I know. There are people out there who will happily tell you that they have no problems getting their preschooler to eat vegetables, there there are those like me. That's right. After all the healthy eating, exercising and living I model for my little one, he can, at times, become a little... um... difficult to get to eat his vegetables. There are many tricks for a parent's sanity, and I welcome reader comments on other suggestions, but here are a few that I've tried that seem to work... at least some of the time.
1.) Discipline- yes, I know it's not a trick, but sometimes, frankly, it's just about making him eat the peas- even if it takes 3.5 hours... now that I've gotten that part out of the way, here's what you can do the other 364 days in the year ;-)
2.) Deception- no, I don't necessarily mean outright lie to your child, but sometimes a little misinformation is useful. Yesterday, when I wanted my little one to eat some spaghetti, I had to sort of guide him to believe that the whole wheat pasta was the same as the white pasta he likes... guess what... he finished the plate. Sometimes, a little "it's yummy!" is enough to get the kid to eat something. Telling him/her that it's something else helps, so long as eventually you turn it into an object lesson as to why they should give new food... or previously thought of as yucky... might actually taste good. Even telling him/her that the last time they tried it they loved it occasionally works.
3.) Misdirection- this is when you hide the vegetable in something they really want. This evening, my son wanted a grilled cheese sandwich, so I made him one with my homemade bread, muenster cheese, and spinach... don't tell him about the spinach, because I hid the spinach and misdirected him to not notice the green in his sandwich. He finished it without saying a word. Some parents have hidden various veggies in mashed potatoes by just blending them into the whole mixture. Other parents will bury the veggie in cheese, etc. Look, I'm all about being open and honest with your child, but when we all leave la-la land and realize that ultimately our child needs vegetables and there just aren't enough hours in the day to "wait here as long as it takes" for him/her to consume the healthy grub, you make do. I even knew a parent whose children loved broccoli- of course in my presence there was also a cake, and they were simply dipping the broccoli into the icing... not that I fully recommend this, but the kid ate his broccoli and it gave my kid a little encouragement to eat his, so God bless him!
4.) Fruit- don't underestimate the nutrients found in fruit and simply counting it as a fruit/vegetable serving. There's really nothing wrong with this, but it's important that we don't work against ourselves and work to develop too sweet a tooth in their life. You want them to eat fruits AND vegetables because there are benefits in both that, when balanced, equal a very good diet.
5.) Find a veggie they will eat- there's always something they will eat. Tomatoes, broccoli, olives, pickles. That's what he wants. Cucumbers are acceptable on occasion, especially if they are dipped in ranch dressing. He will eat peas and green beans- IF I push, so it's all about patience on my part. Forget about carrots and celery. The only issue here is that we need to develop the child's palate, so it's worth it to try and encourage new things. But if there's something they have eaten and liked in the past, then develop that by pushing a little harder when they decide they "don't like that!"
6.) Call it something else- broccoli is "little trees" for example
7.) Make it fun- have a green bean eating race... for every two bites of veggies eaten, let them do something fun for a few minutes, then back to eating.
8.) Scream until they are crying... wait... that's an example of what NOT to do.
9.) Decide an activity that you will do with them, but only once they have finished the food
10.) Juice- please ONLY 100% juice and ONLY on occasion. I am not a fan, nor am I an advocate of juice, but when pressed, some juices contain vegetables and can be useful to get nutrients into them... but remember, we are not trying to develop a sweet tooth, we are trying to develop a palate that desires and looks for healthy, good foods that aren't unnaturally sweet. A lot of juices contain a lot of sugar, so avoid sugary drinks and go only after those that are naturally sweet... then, limit the consumption to either a single serving or 1/2 a serving... what would be really fun is to reward your kid for eating his/her vegetables with a homemade fruit/vegetable combination combination juice... it's a win-win!
Please send other suggestions, now I need to get this kid to EAT HIS PEAS!
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