Is getting your toddler to eat vegetables a struggle? Here is How to get your Toddler to eat Vegetables without a fight.
Vegetables and kids, eh? Let’s just say you might need to brace yourself for a bit of a struggle to get them to eat those greens.
So you just spent hours in the kitchen, chopping, cooking and presenting what you thought was an amazing healthy meal filled with a rainbow of veggies for your toddler. You then called them to eat but on looking at the plate and he screams “Mum, i don’t want to eat” like you gave them a plate of gabbage. Yep, been there, We all have.
I remember when, my child Nora turned 3, she started refusing food she initially had no problem eating. I enticed her with snacks, desserts and some of her favorite foods. It worked for a while but stopped.
Now, I have to fight with my daughter every day to eat vegetables, negotiating and pleading. Sometimes, I even have to resort to punishment and blackmail when she won’t change her mind.
This was so frustrating and annoying. I have tried every trick, I know but to no avail. Over time, Nora became pickier, all the bribing and punishment for her to eat healthy and like vegetables was not working again and she just wants junk and desserts.
Research shows that if you pressurise a child to eat food that she rejects, they are likely to continue saying no to eating them.
So what do you do? How do you react and turn the tables? Will i allow her carry unhealthy eating habits down to adulthood
Fruits and vegetables are packed with nutrients that help children grow and develop properly. They’re a vital part of their diet.
This blog tries to bring simple and effective tips to help your picky eater learn to love vegetables without forcing or bribing them.
Why Toddlers Don’t Like Vegetables
From the ages of one to three, toddlers undergo massive growth and changes. As they mature, toddlers are becoming more active in their movements and more vocal in expressing themselves.
This period of fast growth affects everything about them, from how they move to how they interact with their surroundings, including what they eat.
Picky eating during this time isn’t usually a sign of a problem; it is a stage of growth. It is a phase,
A phase where they are learning how to walk, how to talk and discovering themselves. And as they become more independent, they want to make their own decisions, and this strongly influences what they choose to eat.
For the first year, they ate mainly liquid and purees, now they are starting solids which come with many varieties and textures. Their mouths are still getting used to chewing, and their taste buds are figuring out how to process different flavors.
Even a little stringiness in a bean, a bump in mashed squash, or the tiny grains in some cooked vegetables can feel strange and even a bit much for them.
Their senses are still getting used to things, so they can be more sensitive to how food feels in their mouths.
As they grow, they start to make their own choices. Saying No becomes a way to show that they are in control. When it comes to food, saying no to vegetables is one easy way to do so.
They might not get to decide where they go or what they can decide what goes into their mouth. So, when they say no to veggies, especially if they see you want them to eat it, it’s often about showing they can make their own decisions, not just about the taste.
Some vegetables naturally have a slightly bitter taste. For toddlers, veggies like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and spinach can taste much more bitter than they do to us adults.
This stronger bitter flavor can make them not want to eat these vegetables.
What your toddler likes to eat can change all the time. They might hate a veggie one week and then be okay with it the next.
Their mouths are still learning about different tastes. So, it’s very important to keep giving them different vegetables to try.
How do i get them to love vegetables
1. Make it Fun and engaging
Children love having fun while doing anything so make it look interesting. You can cut the veggies into fun shapes such as stars, sticks, oval, star etc and arrange it beautifully on their plate.
Examples of Fun Shapes:
- Stars: Using star-shaped cookie cutters on sliced cucumbers, cooked carrots, or bell peppers.
- Sticks or “Fries”: Cutting carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, or cooked sweet potatoes into long, thin strips that look like French fries. You can even call them “veggie fries”!
- Little Trees: Breaking broccoli or cauliflower into small florets that look like tiny trees.
- Circles or Coins: Slicing carrots, cucumbers, or zucchini into round shapes that can be “coins” or “buttons.”
- Half-Moons: Cutting thicker slices in half to make crescent shapes.
- Animal Shapes: You can even find cookie cutters shaped like animals! Imagine a bunny-shaped cucumber slice!
Forget poring looking vegetables, make a creative arrangement on their plate.
Here are some Ideas for Creative Arrangements:
- Smiley Face: Use round slices of cucumber for the face, carrot sticks for the smile, and broccoli florets for the hair.
- Rainbow: Arrange different colored vegetables (red tomatoes, orange carrots, yellow bell peppers, green broccoli) in an arc shape like a rainbow.
- Simple Pictures: Use vegetable sticks to make the outline of a house or a simple flower on the plate.
- Patterns: Arrange different colored veggie slices in a repeating pattern, like red-green-red-green.
- “Veggie Bugs”: Use a larger piece of vegetable for the body (like a cucumber slice) and thin strips of other veggies for legs and antennae.
When their food is different and fun, they will be more willing to touch it, pick it and even taste it just because it looks beautiful.
