7 Sit down together
Bringing your baby to the
dinner table allows him to see you enjoying food. Plus, research links
regular family meals with a slew of benefits for kids, including higher
self-esteem and better academic performance. If eating together Monday
through Friday is impossible, do it on the weekends. If you are tired of
cooking, order in or eat out. "Taking babies to restaurants teaches
them early on that food is special," says Ansel. It provides other
benefits too. "On weekends, I'd rather spend time playing than prepping
and cooking dinner," says Holly Tedesco, a Forest Hills, New York, mom
of a 2-year-old son and newborn daughter. "We have great, kid-friendly
restaurants in our neighborhood, and we love exposing our son to foods
from around the world. He learns how to make small talk with us while we
wait for our meals and gets tons of interaction with the staff. Now
he's the one who says ‘check please!'"
8 Be a supermodel
Research shows clearly that when
it comes to encouraging your child to eat something, it's what you
do—not what you say that matters. So what if you are a picky eater?
Don't call attention to it, advises Ansel: "If you hate cooked vegetables, serve salad. Or offer colorful pepper slices with hummus or
guacamole. Dip cherry tomatoes in low-fat ranch dressing, then slice
baby off a bite. Your child will see you eating vegetables happily."
Cara Lee, a mother of two in Westerville, Ohio, has found that steaming
up a second side is a good way to expose her young boys to vegetables
that aren't her favorites.
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