Welcome to YTF Community, a place to safely share in the challenges and joys of feeding our families. And make all of it easier! This is a weekly members post with advice and encouragement. (Welcome to all the new members this week, too!)
I’ve been thinking about how the messages we see online impact the way we feed our kids. And impact how we feel about how we’re feeding our kids, which has a huge impact.
The other night, I tackling the evening sprint of dinner (Pizza Pockets warmed from the freezer) and then immediately shuttling one kid (with the other two in the car) across town to a rehearsal. Right before we sat down to eat, I looked at my Instagram account and saw a post that started with “If you use THIS kind of kids plate, don’t be surprised if your kid winds up picky.”
The quick sound bite nature of content designed to make us engage or react is fine …right up until it starts to make us think there’s something wrong with the way our kids are eating.
Or that the way our kids are eating is a problem that we need to solve every time they sit down for a meal or snack. Or that we’re doing something wrong for feeding our kids the way it works for us in our real lives. Because, to be clear…
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What do you think of products like ellaola and hiya vitamins to essentially boost missing fruits/veggies/minerals?
Been a fan of this website and yours since Feb 2020, thanks for sharing your advice and recipes!
I think they can be perfectly fine safety nets, especially if using one will lower your anxiety and help you worry less. With any supplement, I check with my pediatrician and also look at the RDA amounts. If it’s wildly over the recommended amount, I do consider finding another one. I have used Hiya myself in the past though and liked that one.
Thanks for this. It’s really helpful. I have seen that my 5 year old has gone through (and continues to go through) phases. Some days beige (processed) food reigns and other times red peppers and sweetcorn!
One thing I worry about is her desire for sugar. She asks for ‘pudding’ (UK dessert) after meals, and it feels like she constantly wants chocolate or cakes. I’m not sure how to handle it. I want it to stop being a big deal but don’t know how to shift to that mindset (for her or us)? Any ideas?
Some advice I like from intuitive eating experts is to remember that the more we restrict a food or treat a food differently, the more many kids (and adults) will want it. In my house, it has worked to simply make dessert part of our routine so it’s not something we’re negotiating every day, but is a food we have with or after dinner regularly. Just knowing it’s part of the day may help reduce fixation on it, though it’s also normal to want food that tastes good:)
Thank you!
Thanks for this post, Amy! I often feel like I followed all of the “rules” with my child… paid for all the courses on baby led weaning… read all the blogs… and he is extremely picky now as a 5 year old! I have to remember that you can’t control everything and in the end, they are humans and not little machines. We all do our best each day, including them. Thank you Amy for your amazing recipes!