Winter fruit?

[newmamalizzy]

I have a 19 month old, and ever since she started solids, she's eaten fruit at least 3 times a day.  Lately, I feel like it's hard to find enough variety to feed her as much fruit as I would like.  Sometimes I'll give her canned fruit in fruit juice, but I'm not psyched about it.  She's currently eating frozen wild blueberries, bananas, apples (but she's not good at chewing, so she doesn't consume much), applesauce, and kiwis.  I think the kiwis might give her diaper rash.  Pears would ordinarily be a good option, but she seems to be allergic, oddly enough.  Any other ideas?  Do you use frozen fruit in winter?  If so, how do you prepare it?

[SundayCrepes]

Bummer about the pears. Can she eat oranges? Mandarines/cuties are good because they're small, easy to peel, and often sweet.

[skreader]

Does she *need* more variety than you are currently give her?

Growing up in Massachusetts in the 70s, in the winter it was apples, apples, and more apples. Sometimes bananas or oranges.  Blueberries & raspberries  & strawberries,and plums and peaches and nectarines, watermelons & cantaloupe were summer stuff.

I would just giver her peeled & cut up apples (Macs, Baldwins Gala, Fuji, etc. if you think she needs variety).   Or, if you think they are too hard for her, bake them or turn them into apple sauce.

Bananas - mush w/ a fork or cut into small pieces for her.

[newmamalizzy]

Originally Posted by skreader 

Does she *need* more variety than you are currently give her?

Maybe I'M the one that needs the variety...it's a good thought.  Somehow I'm far more willing to be seasonal about veggies than fruits. 

[EchoSoul]

Squash is actually a winter fruit(the harder-rinded "autumn" squashes are). They have a ton of variety with slightly different flavors. You could cube some up for her and yourself for that matter.

[cristeen]

Reaction to kiwi at that age is not unusual.  Take a break from them and try again next winter. 

As for what to give her... in season right now: asian pears (if you can find ones grown in the US, which isn't easy), persimmons (both the soft hachiya and the firm fuyu), pomegranate, apples, pears, and citrus will be coming soon, as will kiwi.  Mandarins and tangerines are already on the shelf, tangelos, oranges and grapefruits will be coming.  But if she reacts to kiwi, watch the citrus also.  And if all of that is not enough variety, the frozen blueberries, imported mangos and pineapples should round it out nicely.

My 2 yo gets 2 or 3 types of fruit a day.  I always keep apples and bananas in the house for him, and right now I also have persimmon, grapes (season is over in most areas), and mandarins.  He had banana and mandarin with breakfast, and he'll probably ask for grapes after his nap.  He's allergic to oranges, so I don't keep those in the house.  Really, with the amount of sugar in fruit, and the propensity to later get picky, at 19 mos, I'd be encouraging veggies more. 

How many teeth does she have?  If she has at least 8, she should be able to manage apples if you peel them and cut them into chunks.  It may take longer, but that's not unusual.  My 2 yo just eats it plain, off the core - I don't even have to cut it for him (and he's been doing that almost a year)... but he has a full mouth of teeth. 

[newmamalizzy]

Originally Posted by cristeen 

Reaction to kiwi at that age is not unusual.  Take a break from them and try again next winter. 

As for what to give her... in season right now: asian pears (if you can find ones grown in the US, which isn't easy), persimmons (both the soft hachiya and the firm fuyu), pomegranate, apples, pears, and citrus will be coming soon, as will kiwi.  Mandarins and tangerines are already on the shelf, tangelos, oranges and grapefruits will be coming.  But if she reacts to kiwi, watch the citrus also.  And if all of that is not enough variety, the frozen blueberries, imported mangos and pineapples should round it out nicely.

My 2 yo gets 2 or 3 types of fruit a day.  I always keep apples and bananas in the house for him, and right now I also have persimmon, grapes (season is over in most areas), and mandarins.  He had banana and mandarin with breakfast, and he'll probably ask for grapes after his nap.  He's allergic to oranges, so I don't keep those in the house.  Really, with the amount of sugar in fruit, and the propensity to later get picky, at 19 mos, I'd be encouraging veggies more. 

How many teeth does she have?  If she has at least 8, she should be able to manage apples if you peel them and cut them into chunks.  It may take longer, but that's not unusual.  My 2 yo just eats it plain, off the core - I don't even have to cut it for him (and he's been doing that almost a year)... but he has a full mouth of teeth. 

Wow! Great list!  It's true, this is a good time for us to be encouraging more veggies.  She's really tough with textures, so most veggies go into her mouth and come right back out, even though she'll do it again and again (i.e. she likes the flavor).  We do soups and purees with veggies, and mix them into sauces, but they don't work well for her in their "purer" forms yet.  I agree that she SHOULD be able to manage raw apples, and she likes to try, but she ends up spitting most out.  She is most definitely behind others of her age in chewing capability, teeth notwithstanding (she has 8 + 2 incoming molars...and a gap where her middle bottom teeth used to be).  She's slowly getting better, but for now it's still a challenge.  Along the same lines, she likes oranges, but I have to supreme them for her.  Never tried fresh mandarins, but I bet she'd love them.  I also really like the squash idea.  Might be a good snack possibility.  Thanks for all the suggestions!

[Shantimama]

My dd lived on frozen blueberries as a toddler and now as a teen they are still one of her favourite snacks!