Getting the Kids to Eat

Cooking for kids so they will actually consume enough can be a challenge. This is true of my kid at home now who is almost five but is eating only bananas and tomato soup unless I am very clever with it all and do my best to try and get him to eat something different.

Problem is he is really picky and what he thinks is great one day is yucky the next. Remember how much I told you he loved pesto last year. Well he is off it now. It looks like green yucky he says. I tried putting less garlic in it and that didn't' help.

Of course he is so stubborn and I am wondering if he is getting the right nutrition. His eating patters waver from being massively hungry to eating like two peas a day. I have also figured out that most kids his age are more like grazers rather than really chow it all down in one sitting. It is also hard to get him to see eating as being fun sometimes.

All you can do is try to get them some nutrition through the foods you know they love. A good example is macron and cheese. In fact my kids would eat that every single day if they could. Of course one can't live on Kraft Dinner alone so I add my own cheese for added calcium and protein.

I also make sure they get calcium by adding chocolate to the milk. Right now he likes that Strawberry Quik stuff. I am always thinking – whatever makes you healthy. However when I buy these mixes I make sure there is not too much sugar in them.

Calcium is also found in vegetables, ice cream, pudding and yogurts. Cherries also have it so cherry flavored yogurt is a very good idea. However watch it with yogurt as if it is not sweet enough the kids will always turn their nose up at it.

Another thing to remember is that kids do have sensitive taste buds. Like us they have tastes. They may like some foods and not always. They may have real opinions about what they want to eat and what they don't want to eat.

I try to encourage them to help me cook in the kitchen as much as possible. This helps to get them used to different foods. If they have tried a food and don't like it then you should just trust the kid. No sense forcing them to eat something they really don't like. It's frustrating but I believe in treating a child with as much respect as possible and as much like they are humans with tastes and preferences like the adults.

At any rate, I have found that kids who have a hand in cooking are more likely to eat the meal without whining. It is because they feel they have created something.

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Things to Do on Rainy Days

The spring weather has been colder and rainier than usual and my kids are bored on the weekends. Here are some ideas for things for the older kids to do on those cold wet and rainy days.

You can try putting a scrapbook together that can be sent to a relative like grandma. Don't make it seem like homework. Instead buy a small notebook and encourage the kids to tell her about the things in their lives through the expression of images. All you need for this are plenty of old magazines and the usual art supplies.

You can also try making own jigsaw puzzles. This is done by gluing magazine pictures to cardboard and then cutting them with a pair of scissors. The kids can then trade puzzles with each other and see if they can put them together. You can use these again and again if you store the puzzles in bags or boxes. They also make neat gifts for other kids if your kids get bored with them.

Making mini pizzas is also a good distraction on a rainy day. I use an English muffin or tortilla and then set out different toppings on the table. They then can create their own pizzas. Once they complete their creations it is only a minute or two under the broiler or in the pizza oven

In the same vein is cookie decorating. I just use freezer dough. I slice it up into coins and just give them icing, candies and all the tools they need to be creative with the cookie dough. Sometimes I roll it out in sheets as well.

Little kids get stressed like we do if they do not get to work out. This is why I sometimes recommend an exercise DVD. Get them doing some aerobics. This makes them less irritable and less maniacal if they have been acting out.

Use all of the empty boxes form a recycling bin to create some kind of miniature city or castle. You can also make something like a dollhouse out of a cardboard box. Let the kids draw on the boxes as well.

6. Use all the empty boxes from the recycling bin to create a city, or a castle, or cars for toys. The ideas are endless. Kids can draw on and decorate the boxes, and the mess is easily dealt with by recycling.

Sometimes when it's raining I just let my kids play outside anyway. I only do this if it is not too cold or if none of the kids or sick. They love playing in the rain. Afterwards we strip their clothes off and have hot baths. The good thing about this is that they eat all of their dinner and sleep really well all night.

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