A: It's not clear, Nicole, whether your baby is still eating infant food as well or whether she's refusing all solids besides soup. If the first is true, she is most likely having a hard time transitioning from familiar textures to something new. However, if soup is all she is eating, you can easily increase the nutritional benefits by adding soft vegetables to the soup and introducing them this way. If she refuses the chunky texture, start by pureeing vegetables and meats in a blender and adding them to the stock, gradually increasing the chunkiness over the next few weeks.

I would also recommend milk-based or cream soups as a way to boost the calcium and protein in the soup. Always offer non-soup solids, but if she refuses, you can be assured that a fortified soup will cover her nutritional needs. Please look at our infant feeding series for other ideas on feeding toddlers.