Hi girls!

Em - at this age I don't think you have to worry too much about whether you should still be mashing or not. At five it's a bit of a different story! Plus, kids with those kinds of problems at that age usually have it because of other issues as well (can't handle getting messy, esp hands, bit of tension in the household, etc, etc). Or so I believe. I watched a few shows on kids with problems and most with eating problems were exactly the same.

As for how I prepare Lucy's food, well, breakfast is weetbix (mushy with water and a bit of EBM) and then some toast with vegemite, cut into fingers (with crusts). Morning tea is some water and a rice/corn cake. Lunch is either leftover risotto or pasta (I cut the pasta up a bit), an avocado sandwich (cut into triangles, but with the crusts - Lucy's favourite parts!), some fruit (none peeled, but usually cut into hand sized pieces, unless it's something like grapes or blueberries, which she eats as is) and water. She will then have a biscuit some time during the afternoon if she's hungry. Dinner is either leftovers or I make up some vegetables with meat (like sausage cut up, or mince, or small pieces of chicken), some more fruit and then some yoghurt. She also has 4 bf a day. Lucy is a pig!!!

As far as fruit goes, atm I really like giving her stone fruit, with the stone removed, cut into quarters. She can hold it easily, it's really soft and she can chew and suck the juice out of it. Lucy has now progressed to biting off the edges and swallows skin and all, but if you're worried about choking, they mainly seem to suck out the juice and pulp rather than 'eat' it, if that makes any sense. I used to start the grapes for her by biting off the top and she'd just chew it and spit out the skin when she was done. Banana is an easy one too.

Well done to Abby with all of her teeth!!! And Tallon too, of course. Lucy still has only the two and no more in sight.

Well, must be off. Work to do and housework as well. MIL from hell coming over this evening, oh joy. Always like to make sure it looks like I'm super-Mum when she's coming over...