Great post! Just sent it off to all my friends with kids.
I only had furkids and they were much easier - they loved veggies, even bittergourd and okra. My little shih tzu went through almost 3kg of all kinds of veg every week.
Haha you should have seen her eat noodles - she was a champion udon slurper!
We used chopsticks to hold up a few strands for her each round, and she'd steadily swoosh it all up from tip to tip.
When the serving staff told the Japanese chef about her, he came out to see for himself, and declared that she had to be a Japanese doggy cos she did it just like a native - noisily sucking in all the wind with gusto 😂.
Hehe I do, but my old iPhone SE didn't really take fab videos. And that particular night, I only managed to capture a few seconds cos it was so impromptu.
From then on, every time we went there, they'd treat her like royalty. Actually, they always treated her like a princess, pulling out a “throne” for her and laying out special cutlery for her - that was one reason I took her there as often as I could afford to 😝.
But the chef left specific instructions that she was to get her own bowl of udon, steeped in their signature chicken collagen nabe stock, plus as many top-ups as she wanted - with his compliments! Her icecream was on the house too - drooool 🐶
Ahh apart from being a champion udon slurper (she liked soba, ramen, spaghetti too - anything long and silky), she was the sweetest little furkid, so she deserved the very best 😊.
Kerry, I've seen this gnarly issue tackled many times, but never so well, so nuanced, and effectively! I, too, had to find the sweet spot, and it ain't easy...but, I do rejoice when the fish is ordered off the menu. A big BRAVO on this fabulous post.
Thank you so much for the kind words, Ellen! :) I put a great deal of thought into this post (and held my breath when I finally hit "send"), so it means a lot to hear that it was well-received. It takes a lot of work—and plenty of trial and error—to get to this point, but for me, it was worth every ounce of effort!
It’s so great to read about the teenage years of parenting and feeding, as someone deep in the preschool (almost kindergarten) phase! I also wanted to share a resource I’ve compiled of MVP recipes that work for my family! On the veggies in pasta tip; I think getting my daughter hooked on kale sauce from babyhood definitely worked wonders towards making her a happy eater of all things green these days! https://thenewfamilytable.substack.com/p/mvp-recipes
That’s great! And thanks so much for sharing your MVP recipes—such a great idea—and I immediately spotted a few things I will need to try! My kids also love kale/ green things too, thanks to eating tasty things made with spinach and broccoli when they were little!
These are such good tips Kerry especially number 2. I’m always cooking something separate for my son but I’m going to try your suggestions, it’ll also open him up to more flavors and tastes at an early age.
Thanks Bernadette! It’s so easy to give your kids things that they’re guaranteed to eat. Deconstructed meals (even to this day) have been a game changer for me—I do it with everything from salads to sheet pan meals to soups!
Yay, that makes me so happy! I hope you find some new things that work for you and your family! The resources I mentioned are great too, if you’re looking for a little inspiration. :)
I love this and totally agree with all of these. I’m a chef and food coach and often help families figure out how to make one thing once the kids are older. It’s easier to do these things when they’re little. I also have a substack where I publish four recipes each Thursday with my tips and tricks for making them faster, easier, more deconstructable, along with an organized shopping list if anyone here needs more ideas to lighten the mental load of dinner.
I love deconstructable meals so much. They’ve literally been a lifesaver—and kept me sane! Your Stack sounds great/ very helpful, will definitely check it out!
I love how this list is spelled out! I’ve been going through this since Day One of starting solids with my son 3 years ago, with the help and encouragement of an infant feeding therapist. She was such an invaluable resource for us, and sometimes I can’t believe that isn’t a service provided for all new parents. I write about that sometimes in my own newsletter, which also aims to provide ideas for feeding everyone at the table, keeping different developmental stages of eating in mind.
I can think of far worse things to be eating than blueberries and oranges! And I’m intrigued by the sprinkles, lol! Kids’ tastes change so quickly- and sometimes when you present things to them in a new way, it’s like they’re eating an entirely different food. Hope you find a nugget that helps, but if you don’t, with some patience and persistence, they will eventually branch out! :)
A lovely read with great strategies! I really liked your point about perseverance.
