apples and chicken, and sweet potatos and chicken. Since he has been on stage 3 its just sweet potatos. Can I give him two Stage 2 apples and chicken, or does the different stages defeat its purpose? Supposedly the higher the level, the thicker the food. So wouldn't I be setting him back. I found Sweet Peas, so I will try that for dinner.

[JeanLynn81]

If he is on stage 3 food, I would suggest skipping out on that altogether and go with table foods. Let him feed himself. Put some different vegetables (liked cooked green beans or carrots, etc) on his tray and see what he does!

[wanna be a young mother]

It depends on the brand. I know Beechnut's foods are all the same for the stages but just more oz per jar. We had that problem with Nevy. She hated fruit. Our Dr. said to just mix a little fruit in with her peas (her fav.). So you could mix sweet pot.s with other things and see if that works. You can also go back to stage 2 if you need to. Maybe he wasnt ready for stage 3 yet? I would say try mixing or go back to stage 2.

[twinzplus3]

Both pp's have great ideas. Either or would be great but here's my blanket statement about eating: you cannot force your child to eat. You just can't. . .so don't. The rule for feeding picky palates is 'just keep offering'. Just keep offering what he likes along with what he doesn't like. Mix it together, don't mix it together.

However, personally, I think jarred food is gross. It's bland and spiceless and mushy. You may be very surprised to find that bubs will eat all sorts of stuff when seasoned like you like it--pepper, a little salt, cinnamon--makes for much tastier vegetables.

[Rissa812]

I haven't tried table food yet because RJ has no teeth. 2 cut on top (I noticed it today) and his bottom gums are more than swollen. So hopefully this will be over soon. I never pureed my own food for DD or DS#1. Honestly...I don't even know where to start. I tried the Sweet Peas for dinner....he wasn't having it. So it was onto dessert. He ate that with no problem. It's not that I am forcing him to eat different foods, I offer them and he refuses. DS #1 would eat anything, so Im new to the "picky eater"

[twinzplus3]

Well don't listen to me. . .as someone who loves to cook. . .I'm totally biased. But teeth are not necessarily a pre-requisite to eating table food actually.

I do have to say though, that with each subsequent child we've gotten more free wih sharing our own plates and they are respectively less picky each time. The twins will try anything.. .they don't love everything. . .but they'll try it and there's not a lot they don't like.

If you want to try table food with your little one. . .don't think in terms of puree-ing it. Feed things like mashed potatoes, mash sweet potatoes, avocado with banana--all of these you can mash together w/o cooking. You can also give foods that are too big--like a large chunk of pork chops to nibble on.

[VinniesMommy]

DS2 was the same way, only he wouldn't touch ANY baby food! He would eat rice cereal every now and again when the mood hit him, but it was rare! He was about 9 months old when I started him on Gerber Graduates and table food... He would eat potatoes, applesauce, all mashed foods, nothing really solid. But as soon as he got more teeth in, he was eating like a pro!

[Tracey with 6]

It is a thing of each to their own, I have used a combination of home made and storee bought baby foods, depending on how much time I have and things like that.