More than
easier said than done is the task of making a kid ‘eat’. Challenges galore: how
to make them eat on time and healthy @ home, school, party, outside anywhere
& everywhere! With changing times, you need to adapt. The need of today is
to provide choices for kids (which is available inadvertently) and still able
to guide them through patiently.
I am not
a ‘mother’ but I took on this topic after seeing my friends with their kids:
for some it’s a nightmare, some just manage; some are already learning the
tricks of the trade… This article is based on my observations, readings,
sharing by friends, articles on the web, written with due credits.
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| Mamma's magical wand! |
- Starting with a 1 year old kid every one has his / her own favorite cartoon / characters these days. If you are artistic enough, probably you can make food of those characters. Else, at least give them the basic interesting shapes starting with a cat, dog, sun, flower, and so on…. You can do this to make them eat dosas / rotis / or any other such dishes.
- While making dishes using flour etc, you can be your innovative best. Mix all those ‘not-so-favorites or dislikes’ of kids.
- Fries, Khababs etc can do the magic. For eg., they may not like ‘peas’ but boil & mash them with aloo and make those yummy fries (using butter or ghee) - stars / circles/ sticks whatever shape. Give it a ‘unique’ name that sounds exciting or relates to one of those characters!
- Find a savior in form of ‘Drinks’. Most of the kids these days love ‘Cool-drinks, shakes, smoothies’ along with the not-so-recommended Cokes / Sprites ofcourse! Make the most by whipping together those yummy fruits (mix of fruits that gel together) or with milk or with curd.
- Try those varieties of fruit salads (top it with a scoop of their favorite ice cream). Could be a small cup of thick sweet lassi (curd with sugar) topped with one of their favorite fruits.
- Veg salad can also be made interesting – some like them raw, some like them sautéed with butter/pepper, some like raita.
- Age old recipes of colored rice – Carrot rice, pudhina rice, lemon rice, coconut rice… Combine it with some roasted potatoes / sautéed veggie/ chips / fries / raita; especially for their lunch box. It’s easy to eat with spoon than sambhar rice etc.
- Try different sandwiches or burger – a layer of butter / cheese -> top it with mashed veggies / some interesting fruits -> another with a thin layer of their favorite sauce (u can home make too) or ketchup – cut them into small triangles or eatable sizes for kids (light-toast if they like it).
- Pizza could be your knight-in-a-shining-armor J You get those ready made bases that you can top with sautéed veggies / sweet corns / panneer/ diced fruits / cheese. If not that base you might also get lucky by dressing a parantha or utappam (thicker versions of rotis / dosas) and name it as some interesting Pizza.
- Make home-made jam using veggies – carrots, beetroots, tomatoes (sweeter ones).
- Ensure kid’s lunch box has a variety including a dish of their choice & one that you pick. Talk to them and arrive at a menu for the week. Include a balanced mix of their preference Vs the healthy & mandatory ones.
- Not all kids might like dry fruits but try cooking a cake or kheer or make a powder of all together and mix it with their glass of milk (cool it & give it as a chiller- they will gulp it down).
- Mostly build-in a change to the routine. Kids get bored very easily! For instance, if we make regular idlis one day, subsequently make it as mini-idlis dipped in their favorite sambar or curd sprinkled with sugar or gun-powder.
- Use the noodles masala (Maggie etc) to give them a similar taste with other dishes.
- Most of the kids relish soups… why not make a bowl of tasty, yummy vegetable soup or tomato soup garnished.
- How about trying to create a hotel ambiance at home during week ends. Give them a small menu card (with items you can cook) and allow them to choose from – For eg, a mini-platter with 2-4 mini-idlis dipped in sambhar or curd, 1 mini veggie-dosa, 2 tspoons of some sweet dish (healthy halwa) or a glass of dry-fruit powdered milk shake. Thereby, you can also treat them table manners / value for food / money etc.
- My naani (granny) used to create ‘murabbas’ – Amla (Nelikai) stored in a jar of sugar syrup –One a day is very healthy for your kid.
Guess I
will have more to share on this topic… [Contd…soon]
My sources of inspiration:
- Observing kids of my friends
- Article by Lavanya Donthamshetty on Womens’s Web – (My article is a mix of her ideas as well)
P.S: Provide your thoughts & ideas using 'Comments' as a way to share your experience with others.