It's so important to not judge yourself/get too stressed if you are trying everything and it's not working. Just calmly keep going, everything is a phase. What they refuse now, they might love as they get older!
Also, some children are just pickier than others, and that's ok. My son is very adventurous. He loves squid and baby octopus! However, my daughter is a different story. And they were raised in the same home, in the same way. But, she's only five. And I remain confident things will change.
Thank you, Shell! Couldn’t agree more on the importance of patience and not giving up hope. It’s so easy to let the stress of it all get the better of you (this happened to me at times), but you just have to just calmly keep going and trying. And appreciate your point that EVERY kid is different—that’s a great build and so true! Also, kudos to your squid and baby octopus-loving son…that’s the epitome of adventurous! :)
Haha, thank you. He won't eat chicken nuggets, but octopus and chorizo are absolutely his cup of tea (maybe he is secretly Spanish).
Absolutely, it can be super tough in the moment but patience is everything. Well done for navigating such a tricky issue in such a kind and practical way in your post. And if all else fails, hide the veg just as you say!
Thank you, Kerry! It’s so nice to read about feeding young children from the perspective of someone with older kids.
Mine definitely are more adventurous when they cook with me. They eat things off the cutting board they would never touch on their plates. Sometimes the selectiveness wears on me, though, so I appreciate the reminder it’s just a phase.
I’ve checked Weelicious and The Mom 100 out of the library. Catherine McCord’s newest book, Meal Prep Magic, gets a lot of use around here. Thank you for the recommendations!
Thanks so much, Robynne! Love that your kids cook with you! I was amazed at the things my kids didn’t eat once and love today. It takes work to get there, but, for me at least, persistence (and presenting things in new ways) was key! Also, so happy you’ve checked out some of the resources. Mom 100 was the source of many winning dinners in my house—hope you find some that you and your kids love too! :)
Such a great article with so many applicable tips! Every babysitter we had when my kids were younger was always amazed at what they would eat for dinner and snacks. One even told me “I didn’t know kids could eat Brie.” 😂
Aw, thanks Betty! And lol about the brie. I see how that might be a textural turn off to kids—but mine absolutely love it too (the creamier, the better!). :)
This is such a brilliant post Kerry. I’m a naturopath and nutritionist in my professional life, mostly working with adults but I do see children too. Most commonly their presentation is in some way related to their diets. It never ceases to amaze me how many parents don’t understand that they are in charge of the shopping and cooking. I am definitely going to send some families your way.
Thank you, Lisa! I’m so touched that you liked it and think others could benefit from reading it. It definitely takes a bit of effort to maintain control when it comes to feeding your kids, but for me, it was absolutely worth it!
This is an amazing article full of great resources and amazing tips! Thank you! What also helped my kids to be quite adventurous and like almost every food is knowing what the foods are, seeing and tasting them as separate flavors. So I didn't transform so much or hide the ingredients. When they had a phase, they didn't like something, I would take a break and reintroduce it in a minimal quantity so it wasn't too overwhelming. My son used to dislike tomatoes, and now he likes them again!
Thanks so much! :) I really like your approach of being transparent and letting them appreciate (and become familiar with) the flavor of the individual items. And happy to hear that your son likes tomatoes again after taking a break. Definitely a win!
Great post! Just sent it off to all my friends with kids.
I only had furkids and they were much easier - they loved veggies, even bittergourd and okra. My little shih tzu went through almost 3kg of all kinds of veg every week.
Oh I’m just imagining a shi tzu eating so many veggies. Sounds so cute!
I know, right?! Adorable!
Haha you should have seen her eat noodles - she was a champion udon slurper!
We used chopsticks to hold up a few strands for her each round, and she'd steadily swoosh it all up from tip to tip.
