Tonight me and the little guy ate a nice dinner of gnocchi with red pesto.  He ate so much it was crazy – I think he ate almost the same amount that I did!

I was turned on to the idea of giving him gnocchi by an Italian lady I know through a friend.  She has a kid about the same age as the little guy, and I was talking to her about him not using a fork, and mentioned I have to get him using it more (instead of his hands).  She said that she uses gnocchi for her little one, and that seems to work.

If you are not super familiar with gnocchi, it is a potato or wheat dumpling that has a kind of firm-chewy consistency.  It is super easy to cook if you do not make it from scratch – basically it takes 2 minutes to cook in boiling water.  Because of the consistency, it makes it fun for a little one to eat, and it also makes it easy for them to stick a dull “toddler fork” into.

We have given him gnocchi now a few times (maybe once every 10 days), and he is getting better and better with the fork every time.  It might also be helping with his skills with a spoon, too.  I think he sees that it can be nice to use a tool to eat with instead of his hands.  Either that or it is just fun.  I don’t care the reason, I’m just happy he is getting better with the fork!