Many children are picky eaters, though a recently published book, Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History, says that it wasn’t always that way. Years ago, children ate the same foods as adults, but with changing technology and the abundance of food, there was a shift toward children eating a narrower diet of “children’s foods.” This shift was already occurring by the 1920’s. A short article in a 1926 magazine suggests making individual casseroles for children:
Individual “Casserole”
I have found that it is an easy thing to fill a little ramekin or custard cup and bake it separately when preparing a casserole dinner. Often the grown-ups must have their heavy meal in the evening, and by doing this I can give my child his most substantial meal at noon. A “fussy” child is often tempted to eat when his own special little dish is set before him, and another point is that one often uses seasoning and spices in the grown-ups’ casserole that he will be better off without.
Children appreciate pretty dishes and well-served meals as much as grown people, though many mothers do not seem to realize this. Children who are served from “left-over” China often have table manners to correspond, whereas dainty food set before them has a wholesome effect on their morale at mealtime.
American Cookery (October, 1926)
I kind of like this idea – it would have been fun to try when my kids were little.
It is a good idea. I remember, as a kid in the early sixties, people coming up with all kinds of ways to make us eat, such as the Clean Plate Club.
Ah, I guess I forgot to make my food dainty enough for the little ones!
She does have a good point, kids love special dishes. I found some old school type lunch dishes at a yard sale, the kind with little compartments for everything even the flatware, and the kids loved eating out of them. Of course, I had to have something in every compartment which ended up being good because they had a larger variety of foods at the meal.