Posted by
abhk18
19 yrs ago
my boy doesn't eat vegetables. what to do?
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crj
19 yrs ago
how old is he?
How have you tried to serve them?
Did he eat them before then stop?
What does he eat?
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MLC
19 yrs ago
We hide Spinach in Spaghetti Sauce and would blend vegetables into a tuna pattie mix. Also we would make a Carrot and Apple Drink with Ice but would put it in a bottle he couldn't see into with a straw. As long as it is sweet from the apple and not bitter he has always drunk it. Maybe worth a go. We have had trouble with our son eating always - he is getting better though.
*Cubes of frozen Spinach are avail at Parknshop*
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my boy is 2.5 years old. we tried to serve him and hide the vegetables away from the rice, but he can taste it and take them out from his mouth himself. he used to eat vegetables but don't know why he stops for a reason that we didn't know. we now only serve him the pork, chicken, beef, and apple juice, and vegetable soup at most.
I shall try to blend some vegetables as MLC said and put into a bottle. thanks.
any other suggestions??
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crj
19 yrs ago
smoothies are a good idea - although I would suggest a straw and not a bottle, especially for a 2.5 year old.
Pasta with sauce, where the sauce is almost 'puree' so he can't pick out the veggies. You can also try things like Shephard's pie?
Think of what he eats and what you can add veggie puree to that he won't notice..
You can also try to make eating veggies more interesting and get him involved with the cooking/prep to he can have fun with that and look forward to eating them.
But it could also be a phase, so I would not panic too much.
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get him to cook together? would this make the kitchen very messy? He is that kind of person that once he learns a new skill, he would yell to do it everytime on his own. e.g. we teach him to open the door and turn on the light, he would not allow anybody to do these things except himself, otherwise, he will keep on crying and we have no choice but to go out from the apartment and let him do the whole process all over again. What a special character he has
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crj
19 yrs ago
Well, if you are afraid of kitchen mess - you can try to be creative
maybe just part of the food prep, but do it on the table?
or do the prep yourself, and just have him help with a final thing - even if it is just helping to set the table, or choosing what dishes to use, or which spoon to serve with...
Of course it will get messy, the important thing is to be sure it is SAFE and he doesn't get hurt, so you have to plan out what you will do and how he can help safely.
Do some google searches on cooking with toddlers to get some specific ideas.
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How about offering him his favourite food, for example maybe it is fish fingers... cook them and place them and veges a plate, just a small mouthful of veges to start.
Let him know that he can have the fish when he has had the mouthful of veges and not before.
If he screams, calmly explain, you love him and want him to be healthy and strong and part of that is teaching him to eat healthy, just like mum and dad.
If he chooses not to eat the veges then let him go without dinner, one night will not hurt him.
Be kind but firm.
The next night repeat the same procedure. Once he starts eating the veges, increase the amount of veges, minimally and give him lots of praise.
Start with a vege that is maybe a little bit sweet, like pumpkin or peas or sweet potato.
I think we all have challenges with veges and small kids at some time. Hubby and I would also praise each other in front of our boy when we had finished all our dinner and eaten all our veges.
After all, our kids learn from us.
As crj said, this is most likely a phase, and will pass with time.
Hope this helps, best of luck.
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Try our recipe:
Super-veggie Pasatta
Fry 1 clove of garlic in olive oil and add 1 x chopped onion. Then add 1 large courgette, 2 carrots, mushrooms, 1x red pepper (capsicum) all diced. Cook for a couple of mintues. Then add 3 x tins of plum tomatoes. Cook for about 1 hour. Finally add some fresh herbs (marjoram, basil, oregano and a little bit of black pepper) and then add 1 head of chopped brocolli. Cook for a few more mintues. Leave to cool, add 2 tablespoons of very good extra virgen olive oil - blend/ puree and freeze in ice cubes or small pots. It is delicious and full of the best veggies you can get (super-veggies). Easy to defrost and can use as a pasta sauce (add tuna/ chicken), over meat/ chicken or as a dip. My son (and we) love this and not a veggie is sight.
P.s. if you want the sauce a deeper red, add tomato puree.
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tly
19 yrs ago
When my son turned around 2, also stopped eating veggies. He is now 3. What I did was follow what the Super Nanny suggested. I would put 2 bites (since he was 2 years old) of any veggie in his plate and told him he only had to eat this much at each meal. If he didn't want to eat it, he didn't get his meal or if it was dinner I was more harsh and told him to go straight to bed. He made a fuss and even gagged the first few times I did it. After a few days things got easier. I also found out he just didn't like the texture. If I gave him broccoli which was cooked really soft, he would eat it with no drama. A friend of mine said all she had to go was tell her son she hid the veggie in his meal and he would eat it. He simply didn't want to see it.
My son would still give me some drama now and then whenever he had to eat his greens, but he now knows all he has to do is eat the required amount and that was it. I feel that if I kept hiding his veggies in his meal he'll grow up not appreciating it. If I'm outright about what I'm feeding him, he'll find out for himself what he likes or can take and what he simply doesn't like. I also give him the option now of politely spitting out something he really doesn't like before I feed it to him. This way he knows he should at least try something new and not be forced to swallow if he really doesn't like it. I've found this way he's actually willing to take a bite and decide for himself. But that is in addition to the required amount of greens he should eat at each meal.
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The main thing as with all childhood behaviours is to be firm and consistent. If your child knows he can get away with something by having a tantrum, then there's no way he is going to let up until he gets what he wants. With your light epidsode for example noted above. He realizes he has the power! Take the power back a wee bit. That doesn't mean forcing him to eat something, however.
Parenting is hard work!
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