The boys are not what I would call large children. They’ve always been little peanuts ever since their preemie days. Most of the time they have pretty good appetites, but we’re always worrying about their food intake and size. They have never passed the 10th percentile for weight and, as a matter of fact, in their first few weeks, they were too tiny to even be on the growth chart at all! We try so hard at every meal to get them to eat large quantities of food, but will often have to settle for eating smaller quantities of high-calorie food. If I start feeding them fruit, it’ll be nearly impossible for them to eat some meat, so I always start with proteins and vegetables and then let them have cheese and fruit, followed by my their favorite course, teddy grahams! Those things are so darn addicting!
Well, the other night, I had cooked some gourmet, organic, sustainable frozen chicken fingers and they weren’t touching them. I pleaded, begged, made sound effects, pretended to eat it myself (Look! Mommy thinks it’s so yummy), used a diversion, etc., etc… Nothing was working! A light bulb went off and my next decision is likely to change the course of their lives forever… ok not that dramatic, but it definitely altered the course for the rest of the evening.
I introduced them to ketchup!
Yes! Not a move I’m necessarily proud of considering they spent the next ten minutes sticking their fingers in ketchup and licking it off. At first they were really freaked out by the idea of a sauce on their plate. Then I dipped a piece of chicken in there to show them how to do it. On their first try, they hated it and spit out the chicken. But one taste led to another and pretty soon they couldn’t get enough. As soon as the dollop on their tray got a little thin, they’d point to the Heinz bottle and ask for “more?” Quite adorable, so I obliged of course. The main objective was to get them to eat more chicken, which they did, so I guess I’ll chalk it up as win for me!
First tastes…
I think I like this stuff!
Reaching for “more”
So delicious!
Heinz Spokesbaby!
I’m definitely a ketchup fanatic so I’m glad the boys are following in my footsteps. Looks like we’re going to have to start buying the stuff in bulk at Costco! Whatever gets them to eat their dinner, right?
I had to smile reading this, you see my youngest daughter Kelly who lives in NJ has the same issue with her little girls & I mean little..Abby is 2.5 & weights 23 lbs. It’s a fight w/ her @ meal time to eat. Abby loves ketchup It’s ketchup ketchup ketchup. Emily is 5 & eats a little better, you do what you have to to get them to eat.
As long as they eat…I have seen myself go to the neighbors house to “borrow” ketchup so that our big son Timothy would eat his meal!!! “chup, chup, chup….please Mom”!!!! Memories….Guaranteed, your little boys will not go hunry….they will let you know and they will find something to eat…you are such a good Mommy….I love your stories!!!