how do i get my 21 month old toddler to eat fruit and veg?

Answer 1

You just have to keep giving them some, as finger foods maybe. It is reckoned that you need to give a child a new food at least 7 times to accustom them to the taste. If they refuse it the first few times, persist. The sooner you start the better, my grandson, and my kids before that, had friut and veg as their first meals once they started on solids.
Try parsnips, sweet potato, corn, they are all quite mild but slighly sweet and most children seen to love them. You can roast them as chips, or mash them.

Answer 2

My son is now 20.5 lbs and last time I checked 29 3/4 inches (at 10 months when he was 18 lbs). He does not look at all heavy and most people tell me he is "so little' but think he is tall. He will be 1 in 2 weeks. He is still breast fed (every 3 to 5 hours) but also eats solids. He is starting to wean from the breast and is drinking 8-10 oz of water a day. We will be starting milk soon. He does not eat any meats and refuses (gags on) pastas. He eats a banana and 1/2 cup of cheerios or yogurt for breakfast, Sometimes has a snack of whole grain crackers or gerber puffs Two jars of stage 2 veggies with 1/4 of Rice cereal for lunch. 1/2 cup of applesauce or other fruit for a snack (when he asks for food after nap) We try to feed him some of what we eat for dinner so it varies - Steamed veggies, breads or 2 more jars of stage 2 food (one fruit, one veggie). Sometimes before bed he will ask for another snack and gets a 1/2 cup of Cheerios or Puffs, or more Rice cereal with juice or applesauce. A suggestion: if she can eat eggs it may be a good substitute for the meats - my son loves them hard boiled and scrambled.

Answer 3

My husband and I have been going through this since our son (23 months) got off jarred baby food. He loved fruits and veggies from the jar, but as soon as he started eating finger foods, he wanted nothing to do with them. We offered him veggies with every meal, and he'd take a bite and spit it out. He loves italian food though, so we use lots of fresh tomato sauce, and I put chopped spinach and broccoli in everything. He doesn't realized he's eating it. He also loves pizza (what toddler doesn't) so rather than giving him plain cheese, we always get a supreme pizza with lots of veggies and meat. He has no problem eating that. As for the fruit, he used to love applesauce, but then decided to spit it out every time we offered it to him. Now we mix one container of no sugar added natural applesauce to 1 packet of oatmeal. It gets the fruit into his belly and also cools down the oatmeal to the perfect temp for little mouths. Another thing we give him is dried fruit. He absolutely loves it. We also make lots of blueberry pancakes and waffles. We just try to mix things up so he gets the nutrients he needs. If you still can't get your child to eat them after you've tried everything that has been suggested by everyone, talk to your doctor. Even if he can't give you any suggestions, he can give you a good multivitamin that will help provide the nutrients your toddler needs. Good luck!

Answer 4

Most young children will reject strange flavours at first, they need to try them several times. Just keep including fruit and vegetables with every meal. Eat as a family as often as possible and let your child see the rest of the family enjoying them. Do not make an issue out of it. Don't force it on them just encourge them to try a little bit and don't be afraid to offer the same food many times over, they need to get used to new flavours. If the child doesn't want to eat it, don't make them. Just take it away and try again another day.

Answer 5

What about coating your fruit in Yoghurt? Or involving your children in preparing the veg (in a safe way).

I am a fine one to speak as I don't like it but it is slightly more enjoyable if:

Its a fruit salad rather than just one fruit
Its a fruit smoothie
Veg is in a sauce

You have a hard job!

Answer 6

Serve it with dip. Give your child the fruit and their own dipping container and let them at it.

At that age, you could feed them their supper mixed up. Make it mostly peas, a little potato and a couple pieces of meat. The veggies will just get caught up in the taters and he'll have to eat them.

I don’t know what else to tell you, my two love fruit and veggies, but they’ve never had a choice. They just have to eat what they’ve been served and if they don’t then I save their plates for later in case they ask for a snack.

Answer 7

I bought some of that fruit dip(or you cn just use yogart) for the fruit and ranch for the veggies and let your toddler dip his/her fruit or veggies-I had to figure out SOMETHING so my youngest would at least TRY them-now she loves fruit alone and even eats all her veggies-even cooked!!! Don't make it sound like a punishment either-act like it is a special treat-mine fell for it!

Answer 8

at 21 months children do tend to be fussy with what they eat, I know my son was. Have you tried eating it at the same time to show them that its nice, or why dont you make funny faces with t. Also you could try puree'ing it and giving it like that with a bit of jam. Kids never want to eat the good stuff lol

Answer 9

Give them the veggies first. Once they are done, they can have the rest.

And remember if they are picky eaters always wait until they are used to eating the veggies before you start them on fruit or they will never want the veggies again.

Answer 10

I used to mash carrots and put it between buttered toast for
my toddlers. Cut in unique shapes like triangles and circles.
I used to hate yellow squash the only way I could even eat it without gagging was puting it in a hamburger roll with catsup and mustard!