Food for Thought

Before I had my children I observed families closely, and one thing I was bound and determined not to have was picky eaters. I still don't know for sure whether picky eaters are born or made, but I am very happy with the approach we have taken with food. Friends and relatives have remarked how well our children eat real food without a fuss, so I thought I would share what has worked for us.

1) Make one meal at mealtime. If you start this approach from the time your children are babies, they will develop good habits of eating the food that is served. This rule goes hand in hand with #2 though.

2) Include at least one thing you know your child will like at every meal. This will insure that your child will eat something at each meal time and when he asks for more of the item he likes, you can let him know that he can after he eats the other foods.

3) Talk with children about what food does for the body. "This one helps you grow, that gives you energy to play, and those help keep you from getting sick!" When your kids understand from a very young age that food is something your body needs to do all the things it does, they no longer think of food as simply for pleasure and taste. Then if they encounter a food they don't care for, they can easily understand that it just needs to get into their body, even if it isn't pleasant going down. I will often say, "well, your body needs it, so you don't have to like it, but you do have to get it down to your body." Amazingly, they understand this and follow suit. Another benefit to this tip is that it sets the foundation for understanding about the importance of a balanced diet.

4) A little dessert is fine if the child has eaten his dinner. Dessert is a great motivator, and doesn't have to be an overindulgent one. We keep Jelly Bellies in the house, and often the kids will be allowed 5 or 6 of them if they eat a good dinner. That adds up to about 25 calories, and yet because each one is a different flavor, they are very excited to see what flavors they get. Dessert is never given unless they eat a good dinner first though.

5) Make meal time enjoyable with good conversation and story telling. Set a positive tone around mealtimes so that children enjoy this time together with you. This will set the stage for the coming together time that is such an important daily ritual. Be happy, talk about the day ahead at breakfast and reflect back on the day at dinner time.

6) Keep your little ones strapped in as long as possible! We still have our twins in their booster chairs with trays on them and they are 3 and a half. Why? Because we want it to instill the idea that at mealtimes we sit and eat, and leave the table when we are asked to be excused. By the time they move to big chairs, this will be automatic and won't require managing. It also works as incentive to work on good table manners. "When we get really good at using our forks and wiping our hands on napkins, we will get rid of the kid chairs and let you eat at the big table!"

7) Children ask to be excused from the table. This allows you to look at how they've done and require that some more bites of vegetables get eaten before they get down. If you've done a good job with number 3, they won't think you're torturing them. They will understand that their body needs the veggies. It also instills that we ask before we do certain things, which carries over into classroom etiquette and other rules in your home.