Morgan Delack was at her wit’s end when her daughter was 1.
“Almost every time I put her in the highchair to feed her, she would throw her food on the floor,” she says. “She was trying to play with me and get my attention. She knew she’d get a response.”
Whether your child is throwing food or making a spectacular mess with it, it’s difficult to see a good result. After all, this mess-making is creating more work for you!
Believe it or not, there is a silver lining in this developmental stage. According to a study published in the journal Developmental Science, the messier a toddler gets while eating, the more he’s learning. And eating in a highchair is the best place for that learning.
The study explored how well 16-month-olds learned the names of non-solid foods and other objects while seated either in a highchair or at a table. The researchers offered the toddlers foods such as pudding, applesauce, juice, and soup, but gave them made-up names.
The toddlers who most enthusiastically explored the foods by poking, throwing, and picking them up were more likely to correctly identify them when the researchers put foods out in different sizes or shapes.
And the tots seated in highchairs were better at correctly identifying the objects compared to those seated at tables. Because the foods vary in shape and size, the context in which the child touches it matters.
“It turns out that being in a highchair makes it more likely you’ll get messy, because kids know they can get messy there,” says lead author Larissa Samuelson.
So the next time your little one smears mashed peas all over, reframe it as a “learning experience.”
“The study shows the cascading influence that the context of everyday activities — such as mealtimes — has on children’s exploration, attention, and word learning,” wrote the authors. “When young children messily eat and explore food at each meal, they are learning both about individual foods and also about non-solid substances more generally.”
Christine Palumbo is a Naperville-registered dietitian nutritionist. Follow her on Twitter @PalumboRD, Facebook at Christine Palumbo Nutrition, or Chris@ChristinePalumbo.com.
Swedish pea soup
Active preparation time: Seven minutes
Total preparation time: One hour 30 minutes to two hours (not including soaking)
Servings: Eight servings (almost 1 cup each)
Pea soup dates back to ancient Roman times, when it was a nutritious, peasant food staple, but it eventually became one of the time-honored foods of Sweden. Made with yellow peas, this simple soup is prepared with sweet, zesty mustard.
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound (454 g) dried yellow peas
6 cups water
1 medium onion, diced
1 tbsp. reduced sodium vegetable broth base
1 tbsp. prepared mustard (e.g., Swedish, whole grain, or Dijon)
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. low-sodium herbal seasoning blend
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. thyme
DIRECTIONS: Cover the dried yellow peas with water and soak overnight. Drain the peas and place them in a large heavy pot. Add the remaining ingredients, stir well, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 1½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the peas are tender. Add water as needed to replace moisture lost to evaporation. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
Traditional Swedish pea soup uses whole yellow peas (not split). If you are unable to find whole yellow peas, substitute split yellow peas, but reduce the cooking time by about 30 minutes.
To make this in a slow cooker, soak and drain the peas, then combine with the other ingredients and cook for 4 to 6 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.
NUTRITION FACTS: 203 calories, 14 g protein, 36 g carbohydrate, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 15 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 59 mg sodium, 28% DV thiamine, 39% DV folate, 10% DV calcium, 16% DV iron, 17% DV magnesium, 16% DV potassium, 12% DV zinc
Used with permission by Sharon Palmer, RDN, author of the book, Plant-Powered for Life.
