How many parents here made your babies food homemade from fresh vegetables and fruits....?

Question

I did with my second child and she consistently eats better than her older sibling. I fed the older one jarred food. I know its no scientific study, but just curious if other parents who made their own food found that their child tends to eat a more varied diet as they get older.

Answer 1

I fed my kids commercial food when we were out and about, but homemade stuff when it was easier to do that. (i.e. it's easy to smash up a banana or squash or beans...)

But my kids were eating regular, albeit overcooked, table foods by the time they were six months old, so, aside from the few things that the dr. said were no-nos, they just ate what we ate.

I think THAT was the part that has made them adventurous eaters. They just got used to eating whatever we were eating, and they knew we weren't making special meals for them.

However, ALL kids, I think, go through a picky stage at 3 or 4 when they just aren't really receptive to new things. Doesn't matter HOW they were raised. They do get over it, eventually, if you expect them to. If you start serving only chicken nuggets with ranch dressing, or whatever stupid thing it is that your child focuses on, they'll be picky forever...

Answer 2

I fed all three of mine on homemade food. With my youngest the health centre sister (baby nurse) recommended I feed her at least one jar of baby food a week. She said that if I got sick and someone else had to look after her they would likely give her tinned food... and if she has never had it before she probably wouldn't eat it because it tastes and smells so much more processed than homemade food!
All three of my children: 19, 6, 4 eat a wide variety of foods. They can still be fussy though. One doesn't like baked beans, one doesn't like fish fingers, and neither of the young ones like steamed rice for some reason..lol.
I would think any child would eat a varied diet once they got to toddler age and were exposed to a lot of different solids. It is an interesting thought though. Do kids who eat tinned food exclusively as babies, go on to eat a mainly processed diet?
Sorry to finish with another question..lol

Answer 3

I used both : jarred baby food & some homemade. mashed potatos & gravy, mashed jello, mashed peas or greenbeans etc. I also taught my kids from a very early age that they had to eat at least a spoonfull of each thing on the table. Now that they are grown, of course they can make their own choices but all eat a wide variety of food & have the same rule for their kids.

Answer 4

I made my own baby food for my first two children and bought jarred for my third. My second would not eat jarred baby food. They are all good eaters. They eat a wide variety of foods and really like vegetables.

Answer 5

My family has never used jarred baby food. We were taught to try new foods at a young age. My two-year-old enjoys eating what we eat and has only been ill 3 times since birth--and not very seriously ill.

Answer 6

Ours does not eat the fatty foods like the children raised on the bottle foods with sugars of all kinds.
None are over weight and all seem much more active than the friends they have
So my way fo thinking is this the home foods cheaper and better for the child.

Answer 7

Same here. Kids are like pancakes. The first one's just for practice. Much better results using your own blender and fresh foods. No wonder the first one wouldn't eat! Yucch!

Now it's 30 years later and they both struggle with weight, so in the end it doesn't matter. It did at the time, though!

Answer 8

The one I started with baby cereal and used jar foods is picky as can be.

The two I started with bananas and avocados and used almost all homemade food are adventurous eaters who like a wide variety of foods.

Answer 9

I never fed either of my 2 kids jared baby food. I always made my own, it's cheaper and I think much healthier plus they got used to eating our family's flavor and types of food. Plus it's not hard at all. My kids eat all types of food ranging from authentic Mexican dishes to Sushi (not raw of course) and other types of Asian foods to authentic Hawaiian dishes, to home made Italian to Middle Eastern flavors like mild curry and more. The key is to never stop feeding them a variety of foods and as they get older allow them to try new types of cuisine. I also respect their tastes and I never force feed them anything they didn't like after trying it once.

Answer 10

I did! She liked it a lot better than the regular store-bought jar food, too. It was time consuming, though, and couldn't be stored for longer periods of time.