If you “google” kid friendly meals, most likely you will see many hits for macaroni and cheese, hotdogs, pizza, and sweets. If you do not find these typical foods, you will most likely find many articles with tips and tricks to hide vegetables in food. Try it, I did.
My 3 year old eating kale and beans- our family culture and certainly kid friendly.
I use “kid friendly food” often but after much thought and an in-depth conversation with a colleague; I wonder what it actually means to my readers. Am I misleading readers by using this term? Depending on who you are talking to “kid friendly” can have a drastically different meaning. I think this question can certainly welcome debate with parental opinion on many sides of the fence.
Here are a couple of examples of “kid friendly food” we discussed:
- Food commonly dumb-down to meet the child’s taste buds. (plain noodles, cheese roll-up in place of home cooked lasagna, plain rice, plain chicken, etc)
- Food commonly resembling the fast food market and pre-packaged meals that are specifically targeted to influence the child’s selection and taste buds. (chicken nuggets, hotdogs, pizza)
- Food presented (cut or shaped) in a specific fashion to make it more appetizing for the child.
- Food “hidden” in other foods to ensure consumption.
- Food traditionally eaten in the home based on culture, religion, tradition, habits, schedule, health issues and budget. (my definition).
- Why do we settle for typical kid friendly foods? I think we settle because our society makes it easy and convenient for us. The food industry also does a fantastic job marketing toys to our children so we buy their meals at our children’s request. However, if we settle for “kid friendly” foods based on most of the definitions above aren’t we feeding our children inferior foods?
- Why do we even need the term “kid friendly”? If we use the word “kid friendly”, we are giving children the expectation they do not have to eat foods we want them to eat, explore or experience. We are setting a clear division between us, food and our children.
- Expect the best from yourself. If you eat healthier foods, your child will too. Remember they do as we do, not say.
- Dust off great grandma’s recipe box and embrace your family culture and traditions through your family recipes.
- Empower your child to help you in the kitchen and plan family meals together.
- Try new foods but take the time to enjoy the curiosity, wisdom, history and self-pride new foods can welcome into your home.
- If you puree vegetables into foods, serve them whole as a side dish at the same time or let your child help you prepare the recipe with the puree in it.
- Let your children play with their food. Touching, smelling, looking, hearing (cooking sounds), and tasting are all involved in the exploration of food.
- Visit local farmers and offer to help harvest their crop, if you do not garden at home.
- Enjoy your food. If you enjoy food, your child will too.
If you like this post, please vote for Healthy Baby Beans by clicking the link below. I am nominated for the Top 25 Foodie/Mom Blog Award. Thanks so much and I appreciate your time.
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You know, I’ve thought of this time and again and I don’t have a good answer for this. I think in some respects, we take the easy way out by serving the food typically listed under “kid friendly”. Who wants to battle their kid at dinner time? But as you said, if we eat these foods with our kids, it will be their norm and it will be kid friendly! I think you present a fabulous argument!
You got it! Eating with the kids, role modeling these food loves is so important Mimi!
) From a grandmom age person! Our kids don’t have food dislikes except for the ones that they added as adults. Happy to say!
I wish it was easy for my son to eat healthy but unfortunately, he is so picky! If he doesn’t like the texture or the taste, he will spit it out!
I think all of this information that you have put together in your blog should be written as a BOOK! But that’s my personal opinion. I find that I learn something from you everyday whether it be related to the children and/or adults! I think that “tricks” work with kids to change texture and color. I’ve shared this with you before but it’s up to the parent to be very creative and get these foods that are important for them to learn about a young age and not turn into picky eaters. My mom died my mashed potatoes green (because I love most green veggies!) and gagged on the mashed potatoes. Once she did that I gobbled them down. I don’t have any food aversions today except for the ones that I cannot eat for dietary reasons. Except… stewed tomatoes and whatever food people try to slide them into. I’m also not able to eat spices (gastrointestinal problems) and even though they would be good for the fibro. I cannot eat them for the gastric reflex. Thank you Clancy as always for more than enough good information. You rawk!
This post couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m essentially FLAT BROKE and the “kid friendly” foods are lacking in the household, though I consider my pantry, fridge and freezer to generally contain less “JUNK” as I like to call it. Tonight, I “reunited” in a sense with my almost teenage son and concocted a meal together. He really didn’t care what it was. Much to my surprise, the I AM TEEN, HEAR ME ROAR, child that I’ve seen over the past several months, immediately jumped at the chance to cook with me. He still brought a bit of pickiness to the table, but was willing to try something new by just helping with the meal!
Sharing the responsibility of planning and preparing the meal empowers any child to taste and experience food. You will slowly break down the picky food barriers and create memories in the process. Good luck to you!
This is all great advice to get our kids to eat healthier alternatives and, I can tell you that it works wonders in my family as well; my teenager will eat most anything and, I’m sure we will get there with the baby as well. You have a great blog here. I’ll be sure to come back often.
I so agree with you! I think so many of these processed foods are leading 1. to the obesity of our children and 2. setting them up for health issues and cancers in their future. Shop the exterior of the supermarket, stay away from processed foods. Take the time to invest in your children rather than throwing ‘kid friendly’ snacks at them. there is nothing friendly about it!
Great post!!
Melanie
We definitely offer Gwen everything we eat, but she definitely doesn’t want it all, and I’m not going to turn it into a fight. Thankfully she really does like healthy stuff!
Our oldest daughter is our picky eater. For years, trying to get her to eat her veggies created major drama on a nightly basis. Then, one day on a whim, I decided to sautee our broccoli with some olive oil and garlic. My daughter not only ate it, she LOVED it! So now, with many of our green vegetables, I add some garlic, and we have had no more problems getting her to eat them. Sure, we stink, but it’s worth it! It’s often not the food the child dislikes, just the way it’s prepared.
Love the idea of eating healthy with the entire family and incorporating nutrient rich foods! Kale may be difficult to get kids to eat at first, but after time and a little patience with your kiddos and you will be well on your way:)