Felty friends: Mandy Milks, Line illustrations: Anthony Swaneveld, Photo: Roberto Caruso, felt material courtesy of thefeltstore.com
I remember the moment when the war was lost. It was a late Sunday afternoon in the spring of 2015; our son, Ellis, had just turned two, and we had invited a friend and her boy over for a playdate. Chili was on the menu, because chili is easy?there?s minimal prep and it?s something parents and kids could enjoy together. And it was Ellis?s favourite. But not on this day. Maybe he just isn?t hungry, I thought. But when we tried to serve him leftovers, he gave us the screwface. And with that, my wife and I were forced to retire the last remaining covert vegetable-delivery system in our arsenal.
When your kid starts solids at six months, it?s easy to become deluded into thinking you?re having some sort of positive impact on their future eating habits. Spoon-feeding him puréed carrots, broccoli and cauliflower from the get-go means he?ll naturally crave those nutritious veggies for the rest of his life and never develop a taste for chicken nuggets, right" The thing is, your infant is just grateful to experience something that?s not breastmilk or formulaic approximations thereof. But as he?s gradually introduced to new foods?partly through your premeditated choices; partly because you were too lazy to clean the food processor so you fork some of your spaghetti onto his plate?his palate naturally changes. Suddenly, minced veggies no longer hold...