With a little one at Thanksgiving, the term kiddie table can take on a completely different significance. Babies are wonderful to have at Thanksgiving, a holiday that is all about family and being grateful for our blessings. Including a baby, toddler or preschooler in the Thanksgiving meal is important, and it can bring a lot of joy to the day. Of course, babies can also present certain challenges to the meal, especially if you are busy hosting and preparing it at your home.
Don’t worry, though. I’ve been through it all before, and I have a few tips to share on how to bring baby (or your toddler or preschooler) in the Thanksgiving meal.
For any age child, it is important to make all attempt at keeping her eating habits on schedule. Even though the family may be eating at a different time to accommodate the day, in my opinion, young children are exempt from going along with this. Take advantage of family being around and delegate someone to watch the pans while you nurse, ask a grandparent to give a bottle or baby food (bonus, they’ll love this job), give a small “regular” meal to a toddler or preschooler, etc.
If your child is eating table foods, choose an appropriate variety of different choices and prepare the dish before serving the meal to everyone else. You can make him feel extra special by making kid-sized food, such a mini sweet potato casserole using a ramekin, making a smiley face with the potatoes, or cutting a cute shape out of the jellied cranberry sauce using a cookie cutter.
Don’t stress too much about what your little one eats as part of the meal. She may just fill up on bread the whole time and ignore everything else. That is okay, especially if you already fed her a regular meal earlier (see above).
Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans.
The First Thanksgiving Website
How to Have a Frugal Thanksgiving
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