Ania, I envy that your kids love to eat with you. Our meals are always so painful. My DS is a super picky eater and a SLOW eater and sitting at the table is like pulling teeth for us. MY DH and I are NOT vegetarians but my DS chose to be one from early on, even before he really new what it meant to be one. We tried to feed him mashed up chicken and he would close his mouth and hold his breath or just scream bloody murder. Around 14 months he made it very clear that no meat would ever touch his body. I love to cook and I always try to involve him in the process but he is much more interested in "creating" and wasting then actually making something edible. I can only do so much of that!
Truckee_Mom
Perhaps our sons are twins! Yes, DS is a vegetarian too. And very particular about what he eats. We tried all the things that other parents say work (hide foods in other foods, have them try "one bite", growing foods int he garden with me, cook with me, at least have them put it on their plates, etc), but they didn't work.
The best thing we did was read a book called
How to Get Your Kid to Eat, But Not Too Much. The dieticians at the children's hospital where I worked swore by it and it really helped a ton at meal times. There are no food battles at our house now, I am not a short order cook, and meal times are quite pleasant. The book helps you sort out what you are and what you aren't responsible for at meal times. I highly recommend it!
