Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: goldfish on July 02, 2013, 09:59:04 pm
-
This was passed on from Lunchboxdoctor through QuirkyCooking's facebook page.
I just love this . . probably should be on Page 1 of every baby and child raising piece of advice!! ;D
https://www.facebook.com/lunchboxdoctor?ref=stream
and I'll quote from the link for non-facebookers
The French Rules for Feeding Children include:
1. Not labelling your child as a fussy eater - the French maintain that taste is a skill that must be taught, like reading
2. Asking your children to try everything even when they don't like it - children need to taste a new food 7-12 times before they accept it
3. Introducing new foods to children before they actually taste them, allowing them to touch, smell and select foods for themselves - often "I don't like that food" means "I don't know it"
4. Talking less about health and more about good tastes - better to say "look, it's really yummy" than to point out how much iron it has in it
5. Sticking to a routine around meals and limit snacks to one or at most two per day
6. Don't eat the same dish more than once a week
7. Meals are times when children should have your undivided attention - misbehaviour at the table is often just attention seeking
8. Take your time when cooking and eating and don't serve overly large portions
Great article by Karen Le Billon, author of 'French Children Eat Everything'. See link in comments.
http://content.yudu.com/Library/A29crv/EducateringJuly2013/resources/16.htm This link requires Adobe flashplayer
Have also just had a look at the author's blog/website - love it! http://karenlebillon.com/
And also just bought her book: Look it up on http://booko.com.au/9780749958510/French-Kids-Eat-Everything for best deal
-
sounds good, if the kids will do that.
I'll keep trying.
-
Fantastic!! I love rule No. 3. ;D
-
Robyn, it also mentioned that it's a little like a child learning to read . . it's a process that happens over time - an ongoing learning curve rather than a "one off" type of thing. Young children have "absorbent" minds - they soak up and learn most from what's going on around them, whether it be learning to talk (language), learning to read, etc., I think, with gentle guidance rather than trying to "drum" something into them - if that makes sense . .
-
Great stuff.
My food philosophy is that it's my job to provide a range of healthy and interesting foods, but their job to eat it. DS used to be a "fussy eater" but that really took the stress out of it for me. Not that he was fading away anyway.
-
I especially like rule number one. Ok I am gunna say it.......in MY day there was no such thing as a fussy eater....I think us older mothers just used to re present food in another form perhaps until they chose it. Some like it raw. Some like it cooked. Some like foods mixed up with other foods. Some like certain colours and of course the parents ate everything because there were no choices post war and our parents experienced hardships with very little food so any food was great food.
I had a nephew who would eat olives only if they were at the bottom of his glass of milk. Go figure. I think we just didn't fuss about it. My kids loved weird combinations of food on their plate and would try to outdo each other in weirdness. Now my son is a vegan. One of my grandkids won't eat fruit which I find irritating but whatever.
I don't know why parents fuss so much about what their kids eat. It must cause a lot of stress because there is so much written about feeding them. My daughter would only eat mashed potatoes a one stage . Nothing else. Then she got sick of it and went on to eat only green things so I started to put green food dye in everything just for fun. Didn't last long.
The rules I had were that all meals had to be eaten while seated at a table. They had to have table manners using knives, forks or spoons with no elbows on the table , no waving their forks or knives in the air and no chewing with their mouths open. Look around a restaurant and see how many adults not to mention kids have table manners. Far more important to me to be socially adept than what they actually eat.
A soap box moment from
Gert
-
Haha - I love it, goldfish! :D
Actually so true, too.
Also have to agree with Gert on the table manners bit :)
-
The rules I had were that all meals had to be eaten while seated at a table.
Oh, goodness me, yes! We have friends who literally pop bites of dinner into their kid's mouth while she continues to play. Drives me batty. But they are worried she'll go to bed hungry and wake up in the night, so continue with it.
The cutlery thing is very much a work in progress around here!! :-)) I think DD (3) is better that DS (6).
-
Table manners are a life long project Jo . I sometimes say to DH " if I have to watch you put that much into your mouth I will vomit " even old men get lazy about cutting their food into smaller portions.
Next time you are in a restaurant just look around. Eating etiquette had gone out the window.
Gert
-
I agree Gert, At least our kids do have some table manners.
Love the green food dye trick.
-
Next time you are in a restaurant just look around. Eating etiquette had gone out the window.
