You might read the title of this article and think Awww, how sweet. This mom did an Easter egg hunt for breakfast. What a creative breakfast idea for kids! 

Let me tell you, in this moment the creativity was nothing but desperation. Oh, and a little frustration. When a child is in the early stages of trying solid food it can go one of two ways. The first way? They are excited to try new textures and tastes and happily eat regular food on a somewhat steady basis.

This was not the path my daughter took. She took the second path. The path of “not really sure about eating solid foods, but feeling like she is too grown up for bottles and baby food.” This path is the worst path.

Avoid this path at all costs.

There are some parents that will tell you that, with few exceptions, baby should eat what the parents eat. For us? Let’s just say way easier said than done.

Which brings me to earlier this year – about a week after Easter my daughter had suddenly started refusing scrambled eggs. Up until this point, scrambled eggs were a staple for her, but on this day, she flung them across the table with a loud “NO”. My heart sank. I offered her a waffle, another go-to, and got the same reaction. How could she refuse her favorite Mickey Mouse-shaped waffle?!  I offered her sausage. Absolutely not. I didn’t understand how this was happening.

The rational part of my brain knew that skipping a meal would not lead to starvation, however, spoiler alert, no part of this story is rational.

I started to play through all the conversations I had had with her pediatrician about wellness being the foundation for brain development. What if she refused lunch later that day and then dinner? What if she hated eating in general?! How would I maintain steady weight gain? What if her brain didn’t develop on track with the other babies? WHAT IF I WAS A BAD MOM?!

You can see I went down the rabbit hole. I had to do something and quickly.

I saw her eyeing the leftover plastic Easter eggs on the dining room tables, eggs that days prior had been filled with Cheerios that  she had happily discovered and eaten. An idea began to formulate. This could work.

Determined to prove that my baby would have proper brain development and that I was, in fact, NOT a bad mom, I quickly took her plate of remaining eggs into the kitchen. Then made a separate trip back for the brightly colored plastic eggs. On my return I took the long way back to the kitchen. It may sound ridiculous but I did not want this baby to catch onto my plot! She was going to eat breakfast- I could do this!

I had filled each plastic egg with her leftovers. Dramatically, I placed them on her high chair table. “Look baby girl! Mommy found some more Easter eggs!”

She was so excited, completely unaware of my deceit. I felt the way evil masterminds must feel as she cracked one egg open. She became hysterically happy when a few bites of scrambled egg fell out. She gobbled them up!  This continued until all the eggs were open and her entire breakfast eaten. Win!!!! I felt the confidence in my parenting abilities returning.

Honestly, I felt like I had just passed the Bar exam or scaled Mount Everest. It was the new sense of accomplishment that parents feel when they’ve outsmarted a tantrum. The kind of small victory that you’ll hold onto for the rest of the day and tell your spouse about.

So, when you find yourself doing absolutely ridiculous things to get your kid to eat, just remember that one day, someone may hear your story and say Awww, how sweet. This mom did an Easter egg hunt for breakfast. What a creative breakfast idea for kids!