The Bigger, The Better

One of the first rules of feeding small children is to cut their food into tiny pieces so that they don't choke. Great idea - but not for Tali. She will actually refuse to eat some foods in small pieces and prefers to break up the bigger pieces for herself.

For example, on Friday morning I was giving her some banana as a morning snack. I cut 1/3 of the banana and put it on her tray to cut into pieces. Before I could cut the rest, she took the whole chunk of banana and started eating it herself! (She actually ate the whole banana that day - in 3 big chunks - but that's another story.)

That same afternoon, she refused to eat a blueberry blintz in pieces but when I gave her an entire square, she ate almost the whole thing.

Yesterday I gave Tali Swedish meatballs as part of her lunch. I cut it into bite-size pieces and it just sat on her tray. Then I gave her an entire meatball and she ate it.

This morning it was the same thing with her snack. I gave her toast with a spinach spread. She refused it in small pieces but enjoyed the entire piece of bread with the spread. At least she eats, right?