I came home to a little cooking session this evening. Anton and Ivalle were busy making some orzo salad with roasted vegetables and some tomato, basil, mozzarella stacks. They were having such fun together that I had to bust out the camera and take some snaps. I've been meaning to take more pictures of these sweet little moments and document life with a two year old. I've been so surprised at how much I LOVE age two. It has its ups and downs, but for the most part, having a tiny human around is a bundle of entertainment.
We've been working hard to get him focused on healthy options for meals, but it is no picnic. Anton has developed some "favorites" lately and it can be a bit of a struggle to get him to try new things. We've been trying some new tips we've both found from various articles about eating healthy with toddlers.
Some of our favorites are:
1. Include the child in the cooking process. This really helps eliminate the whiny pre-dinner grouchies. We put him up on a chair at eye level and give him some tools to participate with.
2. Don't give in when he asks for something he doesn't see on his plate. If he gets used to getting something different it turns into a slippery slope. He's a big boy and not at any risk of starving obviously so if he refuses what we serve then he will learn the hard way. Tough love.
3. Don't make it a battle. We've learned that arguing to eat one more bite or even holding things up to his mouth has backfired. We've even noticed if we ignore or just continue having a conversation while we eat dinner, he will eventually try things he has in front of him.
4. Make the meal time a fun family ritual. Life can be busy at times, but toddlers thrive on routine so if we make it a point to have a dinnertime routine, everyone seems a bit more settled. Lately Anton has been in charge of putting a napkin at each chair and setting out the cups for water. They take so much pride in helping out at this age.
