twinutero

Not exactly a news flash. Parenting magazines write about it; baby food companies exploit it. Unfortunately, neither vitamin-enhanced toddler formula nor stealthily hidden vegetables will change the fact that toddlers generally eat what they want, and toss the rest to the floor – or to some well-fed family pet.

Thomas is our most mercurial eater. He has a ten meter anti-veggie-radar and extensive, apparently innate, knowledge of the supermarket snack food aisle. At times he seems to survive on milk, bread and hope for sweets, all other offerings being refused with tremendous drama. At other times, he will relish an apple, orange or soft-boiled egg as the most delectable treat.

When Thomas was about two and a half, we lost patience with his fussiness and our consequent evening routine (I make dinner; Thomas refuses it; Thomas is hungry and we are both awake by 3 am). We adopted a rather merciless alternative. Thomas must now finish all of his dinner or he sits in his “time out” place on the stairs. This was hell at first. Mealtimes became a very loud, stressful, unpleasant struggle, and Thomas spent a lot of time on the stairs. Within a few days, however, he learned to try what was in front of him, and more often than not, he liked it. He has since eaten salmon, stir-fry, curried chicken, veggie pancakes and everything else I have made for dinner.

I never thought I would resort to such tactics. I hate the thought of mixing healthy eating with punishment. Ideally, I would respect our children’s preferences, encourage them to eat when they are hungry, and foster a relaxed but adventuresome attitude toward food. Maybe this will come – but not during toddlerhood. For now, we have set our goals on a few more basic and realistic lessons:

• We eat – or at least try – what has been made.
• We sit together at the table for meals.
• There are consequences for bad behaviour.
• Mom and Dad determine what is, and what isn’t bad behaviour.

Alex and Jon haven’t yet been subjected to this regime. I think they’re too young for “time out” and they’re are not as choosy as Thomas. Alex will try everything and rejects little. He seems too eager to get on with life to linger over meals. He just fuels up and runs. Jon more obviously savours his meals, often using all six senses to explore his food. The result is a fabulous mess and a more discerning eater. He has a sweet-tooth (inherited from his mother) but will happily smear his body with plain yogurt, hummus, watermelon, and veggie burgers.

Here’s a quick list of the toddler foods that have worked best for us:

Plain yogurt. It’s cheaper than flavoured and I can control the amount of sugar by serving it plain or with molasses or fruit.

Organic raisins. Alex eats them by the handful. Grapes, and therefore raisins, can have high pesticide residues so I try to buy organic. See the Environmental Working Group’s Shoppers Guide.

Peanuts and cashews. High in fat and protein but allergenic. I give them to Thomas but not yet to the twins.

Fruit. Any type, but watermelon and apple sauce are most popular.

Hummus. High in protein, easy and cheap to make (although I usually just buy it).

Lasagna. Particularly good for hiding vegetables.

Eggs. Soft-boiled for Thomas; scrambled for the twins. This is our default dinner when there’s nothing else in the house.

As for recipe books, my two favourites are:

Rebar. From the Victoria, BC restaurant by the same name. The recipes are not quick-and-easy but I have made almost one third of the recipes in this book and they are all excellent and mostly kid-friendly.

The Best Vegetable Recipes. From the editors of Cook’s Illustrated. Turns out that vegetables taste much better if they are cooked properly. This book shows you how.