I was so sure my son was going to be a great eater when he was born. I had these fantasies of my son sitting in his high chair happily eating the healthy well balanced meal I had so carefully prepared for him. Yes in my mind, I saw him devouring heaping plates of spinach, gulping down broccoli with a smile and consuming carrots as an on the go snack. It was not such a stretch; I would just introduce him to these super foods and that would be what he would learn to love right?

When my pediatrician finally gave me the green light to give my son small pieces of the dinner I was serving the rest of the family I was giddy with excitement. I ran home and prepared the most healthy and delicious dinner possible. Can you imagine my complete dismay when my son turned his nose up at my best efforts? It was not just that first day either, he did it consistently from that day forward. To make frustrations worse, one day he would really like a certain food like peas, then the next time I would serve him his new "favorite", he would refuse to even acknowledge its presence on his high chair tray.

What was I to do? I was feeling like the worst parent ever and then something amazing happened. One day I was sitting on the floor looking over some insurance papers while my son played with his toys right next to me. I had some dried fruit bites in my hand and was snacking on them while I read. Suddenly without warning I felt a strange sensation in my hand. I looked up to see my son sorting through the various pieces of fruit with his pointer finger. He was spreading each piece out and surveying their shape and color. He then selected a piece, sat down next to me and popped it into his mouth. I was so stunned I did not even react. After finishing the first piece, he came back for more. This time though, he took three pieces. I sprang into action ready to take back two pieces. Before I could do this though, he had reclaimed his spot on the carpet and picked one piece out of his chubby little hand and ate it. He finished one piece and then selected the second piece and then the third. It was so cute that I almost failed to notice that he was eating the dried fruit exactly the same way I had been eating it! He was copying me.

I had consulted medical professionals, bought and read books by acclaimed child development professionals and picked the brains of every other parent I knew. My son wanted to do what I was doing. When we would sit down to eat, I put so much emphasis on trying to get him to eat that I did not demonstrate how it should be done. From that day forward, if I ever wanted my son to eat something, I just sat down and started eating it myself. He soon followed my lead. He started to eat anything and everything. While broccoli is still something he would rather not eat, we found out he loved chick peas and hummus, tomatoes, grapes, and anything made with onion, garlic and oregano. I stopped ordering off of the kid's meal at restaurants. I would just pick a healthy meal and we would share. It was wonderful.

Now I know my technique will not work for every parent but the important thing is to do what works for you and be patient. The experts would be appalled to see how dinner time at my house goes. We just pull up a spot on a blanket and have a picnic in the living room or the kitchen floor. Sometimes we eat on a picnic table in the back yard. The important thing is that everyone eats and even better, we enjoy each other's company during meal time.

Learn more about this author, Karen Freihage.
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