Can the “Kid Food” Label Be Avoided?

You’ve heard it before. “Oh, my son/daughter won’t eat that. They only eat “kid food.”

What, exactly, does that mean anyway?

When I’ve pushed for an explanation from friends, I’ve received the reply that “kid food” is stuff like chicken nuggets, hot dogs, french fries…most fruit and almost zero vegetables. But what I’ve never been able to understand is a) why this label exists, and b) why these foods are considered “kid food.” It’s not like babies come out of the womb craving processed meats and fried potatoes. In my experience, often times, a parent says their little one won’t eat something without really knowing for sure – they just make the assumption.

Now don’t worry. I’m not going to get all preachy on you about what you should and shouldn’t feed your kids. But what I will tell you is that it is possible to get them eating food that is more nutritionally sound, has greater variety, and doesn’t have a list of 40 ingredients on the package. The trick is starting them early. Think about it: if they don’t start out eating “kid food,” they won’t expect that it’s the only thing on the menu.

For example, with our first daughter, I fell into the trap of “kid food,” — feeding her only what I thought she would eat. The result has been 12 long years of fighting the food battle, trying to coax her into trying new foods that don’t always look appealing to her. Beans? Nope. Avocado? Not happening. Cheese? Only yellow mild cheddar made by Kraft. Vegetables? Raw broccoli and potatoes; corn; and peas cooked. Chicken? Only the kind that grammie makes.

Now, truth be told, I was far less educated about food 12 years ago, so I didn’t really think there was another way. I had grown up in a household full of convenience foods with a mother that didn’t like to cook. So as a kid, I ate a lot of hot dogs and pretty much anything that started in a box.

Over the last decade I’ve learned to cook from scratch and have realized that I felt better when I ate more unprocessed foods. So when our second daughter was born 18 months ago, we decided to try a different tack when we introduced solids. We started with avocados and eventually worked up to brown rice with black beans, avocado, and shredded cheddar. We chose plain Greek yogurt with a little applesauce instead of the premixed baby yogurt. We’ve never offered her food that we weren’t eating ourselves.

The result? A baby that loves couscous, granny smith apples with peanut butter, sesame tofu, and veggie sushi. We’re still working on getting some meat into her diet, but for now, we just use chicken and beef stock to make her pasta, rice, and couscous.

Most of my friends are shocked when they see her eat. But we don’t force it. The difference is, we never treated her differently at the dinner table. So, I say, yes – the “kid food” label can be avoided. What I still need to figure out is why specific foods are labeled as “kid food.”

Anyone have any suggestions?