Get your little Sous Chefs to join you in the kitchen
Inviting little ones to join you in the kitchen can be a game-changer. Involving them in choosing what you are going to cook (offer them a choice of 2-3 options to keep it contained!) and/or preparing food with you can give them a sense of ownership over the food and be more open to tasting the final product.
And if the idea of preparing a whole meal with your little one gives you heart palpitations…. don’t worry, you can start small. Even having your little ones help with a couple of steps while you’re making dinner can make a big difference. For example, mixing a salad or serving a meal onto plates can be an easy introduction. If your little ones don’t seem keen on helping, you could start with something more fun like cookies (show me a toddler who doesn’t like to eat cookie dough?) and build from there.
Added bonus: cooking itself is such an important life skill for little ones, and provides opportunities to build literacy and numeracy skills, too. Counting out teaspoons and plates, or talking about new food words (think words like crunchy, spicy, smooth and colours, etc.) is so easy that remembering to do it is probably the hardest part!
Model positive eating habits
Children are sponges and are great at copying what they see. Modelling positive eating habits is such an effective way to encourage little ones to eat their veggies and try new foods.
Make mealtimes a family affair
We know it can be tricky to eat as a family all the time, particularly where parents work outside the home. But wherever you can, it is a great idea to try and eat meals with your little ones. Eating together provides a great chance to model healthy eating. It also provides an opportunity for you to share what you like about different flavours and ingredients and may help build their curiosity. e.g. “Mmm I love the sweetness of this corn and cherry tomatoes, what’s your favourite part of the meal?
You see, meal times are about so much more than just food. They’re a chance to sit together as a family, switch off from your devices/jobs and focus on each other. Eating together is one of the simplest things you can do to start establishing a positive food environment for your kids.
Keep it relaxed
Keeping mealtimes as fun and relaxed as possible (yes we know, easier said than done!) can help little ones build positive connections with food. This sets the stage for them to look forward to mealtimes.
It’s easy to get caught up in the mission of getting little ones to eat, or try, certain foods. Before we know it, mealtimes can become stressful for everyone.
Keep the tips below for more relaxed mealtimes:
- Let children explore naturally. Try including some of their favourite foods alongside new food.
- Try to avoid asking little ones to taste or eat something. Instead, try commenting on what you’re eating and how much you’re enjoying it and you may find they follow suit.
- Embrace the mess (or at least try to be OK with it). Little ones love to experiment and play with their food. In fact, playing with food, especially unfamiliar food, helps children learn about food and may mean they’re more likely to try and taste these new foods in future.
Zoe is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and mum to three young children (8, 5 and 3). Carly is an education and wellbeing policy professional, and mother to one (3). Together, Zoe and Carly launched Audrey & Alfie in 2023, a Melbourne-based, online business delivering ready-made, nutritious meals and snacks for children, straight to the door of busy families.
