kid eats what I eat

Before I had a kid I never thought much about what it would take to feed one. I mean eating is such a basic human function that doesn’t require much thought. But once my little guy was born, his food source became my main concern especially since he was exclusively breast fed for the first six months of his life. I alone was responsible for keeping him fed. I was constantly wondering, is he eating enough? Am I producing enough? What if he’s starving!!?

The Next Phase in Feeding my Son

I kept telling myself, “once he can have solids, this will get easier.” But once he hit six months, it became a new set of worries. Was I feeding him enough? Was I overfeeding him? What time of day should I feed him solids? Do I feed him a solid before or after he breast feeds? I was constantly searching the internet for advice or texting mom friends.

Then I started to worry about what I was choosing to feed him. I dutifully bought the baby oatmeal and an assortment of fruit and veggie purees. Once I made sure he wasn’t allergic to anything, I realized that I could save a lot of money by pureeing my own fruits and vegetables. Then, I started to get creative and mix some fruits and veggies together (p.s. If you haven’t tried mixing banana and avocado together, you should). Before I realized it, everything my kid was eating was a version of what I myself was eating.

I don’t know when it happened, but somewhere within our 10 years together, my husband and I started eating pretty healthily. We don’t ever buy soda (if we do, it sits in the pantry for months), we generally don’t buy sweets, and we buy ground turkey instead of ground beef. When we snack, it’s apples and peanut butter or avocado and cheese cubes. We didn’t purposefully set out to change our diets, it just gradually happened over time. We realized we just feel better when we eat these kinds of things instead of overly sweetened foods.

When it came time to give our baby food, and now at 1 year old finger foods, it seemed like a no brainer. We already had good healthy foods. It also helps that he isn’t really a picky eater. He will eat anything I offer him. My kid eats what I eat. Last night we all had salmon, rice, beans, and strawberries for dinner. He also loves bananas.

Eating Off My Plate

When we go out to eat, he generally gets a portion of the food from one of our plates. Has anyone else out there noticed that most kids menus exclusively consist of some form of chicken fingers and mac & cheese? That just seems silly to me, but I digress.

I know that it’s very possible these days won’t last. Maybe he will eventually get super picky and it will be harder to get him to eat what I eat. For now, I’ll continue feeding him from my plate and live in our happy little food bubble. And if you’re wondering, I still worry about him daily, just not about what he eats. 

Veronica DeSantos Ryan
Hi Austin mamas! I am Veronica DeSantos Ryan, a mama from Round Rock. My husband and I moved to the area in 2014 and love every minute of it. Our baby Oliver (May 2016) is the light of our life and we are enjoying every minute with him. After spending seven years teaching, I decided that I wanted to be a stay at home mom and teacher of life to my little boy. As a family we love running with Ollie in his jogger stroller, having picnics outside, playing with our two dogs and exploring all the the Austin area has to offer! I am also a performing princess for Lexi's Little Princesses Princess company, a teaching artist at The Georgetown Palace Theatre, and a member of the singing group The Vintage Dreams. I am an avid reader, piano player, singer, and occasional actress in community theater, and have recently been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles and More.

1 COMMENT

  1. It is so important to introduce children to healthy foods early on and their taste may change, however in this stage of life the nutrition that goes into their body is so important so it is definitely great he is taking a liking to what you eat.

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