Toddler Tastebuds!

(I’m doing this blog as part of a MUCH bigger blog event. Kelly at http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/ does a Show Us Your Life Series, and this is the first time I’ve linked up, but I really want to because it’s a very relevant topic to me and my family right now.)

Toddlers and food is perhaps the MOST confusing and sometimes frustrating topic amongst MOMMIES! Am I right or am I right?

Sometimes I jokingly say, “I really think my daughter survives on milk, cheese and raisins!” These are the only things she regularly requests to eat, breakfastlunchanddinner.

Something that recently piqued my interest was how when at a local pizza restaurant my kids would devour grapes. Yet, when I’d get home and try to serve them some at home they wouldn’t even touch them. Then it dawned on me…it had nothing to do with the actual food, it had to do with the presentation and vessel!

At the restaurant they serve the grapes, halved, in these little black cups. Perfect size for toddlers and makes them feel like they’ve got their own little portion.

So I set about getting my creative wheels turning to see if my kids would eat certain things at home that they love at restaurants and also thought of other creative ideas…

Here are my ideas:

1. Almost anything is better for toddlers when it comes with a dip. Real maple syrup, grape jelly, applesauce, yogurt, honey…and here’s the kicker: Serve the dip in these little cups

it’s got that restaurant feel and also very toddler friendly.

2. Usually I wouldn’t give my kids raw carrots because of the chocking hazard and the eventual waste, but I’ve found that buying the petite cut ones are MUCH better for them. They force them to take smaller, more manageable bites.

3. APPLE RINGS!

This has been a new fun one for my kids and surprise surprise it actually helps them eat the peel of the apple, which is so good for them. (Supervised of course!)

I’ll let the pictures do the explaining, with minimal directions!

First: Slice apple into rounds, core intact.

Second: Use fun shaped cookie cutter on core.

Third: Kids love them!

4. Favorite recipes

Fun to make and even more fun to eat

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/fruit-juice-shapes-recipe/index.html

Hands down my kids’ favorite banana bread, it has a lot of sugar, but it has whole wheat flour, which I feel good about.

http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/20378/wholewheat-banana-bread.html

5. Finally, I use food as art and I try to remind myself it’s okay to make food fun and funny.

• Arrange the food on the plate as a face with the fruit and/or veggies as “hair” or “freckles”, etc.
• Make or buy fun placemats. (Use contact paper to make your own with pictures, leaves, recipes, coupons, ANYTHING!)
• Keep pictures out of your children eating different foods. For example, I have pictures handy of my children picking strawberries at the farm this past summer. I think it gives them a reminder about the work (and fun!) that goes into having food on the table and it gives them a fun memory behind the stuff on their plates.
• Finally, I almost always have a food or recipe book/magazine at the table with us. For many reasons. One, it gives me some time to peruse my books to find new recipes to try. Two, it let’s the children get in on the fun of choosing foods and seeing again that food goes through a process to get to the table. Thirdly, they’re just fun to look at and recognize foods, go over vocabulary, see different fruits and veggies, etc. (Some of the BEST books to do this with are the Eat This Not That series. Try them, the kids recognize foods and it really illustrates to them, visually, the healthier choices to make.)

I hope this reached at least one or two mommies looking for some ideas, and if you have any ideas or feedback for me, PLEASE PLEASE share!