Customer Reviews

My Two-Year-Old Eats Octopus: Raising Children Who Love to Eat Everything

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In case the title doesn't seem self-congratulatory enough, wait until you read the introduction - paragraphs about what a perfect eater the author's 2-year-old was! (No offense to him, I'm sure a great kid.) Clearly they were unaware that their market is people who don't have it so easy - people who can't take their kid into a trendy Peruvian restaurant and eat ceviche and arrepas, while other diners raved what a great eater he is!

If you happen to be the parent of a child that is an adventurous eater, I think this book was designed for you, because the first six chapters are bragging tales about how well she and her husband have gotten her kids to eat everything. Also, children of chefs are less picky, because chefs CARE about food. Also, children in other countries have less picky eaters than our stupid country (e.g., Gerber South Korea has daikon root baby food!... Lebanese children eat hummus!!! ... Oh, the French!).

Why are your kids picky eaters? Because a) your kids eat way too much fast food, b) your kids watch too much commercial television (4 hours a day!), c) you're a picky eater, and d) you don't like to cook.

Well, my kids rarely eat fast food, don't watch commercial television, I am not a picky eater, and my wife (a FOOD Writer!) and I cook. Extensively. And my kids are picky eaters. And we do lots of the things she says, like have regular meal times, and having them help us cook.

I will be fair - by Chapter 7, the author does reveal a) she had a hard time feeding her kids vegetables once! b) kids don't like foods that are mixed up (and there are even physiological reasons for this), and c) kids are averse to eating vegetables (again, physiologically!). Each chapter has some bullet points to take away, and the ones in this chapter were definitely more helpful than what came before: either more pats on her own back, or statements about kids whose parents are clearly NEVER going to buy this book (e.g., the 7 % of kids who eat french fries every day).

Oh, and also, homemade baby food is cheaper than the kind that comes in the jar! (You're a bad parent if you're not making homemade baby food like she did.)

My kids were good sleepers. Would sleep-deprived parents of a baby with colic buy my book, "My Two-Month-Old Slept Through the Night!"?

If your kids are perfect eaters, buy this book and gloat with the author.

Otherwise, if you're the kind of person actually in the market for this book because you've reached the "aw shucks" stage with your kids' eating habits, I'd save your money.

I found this book a fascinating read, even though my children are older and mostly past the picky eater phase. What was so interesting was the author's exploration of some of the societal (and marketing) changes that affect all of our eating habits - adults and children alike. Children used to have fewer choices, and they ate pretty much what their parents did. The author notes how nowadays there are a slew of food products marketed just to children, and how many of these products don't even taste like real food - many have fantastical flavors and neon colors, for example. (It was surprising to learn what the author discovered when she had her friends and family taste test the baby and toddler food products). She concludes that many parents just accept the notion that children eat their own special foods, completely separate from what adults eat.
I strongly agree with the author that, just like pretty much everything else in life, good eating habits and good nutrition need to be taught to kids. It takes time, and you may not see results right away, but letting your own eating habits serve as an example will go far in the long run.

First, I have to say that I write this review from the biased perspective of being a foodie mom. I love food, cooking, restaurants, cookbooks, the Food Network, everything associated with eating good food. I want my kids (15 mths, 3 and 5) to grow up that way, too, sharing in the joys of our family meals. And never have I come across a book that so perfectly lays out the best way for parents to achieve that!

All I can say is that this book really, really gets it. The author gets what it's like to be a parent who wants her kids to eat more than buttered pasta noodles and applesauce, doesn't want them snacking all day on Goldfish and string cheese in place of meals, or growing up thinking that soda is a desirable beverage. And she gets what it's like to try to put that in place in a kids' world (daycare, playgroups, nursery school, birthday parties, babysitters, etc.) that think that "kiddie food" is the only thing that children will eat. If you ever feel like you're swimming upstream because you give your baby steamed and pureed "real" carrots instead of the "carrotesque" product in a jar of baby food, then this is the book for you. (And after you read the section on taste test comparisons between jarred baby foods and the real thing, you'll never buy another packet of that stuff again.)

