I'm sure this has been asked before

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

rmhand

Give them a choice so they feel like they are in control. For example "do you want carrots or celery?"

jynxxxed

I agree with calling them something different. If they already in their head "hate broccoli", tell them that what's on their plate is actually mini trees from dora the explorer or something. Relate it with things that they enjoy and usually the kid is more likely to eat it.

Sounds really stupid but it's effective!

auroranflash

*my advice sucks.

arickim

At the time our son was only eating green beans and sometimes carrots. We talked to the nutritionist and she said double up on the fruit at supper time if we are having a veggie he didn't like. We would always make him try the veggie we were having thinking maybe one day he will like it. So far now he has added corn to the list of veggies he eats. We are getting there:)

kaseymei

When my boys were little they were not a fan of their veggies either. I used to shred carrots up and mix it in pancake batter. They never knew they were eating carrots. lol

JenniBaby85

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.

I have never heard of roasted broccoli! Do you add spices to it, or throw it in and roast it?

BeckySue1977

I have a couple of things I do with my kids:

First, the dip suggestion is great for kids. Figure out what dips she likes and offer the veggies with the dip. Even if she drowns the veggies in dip at first, that's ok. It gets her used to eating the veggies and you can gradually cut back on the dips.

Second: Every dinner is served with veggies (seriously, every single dinner!). My kids know that this is a natural part of their meal. They are not given a huge serving, only what is appropriate for their size. And they do NOT get seconds on ANYTHING until the veggies are gone. Doesn't matter how much they like the meat, potatoes, rice, etc, they cannot have more unless they eat their veggies first.

Third: I hide vegetables inside other dishes and serve them to my kids without a word. After the meal is over and they have gobbled it up, then I tell them "Oh, just so you know, there was [insert the dreaded V word here] in that". Then we talk about how much they liked the meal so whatever veggie was in it must be good to. I did this with my 6 year old son recently with onions. He insisted that he doesn't like onlions but has decided that maybe they are ok if they are cooked or mixed with other things after having several meals he loves with onions in them.

Keep serving the veggies no matter what. They should always be there on her plate, even if she refuses to eat them, serve them anyway. And until she comes around, hide the nutrients she needs inside other things.

One way I used to hide veggies from my toddlers was when we made our own pizzas. I would smash cooked carrots and whatever else struck me and mix them with the pizza sauce. They never knew the difference and got the nutrients their bodies needed.

JenniBaby85

When my boys were little they were not a fan of their veggies either. I used to shred carrots up and mix it in pancake batter. They never knew they were eating carrots. lol

That's a GOOD idea! She loves pancakes!

BeckySue1977

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.

I have never heard of roasted broccoli! Do you add spices to it, or throw it in and roast it?

Ooohhh I might have to try roasting broccoli tonight!

And the texture issue is huge for kids too. Might be helpful to figure out if they like crunchy or soft or somewhere in the middle. Maybe cold hurts their teeth? Maybe hot burns their little tongue? texture and temp

MinnieInMaine

Just wanted to reiterate a couple of ideas based on my own experience as a former veggie hater. I'm still not 100% fond of them but I've learned a few things along the way...

Raw tends to taste better and the crunch is fun. Mom always had a garden and canned the veggies and as we all know, canned veggies pretty much means mushy veggies. Blech! We too were forced to stay at the table until we ate all of ours but at least she'd limit them to one piece per year of age (so like 7 carrot slices for a 7 year old). So many carrots ended up balled up in my napkin in the trash! I much prefer, even as an adult, an al dente texture to my vegetables. if they must be cooked.

Try different methods - roasting, sauteeing, steaming, etc.
Maybe she won't eat boiled broccoli but she'll eat sauteed bell pepper strips or kale chips.

Another thing I do even now is to mix my veggies in with the side dish. As much as I like broccoli, once it goes cold, it totally grosses me out - but if I stir them in with my rice or potatoes, that texture gets lost in the mix.

And of course hiding works. I do this even now. Add extra peppers, spinach, etc to casseroles, sauces and soups. Puree them if you think your kids will make a fuss.

Good luck!