Sugar and spice and everything nice
As the big number one is coming up, the cake question is sure to arise as well in this day and age of so much emphasis on organics and natural eating. Do you let your child go crazy with a chocolate cupcake or piece of cake that is full of refined sugars and unnatural ingredients? We have had to make a stand early in Leah’s life that some sweets wouldn’t be allowed until some predetermined date way in the future. For example, Grandpa has been offering her smarties since she was under a month old (and her parents have been happily confiscating them ever since).
I want Leah to experience a wide variety of healthy foods with a few treats along the way. Right now, a treat for her is unsweetened apple sauce. If she won’t eat dinner because it is pretty chunky and she is tired, just add some applesauce and voila. Not that I want to make this habit but I do certainly need a few tricks up my sleeve when dealing with an overtired, hungry toddler who refuses to eat dinner before bed.
As she gets older, I want her to have the enjoyment of a cookie in the afternoon and dessert after dinner when it is offered to her. As far as birthday celebrations go, if everyone else is eating a piece of cake I will stand about five feet away with the camera and let her go at it.
Apparently she has already gone ‘at it’ before. I was making a cake for dessert at Bible study and needed to get it done before we left in a couple of hours. Leah was not helping this process so I put her in the sink to watch. She happily watched the ingredients go in and the mixer go round and round. She was even content to sit while I washed the dishes. I noticed she was licking the palms of her hands. I looked over and there was a bit of flour on the counter and wasn’t too worried as she would figure out soon enough that it wasn’t a pleasant taste. When I looked a bit closer, I saw some sugar as well. So Leah has introduced herself to refined sugar. I am sure it won’t be the last time either. At least she got some enjoyment before I wiped the counter clean.
For the record Leah has fed herself with a spoon twice. Both times I was not present. But I will keep trying to see this feat that she apparently can accomplish.