Feeding the Finicky Part 2: The Power of Pasta
Pasta is one of the Punkin’s mainstays. Pasta and Ken’s–Ken’s Steakhouse Light Olive Oil Vinaigrette was for a lonnnng time the only salad dressing she could eat, and her main source of fat (kids need some fats. Something to do with myelination I believe). She’ll eat anything with Ken’s–pasta, breadsticks, pretzels. We’ve even caught her eating it with a spoon. One of these days I need to write the folks at Ken’s and let them know what a blessing their dressing is.
But back to the pasta. Being a toddler, the Punkin doesn’t like just any pasta. She won’t eat plain ol’ macaroni or spaghetti. Nope, her pasta has to be in cool shapes, like her crumpets. Usually she’s fine with penne and rigatoni. 
However, on those days when tempting the Punkin to eat becomes a full-time job, we haul out the “flower pasta” (fiori) and the “butterfly pasta” (farfalle). Amazing how much of a difference the shape makes.
On a whole different tack, fiori and penne are also great for stringing with beads. The Punkin uses a blunt yarn needle to make necklaces, and macaroni just doesn’t work with that big of a needle. It’s a great task for hand-eye coordination.
Next week–Feeding the Finicky Part 3: The Importance of Imitation.
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