Moving to family meal times
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Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: Toddler Times
Forum Description: Is bubs growing up and getting into everything? How do you train them to use the potty? When do you start feeding solids? Share your tips and advice here!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40406
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Topic: Moving to family meal times
Posted By: caliandjack
Subject: Moving to family meal times
Date Posted: 05 September 2011 at 3:50pm
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How did you transition your babies from goop/finger food to eating with you as a family and family meal times. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">   [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Replies:
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 05 September 2011 at 4:03pm
| There has been no transition. We just all eat at the same time whenever possible. During the week alex, daniel and I eat dinner at 5-5:30.. DH reheats his when he comes home. On the weekend we all eat dinner together. Both boys always eat breakfast and lunch with us. Didn't think there needed to be a transition.. Alex just gets given portions of what we have and then I top him up with "baby food" |
Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 05 September 2011 at 4:12pm
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We eat breakfast and lunch together and on the weekend for the most part we have dinner together.
Currently DD is getting her dinner at 5-5.30pm which is finger portions of what we have and a bit of baby food, then after she's fed I cook dinner for DH and I (while he baths her etc) and then we eat after DD has gone to bed. Was wondering when she can start having what we are having and not need the goop? ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: Kellz
Date Posted: 05 September 2011 at 5:04pm
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Whenever u are ready to not give her "goop"!
DS has never ever been spoon fed anything and hes an awesome eater! Like Kebakat, we try to all eat dinner together, but quite often the kids eat theres a bit before us as the are hungry by 5pm and DH gets home at 5.15, but usually we all eat about 5.30pm together. |
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 05 September 2011 at 5:15pm
| We have always just given alex bits of what we are having. He fills himself up on that and if he needs it we top him up on other stuff |
Posted By: pudgy
Date Posted: 05 September 2011 at 7:54pm
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It's not actually necessary to give them 'goop' at all. Right from day 1 ds has had family meals with us. Although now I et with them and dh has his when he gets home. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Jaune
Date Posted: 05 September 2011 at 8:14pm
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Same here - we've always all eaten together, except when DP is home late, he just heats his up when he gets home and DS and I still eat together. We have our dinner around 5:30-6pm. DS has always eaten family meals too...no 'goop' here!
Even though you haven't been doing it up until now, just start it whenever you like...don't think you need to transition, just go for it! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: mizpix
Date Posted: 05 September 2011 at 9:56pm
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HMMM Alex will pretty much only eat goop for tea. Just spits it out if it's not mashed. Hates any meat that is not ground to a pulp. Do I just let him go hungry and wait for him to cotton on? Kind of feel at least he's getting good quality/quantity of food if I'm spooning it into him.
Lunch is fine with finger food and quite happy to graze during the day.??? ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/2920e5" rel="nofollow - My Ovulation Chart |
Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 06 September 2011 at 9:03am
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We ate together last night at 6pm, DH was late home - DD didn't eat the carrots or the peas, she sucked on her sausage. I stirred some watties goop thru her mashed kumara and she happily had that spooned in to her .
making burgers tonight will see how that goes ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 06 September 2011 at 2:13pm
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We did BLW so she was eating what we were eating from the start. She would have her dinner earlier but she goes to bed at about 8-8.30pm now days and we have dinner at about 6.30pm every night.
When you are ready to give her the same food as you and your family are having then go for it. I'd just like to add that with the whole 'salt, etc' thing you can salt your food after you dish out. Perhaps if you feel more comfortable with goop, rather than Watties etc you could just puree/mash up what you are having... Pretty much what Watties is! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 06 September 2011 at 3:52pm
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Moving from goop to finger food/our food how much do I give her, half of it ends up on the floor how do I know she's getting enough of what she needs?
DD doesn't have any teeth find if I give her smaller pieces she manages better. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: Jaune
Date Posted: 06 September 2011 at 4:08pm
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Just keep offering it to her until she either throws it all on the floor or sweeps it all off her tray with a window-wiper arm movement! Sometimes I even offer some off my plate to see if DS will go for it and if he doesn't then I take it that he's had enough. You're better off to have more there than she needs than not enough... I tend to dish DS up a plate of food that is probably more than my 4yr old nephew would eat but as you said, some goes on the floor, fed to the dog and a little goes in...
At this age they still don't really know that the food will fill them up...it's more of a game/learning experience. And she'll top herself up with milk anyway... ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 06 September 2011 at 4:14pm
------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Jaune wrote:Posted By: Jaune
Date Posted: 06 September 2011 at 4:38pm
I'm not really sure 
Probably in a couple of months? I notice that if I don't offer milk (BF) during the day, DS will eat more...but milk is still more important so I guess once milk reduces food intake will increase...well, that's what I'm hoping for anyway... ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 06 September 2011 at 4:53pm
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Yes isn't it food is for fun under one? I always made too much for DD. If she ate it all great but if not then no worry would rather have some go to waste than to only make a lil bit and have her hungry. Are you just starting finger foods? You'll probably find that she'll just want to experiment and explore it so may only lick it or eat a little bit. Don't worry about teeth or lack of, DD had no teeth until 10 months or there abouts and was demolishing food no problems! A good size is about the size of your index finger. Tbh I would have thought that cutting food smaller would be more of a choking hazard than giving them something whole where they can only bite off what they manage! The hardness should be enough that they can mush it against the roof of their mouth no hassles either and the gums are pretty tough/strong so don't worry about not being able to bite things because she should be able to! Good luck!