Be prepared: This book will make you think. You may not agree with every single point or concept, but overall, it's a fascinating look at the world that has become "kiddie eating" in the last ten to fifteen years or so. Like the author, I can't believe how much has changed in just a generation or two, before the days of so much special catering to kids and dumbing down their food options.

There is also a TON of practical advice that shows you that it's really not so hard to teach your kids that vegetables don't taste "bad," just "different!" Or that there are restaurants where you do sit down, order, eat and behave yourself. It takes practice, consistency and commitment to that message, which believe me, will be reinforced after you read this book. It's perfect for any parent with young kids in their lives.

This book could have been one page long. I am pregnant and hope to raise a non-picky eater, and there weren't any practical tips in the book. It's basically a narrative about her own child, which somehow makes her qualified to write an entire book.

I love to cook and we don't keep "junk" in our home. He refuses most everyting, even french fries!!! He'll take a couple licks of ice cream and than say he is done. So no he isn't filling up on empty calories. Surfice it to say this book helped me non-what-so-ever. And I have never babied his taste buds or cooked special for him {less or no salt though!} He is served a variety of tasty dishes but won't eat any of it. If you have high hopes of this book solving your child's eating issues borrow instead of buying it.

Author Nancy Piho makes so many great points that I as a mom, grandmother, and cooking teacher, can expand on. Not that my two-year-old ever said "more octopus," but trips to a Farmers Market that offers tastings of fresh local ingredients sold one of my grandchildren on strawberries, and another on broccoli. Keeping the 'green' world in mind these days could be one of the Piho 'plays' in her book --- growing and eating this food could make the world better for 'you' to live in. This fits in with sustainable seafood and Seafood Watch at the Monterey Museum or showing children how to read the nutritional labeling.

It's the real life situations described that win you over and make you laugh. Until you read this book you may have thought you were the only one who had a child that would only eat plain pasta and chocolate anything. It's fun to be proven wrong.

This book is overrated. It does not discuss any sensory concerns a child might have, nor does it discuss normal (proven) developmental milestones that occur with children. The author whines quite a bit about 'american' culture and is critical about typical american feeding styles offering few alternatives, except to raise your child with a chef in the home - with a food budget to match.

Great read on a topic that is -- or should be -- important to all parents of young kids. I learned alot, both about how the "picky eating" problem is created and what can be done to prevent it. The only reason I'm not giving this book 5 stars is that I think the audience may be limited. If you're a fast-food loving, eat-in-the-car-on-the-way-to-school type of family, this method of getting your kids to "love to eat everything" is probably not for you.

I loved this book.

Granted, in some ways it's just more fuel to the "what the heck are we feeding our kids" fire, but the stats are astounding, the research is sound and the message is fresh, interesting and extremely relevant to anyone responsible for choosing foods that young kids eat. And quite frankly, that's a fire that needs to burn much brighter, to get a lot more people's attention.

What ARE we feeding kids, anyway? According to this author, it's a steady diet of "kiddie foods" -- things like applesauce and buttered pasta with no sauce and Fruit Loops -- to a much greater degree than was done in past generations. What are the consequences and end effect of this? In the long run that remains to be seen, but in the short term, this author makes a compelling case that it's a perfect recipe for Picky Eating habits.

If you have older kids who are already picky eaters, this book may not do much more than point out how they got to that point. It will give you a lot to think about though! But if you're still at the baby/ toddler/ little kid stage and want to avoid this, grab your credit card now, order this book and start reading. It may very well change your whole way of thinking about kids and food, as it did mine.

I picked up this book because I have a 10 year old who eats nothing but bland, colorless foods. I found it extremely inspirational and full of great concepts and ideas. My child is now trying new things and enjoying them! This book would be a help to all parents, especially if you have little kids, getting them off on the right foot in eating well, lots of great tips from professionals as well as experienced parents. I wish I had this book earlier in my childs life, I wouldn't have had to go through the last years worrying if she was getting the proper nutrition in order to grow and thrive!