It was time to feed our wee one, but there were so many distractions. There were trees blowing in the breeze outside the window, the cat was strolling past and, of course, an older brother was dancing and singing his heart out in the middle of the kitchen floor. Why would a baby pay attention to his food with such fine performances going on, solely for his benefit?
I wanted to figure out something to help our little one focus on his food (or at least notice his food) at mealtime, so I did research. I found songs for waking up, songs for washing up, songs for getting dressed and songs for going to bed at the end of the day. Perhaps there were some poems, rhymes or songs created for meal time? In my research, I found not one. What is a resourceful mama to do but make up her own rhymes for baby’s meal time?
And here’s one I came up with. My mealtime poems are rhythmic and silly – perfect for getting a baby’s attention and popping spoonfuls of food into his little open mouth!
Ginger Bread Baby,
Round and sweet,
Gobbles all his apples
“Cause he loves to eat!
Ginger Bread Baby,
Round and funny,
Eats up all his carrots
‘Cause he thinks he is a bunny…
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Ginger Bread Baby,
Sweet and round,
Eats beans by the bushel
And peas by the pound!
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Ginger Bread Baby,
Round and nice,
Feeds bread crumbs to the birdies
And cheese to the mice!
::
Ginger Bread Baby,
Round and fat,
Gobbles all his food,
And that is that!
Making mealtimes more rhythmic can be fun for our wee ones… I hope you enjoy using my rhymes or making up your own!
Resources for more poems, rhymes and finger plays for babies and toddlers:
Catch Me and Kiss Me and Say it Again by Clyde Watson
The Book of Fingerplays & Action Songs compiled by John M. Feierabend
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Margaret Bloom lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two children. When she is not busy feeding her baby and making up silly poems you can find her at her blog.