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 06 September 2011 at 4:53pm
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Also they won't starve themselves and if she isn't getting enough or much from solids she'll probably increase BFs which may or may not be what you want to hear. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 06 September 2011 at 6:17pm
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We've been doing finger foods for ages, along with puree/mash which she still likes. She's been demolishing mandarins since I gave them to her at 8 months. Watching her eat a banana is entertaining amazing how much she puts into her little mouth.
She'd dropped a couple of bf's in favour of solid foods. She now has approx 3 bf's during the day and a couple at night. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: Hopes
Date Posted: 07 September 2011 at 7:07pm
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We haven't managed it yet. I can't see it happening for a while, because DH gets in at six, and these days Jacob seems to have had enough and be ready for his bath and bed at that point. I couldn't keep him up to give him tea when DH gets in (he'd be waay too tired to eat and would melt down anyway). DH can't get in earlier. So ergo, no family meals for us yet. It wouldn't make a difference whether he was eating what we ate or his own meal. -------------   
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Posted By: newme
Date Posted: 08 September 2011 at 9:37am
My suggestion would be to all eat together where possible. Keep offering the ginger food, and if you still want to give her mash, instead of you putting the spoon in her mouth, give her the spoons all loaded up and let her feed herself. I put a big plastic mat under DS2 (9 months), and just pick up the bits that he drops. Some times he eats a lot, other times hardly anything. But it is good for them to only eat to their hunger, as it protects them from over-eating and obesity later in life. it is all about tastes, and textures at this age, and milk is still the most important form of nutrients. |
Posted By: Rovic
Date Posted: 08 September 2011 at 10:02pm
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One day I just decided that I can't be ar$$ed cooking twice in a night and that we would all eat the same food at the same time and that there would be no more goop. I think DS was about 12-13 months??? He still has goop sometimes for lunch when he's with his carer, but no more at home. In terms of whether he had eaten enough or not, I had to trust him. He is a much better guage at how full he is than I am. Sometimes I think there's no way he's eaten enough and he's going to be up for a few bf during the night but he sleeps through. I think was was the ahrdest thing of doing meals this way, but it does work. ------------- http://alterna-tickers.com"> 
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Posted By: kiwisj
Date Posted: 26 September 2011 at 1:11am
My ds2 is around the same age as your dd, caliandjack and he definitely knows when he hasn't had enough to eat (and also when he is full). I think, like everything, it's different for all kids. D is pretty clear on when he is full (will put something in his mouth and then take it out or spit it out and then swipe everything off the table) and also when he's hungry - he complains till he gets more food  . He has always had a combination of purees and finger food and being spoon fed doesn't make a difference.
D has been eating regular meals (sometimes chopped smaller to make it easier for him to pick up) for a couple of months. I started by kind of chopping the meat portion into his veggies - eg with the sausage i'd take the skin off and cut it up with the fork then give him a spoonful of sausage and mashed kumara. Rice is great for moving onto "normal" food as it's easy to eat and also sort of sticks to the spoon. We eat breakfast as a family but I give the kids lunch on their own and then eat once they're in bed for their nap. Same at tea time, they eat together and then DH and I eat once the kids are in bed. Weekends we all eat together when we can though. A few months ago I remember thinking "how did I move on from this stage with C?" and I couldn't remember! (and it was only 2 years ago)... But it kind of just happens if you keep offering "normal" food. Have fun and don't stress  ------------- SJ Callum - Dec 2008 Daniel - Oct 2010 |
Posted By: JadeC
Date Posted: 16 October 2011 at 1:33pm
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We're struggling with the timing of this too. At the moment DS eats leftovers from the night before's dinner, so he is eating adult food, it's just before us. We always eat late after he has gone to bed. ------------- http://pregnancy.baby-gaga.com/" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: snugglebug
Date Posted: 19 October 2011 at 4:24pm
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We are just working on this transition at the moment.
What I am doing is making sure the meals I plan DS can eat, for example meatballs/bologneise with pasta, fish/chicken/beef with veges (peas, mixed veges or mashed veges), etc and what Im doing is giving him the food cut up into little pieces he can manage to eat, as he loves to feed himself, but then also spoon feeding him some mashed veges where possible or yoghurt/dessert/pureed fruit afterwards so I know he got something, as it can be impossible to tell how much he's eaten as he throws so much of it on the floor. But he loves variety of things to try, so I give him lots of choices eg mixed veges with different kinds of veges to try, and so I figure if he eats a little of everything, he'll eat enough overall. I can definitely tell when he doesn't want anymore, so I try toi take that as he's full hehe. It is hard though. I have been cooking around 5:30 for dinner at 6, which has been an adjustment as we are used to eating after he goes to bed so by the time it's cooked it can be after 8pm, but I like sitting down at the table together and Im saving a lot of money not buying baby food jars. Then he has his bath and bed about 7. ------------- Me 28, DH 29 DS born 20 Nov 2010 (4 years old) #2 due October 7 http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: snugglebug
Date Posted: 21 October 2011 at 11:45am
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Just an update, DS had meatballs, pasta and peas the other night and he just loved it, all the choices and feeding himself, and it was a cheap meal that went easily round us 3. Last night he had sushi which was also a big hit ------------- Me 28, DH 29 DS born 20 Nov 2010 (4 years old) #2 due October 7 http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 22 October 2011 at 4:04pm
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we are slowly getting there with shared family meal times - finding food that we can all have and isn't the same old meatballs and sausages every night
sitting down with us in general has been fun hoping the more we do it the tidyer DD will get with her eating ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> [/url] Angel June 2012 |