The Best Toddler Meal Ideas Start With Grocery Shopping With The Kids
For most of us, a grocery store is simply where food comes from and just another place we have to find time to go to on a weekly basis. It’s a chore. The reality is, grocery shopping can be a great experience. For our kids it’s a weekly outing and an adventure. Ever since our kids were young, we brought them grocery shopping. Kids of all ages can learn a lot at a grocery store. And for us, we can do the shopping with them instead of in our down time. Win-win.
Ever since our kids were young, we brought them grocery shopping. Kids of all ages can learn a lot at a grocery store. And for us, we can do the shopping with them instead of in our down time. Win-win.
When we shop for food, it really is a feast for the senses; there are colors, textures, tastes and a variety of different smells. How many of you have actually stopped to consider this? With the summer in almost full swing, many more Farmers’ Markets are opening in a park or neighborhood near you. This is a great way to eat local food, and talk to the hard working people who help grow it.
They can pick a new fruit or vegetable to try, sometimes it works well, other times we end up with Bitter Melon, not really knowing what to do with it.
For our little ones, they can learn and be exposed to things like colors, counting, and shapes. As they get older, you can teach them about all the different types of fruits and vegetables. One fun thing we like to do with our boys is let them help pick the groceries. They can pick a new fruit or vegetable to try, sometimes it works well, other times we end up with Bitter Melon, not really knowing what to do with it. We find that the more they are involved, the more eagerly they try the foods, and meal-time is much less of a struggle.
You can also use the grocery store to teach about finances and how to plan around a budget or the importance of stocking up on items when they are on sale.
Older kids can help plan a menu and contribute by picking out the groceries for their dishes. You can also use the grocery store to teach about finances and how to plan around a budget or the importance of stocking up on items when they are on sale. The goal would be by the time they are independent and out on their own, they know enough about how to navigate a grocery store and how not to rely on a diet of boxed macaroni and cheese (university/college years recap?).
Food is not just for eating, it is a way of exploring cultures and the world without leaving the comfort of your own home.
Food is not just for eating, it is a way of exploring cultures and the world without leaving the comfort of your own home. A great idea would be to pick a dish and find a market that specializes in the cuisine. This is a fantastic way of learning of a new culture and getting out of the rut that is the same old thing for dinner.
Yes grocery shopping can be a pain, and doing it with kids in tow can be difficult, believe me I know. But I encourage you all to do it at least once and a while. Let them see, smell, taste and explore all about the food that we eat. Happy shopping.
Quick Tips:
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Explore the world of food
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Encourage your kids to try new foods
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Touch, smell and taste when and where it’s appropriate
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Go local by visiting a Farmers’ Market.
Need ideas for what to make for breakfast?
Great breakfast menu ideas?
Andrew obtained his PhD from the University of Waterloo in Physiology, a topic not entirely having to do with with kids health specifically. Andrew’s expertise in kids health and raising children stems from his now 4+ years of direct hands on experiences with 4 young boys. My goal is to share some practical advice and some of the little not-so-perfect things my kids have done and how we managed to figure it all out so you can too.
