Are you wondering when the best time is to open up your child’s palate to all of the different and exciting flavors that food around the world has to offer? Or is your child stuck in a rut of cereal and hot dogs for the majority of her meals? There is help! With just a few simple tips, your child could become a fan of healthy and flavorful meals that you can all enjoy eating together.

So when do you begin? If you’re a pregnant mother…now! Researchers have noted that babies who were exposed to certain tastes in utero via the amniotic fluid were more eager to eat foods with that same taste after birth. Want your baby to eat his or her broccoli later?  Eat yours now! While some of your child’s taste buds are genetic, the majority of them are acquired over time. So how do you train your child’s taste buds to love basil, cilantro, sauces, pastas, and different meats?

1.     Talk It Up- Are you having something a little different that she hasn’t tried? Talk it up with sensory words that excited their sense of smell, taste, touch, and sight. Children tend to “eat with their eyes” so pay attention to how your meal is displayed for your child and even try to hide veggies and fruits in other dishes if you have to!

2.     Sit Down Meals- Most parents understand how important it is to have regular family meals together. Not only does it strengthen family unity but it gives your children a good routine and they tend to eat healthier. Don’t be discouraged if you are a busy family, a 10 or 15 minute meal is much better than nothing at all!

3.     Fruits and Veggies First! - A good technique to try is to lay out the fruits and vegetables that you are planning on having with your meal before you serve the other dishes. When children are hungry they tend to be less picky! Then you can lay out the filler items like starches and meats. This creates a good habit of filling up on healthy items first.

4.     Spice Up the Dish- For some reason we all think that children need bland foods. They are perfectly capable of eating the very same foods we do with all the flavors and spices! If you start your child out on bland foods it will be difficult to quench that habit. So try and start creating an adventurous palate early!

5.     Don’t Give Up- Your child might not respond well to your first few attempts of introducing them to new foods. Research has found that it can take up to 15 separate introductions of a certain food before it will be accepted by some children. Keep reintroducing the food to your child and she will eventually warm up to it!

Resources:

http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/your-baby/week-21/open-wide.aspx

http://www.celebritybabyscoop.com/2010/09/23/chef-rock

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/8-tips-for-raising-an-adventurous-eater-1903734/

http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/24/school-lunch-healthy-lifestyle-health-kids-healthy-snacks.html

I was recently introduced to Kidpo.com, a site for kiddos that offers an application that stimulates a real coloring experience. When coloring, the app plays scribbling noises that imitate the sound of coloring on paper. Kids can choose from coloring with a crayon, pen, pencil, and stamper. Tip sizes are adjustable. Upon choosing a coloring utensil or tip size, a child’s voice says what has been selected. Not only can kids color the sheets online, they can print them out and color by hand! Pretty cool, huh? I’m all for digital coloring, less mess, less waste!

The time has come for us to choose a winner from our Featured Family interviews! But first, we would like to thank every one of you who took the time to share a piece of your lives and beautiful families with us! We really enjoyed reading all of the submissions that came in. Hopefully in the Spring we can do this again!

And the winner is…

The R. Family from Cape Cod! Congratulations!

The Etheridge’s 2010 Holiday Photo

Tell us about your family.

My husband and I have two boys, Chase (24 months) and Bryce (4 months). We planned them close in age because we really wanted to give them the gift that we each had, which was a sibling/best friend to grow up with.

What are some of your family’s favorite activities to do away from home?

We love visiting the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, playing at the park, and spending time with the boys’ grandparents.

Do you have trouble getting out of the house? Do you have a routine that makes getting out easier?

It’s not that we have trouble, but with a toddler and new baby, it is a long process. We have to start early AND have a plan… otherwise things don’t work out and we never make it out.

When out and about, what items do you carry that keep the family sane?

We love the Snap-N-Go stroller for the infant along with my baby carrier (he prefers to be close to me, so I like wearing him on my chest). We take the Snap-N-Go more so for storage purposes. In the diaper bag we must have snacks and juice boxes for our toddler, along with the other stuff (diapers, extra change of clothes, etc). We don’t usually bring toys, since our destination tends to be entertaining enough.

Do you have any parenting words of wisdom? What is your family mantra?

My parenting words of wisdom are to get your children on a routine EARLY. Children need structure and limit-setting and they thrive this way. My boys are both asleep in bed by 7:30PM. They sleep the entire night and wake up refreshed the next morning. They also take scheduled naps during the day. Everyone in the household is happy this way – mommy, daddy, and the boys. Our mantra? Hmmmm. Well they are both so young, but I would like to instill in them something my mom used to always say: “Work First, Play Second.” Simple words, yet so valuable.

Keep in touch with Yakini on Facebook, and at her personal blog!

Featured Families are automatically entered to win a stroller valued at $250! Would you like to be interviewed for our Featured Families series? Send us an email!

Taken at the apple orchard.

Tell us about your family.

Dave & I are the super proud parents of 5 amazing children. Jude is 10, Bella is 9, Luke is 4, Liza is 3, and Vivian is 13 months.

What are some of your family’s favorite activities to do away from home?

We enjoy geocaching, rock climbing and scouting. We have started a Timber Wolf Scout Group, part of the Baden Powell Scouting Association which is the first of it’s kind in America.

Do you have trouble getting out of the house? Do you have a routine that makes getting out easier?

We do have trouble getting out of the house. The easiest way is to leave the 3 year old at home. (Just kidding) We keep an extra bag in the car of diapers, sippy cups, crackers, the basics…. and things we usually inevitably leave behind.

When out and about, what items do you carry that keep the family sane?

The must haves right now are snacks, Nintendo DS’s for the older ones and pretend cell phones for the little ones.

Do you have any parenting words of wisdom? What is your family mantra?

Do Proactive Acts of Kindness

Keep in touch with Angie on Facebook, and at her personal blog!

Featured Families are automatically entered to win a stroller valued at $250! Would you like to be interviewed for our Featured Families series? Send us an email!