Unfortunately, this gave my laid-back approach to feeding Kenz more fuel to put off fixing the issue. And to top it off, those wonderful fruit and veggie squeeze pouches that were making a debut at playgroups had let me pacify her bad food habits. (Now, this is not to say that those pouches aren't the best thing since sliced bread, because they are, but a child solely getting fruits and veggie nutrition from a puréed packet is an issue)
Thankfully, my trusty French books were there to help. First let me say that all of these books: "French Twist" by Catherine Crawford, "Bringing up Bebe" by Pamela Druckerman, and "French Kids Eat Everything" by Karen Le Billon; offer wonderful insight and methods on how to eat the 'French' way. But one resounding common theme is getting the kids in the kitchen with you.
Yes, the most dangerous room in the house! Haha You know, that room with the hot stove, chemicals, large objects that can fall over, sharp pointy things, the glass bowls, high counters and your secret stash of liquor for when the baby is asleep. Yep, that's where these French books want your sweet bundle of joy.
Now, you can take this suggestion and do one of three things. 1) say heck no! And leave the baby gate firmly in place for everyone's safety and sanity. 2) slowly and selectively involve your baby in the process of making food. 3) buy one of those ridiculously expensive and functional baby chef tower things and make it their new playpen.
All are valid, wonderful and a personal choice. But I wouldn't have an option or this blog if I wasn't going to share what we did and how it's worked for us.
We chose number 2.
Slowly but surely I would let Kenzington in the kitchen with me. At first, it was a mess. Worried about every danger, raw egg and soiled surface; I would scream and yell at her about not listening. She would get bored and the whole "lets cook and bond" would last a max of 3 minutes. A lot of the failures had to do with me and some was her age. Thankfully we have gotten wiser with our choices and Kenzington is actually getting better with her skills too. That's right! My awkward spaz of a toddler can crack an egg, whisk, and pour flour into a measuring cup. And no, it's not a pretty picture of a well dressed baby with her beautiful momma in a gorgeous apron. It's messy, usually ends in a time out for not listening and touching EVERYTHING (the dang curious baby can't keep her hands to herself) but she's interested and that's a start.
She happily comes skipping into the kitchen daily asking "what are we going to make today?" and my creative lying usually can turn Eggplant Parmesan into Eggplant Pizza with Yummy cheese and garlic butter cracker bits. Hey! Marketing people! Marketing! Make it yummy and they will eat it!
This time in the kitchen has turned into experimental lab for her. We talk about the raw ingredients and sample them (if they are obviously safe raw) and talk about the texture, color, flavor. This is all put to her age level and language ability (I am not a child development expert so please play nice). Meaning we don't talk about flavor profiles and specific combinations but we do define salty and sweet or savory and rich. Eventually we cook, I am selective and make her wait outside the kitchen or go play if its a portion of the recipe that she could care less about or if it has a lot of flaming liquids. We talk about the food names, techniques, and make it like a cooking show just for her. But how has this affected her eating? Believe it or not, she's eating LOTS of new foods. It works! She's more excited about trying new foods if she's had a hand in making them.
Our time in the kitchen has become a fun time for me and my "little chef" (yes I am channeling Disney's "Ratatouille") and I can't wait for some special moments with Sutton but her current physical stage isn't conducive to countertops and sharp objects. Until then, I will enjoy my time with my eldest little chef, and that's who is in charge of our kitchen, the Chef & Chief.
-Bon Chance Mon Ami
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