Now that I have a nice collection of spaghetti-in-hair pictures, I’m ready for my son to master his fork. Don’t get me wrong, my toddler is actually a pretty good eater (my partner and I got lucky, we know this). I only bring this all up so you know where I’m coming from when I say that, despite the fact that food and feeding has gone well for our toddler since we introduced him to solids over a year ago, I can still be sensitive to comments about what our toddler eats. I mean, sometimes we’re able to provide him with the best, most nutritious, organic, healthy green stuff that money can by. And sometimes...he will only eat maple syrup. Even the best eaters have their limits. It’s fine, I get it. It keeps me and his dad humble.
Still, I bring this all up because what goes in a toddler’s mouth on any particular day can be the result of any number of complicated factors, like income, health, allergies, preference, cooking ability, convenience, and, let’s be honest, sometimes it’s really just about the crazy moods of someone who is unable to pronounce his or her own name. For all these reasons, I suggest that we tread lightly when it comes to commenting on what another mom is feeding her kids. Here are some sample phrases to avoid: