When she is 18 years old, she will certainly eat with cutlery!
Our girl gets homemade food every day
We don't really believe in ready-made meals, so we don't give them to our daughter either. We have tried it though, when we were short on time (then we also sometimes get a pizza) and for example on vacation. But those jars are eaten, if at all, with very long teeth, or not at all. Now my love R. is a chef, and he always makes the tastiest and most nutritious 'mashes' (for me too!) and boy, how deliciously they are always eaten!
His secret? An apple!
Doesn't every child love a little applesauce? Do you remember the childhood parties from back in the day, ending with fries and... that's right! Applesauce? Or a mash at grandma and grandpa's with... indeed! Applesauce?
Now he usually cooks with whatever is available in our fridge. We love vegetables so there's always something to combine. A pot of water is put on the stove, for example, with a piece of chicken, zucchini, potato, peas, and some carrots (whatever takes the longest to cook goes in first), and at the end an apple. Drain, add a little olive oil and blend with an immersion blender. Now that she is one and a half, it doesn't have to be blended into a smooth puree anymore, but we keep it a bit coarse. Guaranteed to be delicious! I have written before about things I read, that you supposedly “must” do as a new parent. Like how your child “must learn” to sleep in their own bed (which doesn't happen with us), but also that your child “must learn” to eat green beans, broccoli, and pumpkin pieces on their own as soon as possible because, imagine, what if they are 46 and ask in an expensive restaurant if the beef bourguignon can be put through the blender... Nooooo! As soon as they have molars they can chew, so away with all that mashing!
I find it more important that she eats!
Our child is super healthy, (sometimes a bit too) lively and her development is exemplary. The only struggle we might have at the table is that the little lady doesn't want to sit still for too long. That's what we have the tablet for! Seriously, I once heard a friend say: “I sometimes feel guilty for putting my child behind the tablet”. After which I had a real Suske en Wiske-like EUREKA moment; the tablet! Of course! Never thought of that! Bring on that annoying clown Bumba, songs about the elephant's big buttocks and (secretly my nostalgic favorite) Baloo the Bear from The Jungle Book “the bare necessities”
Can mom and dad also continue eating relaxed...
You know, maybe we're not doing it right at all. We just do what seems right to us and what suits our child. We correct her, but never get angry. We don't force her, but distract her. We dance with her and make jokes. Love, I believe, is the greatest happiness! And that's in our hands.
Love, Vanessa