I'm sure this has been asked before

JenniBaby85

HOW can I get my 2 year old to eat her veggies!? She eats fruit with no problem, but not veggies.

Also, It doesn't really help much that my DH won't eat a lot of veggies either .

Raynne413

Just act like it's no problem. My boyfriend is great at getting his neice and nephew to eat theirs, mostly because they want to copy everything he does. But he'll tell them to eat something, and when they say they don't like it, he'll ask if they've had it before. When they say no, he'll just say, well, try it! And generally they like it.

You could also try making it fun, like doing designs with the veggies? I don't have kids, so I'm sorry that this is the best I can provide.

kaylacroswhite

TrY a light dill dip with it, low calorie and it'll get them to eat the veggies !

Tlopez428

Make them a fruit and veggie smoothies...you can add spinach and kale and they won't even know it's in there.

taylor5877

I find ketchup helps sometimes.

And hey, thanks to Reagan, it technically is a vegetable...

preaser

There is no easy answer. Just keep trying different veggies and different methods. I'm kind of picky so I really understand kids who don't like things. But, you can make deals, try 1, etc.. and you can have more fruit or something like that. My daughter never liked vegetables except green beans and then she did cooking in Jr high and started eating all sorts of veggies. And she learned to like green beans at someone else's house! Hang in there, just keep trying!

pamfin

I read something recently that said that the taste buds that detect bitter flavours kick in at around this age so it's not uncommon for kids to go off veggies. The suggestion was to keep trying every few months or so.

I used to disguise them in a sauce and then give it a fun name - eg - Rainbow sauce was a can of tomatoes, some orange pepper, a handful of sweetcorn, courgette (zucchini) some onion and a bit of garlic and served it with pasta shapes. The sauce works out quite sweet and you can freeze the remainder or use it as a base for tuna bake.

A covering of cheese sauce might work too.

nelsoji

I am 34 and I don't like to eat my vegetables - my parents never figured it out - haha

SeaChele77

Hide them!!!

I put loads of veggies in my spaghetti sauce and meatloaf.

Also you can buy juice now that has a full serving of veggies. As she gets older she may like them more. My son didn't like any veggies At.All until recently (he's 4.5)

morgansmom02

Hide them!!!

I put loads of veggies in my spaghetti sauce and meatloaf.

Also you can buy juice now that has a full serving of veggies. As she gets older she may like them more. My son didn't like any veggies At.All until recently (he's 4.5)

This!

domgirl85

My mom said she never called them vegetables or made a big deal about it. Also she let me call them whatever I wanted. I love vegetables (always have).

Linda_Darlene

I read something recently that said that the taste buds that detect bitter flavours kick in at around this age so it's not uncommon for kids to go off veggies. The suggestion was to keep trying every few months or so.

I used to disguise them in a sauce and then give it a fun name - eg - Rainbow sauce was a can of tomatoes, some orange pepper, a handful of sweetcorn, courgette (zucchini) some onion and a bit of garlic and served it with pasta shapes. The sauce works out quite sweet and you can freeze the remainder or use it as a base for tuna bake.

A covering of cheese sauce might work too.

This!

And one person suggested smoothies. That is great idea.

Eventually she will come around.

lisitabonita

Puree them, add them to apple sauce. If she will eat pasta sauce, you can add spinach and all sorts of things to that. I put cauliflower puree in mashed potatoes and mac n cheese. Anything we eat has a veggie someplace. Another yummy thing is smoothie with pineapple, spinach, banana, and a few grapes. I have never met a kid who didn't like it. I add some greek yogurt for smoothing it out.

erickirb

My son likes some veggies but not many, to get him to eat more:
I mix pureed veggies in with sauces (pizza, spaghetti, mac and cheese sauce, etc) and soups.
I also make smoothies where I add pureed veggies
feed him the ones he does like more often
I mix mashed broccoli and cauliflower in with scrambled eggs
mix in turnip, parsnips, cauliflower in potatoes
add finely chopped carrots and onions to couscous
finely chopped carrots and onions in rice
I am sure there are a few other things we do but this is just off the top of my head.

jerbear1962

try adding them to things they like, say if it's mac and cheese, add some finely chopped broccoli or cauliflower, if it's pizza add spinach to the sauce...there are many ways to hide the veggies.

