Tag: mealtime

We’re a peas kinda household. My girl likes her peas. It’s always a struggle to get her to try any other type of vegetable, though carrots, on occasion, pass muster. That’s why it was so shocking to see her gobble down squash the other night. I mean she gobbled it down like a hungry puppy.

Of course, there is a story behind it…we were out in the garden (thanks to the tireless efforts of our landlady’s green thumb) and lo and behold the squash/zucchini plant was blooming. Sophie and I very thoroughly inspected the ripe squash versus the still growing swash. Then, we carefully picked the one very large ripe squash and brought it upstairs.

For dinner I sautéed it with some butter and gave her a small taste, thinking for sure she’d reject it. Yes, I had peas ready to go but they were artfully hidden.

To my utter surprise, she ate and ate and ate the squash up. Along the way she kept saying, “picked it!” with such glee.

It got me to thinking about introducing new foods to toddlers. The San Francisco Chronicle just ran a story on this very topic and, while growing your own food is not an option for most people (myself included) they did have some choice advice.

First of all, stop offering junk food. If given the choice, children will opt for junk food. This, to me, is easier said than done.

Having kids participate in the preparing or choosing of the food they eat is also helpful. At the grocery, instead of rushing through as quickly as possible, try involving your kid in choosing just the right tomato. Talk the her about what a ripe tomato feels and looks like. That way, when you serve it, she’s (at least somewhat) invested in it already.

As for preparation, try having them stir or mix or some other non-lethal job in the kitchen. Even a 2 year old can use a big spoon to mix apples and oats for apple crisp. Yes, it’ll be messy. But yes, you can have them help with clean up, too!

Give them a job for dinner time. If your children are small, have them fold napkins or set the table (maybe no knives or glasses to start). If they are older, have them pour water for everyone or bring the dinner plates to the table.

Lastly, have them take 3 bites. If they still don’t like it in 3 bites, then don’t force it. This seems to work for my family. Hopefully it will help with yours.

photo credit gregor_y