How to I get my toddler to eat veggies?!

[Yeddi]

I tried asking my CHN for ideas and she said he's too young to be fussy and have likes and dislikes -.-;

Pfft! What a silly statement. What, doesn't she think they have taste buds? Does she think they can't tell the difference between textures? Of course they can. They may be immature but they're not non-existent. My DS is 6 months old and already has preferences, easily shown by how little mess he makes eating sweeter stuff like fruit because he wants it ALL but is messy when it comes to his veggies and ends up wearing or spreading half of it across his tray. How is your DS like with the sweeter vegies like sweet potato or carrot? Green veg is generally quite strong tasting vegetables and kids seem to be more resistant to eating them as breast milk is sweet so being so different they are an acquired taste that takes some transition.

[helle]

Carrot he hates. Pumpkin, no. In saying that tho, we were out once and i got him a pumpkin quiche for lunch, which was 90% pumpkin (i didn't realise at the time of ordering it) and he scoffed the lot. It tasted like pumpkin, and definitely not quiche. But he won't eat it at home.
Sweet potatoes mashed, nope! He wont even eat normal potatoes mashed! What kid doesn't eat mashed tatties!

Thanks barb, I think I might just go with that approach. Maybe making a meal every second night that I can hide veggies in easily to nak up the 48hrs so he can get them into him, then having them on display the next - if anything that should keep DH happy! Boys!

At one stage I thought it could be going from one taste to another, so tried offering say, only mash first but nup, he just spits it out over and over.

As always, I'm glad I'm not alone!

[Gigi]

Buckle up, put your hard hat on and get ready for the ride. This is your life now. And will be for the next 15 years or so. One day he will want what you are having. You are his role model, just keep eating your vegies. Until then, don't stress about it - don't let it push your buttons. At 17, 15 and 13 my kids still hate pumpkin - except in pumpkin soup (go figure). A good suggestion is to look at your child's intake over 48 hours rather than 24 hours - it tends to even out.

Barb, i accept that "this is the way things are" right now. But i'm curious, what to do in the meantime?

Do i put normal food on her plate (what i'm having) or just, the food i know she will eat/will consent to having on her plate?

Do i put food on her plate but leave it up to her, what she DOES eat?
or do i offer stickers for her having a bite of anything?
i've tried so many things, don't know to do now.
just sick of every meal time being a battle
sick of being judged, when we eat in front of others.
any ideas?

she's 4, and down to one very short breastfeed, maybe three times a week, first thing after she wakes up.
things she eats: tinned pears, tinned peaches, tinned apricots, dried apricots, sliced apple (but not skin), sometimes banana, baked beans, spag bolognaise if the sauce/meat/veg is pureed, rice, pasta absolutely plain, vanilla icecream, banana muffins (used as motivation), mango yogurt, if i boil her an egg - she'll eat ONLY the yolk, store bought mini quiche (fetta and leek), tasty cheese, chutney, wholegrain bread, weetbix, she drinks water predominatly, with the occasional apple juice. My concern is how virtually everything she WILL eat, is processed food. e.g i can get her to eat dried or tinned apricots, but not REAL fresh apricots. I cannot get her to eat anything GREEN e.g brocoli, lettuce. She won't eat tomato but loves chutney and tomato sauce. No matter what i bribe her with, she will refuse to even have a bite of SO many foods.

thanks in advance

[lilima]

Eating veggies? Very rare in this house. They have to be hidden in everything

[Ozziehoffy]

I just remembered another thing... you can mash or puree pumpkin into spag bol VERY easily and you can't see it or taste it at all!! Things like spag bol are great for hiding vegies lol... puree them up (I don't add too much cos otherwise you start to alter flavours) but enough that they are getting some and they are none the wiser

[helle]

I just remembered another thing... you can mash or puree pumpkin into spag bol VERY easily and you can't see it or taste it at all!! Things like spag bol are great for hiding vegies lol... puree them up (I don't add too much cos otherwise you start to alter flavours) but enough that they are getting some and they are none the wiser

Yep I do that already. I get a good half meat half veg combo happening and no one notices XP
I actually made a cauliflower, carrot and broccoli cheese bake thing the other day (like cauliflower cheese) and mashed roast potato and pumpkin thru it which he ate. So that's another veg meal I can add to my list

[Ozziehoffy]

Sounds good and sounds like you're doing what a lot of us find we need to do Tomorrow night we're having what we call noodle muffins... they have zucchini, carrot and pumpkin grated into them and no one notices it at all.. you don't taste it... and they are DELICIOUS!

[helle]

Ooh! How do you make those?
New ideas would be great!

[Ozziehoffy]

PM me to remind me to send it to you and I'll do that tomorrow for you Off to bed now cos it's midnight just about lol and I have lots to do tomorrow haha.

[helle]

No worries lovey thanks heaps!

[~Stoked~]

Does it help if you give certain vegies a break for a week or so? I know DS gets bored of the same things so if I stop serving them for a bit, then re-introduce, he will eat it.
But it sounds to me like you are offering awesomely healthy foods anyway! He sounds like a great little eater!

[Rivlas]

They go through stages all their life in eating. Have a 20+DD who will only eat potato mashed but loves sweet potato but at potato any way when younger.

Zucchini slice is another way to get veggies into them, have been known to grate carrot in to it.

While he is a bit small at the moment my GS 'helps' me cut up the soft veggies using a butter knife and eats them while cutting. They taste better stolen from the pot.

Have you tried cooking corn on the cob and letting him have a go at that. I saw a mum do this with her 11 month and he loved it.

[Life is Good]

Sorry, don't have the time to read all of the posts right now, but we have a similar problem. If he likes things like crumbed fish, chicken etc, you can do exactly the same with vegies. Grate / mash them with cheese and some flour and egg, roll them in flour, egg and then bread crumbs and bake them in the oven. Kinda like healthy nuggets?

[helle]

Rivlas. Yep I tried corn on the cob and he didn't like it

Life is good, good idea! Didn't think of that one.
I never knew when I became a mother that I'd have to get so creative!