BSchoberg

Just act like it's no problem. My boyfriend is great at getting his neice and nephew to eat theirs, mostly because they want to copy everything he does. But he'll tell them to eat something, and when they say they don't like it, he'll ask if they've had it before. When they say no, he'll just say, well, try it! And generally they like it.

You could also try making it fun, like doing designs with the veggies? I don't have kids, so I'm sorry that this is the best I can provide.

You said the key phrase: niece & nephew! Kids LOVE their aunts and uncles and when I tell my nieces & nephews to just try one little bite, they do it like that (snaps fingers). The same coming from Mom & Dad? Oh, the battle is ON!

To OP: two is still pretty young... work on the sweet veggies like corn or carrots and - as so many have said - hide 'em! Also, raw veggies seem to be more appealing at that age... probably because they're nice and crunchy. I would just be sure NOT to make a battle of it at this point.

Good luck!

ellehcimyelhsa

My parents gave us veggies for snacks all the time. We had a few choices, but all were veggies. My brother used to eat broccoli like crazy and I still eat carrots and hummus for a snack. Try a dip, dressing, nut butter, etc. I put celery with a little almond butter and a few raisins for my little cousins. We call them ants on a log. Check pinterest for some cute ideas.

NikkiSmo

TrY a light dill dip with it, low calorie and it'll get them to eat the veggies !

Agree! My kids will eat anything that can "dip"!!! Ranch, honey mustard, cream cheese, etc....

Jelyn47

Kids like having a choice, so I would give them a choice of which vegetable they want to eat.

amyniceneasy

Here is the story that I tell my kids.
When I was a little girl my Grandma used to tell me that she hated peas but her mom would tell her to just eat "three wee little peas" each time she made them...and over time she learned to like them.
I've used this on my girls for lots of foods and they have learned to like most of them.

Also...have you tried roasting veggie's instead of cooking the poop out of them? My kids can't stand an over cooked veggie but give them roasted broccoli and they eat it like candy...as in I can't get it off the baking pan to the table before they start eating it.

HotAshMess

Google sneaky chef....there is a book with some suggestions and techniques. Try dips, dressings and peanut butter ect to dress them up...kids love to dip. Try putting pb on celery and adding raisins for "ants on a log"....google for more cute ideas. Play pretend...and pretend you're a bunny.

AReasor

I figured out my kids liked veggies, just raw. If I cooked them, no good. So I just served them raw, no biggie. My youngest will munch on carrots and broccoli all day, especially if she has a little ranch to dip.

Also, their tastes change constantly. What they hate now they may like in a few months. Just keep trying.

My girls are 6 and 10, and we seem to be over most of the picky faze.

SweetBasil35

I read research a while back that said kids have to try a food 8 times before they'll like it... I made my children have just a small portion of the veggie they didn't like, or no dessert or second helpings of the other food items. It's a slow go.

skylark94

Don't push. Just keep putting them on her plate without making a big deal of it. Children have to be offered a lot of foods many times before they will try them. Lead by example, but keep it low key.

While hiding them in her food will get them into her, I think it is important to continue offering whole veggies too.

Sweetpea472

If you're concerned about nutrition, the previous suggestions of how to hide veggies are awesome! If you're really wanting her to eat her veggies willingly, you can start out with mild/sweet flavors like carrots & green beans. Just give her one baby carrot or one green bean. As others mentioned, making use of an admired family member or friend can come in handy. When she eats her one little veggie, offer a big smile and a genuine "I'm so proud of you!" Just offer one veggie at mealtime for a while... she may start to ask for more. If not, you can try adding on a second bite. If she complains, you can comment about how much she's grown and another bite will help her keep growing. No bribes, no punishments. My mom used to leave me at the table for hours if I wouldn't eat something. Then it was, if you eat this you can have dessert. To this day, I have to force myself to eat my veggies (even though I do actually like them), and I fight with a craving for sweets after every meal. That's not conducive to a healthy relationship with food! :ohwell:

TheRealParisLove

Buy one of those white ice cube trays and put the cut veggies in the cups. Make it colorful adding in things like carrots, sliced black olives, peas, corn, tomatoes, and sweet bell pepper. Add in some crackers and cheese and serve it to her as her lunch plate. Kids love having choices and the colors and textures as well as the "special" plate will have her feeling positive about the veggies before she ever takes a single bite.