When the serving staff told the Japanese chef about her, he came out to see for himself, and declared that she had to be a Japanese doggy cos she did it just like a native - noisily sucking in all the wind with gusto 😂.
Amazing!! I’m assuming you have this greatness captured on video…which sounds to me like the making of a viral note… ;)
Hehe I do, but my old iPhone SE didn't really take fab videos. And that particular night, I only managed to capture a few seconds cos it was so impromptu.
From then on, every time we went there, they'd treat her like royalty. Actually, they always treated her like a princess, pulling out a “throne” for her and laying out special cutlery for her - that was one reason I took her there as often as I could afford to 😝.
But the chef left specific instructions that she was to get her own bowl of udon, steeped in their signature chicken collagen nabe stock, plus as many top-ups as she wanted - with his compliments! Her icecream was on the house too - drooool 🐶
Omg, that is HILARIOUS!! I want your dog’s life…it sounds pretty fabulous!
Ahh apart from being a champion udon slurper (she liked soba, ramen, spaghetti too - anything long and silky), she was the sweetest little furkid, so she deserved the very best 😊.
Thank you so much! Now if only we could get our kids to embrace veggies like your furkids…that’s awesome! :)
Yeah I know! It's so sad - my friends have to hide the veggies inside calzones, meatballs, even cake (zucchini) 🙄.
Kerry, I've seen this gnarly issue tackled many times, but never so well, so nuanced, and effectively! I, too, had to find the sweet spot, and it ain't easy...but, I do rejoice when the fish is ordered off the menu. A big BRAVO on this fabulous post.
Thank you so much for the kind words, Ellen! :) I put a great deal of thought into this post (and held my breath when I finally hit "send"), so it means a lot to hear that it was well-received. It takes a lot of work—and plenty of trial and error—to get to this point, but for me, it was worth every ounce of effort!
It’s so great to read about the teenage years of parenting and feeding, as someone deep in the preschool (almost kindergarten) phase! I also wanted to share a resource I’ve compiled of MVP recipes that work for my family! On the veggies in pasta tip; I think getting my daughter hooked on kale sauce from babyhood definitely worked wonders towards making her a happy eater of all things green these days! https://thenewfamilytable.substack.com/p/mvp-recipes
That’s great! And thanks so much for sharing your MVP recipes—such a great idea—and I immediately spotted a few things I will need to try! My kids also love kale/ green things too, thanks to eating tasty things made with spinach and broccoli when they were little!
These are such good tips Kerry especially number 2. I’m always cooking something separate for my son but I’m going to try your suggestions, it’ll also open him up to more flavors and tastes at an early age.
Thanks Bernadette! It’s so easy to give your kids things that they’re guaranteed to eat. Deconstructed meals (even to this day) have been a game changer for me—I do it with everything from salads to sheet pan meals to soups!
Love this! You’ve inspired me to change my ways!
Yay, that makes me so happy! I hope you find some new things that work for you and your family! The resources I mentioned are great too, if you’re looking for a little inspiration. :)
Oh I will definitely look into them, I’m always looking for new inspiration when it comes to cooking for my family!
I love this and totally agree with all of these. I’m a chef and food coach and often help families figure out how to make one thing once the kids are older. It’s easier to do these things when they’re little. I also have a substack where I publish four recipes each Thursday with my tips and tricks for making them faster, easier, more deconstructable, along with an organized shopping list if anyone here needs more ideas to lighten the mental load of dinner.
Thanks so much! ☺️
I love deconstructable meals so much. They’ve literally been a lifesaver—and kept me sane! Your Stack sounds great/ very helpful, will definitely check it out!
I love how this list is spelled out! I’ve been going through this since Day One of starting solids with my son 3 years ago, with the help and encouragement of an infant feeding therapist. She was such an invaluable resource for us, and sometimes I can’t believe that isn’t a service provided for all new parents. I write about that sometimes in my own newsletter, which also aims to provide ideas for feeding everyone at the table, keeping different developmental stages of eating in mind.
Thanks! And what a great resource to have—I wasn’t aware until more recently that those types of services existed!
