How I got my baby to enjoy new foods

When I agreed to take part in the Today's Parent Healthy Family Challenge I fully expected it to be life changing for myself. I thought that it would have significant impact on Rob and Isabella but I thought that baby Adam wouldn't be affected by the changes we were making in our lifestyle.

I'm so happy to say that I was completely wrong about my prediction. When we first started the Healthy Family Challenge, Adam was eating a diet of homemade purees — including crockpot applesauce, roasted squash and mashed bananas. Eating from the Today's Parent meal plans made me take a closer look at each of the ingredients going into my family's food and I started to realize that there is no reason that nine-month-old Adam can't be eating many of the foods that we are eating.

Since we started the Challenge, Adam has had his first taste of salmon. I was so happy that he loved it because salmon makes an appearance on our dinner table about once a week. The creamy chicken curry seems to be one of Adam's favourite dinners. Another new taste experience for him was the Greek yogurt from the totable granola parfait. Sucking hummus from cucumber slices during snack time always brings a big smile to my boy's face.

I'll be honest with you: I never would have considered giving a nine-month-old curry. For some reason, when I think of food for babies I think of bland purees. If your baby will eat it though, why not expand their palettes to include foods that the rest of your family loves and that you hope will become their favourites as they get older?

Not only is Adam eating new things, he's also participating in new activities. In the four weeks that my family has been participating in the Healthy Family Challenge we have gone for three family swims. Adam's horoscope sign (like mine) is Cancer, so it should be no surprise to me that he loves the water just as much as his mommy does. He shows absolutely no fear in the water and is so comfortable that he has fallen asleep and taken a nap in my arms all three times that he was in the pool.

I'm excited to explore all of the different activities that my husband and I can expose our children to as the weather gets nicer and we get into the summer months. The Today's Parent fitness plans have been an excellent launching pad to new, family-friendly activities for us.

I'm happy that we have been able to experience this Healthy Family Challenge with both of our children. For me it's especially exciting that Adam will be experiencing a healthier lifestyle right from the very beginning. It has made me re-evaluate the way I look at food and activities as a family and I'm so thankful that we have been given this gift.

Are you participating in the Healthy Family Challenge? Have you experienced any unexpected surprises with your children while incorporating healthy eating and new activities into their lives?