I was just going to say that too. It's amazing how many people actually don't know how to hold a knife and fork properly. Was that because they are not used to sitting at a table, or they have never been taught at the table?
Another thing also is not to make your kids a separate meal.
-
I love the rules. Gert I agree with you too. My parents were very strict about the no elbows on the table. When I do it now I always think of them.
DD went through a stage of only eating peanut butter and bread. I was worried until the clinic sister pointed out to me that she wouldn't die and don't stress. I still think she enjoyed playing with her food more than eating it or stealing it and eating it raw from the pot of uncooked veggies. But, she is all grown up and a bit of a foodie ( blame the tmx) so I did something right.
-
Next time you are in a restaurant just look around. Eating etiquette had gone out the window.
I was just going to say that too. It's amazing how many people actually don't know how to hold a knife and fork properly. Was that because they are not used to sitting at a table, or they have never been taught at the table?
Another thing also is not to make your kids a separate meal.
If you watch Masterchef at all watch the 3 judges. I'm have seen 2 of them lick their knives in the last week. :'(
-
Gert I totally agree with most of what you say. My kids have good table manners most of the time but it's still a work in progress with DS.
The best piece of advice I ever got on feeding my kids was from a top peadatrician at 3am one morning after 2 days of no sleep in the Royal Children's hospital with DD whose body had all but shut down to fit an infection they couldn't find. He said to me that there has been no case ever documentated of a child voluntarily starving itself to death, provide good healthy food, limit snacks and try not to fuss if they decide they will only eat one type of food for a little while - they will get over it and move on to the next thing but continue to offer differnent types of food as often as possible. Most importantly don't force feed and make it very clear that they won't get any snacks if they aren't eating the food provided at meal times.
Over the years this has been very hard when they don't seem to be eating much, or don't like something I've spent a long time preparing but I keep reminding myself what that doctor said and would say they are reasonable to good eaters who both still have their moments but don't we all.
-
I was just going to say that too. It's amazing how many people actually don't know how to hold a knife and fork properly. Was that because they are not used to sitting at a table, or they have never been taught at the table?
Another thing also is not to make your kids a separate meal.
[/quote]
I think kids are allowed to walk around eating as soon as they can walk. I also never fed my kids in a stroller. Oh wait I never even had a stroller.
[quote
Love the green food dye trick.
[/quote]
Green cheese sauce was a winner over green spotted cauliflower. Green homemade pasta with green veggies and green sauce. We all ate it. We always had fun at meal time because in my childhood I had horrible meal times with my father being a tyrant. It was the most stressful part of the day and was nothing to look forward to but I did learn manners. I am still scared when I find my elbow on the table or I am not sitting up straight or putting down my knife and fork when I chew . I have a quick look round and see if anybody was watching me.
Probably my father and grandmother looking up from hell!!
Gert
-
I'm the same with elbows on the table and haven't given it a thought why until now. We were also made to say "may I be excused from the table" before getting up from the table ;D
-
..... And "Thank you for dinner" etc doesn't go astray either... :)
-
Cookie Peanut Butter has all 12 amino acids and is the food of choice for poor people like I was many years ago. You can live a long time I think eating just peanut butter!
Wonder and we always helped clear the table not just get up after being excused and run off.
Gert
-
We were also made to say "may I be excused from the table" before getting up from the table ;D
So did we. I didn't enforce that one because I hope that people will enjoy staying at the table a little longer to talk (and maybe help with the clearing of the plates)
-
I haven't enforced that one either CP but thinking I might start with DS, he's has just starting getting up a few times during each meal - I think it's a bit of teenage rebellion setting in and the ants in his pants that always cause him troubles sitting for any length of time!!
We ate in a seperate room to our parents most of the time when we were kids (too many to fit at one table until older siblings started to move out), and we routinely put bits of whatever we didn't like onto a nominated siblings plate and it was up to them to get to the toilet and flush it down without getting caught!!! I've never passed that tidbit to either of my kids and always eat in the same room as them. ;D ;D
-
Wonder love that, our kids usually eat in front of the TV...
-
I must admit we have the tv on which I'm not a big fan of, but we all have to sit at the table (which must be properly set by DS) or at the bench if the table has things on it which can't be moved. We also try and encourage as much talking as we can, rather than concentrating on the tv, but this sometimes gets overshadowed with arguing between the kids or the tv if we are all interested in the show. We quite often put all the food in the middle so everyone can help themselves, particuarly if we have extra's over because i don't like serving a standard size to everyone or trying to guess how much people like to eat.
