It seems like most parents go through that phase where even if their toddler showed interest in vegetables earlier on, they get to a point where they will only eat one vegetable or none at all. In this post, I’m actually going to mention other ways for your toddler to get some of the same vitamins he or she is missing out on since their disgust for veggies has set in. I hope you enjoy my tips to get your toddler to eat more vegetables:
Here are my tips:
1) Go with the flow. Don’t fret about your toddler not eating certain things at the moment. They are people too and they go through phases just like adults do. I mean, have your taste buds changed over the course of your life? Mine have! You just have to ride this out. It’s just a phase.
2) Stay along the lines of what he or she likes and use that to your advantage. Here are some examples:
a) My son loves pasta so I only will make whole grain pasta instead of the white flour kind. Whole wheat pasta has a lot of fiber and protein. I actually do whole grain everything, even brown rice. He enjoys that too.
b) Along the same lines of pasta, try pastas with vegetable flours. At the natural store we bought this kale and spinach ravioli. It had a cheese filling with spinach inside. It was tasty and my son loved it.
c) My son likes meat. He really enjoyed my mother in law’s turkey loaf. There are vegetables in that- onions, peppers and more. He tastes primarily the meat and gravy so he doesn’t know the difference!
d) Sometimes he will allow for me to feed him- I’m in the “I do it” phase. So I will sneak in small amounts of peas, spinach or string beans with the pasta or rice. He loves my recipe Spinach Surprise.
e) What type of milk is your child drinking? If you have already started them on dairy, perhaps try other types that have lots more vitamins and minerals like the vitamin D and calcium they need from vegetables. Provided that your child doesn’t have any allergies to these kinds, try almond milk, coconut milk or even hemp milk. I’m still nursing my little one but often he will get some of the almond milk we drink when we give him pieces of our granola cereal or Cheerios.
f) Does your toddler like those puff snacks? The natural store has organic ones that have vegetables in them. My son doesn’t like any snacks like these so it hasn’t worked for me, but if your toddler does, it is worth a try.
3) If you have a fruit lover on your hands, perhaps you can take advantage of the yummy pouches. There are pre-made organic ones in the store that mix fruit and vegetables or you can simply purée your own at home and buy the empty pouches to put the contents in them. Most toddlers like to eat on the go so this could definitely be a winner.
4) Last but not least, keep trying new things. The least expensive way to do this is to allow your little one to try what you are eating. That definitely is a way to stay accountable with trying to eat better since you have a little one who will want to try what you are having.
I hope these tips are helpful for someone out there. Toddlers can be a lot to handle, but they are wonderful gifts just the same. Here’s to all of us enjoying this lovable phase!