The more the merrier...bad news for the preschool snack table?

The New York Times has just reported on a new study that looked at how children eat in larger groups. Of course it showed that the more children present at the snack table, the more snack they would eat..( uh o's again..I just had this dreadful vision of my child stuffing his face with pink o's - did someone tell me those are fruit loops?)

The researchers examined small groups of three children versus larger ones of nine. They found that the children in the larger groups ate more than did those in the smaller ones. I take solace in the fact that the tables at Izzy's preschool don't usually seat more than three children..perhaps circumstances are not as dire as I first thought.

On the bright side of this research however, is the fact that humans are social eaters. No surprise that this applies to babies, toddlers, small children etc. So when introducing foods to babies, from the beginning, plan their mealtimes around yours. Make it a point to eat with them. Also make it a point to eat what they are eating..all the more reason to prepare your own baby food. Jarred babyfood is not something I would care to eat. But I surely wouldn't mind eating a lovely fresh pea puree with my dinner and some homemade applesauce. You get the idea. Children want to eat what you are eating. They may not eat it the first time but keep at it. I may have mentioned this somewhere before but introducing solids is an exercise in patience. Just keep at it.

Now back to the snack table. If all of the families made a point to provide healthy snacks, peer influence could work its magic, toward an end that I imagine most parents aspire to..having a child who enjoys eating healthy foods..