My oldest has been a picky eater since the first spoonful of solids.Then he discovered avocado and would have eaten anything as long as it was mixed with the green veggie. I was happy he was finally eating and went down this path until the pediatrician told me to put an end to it unless I was willing to continue mixing his food with avocado for the rest of my life. So, we went back to our old routine of me trying to convince him to open his mouth and him closing his lips as tight as possible.
I started blaming myself, trying to realize what I’d done wrong and how to change his attitude towards eating. Then my second was born and he was such a good eater, from the very beginning, without me doing anything different than what I had done with his big brother and that was a great relief: it has never been my fault. Victor is a picky eater. And no one is to blame for it.
All I can do is help him improve his relationship with food, step outside his comfort zone and try new things no matter if they don’t look, smell or taste the way Victor would like. That’s why I cook with my son, we became CSA members and I garden.
Gardening with kids is a fun activity, you get to spend time together outside, watch plants grow and finish by eating them – oh, how much tastier they are when they come from your own garden.
I love tomatoes and if I were to grow just one veggie in my garden that would definitely be tomato. I had several tomato plants last year and whenever I was taking the kids outside, my youngest was heading to the garden to eat some cherry tomatoes. Victor was fascinated to see how they were turning red but never interested in tasting any. Let me tell you that by the end of the summer he caved in and tasted his first tomato grown in our own garden. He eats his tomatoes now and I couldn’t be prouder.
Gardening with kids is not only a fun activity but can also work wonders when you have a picky eater in your family. It’s worth trying! My goal for this year: beets!
Nicola
Saturday 11th of April 2015
We are gardening with our kids this year as well in an attempt to get them eating a more varied diet. Thanks for linking up with #frugalfamilylinky
Stef
Wednesday 15th of April 2015
Thanks for letting me know, Nicola. I feel honored! I'll be there!
Andrea Mitchael
Thursday 9th of April 2015
How funny that your first loved avocados so much :D I started a garden this year and have loved involving my son! Thank you for such a sweet post and for linking up with Tuesday Talk! ~Andrea || MItchael Journey