Yesterday I went old-school grocery shopping – AKA, I shopped at the store.
Wal-Mart online grocery shopping started just about the same time that I had our little Penguin, and it was a life saver. I no longer had to walk Bryan through the grocery store throughout seven phone calls explaining where everything was and what substitutes we could accept. Pretty much since we started online ordering, we haven’t stopped. I faithfully make my weekly order without having to spend time away from Penguin or having to subject the two of us to a possibly-chaotic shopping trip.
The thought intimidates me. Bad.
While online ordering does work well for this season of our lives, I realized that now is the time to start involving him in the grocery shopping process. I want him to learn how food gets to our table as well as fostering an experimental approach to eating. I’m still trying to introduce new foods and/or re-offer foods to increase his acceptance. With having a little extra time yesterday afternoon, we were able to swing by the store for a quick trip. I carried him on my hip, talked about what produce we saw, how to select the ripest fruit (be sure you sign up for my grocery guide!), and asked him which ones he wanted to try. He’s too young to answer, but that’s okay. 🙂 He quickly realized that a mandarin orange fit well in his tiny palm, so he proceeded to carry it around the store. It was lost before check-out, but I let him grab another from the bin, carry it to the counter and out to the car, then fed him this same orange as soon as we got home. It was so fun to let him pick his own fruit – without my micro-managing! – and then to watch him enjoy it at home.
Did you know that if you let your children be involved in the grocery shopping process, that it can help to expand their palates and food acceptance? It really helps to satisfy their curiosity and their need for independence! Read more here! Leave a comment below to let me know if you have found this to be true!
