Baby's First Outing: Farmers Market
I LOVE a Farmers Market. I live in California, and we’re lucky enough to have them available year round. There's nothing like the beautiful sight of all the fresh seasonal food, lively sounds, and vibrant energy of your local Farmers Market. This is also the first place I suggest that parents take their baby very early on. I think it's such a wonderful outing to make a weekly/monthly/seasonal ritual if you have access to one nearby. Getting outside with your baby is so important, for both of you, and this is a perfect place to start.
I believe good food habits start from the very beginning. Most babies get the okay from their Pediatrician to start solids anywhere between 4-6 months. This is also the age that they are becoming more alert and their "awake stretches" are lengthening. Babies love the hustle and bustle of the market. I truly think it's their version of viewing a Broadway Production. They are almost always captivated from start to finish. In addition, this is the best place to get fruits and vegetables for baby's first foods. Squash, avocados, sweet potatoes, pears...regardless of the season, they have so many wonderful options.
As baby grows into the toddler stage, they can have an even more active role in picking out their food. They can use their developing vocabulary and learn about all the different fruits and vegetables. I've had older toddlers that love to pick out flowers for their own flower arrangement. It's such an incredible place for an interactive teaching and learning experience. I also find that when toddlers have a hand in picking out food that they bring home, they are more apt to happily eat it.
When your toddler reaches early childhood, you can start looking through cookbooks together and picking out fun recipes for dinner and school lunch ideas. Making a shopping list can be fun, and another good way to practice spelling and writing for young children. This is also an ideal time to teach about the importance of "eating the rainbow." When you get home and prepare meals, they can assist with the tasks that are age appropriate. Most kids love feeling helpful.
In the pre-teen and teen years, children can start to meal plan, and be in charge of a family dinner. I'm always so impressed when I meet teens that have some cooking skills, and as we're all learning in this quarantine moment, it's such an important skill to have. If you have a Sunday Farmers Market, that might be a great day to schedule Family Dinners where you make a meal from all the bounty you gathered at the market. Some families I know always do some sort of pasta, other families choose to do a roast (chicken, beef, pork, etc) with seasonal sides. The possibilities are endless. But what I know for sure, is that these kinds of food traditions are what children remember long after they've left home.
(**If you don't have access to a Farmers Market, a local market will work just fine. You can use the same concepts I discussed earlier, just adapt it to your local market. The main idea is that buying, preparing and eating a variety of fresh food becomes a part of your family tradition.)