Getting a toddler to eat anything other than fruit snacks and pizza can be challenging. And to be honest, if I were to choose what I got to eat, I’d rather eat those things too. We know a diet full of chocolate and twinkies isn’t the best option for our kids, so how do we help our kids to develop healthy eating habits while they’re young?
I’ve been able to get both of my kids to eat lots of fruits and veggies each meal, but I’ve had to be a little sneaky in how I did it. Here’s how I’ve managed to get both of my kids to eat healthy food.
Veggies First
I started giving my kids a helping of veggies first. For example, if I’m prepping food in the kitchen, I’ll let my one-year-old try food while we’re cooking. A lot of the time, she’s hungry and I’ve gotten her to eat lots of broccoli and green beans when it’s treated like a special snack.
Yesterday, she was my kitchen helper and I set the family’s bowl of green beans on the floor and told her she could try a couple of them while I was finishing the rest of dinner. When I turned around a few minutes later, she had eaten all but three of the entire bowl of green beans. Even though I had to make more veggies for the rest of us to eat, I wasn’t that mad…my kid had just devoured a whole bowl of green beans!
Also, I’ve also been successful by giving my kids a helping of veggies on their plate first. I put a few veggies and a small helping of a food they really like, like mac and cheese. For them to get another helping of mac and cheese they have to eat a bite or two of the veggies first.
Limit Snacks
I’ve noticed that when we are at a family gathering like Christmas and I’ve let my kids snack all day that they’re far less likely to eat healthy foods. When they snack, they’re not as hungry so they don’t eat much at meal times. I’ve found that limiting snacks to a few times a day has been helpful in developing good eaters.
They choose when they’re full
I don’t require my kids to finish everything on their plates as I think this encourages overeating. I feel my kids know when they’re full and I trust them to stop when they’re ready.
However, if my child asks to be excused from the table after eating one or two bites, I inform that child they won’t get another chance to eat until the next meal. That way, they don’t come back to me in two minutes and tell me they’re starving.
Read: 3 Proven Phrases to Prevent Mealtime Battles
Get Sneaky – Think Outside of The Box
In our house, veggies get snuck into food in lots of ways. Zucchini gets added to meatloaf or cauliflower to our Mac n Cheese. I also have noticed that if it’s on mom’s plate it just looks better to my kids. Many times I’ll give myself an extra helping of salad and let my kids try a bit of mommy’s food. Usually, they’re overjoyed to try some of my food and I get them to try new foods that way.
I’ve tried lots of things, when my one-year-old was just starting on solids she wouldn’t touch broccoli. I knew she loved bread, so I’d roll a small piece of broccoli in some bread and got her to eat her broccoli that way. I’ve also bought applesauce that has carrots or veggies mixed in.
As a mom, it’s no doubt that it’s hard to get your kids to eat veggies. I’d rather eat ice cream for lunch too. But I’ve found that kids will eat lots of veggies if you work with them.
What are some creative ways you’ve found to get your kids to eat their veggies?
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