LO refused puréed veggies. Time for BLW?

[pixelbox]

My LO is 8mo and has been on solids since he was 6mo. As per Dr's advice, we did not give him the more "advance" veggies (ie. Broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, peas). He is a gassy baby and used to spit up loads when he was younger. The Dr suggested non-gassy veggies such as sweet potatoes, butternut and Japanese squash. When he was 7mo, I tried giving him peas and parsnip. He hated both of them and would throw up. I am now concerned that DS will grow up not liking veggies.

Should I try BLW? Right now the only finger food he eats are cheerios, gerber puffs and fruit chunks in meet feeder. How big should each piece of veggies be (say, cauliflower or broccoli) for finger food? Do I need to place the veggies in mesh feeder?

Any other advice on getting LO to like veggies?

[~inbalance~]

Don't worry about him not liking veggies.  You just gotta keep offering them!  I think most babies enjoy veggies as finger foods over purees anyway.

I always liked to dice up veggies into pea sized pieces and steam them up, because my LOs were able to pick them up.  You can also offer large chunks or spear size pieces to hold and chew on.  Try giving him a whole broccoli floret, with a long enough stem for him to grasp so he can chew on the top.

[pixelbox]

Thanks for your reply. Would peas be safe for an 8mo or would they be a choking hazard due to the skin?

I'll try steaming some broccoli for him this weekend and hopefully he likes it.

[clairebear79]

Just hopping on to offer some support as I've also recently started with more finger foods as DS started refusing me spoon feeding him.  

Like Martina says, whole broccoli florets are good as they can pick up by the stalks & my DS has amazed me by tucking straight in!!!  He HATED broccoli in puree form!  And I'm also finding that small pea sized pieces are good as it will help him develop his pincer grip.

As for peas - I think they should be ok size wise - grapes are the size for choking - but not sure on the shells.  Think someone told me they remove them before serving (what a faff!!!)  Maybe Martina can advise?

Good luck!!

[Texomamama]

DD2 is 8 mo next week.  We do peas and carrots as finger foods, and she has no problems with them.  She also does whole blueberries and elbow macaroni.  Again, with no problems (and judging by how fast she downs some things, I suspect she sometimes swallows things whole).  I am about to try broccoli in a couple of days (also worried that it might make her too gassy). 

Like PP's have said, I just plan on steaming them to get them as soft as possible, without having them turn to mush (which esp seems to happen with broccoli).  I have sometimes used frozen, but you really have to cook those to get them soft enough, and honestly, if not for all the salt, I would be tempted to use canned because those are nice and soft.

[~inbalance~]

Grapes are choking size so you will want to cut them.  I didn't bother peeling them but I would cut them in quarters or even smaller if they were really large. 

[Lissybits]

Took Leo about 2 months of offering veg puree every day before he finally ate it!
So definitley persevere and keep offering!

We also did steamed carrots batons, broccoli, pasta pennes and home made chips as finger foods

And very ripe summer fruit such as honey melon, peaches/nectarines all cut into chip shape were very popular.

Bananas are great too since you can always pop one in your bag when you go out and they need no peeling or chopping