Toddler Cafe - Jennifer Carden [6]
hide-a-veggie * Stick peas inside a few pieces of penne pasta and have them search for the “gem.”
brown bag it * Serve food such as dry cereal or crackers in paper cones made from brown bags and tape.
birds in motion * Chop romaine lettuce leaves in strips across the middle rib to look like birds.
wrap it up * Wrap foods such as vegetables and bread in aluminum foil and have them unwrap it at the table.
fork lift * Place veggies or food in a decorative pattern on the tines of the fork to get them started and interested.
big magnet * Give your child a plain cooked noodle and have them dip it into shredded nori or nuts or coconut, and “magically” the pasta will pick up the food.
creative food play
Getting your child’s imagination going can be one of the best ways to raise their interest in eating. Use these techniques for creative food play when you get stuck in a rut, or just to spice up the fun at meals. For food play, use metaphors instead of games. If you do invent games at the table, try not to make the games so distracting that the child’s focus is led away from the task of eating. The most important thing is, remember to be silly—like a kid would be—and let loose.
Here are some fun ways to get their imagination going at the table. Check out the recipes for more ideas.
animal association *When trying to get them to eat tuna salad, tell them mermaids or sharks love this food. Only give one little tiny taste at first, rather than a big forkful, to avoid a tasting shock!
art table *Help them make sculptures or pictures out of their vegetables, and then eat them up.
count it *Make small mounds and have them count how many mountains they can eat.
animal shapes *Asparagus can be dinosaur tails; beans can be little fish jumping into his mouth.
look who’s coming to dinner * Invite your child’s stuffed animals or dolls to dinner. Set a place and make a fuss over how they love the food.
stack it up *Stack foods high, and then take them down by eating one bite at a time.
grow into it * Let your child wear a large shirt of yours and tell him he has to eat all of his healthy food to grow into it.
favorite character *Tell them the food is their favorite character’s favorite food.
the wheel of mealtime * Very slowly spin the plate and tell them to grab something as it goes around.
random associations * Say the food looks like something, such as, “These potatoes look like a poodle, don’t you think?”
toddler-friendly table tools
These are some ideas to get you to start looking at food presentation differently. Have fun trying out some new and unusual table tools. Try ethnic markets, craft stores, and gardening stores for supplies.
Try a deep, short-handled Asian soup spoon instead of a regular one.
Look for unusual items that can double as dishware, such as empty coconut shells, wooden sake cups, or tiny condiment dishes.
Trim a brown paper bag with decorative scissors for a place mat, and have your child draw on it while you are making dinner.
Look for biodegradable dishware made from corn or sugar cane—the kids will get a kick out of it, and you can compost it for the garden when you are done.
Make a place mat from clear contact paper placed over a page of an old illustrated book or child’s drawing.
Make a bib from glitter pressed between two sheets of contact paper.
Use a cute bib. (Try Kangaroo Brand Products’ hard plastic one—it catches everything.)
Serve small foods on decorative toothpicks, wooden skewers, Popsicle sticks, or lollipop sticks.
Check out a Japanese market for a wooden sushi board to serve dinner on.
Give your four- or five-year-old small real glassware to drink from, such as a shot glass or short drink glass, since they are harder to break.
Serve foods in small, kid-size prep dishes from a kitchen supply store. They are usually made from stainless steel.
Serve foods on parchment paper, wax paper, or in baskets.
tools in the kitchen
Make your life easier. There are some tools out there that will help make cooking much more pleasurable. Cooking tools can be really fun