-
Wonder, I think kids (and adults too) serving themselves is a good idea too - often means less waste around, and I really hate waste.
-
we sit at the table every night and the boys have a new topic each week to be discussed as part of their language convention English class, always gets a little heated and very funny sometimes when the for or against argument gets going, we can be sitting at the table for a good hour or more some nights. it's my favourite time of the day when everyone has an opportunity to discuss their day. As for table manners my kids are really good but yes a little fussy 2 only like 'clean' food ie no sauces gravies etc one doesn't like the food touching and the other doesn't care as long as there is food on his plate.
my parents were very strict at dinner time and all 9 of us had to sit and eat together and wait til the last person had finished before leaving.
-
Ah yes Gert, has brought back many memories. We had to eat what was put on our plate. We were often told that when we earnt the money to buy the food we could eat what we liked. I must admit though we were given wonderful home cooked meals and ofcourse there was no take-away at all. No TV to watch. I can remember being taught at school in our Home Arts & Crafts class how to place the knife and fork at the end of a meal to signal you had finished. That went out the window when I left school and nobody else knew anything about that one :D :D. Re holding knife and fork, I made sure our DS's knew the correct way to do that and hope they still do it. I am constantly amazed how the children hold their pens to write or print. I have tried it but doesn't work for me ??? ???
Marie
-
Great topic, GF. Enjoyed reading all your postings, and some trips down memory lane :)
Growing up, we hardly sat down to eat together. Mum was raising us single-handedly and was constantly working. Either teaching at school or giving private tuition at home to make ends meet. My scoundrel father was mostly MIA...which was a good thing.
For my own family, I've set up a dinner ritual. We eat together on most days. DS8 sets the table. I serve the dishes in the middle, if we are having rice. I'm training my 2 younger ones to eat hot food so that I don't have to cook another dish just for them. 3 of us love hot spicy food. Before we eat, the children have to wish DH and I "Dad, eat rice. Mum, eat rice" in Chinese. Trying to continue some cultural traditions with my kids :)
-
We always had meals around the farmhouse kitchen table 3 x day and will soon be doing this again. ;D
Only v rarely do we have a tray and TV supper, it must be something special to watch.
DD says hardly any of her friends have family meals around a table, and she thinks it is so important. Some of the best conversations are at the table or over the washing up. years ago we taught a friends child to eat lunches after playgroups 3 x week as he realised that as no 6 at the table he'd better do the same as everyone else. Before then he'd never eaten except on his own as his dad was at work and his mum just fed him. He is getting married this year ;D
Grown up DS still won't eat some things, even after being a student for years, but does without, at 6'2 he has not taken any hurt.
It was always no pudding if first course not eaten.
The modern habit of resting knife and fork half on plate half on table took a lot of knocking out of them all, but got there eventually.
We were always brought up to ask " would you like some more..." Meaning I want some but if I ask you first, you will have to ask me ( if there is any left) my big brothers used to say yes thanks and scoff it all!!!
My biggest bugbear is that DS and DH are always slow to come to table when it is ready as they are too busy doing something else. If they are really slow then DD and I startt as we don't want cold food. Tis is despite 5 or 2 minute warnings. If DH is needed for carving then I actually go fetch him.
In new home my ancient cow bell can go back up, same bell used to call me for meals when growing up.
-
Great topic, GF. Enjoyed reading all your postings, and some trips down memory lane :)
Growing up, we hardly sat down to eat together. Mum was raising us single-handedly and was constantly working. Either teaching at school or giving private tuition at home to make ends meet. My scoundrel father was mostly MIA...which was a good thing.
For my own family, I've set up a dinner ritual. We eat together on most days. DS8 sets the table. I serve the dishes in the middle, if we are having rice. I'm training my 2 younger ones to eat hot food so that I don't have to cook another dish just for them. 3 of us love hot spicy food. Before we eat, the children have to wish DH and I "Dad, eat rice. Mum, eat rice" in Chinese. Trying to continue some cultural traditions with my kids :)
That's lovely BZB.
