It's darn near impossible to tell what's going on with Catherine as she's always sick or constipated or just plain pissy, but in the last week or so, her solid intake has dwindled down to hardly anything. Today in total, she had maybe the equivalent of one 4oz stage 2 jar. Yesterday, she had even less. She will not eat table food that isn't hard and/or dry so that limits her to crackers, dry cereal and bread. She will eat anything with a puree texture. She is not picky at all when it comes to flavor.

Soooo ... I thought maybe she's getting bored with the same old stage 2 menu items over and over. Any ideas? She cannot have dairy in even minute amounts, and I don't want her to have sugar. She's never had egg (I'm afraid to try it) with the exception of a few bites of flan the other night (and we all know how that turned out! :toothy10:)

I can not help you with this one. The only purees that Iain would eat were the fruits and we added sugar and oil as per the dietician's orders. He never did go beyond the stage one purees as we introduced people food due to his age but he kept on purees until just around last November when we finally pitched them.

Could you make your own purees? Add some oils in? Some pea butter?! Great way to add some calories. If she can not have milk how about a soy margarine for her to use on crackers or whatever else she puts in her mouth? You would be amazed at the amount of calories you can get each day that way even if they just lick the cracker.

Avacado seems to be a fav here too, but we never tried it. Loaded with calories. Can you just take a dinner and puree the daylights out of it for her?

Really, I would find a spread she can have and load up on the bread and crackers she does eat.

The way we transitioned Emma to table food (she started refusing baby food at 8 months) was by offering mashed potatoes (instant = no lumps) with tons of her dairy/soy free butter and made a bit runnier (like puree) with rice milk. She loves mashed potatoes still, but of normal consistency now.

Emma also liked mashed avacado, and still does.

I also take a ripe banana and scrape it with a metal baby spoon. It kind of makes a puree, but tastes much better than jarred. Emma really likes it, but it unfortunately does not like her (constipation).

Other ideas that Emma loves:
Applesauce (unsweetened w/cinnamon)
Instant oatmeal (Emma eats this, but won't touch oatmeal baby cereal)
Grits with soy/dairy free butter

I don't know if I'm the best person for advice, though, Lesley. :oops: Emma's eating and weight gain has been a struggle.

Lesley... I'm not going to be of much help either. But wanted to mention that Lauren also loves mashed potatoes. You could also try just mashing up any kind of veg. that you're having at dinner. And all others that Amanda mentioned.

We tried cream of wheat, it was a no go. Quick oatmeal is ok.

Lesley, Amanda has given you some great ideas. We too transitioned to table food with runny instant mashed potatoes. At the time, we did not know she was allergic to milk, so we used milk and real butter, but now, I make lumpy mashed potatoes with her rice milk and dairy-free butter (lots of butter). She loves mashed potatoes. She also likes Mott's Natural applesauce, which is another transitioning food according to the ped, because it's just lumpy enough. I'd give that a try. Also, the avacodo as Amanda mentioned. I've never tried it with Cady, but I have heard good things about it. You cam always try adding flavor to her food, a tiny amount of salt and pepper, dairy-free butter (we use SmartBalance Light), and oils, and other seasonings if you can manage it. This way, she can get used to the flavor or big people food and you can maybe start with thin textures and work you way up to thicker, then real food. If you can get her to eat a crunchy piece of toast folded in half, you can put a spread on it, like Leigh said. You can be as creative as you want now, since she seems to be getting bored with the same-old-stuff.

Hi, we have become one with out blender and juicer. Make smoothies with everything....don't just limit yourself to the traditional fruit smoothies. Avocado is amazing and makes a great...albeit green base for adding lots of other stuff.
I add some of the following:
carrots, celery, tomato, garlic, spinach, apples, pears, apricots,(gently steamed (not the fruit) and put through juicer and then everything juice and separated pulp goes into the blender),
cook any grains well (oat, flax, barley, quinoa, wheat, amaranth, ...) add to blender
cooked egg (like soft boiled) add to blender
tuna, or any other fish with bones removed add to blender
if I have a roast, then we put some through the meat grinder and add
peanut butter, butter or not dairy type, olive oil, sour cream, soy milk, half and half etc.
any nice herbs: parsley, marjoram, basil, oregano, sage,

depending on what flavour you are looking for I mix and match things, trying to get a vegetable, fruit, meat, and oil in . Depending on how thin you make it, this can go through a 18fr tube or be spoon fed.

Larissa loves some of them.....The ones she won't eat orally, she gets in the tube and I know she is getting a balanced diet.

Anyway some thoughts. Hope it helps.

Thanks, everyone. Now ... to figure out which one of the 200 moving boxes contains my mini food processor ...