I have a 3 year old who WILL NOT eat vegatables. Many times hard to get him to eat anything at all.?

Question

He will ask for a waffle at breakfast, and then only eat a few bites. Then in the evening time it seems like he purges. He wants this after that. He is VERY slim, only 27 lbs, and he is healthy, but we just have a hard time getting him to eat much, ESPECIALLY vegatables. I do offer them, and my husband and I love them and eat them in front of him. He is just stuborn!! We even tried growing them ourselves thinking that might make him feel pride of accomplishement and at least try them, but he won't even try them. I hope it goes away with age. HELP!!!

Answer 1

Ok, broccoli is baby trees. Call it that, and he'll eat it. Should be enough vitamins until he's ready to try vegetables. Corn is usually not considered a veggie by kids either.

Answer 2

This too shall pass. My son did the same thing, I just started giving him smaller portions and more portions throughout the day. So if at breakfast he only eats 3 bites, put it away for a couple of hours, heat it back up and give him 3 or 4 more bites.
This age they are just too busy to take time out to eat. Do not force food that you think he should eat, if you don't make a big deal out of it, it won't become an issue. Choose your battles...food should never be one of them. You don't want the kiddo to have food issues later in life. I never made my kid eat meatloaf, he hated the sight and smell until just a few years ago, he started eating it and green beans to boot. It comes with age. Give him vitamins and healthy snaks, make them fun, Kraft foods.com has a great idea to make veg. appealing to the younger kids, heck they make them so I like looking at them. Give that a try.
Good luck, remember he will not starve, he's just busy right now.

Answer 3

I think most kids go through a phase like this. In my experience it's usually because they are too busy playing and doing other things to eat. I wouldn't worry too much...he won't starve and eventually he will start eating normally. My daughter is 3 also and has just gone into a really fussy stage. She just seems to be living on toast, eggs, yoghurt and kiwi fruit!

It's maybe that he'd rather nibble during the day. Have you tried putting a plate of things on the side that he can nibble on when he wants? Maybe some bits of cheese, breadsticks, raw carrot, tomatoes. If he doesn't think you're trying to make him eat them he might try it? Will he take youghurt drinks? My daughter loves these.

I know it's very frustrating, I've been there but he will grow out of it. Vitamin supplements might help, but in my experience I've never been able to get them to take them! Hope it works out.

Answer 4

My nephew was the same way for a while but he got
over it. The trick was that his parents made a "big deal" out
of the meals everynight, for example, when mom was cooking
she would gloat about how good it was going to be and how the
child wasn't going to get any of it.
Its kind of a reverse-psychology thing. If the child thinks you
don't want him to have any, then he'll want some automatically!
or if that doesnt work, you can have a eating contest and see who wins (Im sure the child will win if he gains a few pounds!)

Answer 5

I have 4 kids an I find that tough love is the best love in the world. They may not like it , but they will thank me later in life. If they dont eat their veggies then they shouldnt get snacks. If they like them, If not then take away something they each love dearly an dont give it back until they start to eat. Think about they way u're parents use to do u. If it was bad then use it in a good way. Feel me?

Answer 6

I can only sympathise. My son was on a hunger strike from birth until age 3. I actually consulted a child food pschycologist, I was that desparate.

I wont tell you to let it slide or whatever. If you want him to eat vegetables, you should have a successful method....

I used to grate vegies into things that he did like, like meat fingers (long rolls of ground meat) and tuna patties (we call them tuna cakes). He also never wanted to eat fruit, but his preschool only allowed fruit and vegies as a snack, so after a year of not being able to snack on junk, he likes grapes, watermelon, melon, apples etc - as long as they are cut up. I sometimes make kebabs of vegetables and call them lollipops. I make an excuse for him to deserve a treat when I make them, so he thinks that it is a treat which I would not giev him for a meal - works wonders!

Cooked (strained) vegetables are overrated. The nutrients leech into the water and are lost. use steamed vegetables for nutritious kebabs, or raw, cut into funny shapes. We do faces as we go along, and he can eat the eyes and mouth as I cut them out, and then the face.

It may go away with age, it may not - but best of luck until it does!

Answer 7

Try some baby carrots with dip. Kids always go for that. Another popular vegetable is baby corn, or edamame (which is actually soy). A rule that I have seen work again and again is the "Vegetables First" rule, where the kdis (and adults) must eat their veggies before anything else on their plate.

Answer 8

two ways i would do it...bargain with him, offer rewards. he is old enough to understand that he cant leave the table till he eats them. but this might make him hate them more. my daughter wouldn't eat them, i bargained that she can have a NEW toy of her choice if she tried them, or dessert i did many things, like rented movies. eventually it became habit to just eat them and leave the table, she never thought twice.MY SON gheesh, Lil turd, he sat at the table for three hours before he broke down, and then said, that's not so bad..........i had to start with corn and carrots and work up to broccoli and stuff.........to this day though my both my son and daughter WILL NOT eat peas, refuse to the end.

Answer 9

I have a four year old and she would not eat them cooked. She loves them raw. Try giving them to him raw with some type of dressing. It will go way with age in some kids. As long as he is heathly don't worry about it

Answer 10

Totally Normal for a child his age, I have one just like him. We have taken him to doctors they say he will eat in time, but he is not going to starve himself. Your son knows what his body needs to function so just go with it for now he will be fine, feed him what he wants he will grow out of it. Good Luck and by the way try Pediasure http://www.pediasure.com/homepage.cfm my son loves it and it is a Great Supplement!