Baby can join in too!

I should let you all know that I am not only interested in getting the bigger kids to eat but the babies too, getting onto the right track from day one is very important. Don't get me wrong don't fuss or stress over it otherwise this will stress the baby out and you will get over anxious about how much you are getting into baby, it is important to get the right balance, you want baby to eat the right things but you also want them to do it in their own time.
Making your own food is cheaper and you also know what is going into it. I know not everybody has time to do this so don't feel I am excluding those who can't ( I used pots from time to time!!!) but you can freeze if you cook up a ulk and put it into to small pots ( I used silicone cake moulds to freeze mine in just the right portion size).

They can eat pretty much what we eat, but do be careful if allergies run in the family. I started off by really mushing down the meals for mine. Little by little they took handfuls of what was on mmy plate and I didn't bother anymore.

Your baby will "tell" you when they are ready to start, all of mine were early Aby was 3 months, James 2 1/2 months and Alex just 2 months. Do not let anybody dictate to you when they are ready to start with "food" you will know, Alex was taking 180mls sleeping ONE hour then taking another 180mls he was never full so I started him with some pureed apple and he was happy. I had someone tell me it was too soon it was because of the milk (a well known brand that many people use) that it was nutritional!!! I know my son he was hungry and he was happy eating and it didn't harm him. If he had been happy with just milk I would have kept him to just that until he was ready but I am not going to starve him!

I hope you have found this slightly useful either that or I have waffled on about nothing, isn't that what us mums are good at???

Fun for the little ones

I have been having a good think about this one and it suddenly daned on me. Kids love to get messy and kids love to create but they don't like to wait. So while you are waiting for the cake, the dinner (or whatever it is you have been cooking with your child) to cook, after you have cleaned up you can help them make their own recipe page. You take magazines and cut out pictures of eggs, flour, bowls and spoons etc and get the child to put them in the right order and stick them down onto a piece of paper, make it into a game to see if they can remember what they did and they can write the quantities and the number order (depending on their age) and you can put it in a special folder or their own "recipe book" that way the next time you bake that particular item they can look it up in their own book!
I feel this activity passes the time while waiting for the whatever it is to cook so you don't get the constant "is it ready yet??" and is also a good memory activity.

Have fun!!

The Christmas message!

I am so sorry to not have been here for a long time but what with work through the summer and then wanting to concentrate a bit on the kids once the season was over. But I have decided I must get back to it!

I was thinking that this is a brilliant time of year to cook with your kids. Really anytime is good but chritmas gives us a real excuse, making the christmas cake or mince pies or even the cookies/biscuits to leave out for Santa!

Just yesterday me and my two eldest experimented with making some cookies and some shortbread they really loved it and want to do some more to leave out on christmas eve! Thats because they were so yummy we munched them all for our gouter!! Naughty us!

The thing is for me it really doesn't matter what you are doing the kids really just want to spend the time with you but at this time of year we are busy preparing for the upcoming festivities so why not let them join in and help. I remember I was happy to sit there chopping the veggies to help out on chrismas day singing along to the Carol service or whatever was playing on the radio. We were all there in the kitchen and it was fun because we were working as a family, and I am sure it tasted better because of it!

The family meal.

I know in England this past time has become just that. A family meal is a rare thing. I understand that times have been difficult so in a lot of families parents are working much later and the children are generally eating with the child minders or other carers who do not actually sit down with them.
For me its not a problem that its not family, its a problem that they are not sitting down all together.
In France people have a two hour lunch break, this is generally spent with the family (unless the children are at the canteen due to distance etc). The children in the evning after school will be given a gouter, this has two purposes 1. to keeptheir energy levels up 2. to keep them going until about 7/8pm when bothe parents are there to sit down for a meal as a family.
I have to say I like this idea, real quality time which is so important we miss out on so much so why not sit down and talk with our children to find out whats going on at school and find out if they are having any difficulties. I also feel that if everyone is sitting together the children will eventually pick up on expected behaviours, for example how to use cutlery properly, how to sit properly and how to conduct themselves in the right manner. They will also pick up good eating habits such as eating up their greens. I am sure if your child is eating at a friends per-say you want to know that they are conducting themselves properly.
As I stated its not a question of who it is grandparents, friends, child minders, or even the next door neighbour, the important thing is that everyone sit together and eats as a "family". Whoever it is could also involve them in the process of cooking if they so wish or just getting them to set the table.
The most important thing for me is that it is a time to talk so NO TELLY, maybe a bit of music, radio, CD or ipod. But nothing too distracting, especially if you have children who are easily distracted.

Grow your own.

This year my kids have grown their own vegetables in my fathers garden, they haven't grown much just some runner beans and some carrots but you should see how proud it makes them that for dinner they are eating the things that they grew in the garden!

I feel that this has helped with getting them to eat more veggies, seeing the whole process through. Planting the seeds themselves, looking after the plant, watering it etc and then finally being asked to go out into the garden and pick the vegetables and then helping to prepare them and cook them for that evenings dinner.

You do not need to have huge amounts of space. http://www.squarefootgardening.org/ this is a website for gardening in a small area.

Getting children involved in the whole process be it growing the food or going out and choosing it at the shops really helps them feel responsible so therefore they are more likely to eat it.

Try it and see what results you get!

Using food as a reward.

I think we have all used food, such as desert or sweets as reward before now, apprently to studies about 80% of us do it.

So what's wrong with this approach? When food is used as a  reward we encourage eating regardless of hunger for example finish your plate and you get dessert.We are placing a greater value on the reward than on what we want them eat. for example chocolate cake appears greater than the vegetables we want them to eat.
 
Try these ideas instead:

• Pair new foods with liked foods.
• Don't give up...it make take 10-15 times before your child develops a taste for a healthier food.
• Try cooking vegetables different ways. Steamed, raw, grilled, sauteed and roasted veggies are all simple and easy ways to cook your vegetables.
• Serve fruits and vegetables first. Research shows kids eat 45% more when this approach is used.
• Kids want a say in their food choice. Let them help with dinner and dessert menu planning.
• Eat together as a family. Kids learn by watching us. What if you're the picky eater? Put on your game face and take a bite. Remember, you're the role model!

We have all been taught at some point in our life to use food as a reward. This isn't an easy habit to kick, but the benefits are worth it. Good Luck!

The importance of support.

It is very important that when you have a fussy eater you have a good support network around you and that you are all working off the same page. If you decide to tackle the issue of fussy eating you should sit down with all the childs caregivers and lay out exactly what you want to achieve and how that is going to happen and how they can help you. If even just one person is not on board then it will not work.

My ex husband was not at all helpful, if he came home and Aby was screaming blue murder because there was something other than chicken nuggets and chips on her plate then he would automatically go and make her what she wanted, completely undermining me and what I was trying to do.

Also a support network will make you feel less alone, you can talk to those around you if times get tough or if you make a big break through (even if it is "xxx ate a mouthful of brocolli!"). It is important to choose carefully those you trust to help you achieve your goal, if you are in any doubt as to wether a person will really help you or not, don't use them for meal times, just send the child to them at other times during the day and when the goal is reached they can go back to that person. If not the whole "operation" will not succeed because the child will know that they can always get their own way else where.

Good luck and remember get a support network, talk to them, and then act!