Mealtime shouldn’t feel like a chore, make it an enjoyable experience and they eat it.
You don’t have to do this for every single meal. Just doing it occasionally can make a difference.
Start with one or two types of vegetables per meal and see how your toddler responds. The goal is to make trying vegetables a little bit more exciting and less like a battle.
2. Involve Them in the Process
When children are involved in preparing food, they are more likely to feel a sense of ownership and pride in the meal. They are always willing to try out what they helped prepare.
You can tell them to wash sturdy vegetables like potatoes and carrots under supervision, pick the lettuce leaves and help arrange the vegetables on their plate.
Keep the tasks light and enjoyable. Don’t worry too much about perfection. The goal is to involve them in the process.
Make rainbows out of the fruit on their plate. Tell them what it goes to the body. For instance:
- Red (Tomatoes, Bell Peppers): Talk about how they can help give them energy or make their hearts strong.
- Orange (Carrots, Sweet Potatoes): Mention they’re good for their eyesight or help them grow big and strong.
- Yellow (Corn, Yellow Squash): Explain they can help their bodies work well.
- Green (Broccoli, Spinach, Peas): Talk about how they can make their muscles strong or help their tummies feel good.
- Purple/Blue (Eggplant, Blueberries ): Mention they can be good for their brains.
Turn into a game. You can say, “Can you find something red on your plate?” or “Let’s see if we can eat all the colors of the rainbow today!” Fun right?
3. Use clever ways to include vegetables in toddler meals
This is adding vegetables to their meals in a way that is less obvious. The goal is to familiarize them with the flavor and goodness of vegetables before their appearance or feel puts them off.
You can Blend in by adding to sauces, soup and smoothies.
For Sauces: When making tomato sauce for pasta, pizza, or dipping, try adding pureed carrots, bell peppers (red or yellow tend to be sweeter), spinach, or even cooked and pureed butternut squash.
Soups: Creamy soups are excellent vehicles for pureed vegetables. Think about adding pureed sweet potato, carrots, pumpkin, or zucchini to a cream of vegetable soup.
Smoothies: Fruit smoothies are a toddler favorite. Sneak in a handful of spinach (its flavor is often masked by sweet fruits like berries and bananas), a quarter of an avocado (adds creaminess and healthy fats), or some cooked and pureed sweet potato or pumpkin. The fruit’s powerful taste.
You can grate it Up
Grating veggies finely makes them blend easily into other foods, so they’re less obvious to see and feel. Grate them into Baked foods, Pasta sauces and even meatballs.
The idea is to combine very small amounts of vegetables with foods your toddler already knows and enjoys.
Let’s say Grating carrots or zucchini into a meat sauce or a vegetable-based pasta sauce. Their small size and similar color to ground meat or other vegetables can make them go unnoticed.
Grate them really, really small, that way they blend in nicely and your little one won’t notice the texture.
Mix it Up
Try mixing tiny amounts of vegetables in your toddler’s favorite foods. The familiar taste and feel help them accept the vegetables easily.
For instance scrambled eggs can be a good base to mix in finely chopped spinach or bell peppers. Start with just a few small pieces. Gradually increase the amount of the new vegetable over time as your child becomes more used to it.
The idea is to make your toddler get used to different taste and textures of vegetables without making mealtimes a fight.
4. Be Patience and Persistent
You need to be patient with them as they will definitely reject and refuse even after all the efforts you put in.
Experts say it can sometimes take more than 10 or even 15 tries for a child to actually accept a new food.
Do not be discouraged when they refuse the first few times. Keep giving it to them alongside other foods. As they see it, they get used to its sight and eventually its taste.
Forcing them or bribing them can actually make them dislike the food even more and make mealtimes unpleasant.
Keep mealtimes calm and positive. Focus on enjoying the time together as a family. Don’t make a big deal if they don’t eat the vegetables.
Instead of saying, “You can’t have dessert until you eat your broccoli”, you can say, “You can say something like, “Just one little bite, please?” or “Can you just lick it and see what it tastes like?”
If they try it, even if they don’t like it, praise them for being brave enough to try. If they still refuse, don’t push it. You can try again another time.
As they grow, their taste will change, and they’ll be more willing to try new foods. You’re helping them build healthy eating habits for life.
5. Lead by Example and serve vegetables in every meal
Children, especially toddlers, are good imitators. They learn by watching people around them, especially their parents. They observe how you talk, walk, interact, and yes, what you eat.
When they see you eat a particular food with pleasure, they naturally want to eat and enjoy it too. Tell them how delicious they are, make positive facial expressions. They are much more likely to be curious and want to try it themselves.
Include vegetables in every meal, let them see it as a part of the family eating plan. It avoids making them feel like they are being forced to eat something others aren’t.
Just be patient and try these ideas. You’re helping them learn to eat healthy for their whole life. Maybe one day they’ll even ask for more vegetables, Fingers crossed!
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