Isn’t it funny how we think that we know the answers to most parenting dilemmas before we experience them with our own kids? (Or maybe that’s just me!) In any event, I had very definite opinions about “picky eaters” before I had one of my own. Logically, I thought that if a kid gets hungry enough, they’ll eat whatever you give them. That theory worked pretty well with Michael, my oldest son. It’s not working so well with Sean, my younger son. At first, I called him “our little vegetarian” because he ate fruit, veggies, and pasta…pretty much everything but meat. That quickly changed though. Now, it’s a battle to get him to eat…period! We keep on introducing a variety of foods to him though. (Sometimes, kids “change their minds” and like things that they didn’t previously.) He’s tough though. We’ve even tried bribing him with the “good stuff” after the “good for you stuff”, but he is a stubborn one. He’ll simply opt out of getting the goodies. My little one has a strong will!

In any event, I was excited to hear about Gerber’s “Start Healthy, Stay Healthy” campaign. It is focused on educating people about the importance of starting good eating habits in children from birth to preschool. Recently, Gerber did a Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) which revealed amongst other things that as many as 25% of children did not consume a single fruit or vegetable serving on a given day(?!). (Okay, I must admit that made me feel a bit better about the state of my finicky eater.)

To help, Gerber is encouraging mothers to take the Start Healthy, Stay Healthy pledge. You can create your own pledge, by going here. You can also see some of the videos (like the one below) on the Start Healthy, Stay Healthy YouTube channel.

Gerber – Really?! Video

To help spread the word about this campaign, Gerber is giving away a Gerber diaper bag backpack filled with a teddy bear and recipe tin to one Mom in the City reader. To enter this giveaway, visit Start Healthy, Stay Healthy and share your pledge in the comments section below by January 31st.

(To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday , Contest Monday or Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival.)