Your toddler is a huge fan of macaroni and cheese – and practically nothing else. Your preteen sneaks out the door without so much as a bite of breakfast. Your grade schooler has developed an acute case of sandwich phobia. Sound familiar?

Here are some parent-proven solutions to your top biggest mealtime challenges from Ann Douglas, author of Mealtime Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler and Preschooler (Wiley, 2006).

You can serve her many of the same foods you're eating, with a few important exceptions. Avoid foods that pose a significant risk of choking and go slow with foods that pose an allergy risk. As for what types of foods babies love as they move on to table foods, try experimenting with some of the following foods:

• pasta and sauce
• stew
• casseroles
• soups with lots of vegetables
• soft meats or beans

Keep your baby's developmental stage in mind when you're deciding how finely to chop or mash her foods, but don't be afraid to challenge her with increasingly complex textures as she is ready. Babies learn by doing – or chewing, in this case! – after all.

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