Teaching kids anything for the first time is magical. Witnessing their first reactions to the taste of different foods, vegetables, and fruits is delightful. Watching them grow and find pleasure in learning how to make things or understanding where food comes from is even more rewarding. As parents, we have a significant influence on them. We should use this to help them appreciate food and build long-lasting healthy habits.
Here are a few tips based on my humble experience..
Set a good example. Be the best role model. If they see you are trying different foods it will peak their interest and they’ll be more likely to try it. My daughter started using this incredible toddler kitchen set (completely child safe) when she was 20 months old (my 13 month old son that is copying all, is already interesting) and they are simply amazing, cause they can help them cut & peel without you having any fear of harming themselves.
Don’t give up!! Try offering the same food in many different ways. If you can’t get your child to eat leafy greens raw in a salad (especially toddlers), play with steaming, sautéing, roasting, etc. If that doesn’t work, consider baking. Once you discover how they like their veggies, prep in advance and start storing all in the fridge, this way putting a meal together will be so much faster.
Once you start storing in glass containers, trust me you won’t go back. Ditch the plastic and get this amazing Snapware set. I personally started with the 18 pieces set and then had to buy another set, as I needed more. 24 piece could be of great value!
Link to Shop 18 glass food storage pieces
Link to shop 24 glass food storage pieces
Be consistent. Remember that most children have to be exposed to a food many times before they learn to like it so just because they don’t like something today, doesn’t mean they won’t like it later. Try to be consistent with meal times and if you can, eat all together and make it a joyous moment so that they feel encouraged to try everything, and if they don’t like something, you can clearly say it’s ok and encourage to try something else.
No more kids menu + try no divider plates. Let your kids explore the adult menu, no need to restrict them to less choices and potentially unhealthy choices. I personally had this experience throughout my childhood and I am trying to do the same with my children, I am seeing curiosity arouse more and more in the kitchen as they are not restricted to anything.
One another aspect you might want to consider is all having the same round plates, obviously the kids will have their child-proof ones, but not using the divider plates. This can encourage to make meals more tasty and learn how to eat with adults. The bamboo plates we use and I love them! BPA free, eco-friendly and dishwasher safe. And cute green, light blue color to keep it neutral.
Link to shop Bamboo Plate & Bowl Set
Plan ahead. When you’re busy, you’re more likely to reach for convenience foods or find the closest drive-through. When we’re traveling, we have to plan ahead, I’ll do things like pack steamed carrots or chickpeas for snacking, and stir up a quick meal with chicken (protein), steamed diced squash (veggie) and pasta (grain) and put it in their cute thermos lunch box. I love these from Beaba brand as they have good small portions for when they are baby into toddlers. I love these as they are wider and can fit more food as they grow.
Link to shop Beaba hot lunch thermos
Link to Shop wider hot lunch thermos
Get kids involved in the meal planning and cooking. Involve them throughout the entire process, from shopping groceries with you to doing some prep work before meals. They’ll be more likely to taste their own creations as it makes them feel very empowered, and they’ll learn some new skills while they’re at it.
I can’t stress enough how this set is the best kitchen tools for toddlers and every family should have it. Link to Toddler Kitchen Set
Make food fun. With a little creativity, it’s not that difficult to make the experience of trying new foods fun for the whole family. It could be as simple as playing music and dancing or acting silly while you cook. We try to make it fun! And for example we love making our own apple sauce and then have them put it in these amazing travel pouches that they can take out to the park. It feels so empowering to them to eat what they made!
Hope you found some useful insights!