Lately my toddler only eats oranges, blueberries, and sprinkles so I’m taking notes on this post 😂
I can think of far worse things to be eating than blueberries and oranges! And I’m intrigued by the sprinkles, lol! Kids’ tastes change so quickly- and sometimes when you present things to them in a new way, it’s like they’re eating an entirely different food. Hope you find a nugget that helps, but if you don’t, with some patience and persistence, they will eventually branch out! :)
A lovely read with great strategies! I really liked your point about perseverance.
It's so important to not judge yourself/get too stressed if you are trying everything and it's not working. Just calmly keep going, everything is a phase. What they refuse now, they might love as they get older!
Also, some children are just pickier than others, and that's ok. My son is very adventurous. He loves squid and baby octopus! However, my daughter is a different story. And they were raised in the same home, in the same way. But, she's only five. And I remain confident things will change.
Thank you, Shell! Couldn’t agree more on the importance of patience and not giving up hope. It’s so easy to let the stress of it all get the better of you (this happened to me at times), but you just have to just calmly keep going and trying. And appreciate your point that EVERY kid is different—that’s a great build and so true! Also, kudos to your squid and baby octopus-loving son…that’s the epitome of adventurous! :)
Haha, thank you. He won't eat chicken nuggets, but octopus and chorizo are absolutely his cup of tea (maybe he is secretly Spanish).
Absolutely, it can be super tough in the moment but patience is everything. Well done for navigating such a tricky issue in such a kind and practical way in your post. And if all else fails, hide the veg just as you say!
Thank you! Clearly your son has a sophisticated palate—very cool! :)
Thank you, Kerry! It’s so nice to read about feeding young children from the perspective of someone with older kids.
Mine definitely are more adventurous when they cook with me. They eat things off the cutting board they would never touch on their plates. Sometimes the selectiveness wears on me, though, so I appreciate the reminder it’s just a phase.
I’ve checked Weelicious and The Mom 100 out of the library. Catherine McCord’s newest book, Meal Prep Magic, gets a lot of use around here. Thank you for the recommendations!
Thanks so much, Robynne! Love that your kids cook with you! I was amazed at the things my kids didn’t eat once and love today. It takes work to get there, but, for me at least, persistence (and presenting things in new ways) was key! Also, so happy you’ve checked out some of the resources. Mom 100 was the source of many winning dinners in my house—hope you find some that you and your kids love too! :)
Such a great article with so many applicable tips! Every babysitter we had when my kids were younger was always amazed at what they would eat for dinner and snacks. One even told me “I didn’t know kids could eat Brie.” 😂
Aw, thanks Betty! And lol about the brie. I see how that might be a textural turn off to kids—but mine absolutely love it too (the creamier, the better!). :)
This is such a brilliant post Kerry. I’m a naturopath and nutritionist in my professional life, mostly working with adults but I do see children too. Most commonly their presentation is in some way related to their diets. It never ceases to amaze me how many parents don’t understand that they are in charge of the shopping and cooking. I am definitely going to send some families your way.
I’m seeing one today at 11, better get going.
Thank you, Lisa! I’m so touched that you liked it and think others could benefit from reading it. It definitely takes a bit of effort to maintain control when it comes to feeding your kids, but for me, it was absolutely worth it!
This is an amazing article full of great resources and amazing tips! Thank you! What also helped my kids to be quite adventurous and like almost every food is knowing what the foods are, seeing and tasting them as separate flavors. So I didn't transform so much or hide the ingredients. When they had a phase, they didn't like something, I would take a break and reintroduce it in a minimal quantity so it wasn't too overwhelming. My son used to dislike tomatoes, and now he likes them again!
Thanks so much! :) I really like your approach of being transparent and letting them appreciate (and become familiar with) the flavor of the individual items. And happy to hear that your son likes tomatoes again after taking a break. Definitely a win!
it is all in the presentation hahah!
Haha, they say we eat with our eyes first, right? ;)