If you find that your 10-month-old is still playing with food more than eating it, you’re not alone; pediatricians point out that until age 1, any solids count as practice, with the main source of calories still coming from breast milk or formula. So practice away!

Now is the time for food to be fun, and today, I gave Veronika two “faces”, one at breakfast and one for a snack.

The breakfast face had a banana smile, strawberry nose, grape eyes, and raisin pupils (soak the raisins in water first, so they are less of a choking hazard). I pointed out each feature to her before she began smearing and picking up portions.

At snacktime, I laid out another silly face: cooked noodles for the mouth, cooked carrot for the nose, cherry tomatoes as eyes, corn as pupils, and shredded Daiya cheese as the hair.

Again I pointed and named each feature, but soon her brother wanted to eat the cheese, which Veronika thought was hilarious. I added a pile of extra noodles and it turned into sensory play. Now that’s foodie fun!