Maybe make one for your husband, too. You never know!

needamulligan

Try ALL of these ideas! My kids loved to dip everything when they were tiny. Vegies were no exception. Keep offering vegies because tastes change and it takes 7 times to adjust to new things. One of my kids loved to eat soup. I think he preferred the texture. I think all of his vegies came in homemade soups until preschool. All 3 of my kids had different favorites and vegies that they HATED but variety kept everyone happy!

ThePersnicketyOtter

Make it fun, like this....

http://media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com/upload/34058540901986435_gksaYMBj_c.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4737200929_f867fb4b8e.jpg

Those pictures may not be suitable for a two year old, but, you get the point. Take something she likes and make pictures with veggies. Cook them in different ways, like... I hate steamed broccoli, even after drowning it in cheese, but I could eat broccoli casserole all day. Experiment and find out what's good. Combine fruits and veggies, or make it a game, maybe...hmm, like, if she eats her veggies every night for a week she can have a treat of some sort, or you'll take her to the playground, that kind of thing.

Certain veggies you could even sprinkle with sugar or soak in fruit juice and it'll help the taste. Also, V8, they make fruit drinks that also have veggies, and they're delicious and very sweet!

daisiemae123

My son is almost 17 months and has started with the same thing. I put them in with foods he likes when I can. The other night I cut up his asparagus and mixed it in with his mashed potatoes and he ate it all or I chop steamed broccoli and mix it with homemade mac and cheese. Tonight I am making turkey meat sauce and I will mix some of my spaghetti squash in with his spaghetti. Pediatrician says to keep offering them and mixing like I am but forcing them will just make him rebel at this age.

2stella2

Hi!
My kids are grown now... but I remember what an ordeal it was!
My kids would eat completely frozen veggies, such as peas, carrots... if I cooked them, they wouldn't touch them!!
I felt bad putting handfuls of frozen veggies in their dinner plates... but they ate them.. also I think we forget that little kids just don't eat that much.
Also, I recently came across this food blog by a nutritionist, (who is expecting her first baby)... it might help.


Pasted from <http://www.eat8020.com/2012/05/tip-mothers-influence-in-eating.html&gt;
The food choices of those around us, and those whom have raised us, provide a good deal of influence onto our own preferences.  That includes our mothers.

Children are not born with a palate to LOVE vegetables and other healthful foods.  Many times they are bitter and may smell funny.  This is actually a protective mechanism so that we do not ingest poisonous foods (which are often bitter and smell funny).  But with proper training, we can develop a taste for these foods.  Training starts with observation (we are truly just wild animals with technology).

In my line of work, I am frequently asked "How do I get my child to eat healthy?".  My answer?  Eat healthfully yourself! Even uttering the phrase "I hate green beans" can cause your child to avoid them for many moons (even a lifetime).  For me this is going to take practice around my own soon-to-arrive little one (I hate cooked green beans).

Even if you do not enjoy a food that you would like your child to eat, take a few bites.  No, you won't die (unless you have an allergy, in that case please DO NOT take a few bites).

I also hear all the time, "You just wait, it's not that easy".  I believe you, I'm sure it's not.  But I can guarantee you I WILL eat green beans around my babe. Who knows? I might like 'um

Posted by Lindsay Kay Kor****, MS, RD, LN, HFS

Pasted from <http://www.eat8020.com/2012/05/tip-mothers-influence-in-eating.html&gt;

MrsWilsoncroft

You could try mixing up some veggies into some mash potato

Make smoothies

Or just keep trying the with different foods eventually they will find something they like x