At our house, the parents serve the children's plates. We put a very small portion (as in 1 level tablespoon) of each food on each plate and give them each a cup with about 4 ounces of milk for each meal. (Do you think I put "each" enough times in that sentence?)
The children know that when they have eaten everything on their plate they may have seconds of anything they wish.
This saves us from throwing out good food or pouring milk down the drain. It also helps when there is a spill, and you know there will be. It is not so bad to clean up a tablespoon of spaghetti off the floor or 4 ounces of milk. An entire plate of spaghetti or a full 12 ounces of milk is altogether another matter.
I'm often shocked when I see parents filling up their children's plates to the brim with food and giving them a full glass of something to drink. Inevitably, at least half the food gets thrown in the trash and maybe 2 or 3 sips are taken from the glass.
I wonder if parents are used to the portions served at restaurants and so they fill up their children's plates in a similar way and then urge them to "eat, eat, EAT!" We don't eat out often at all (as in 2 or 3 times a year) and I hate to throw good food down the drain. For that matter, I can't afford to throw good food down the drain.
Keeping the portions small and then allowing for seconds is a good way to keep food waste to a minimum.
Check out Biblical Womanhood for lots of great frugal tips.
7 comments:
My son's daycare did the same thing when he was little. Although they told me they have him the "double" portion right away since he always had more. Of course now at 16 years old and 6 foot 3 inches we know why. LOL
You're very smart! Even with my older kids, I tell them, "only take what you know you can finish. You can always come back for seconds!"
I found that my children literally lost their appetites when faced with a full plate of food. It just overwhelmed them.That would be a whole plate of uneaten food! Giving them small portions ensured their appetite and that the food would be eaten. They were always welcome to seconds once they ate the small portions on their plates.
(Oooops - that was me above!)
This is such a great idea. We also do the same thing but for a different reason - because it helps teach portion control.
The only downside is my kids will eat FOREVER (it seems like) when I do this, and since we don't usually have room for dishes on the table--that's an awful lot of getting up and down. Oh well. It does keep the food from being wasted.
Good idea! As my little guy gets bigger - I'm going to have to try this. I've enjoyed looking around your blog - it's new to me, I came by way of your comment at my blog. I've seen your beautiful aprons around the blogosphere though and I'm really wanting one...maybe for my birthday...
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