Make Meal Time Fun!

Everyone's favorite question seems to be, "How does Taylor eat so well?" Honestly, I can't take much credit because she really enjoys eating, but I do believe that introducing a wide variety of new foods to her an early age helped. I also make a conscious effort to keep her foods healthy and balanced while making sure to avoid sugar, sodium and processed foods whenever possible.

I know that every child is different and that some parents truly struggle with picky eaters, but I thought that it would help to share some of my tips for making meal time more fun and exciting for your littles!

TRY FUN SHAPES

One of the best investments I’ve ever made was in a set of mini cookie cutters. It not only makes everything super cute, but shapes provide a tactile attraction for children. You can use cookie cutters or a knife to cut fun shapes out of fruits, veggies, sandwiches or just about anything!

MAKE THINGS COLORFUL!

I try to keep Tay’s plate as colorful as possible. Adding colorful fruit to plain yogurt or bright veggies to an omelette are great ways to incorporate healthy foods and make their plates more appealing. Another great way is to use food colors to make foods more fun! A drop of food coloring or even using real fruits to dye certain foods can change the way your little perceives the food. You can also have your little ones participate by choosing what colors they like or helping in the kitchen!

LET ‘EM DIP!

I think even most adults prefer to eat their veggies with ranch or a side of hummus so it’s no wonder that kids love foods that they can dip! Try fruit with yogurt or cottage cheese, vegetables with hummus or avocado or serving chicken and steak with marinara!

GET CREATIVE!

Bring out your artistic side and get creative! You can think of fun ways to design of plate foods such as creating animals or shapes out of the foods. You can even make an activity out of it and let them create their own masterpiece. Allowing children to get involved and explore is a great way to reintroduce foods that they may not have previously liked. There are no rules that you need to follow so don’t be afraid to try something new in order to figure out what works.

When you make mealtime more exciting, even your pickiest eater can’t help but want to join in on the fun! Introducing healthy foods at an early age forms healthy eating habits that will help them maintain a healthy lifestyle even as adults.

Hope you enjoy exploring new foods with your littles!

xoxo,

Su & Tay