thanksgiving feeding tips

Erin at Small Bites shared the following:

Thanksgiving is coming up and many of you are looking forward to sharing this family holiday with your children. Some of you may even be planning a few special kid-friendly recipes in the hopes that your child might sit through the whole meal.

There are many foods at the Thanksgiving table that your children will be able to eat. Even the youngest eaters can eat mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, applesauce, turnips and bread. So try to include all children in the meal. If, however, your toddler does not want to sit through the meal or seems to be completely uninterested in eating at all, don’t put pressure on them to join in.

For many kids, a large gathering of people can be overwhelming. They might feel out of their element and may not be comfortable or feel much like themselves. Because of this, a child at any large gathering may not want to eat much or even eat at all. Don’t worry about it. I believe that all little kids should be given a free pass during these large holiday meals. If your child doesn’t seem to want to eat dinner with the group, try not to force them – simply make a plate for them and set it aside for later when they are ready to eat.

To help make it easier and more comfortable for your child to be a part of the Thanksgiving table, there are many things that you can do to prepare them for the meal:

• Talk to your child ahead of time about what Thanksgiving will be like and who will be there.
• Read books about Thanksgiving.
• Get your child involved in the cooking and/or grocery shopping.
• Ask your child to make a picture or place cards for the Thanksgiving table.
• Let your older child (two years and up) dish out his own food from the main serving dishes.
• Ask your child if she’d like to say something (a story, song, prayer, etc.) at the opening of the meal.
• Most of all, have fun!

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Small Bites has partnered with Swellbeing to bring you the following two webinars for January 2009:

Feeding Your Baby (6 months – 1 year)
January 21, 2009
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET

Feeding Your Toddler (1 – 3 years)
January 22, 2009
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET

Please call 212.924.1913 or email info@swellbeing.com to register.