Encouraging healthy eating with your children

Oh dear. I apologize for such a long break. This time of year seems to get a bit busy, with birthday, holidays closing in, and preparing for school. We will try to be more on top of things!

One wonderful thing about this time of year though, is soups! Soups, stews, and chilis. So many options, and healthy options at that! A week's menu could be full of different varieties, using similar ingredients, which keeps food budgets low! All together wonderful.

So I will work on getting a menu posted this coming Monday!

I wanted to write about encouraging your child to eat healthy. I clearly am not a professional. Our first daughter is in no way picky, and our second is only 10 months, so mama's milk is her fave. So I know we don't have loads of experience when it comes to this matter, but I figured I'd at least write about some things that have worked for us, in hopes that maybe they could help you! And hopefully they work for us the second time around, too :)

• Straight from the beginning we only made our daughter's food. It seemed easier, cheaper, and healthier. And when we looked at the ingredients in store bought baby food, we noticed their "green beans" didn't just have green beans in it. So that didn't make sense to us. Wouldn't you want your child to know what the green bean tasted like itself, before adding other flavors? Please know that I am in no way saying you are wrong if you don't make your own baby food! This is just what works for us. And in speaking to other mothers who have done the same, one common tie is that their children haven't been as picky. So it makes me wonder if it helps.?.?
• Try, try, try again. If Abigail didn't like something the first time, we would offer it to her the next day. If she acted weary about it, we would just ask her to try one bite, and if she didn't like it, she wouldn't have to eat it. Eventually after trying it a few times, she started to like it. This works for adults as well ;) I now eat wheat bread (certain kinds), tomatoes, and even had sushi a while back and could tolerate it. Baby steps, everyone! ;)
• Cheering her on. When presenting a new food, or a food she has tried previously and has been unsure of, we get really excited and talk up the food we're about to eat. "oh boy! guess what we're having today!" things like that. When we eat it, we definitely emphasize, "oh wow, this is so delicious". When she takes a bite, we say, "isn't that soooo good"...I realize it might seem silly, but I think some kids see how excited you are, and they kind of want to believe what you are saying. I realize this might not be the case for each child, but again, maybe for your child, it would be :) There is a lot of smiling, clapping, and praising.
• The Health factor. Abigail has grown to love learning what foods do for her body. This gets her excited about trying different foods. When serving it, I'll look up what the food does for our body, and explain it to her while eating. She loves to learn that this specific food will help your eyes or your bones. We emphasize how it is helping her body grow big and strong, and that gets her excited. We talk a lot about keeping our bodies healthy and strong, why we need to, and what is good about doing so. 
• Choosing fruits and veggies for snack time! Every once in a while we do have "special treats", like if we make cupcakes, or have some dessert left over. But this should not be the norm. And we've found if these things aren't really in the home, and they are hungry, then they will eat what is provided...fruits and veggies.
• Involving her in cooking. I think this is pretty common for children. They will be more excited about eating something they helped prepare. Plus it can be really fun.
• "You get what you get, and you don't get upset". This is a family motto; thanks to Pinkalicious. The disciplinarians in us knew we needed to make it clear that this is what we have to eat, and you can either eat it or go without. Said as lovingly as possible, of course :) She has yet to walk away from the table and decide to just be hungry ;)

That's what I've got, folks! I hope at least one thing could help you, if you have a picky eater. And if you have any tips for others, then please post! I'm really hoping Mailie is like her sister in this matter.