As a child we always had dinner at the table. Bad manners weren't tolerated. We cleared the table and did the dishes. A great memory is Dad coming home from work and saying to mum -"You look tired love, I'll cook tonight and Dad always cooked pancakes, the only thing he knew how to cook other than a bbq. We had pancakes for dinner at least once a week. :D
-
It is great hearing everyone's dinner stories. When I arrived in Australia in 1965 I was gobsmacked when my future mother in law gave me a plate of food at the first dinner I had with her. That was so rude to me especially as she was a terrible cook and I felt I had to eat it. I was really surprised to learn that was the custom. I Have never got used to it. Though I no longer think it is rude I just have never done it unless asked by guests to just plonk it on the plate. I never did it with the kids and I still rarely do it for just the two of us. I always put the food on the table.
I wonder now if people thought that is a strange thing to do. Took me years not set salad plates on the table. Sometimes I still do. My daughter in law is French and she always puts food on the table too. Maybe it is an English thing to put the food on your plate from the kitchen.
DJ I hate that slowness to the table too. I have been known to pack it all up and put it in the fridge if people to not come when called. Once I did it to an odious guest. That one never returned.
Gert
-
It's great hearing all the stories both new and old. I've realised that I have repeated many of the meal time rituals I had as a kid without even thinking, it's quite a list now I've thought about it - youngest always sets the table and clears away (most of the time), cutlery must be set correctly although they always change DH's around because he is a left hander, but most days i go and change it back as a joke, cutlery must always be put back on the plate at the end of a meal with the serrated side of the knife touching the fork to signal you have finished (I'm always pulling the kids up in restaurants for this), pushing their chairs back in place once they get up, clearing away the dirty dishes as they get up including mine and DH's and packing up the table when we are all finished.
DD always takes ages to come to the table and always eats her meals cold, she also eats very slowly so has not idea what a hot meal is. Most nights we have all left the table and she can still be slowly eating up to 20 minutes later!!
Beezeebee and suzanne, your dinner table sounds very interesting it must be a great family time and great to see cultural traditions being maintained.
-
That's interesting Wonder. I was always taught to put my folk upside down on the plate to indicate you had finished your meal.
-
very similar to Wonder actually. Was taught knife and fork together to indicate that we'd finished eating, and to rest the knife and fork on opposite sides of the plate whilst taking a break or having a long chew. Growing up, mum always served the meal on the plate but even now she has changed to putting everything in the middle and people take what they want. We were taught to chew with our mouth closed, and I have a funny vision of my brother laughing with a big mouth full of mashed potato or whatever. He used to like to shock at the table. When he was very little he wouldn't want to eat and so he had to sit at the table until he'd finished. Very stubborn, and then he'd pretend to fall off the chair with great drama. I think mum gave up on that idea after that antic. We also weren't allowed to start eating until mum sat down.
-
That's interesting Wonder. I was always taught to put my folk upside down on the plate to indicate you had finished your meal.
Gosh that must have been a big plate Michele :D
-
That's interesting Wonder. I was always taught to put my folk upside down on the plate to indicate you had finished your meal.
Same here Mcmich, the knife with the blade facing inward toward the centre of the plate,and the fork with the prongs facing downwards alongside the knife. At exam time we were split into two groups and had to cook a 3 course meal and also serve the meal to staff and the other group. We were marked on the food, presentation, and the serving of the food to the guest. From memory it was soup to the right side, mains to the left and plates taken away from the right etc. Quite often a teacher would not finish her meal but leaving some food on the plate we would have to watch to see if the fork had been placed downward, if so, we would remove the plate. We would lose marks if we did not do things correctly.
Marie
-
We grew up with the food in the middle of the table and we had to serve ourselves . When finished knives and forks together or when taking a break on opposite sides of the plate.
Now when we are altogether I serve the food on the table for everyone to share but I serve beforehand for the little ones to make it easier as too any of them to serve as we have 21 of us not enough space at one table.
Not only that but my kids all grew up eating what we were having and like it or lump it.
Most of the time it worked. Ok all of them had something they didn't really like but they had to eat it or miss out.
Was a blessing in the end as none of them are fussy eaters and are happy to eat 'almost but not everything' as that is nearly impossible.
Fussy kids in my opinion have parents that don't feed them everything because they think the kids won't like it.
-
Fussy kids in my opinion have parents that don't feed them everything because they think the kids won't like it.
Thats it
-
Ditto MF :)