There are times when little ones seem to be completely disinterested in eating any solid foods. This can be frustrating for us, particularly when we have lovingly slaved taken the time to prepare a variety of homemade foods. I think it’s important to remember a few things about why babies and kids may not want to eat. It may also be time to switch it up a bit by adding something completely new and different to the menu.
As we joyfully set about feeding our babies, we often forget that they are just like us when it comes to eating.
When taping a TV segment about my new book and preparing homemade baby foods, I was asked if my boys eat all their veggies still. The answer is both yes and no. You see, babies and kids are just mini version of adults. There are days when we just don’t want to eat broccoli and days when we really would prefer to not eat green beans. And ya know what? This is perfectly fine!
Babies may not want to eat for a variety of reasons:
- teething
- illness
- too busy playing – how dare you put me in the chair to eat!
- too tired
- coming down with an illness
- just wanting to be snuggled with a bottle or a boob
- time for a change – new texture, new colors
Feeding time tends to be come a bit more challenging once babies are around 8-9 months old. They begin to want to feed themselves and may start to be aware of the power and control that they have. It’s a great time to introduce new colors and textures and mixes and meals. Rainbow carrots are a perfect example of a new, yet familiar, food that could help pique interest and get little fingers moving.
I love to buy rainbow carrots because they are fun to look at and taste really great too. Usually you will find the carrots in purple, deep red, pale orange and varying shades of yellow and even a white-ish color. I was a bit bummed that this bunch did not include purple!
The best thing about these carrots is that they are not GMO; they are actually heirloom varietals. So if you’re looking to change up some veggies, give Rainbow Crunch carrots a try – toddlers are sure to be interested in this eye-candy and will find them hard to resist!
You can learn more about Rainbow Crunch Carrots on the Colorful Harvest website.