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Surviving Holiday Meals
On holidays, a child may get too excited to remember to eat. Meals may be too rich, too spicy or too late. The result: an understandably hungry, whining, demanding and unreasonable child. Here's help.
Rule number 1: moms, lighten up
As long as the children have their energy levels high and are not falling prey to empty stomachs, what they eat on a holiday is immaterial. They may not eat a completely balanced meal during the holidays. Please mom, let's make it up AFTER the holidays.
Rule number 2: junk is cool
For a few days, let them feast on burgers, fries and biscuits. These are easy to carry, they fill up little stomachs and are available everywhere (the remote, barren mountain peaks may treat tomatoes and lemons as exotic foods. But the same brands of chips and instant noodles your local baniya stocks are easiy available even here.) So the kids have ready access to a filling if not completely wholesome meal.
Rule number 3: cows and children can graze
Eating only at meal times? Leave this rule behind at home too.
Chasing the chicken in a dhaba may be more interesting than having to eat it. An impromptu picnic under the trees when the child is really hungry makes the same food more interesting than having to eat it at the proper meal time. Snacking in between meals is easier to buffer an inadequate lunch/dinner.
Make your life easier. Pack up; stock up
- Pack your carry-with-you snacks in one shoulder bag and keep it near you (as much as hand baggage as allowed).
- Pack to expect delays whether traveling by car or plane, pack extra finger foods and bottles.
- If you are formula feeding, pack more formula than you think you'll need; this is safer than having to cope with extended flight schedule, a car break down or bad weather.
- Pack snacks that are crumb-free.
Giving them wholesome food
Even with these rules in mind, it is still possible to give some part of the wholesome goodness you provide at home.
- Fruits: easily available everywhere, these can substitute, balance and buffer any meal.
- Milk: flavoured milk, shakes, chaas as well as plain milk are available in interesting tetrapacks. Cheese slices can easier than a finish-your-milk-or-else struggle.
- Dahi-chawal: available in most places often help soothe an agitated baby stomach having difficulty in handling so many meal changes. Or buy a small yoghurt pack to mix with the rice.
- Khakra: wholesome, fun to eat and available pre packed now. Being wheat based, these may be preferred to a hard to chew naan.
- Jam: carrying a small tub in your "food" bag may allow you to make fun sandwiches on the go when nothing else is possible. Bread is available everywhere and it is often fun to visit a local bakery for different kinds.
- Dry fruits: caju, kismis, peanuts and badams will nourish, keep the child busy, and buffer an otherwise inadequate meal.
- Tandoor: tadoori chicken, fish and vegetables are easier for the child than a gravy meal. So are plain boiled eggs.
- Chocolates: good for energy boosts and to stop a whining child. Reveal your concealed stash only a little at a time.
- Deserts: caramel puddings, ice creams, halwa, milk based mithais go down with a lesser amount of fuss than a regular meal. Try deserts instead of a regular mean for novelty.
- Necessity being the mother of invention, your own innovation, ideas, experience will ensure your child eats and eats well. Please share your own experiences here for all of us.
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