What is the best way to get a 2.5 year old to eat veg, meat etc?

Question

I try to offer a variety of things for her to eat but she just goes yuk and doesn't try - if she doesn't eat her dinner/lunch she doesn't get a yogurt or cake or anything else and goes without. If on the odd occasion she has eaten everything that I have given her she gets a yoghurt and a little bit of chocolate as a treat but this doesn't seem to help with getting her to eat every day. I know they only eat what they need but she doesn't snack in between meals unless she has a banana or apple if she asks for it. She seems to be getting more fussy as she gets older, when I weaned her she ate everything (and anything) I gave her!!

Answer 1

Hide it in pasta sauces etc by liquidising it. That's what i'm about to try with my 29 year old boyfriend!!

Answer 2

To only give him that option. He'll eat what you give him when he realizes that is ALL he's going to get. I have NEVER understood mothers who let picky eaters have whatever they want to eat. BS. As my mother would say....."You'll eat what I cook, or you go hungry." Sound cruel? Too bad. Not doing that is WHY kids are SO obese in this country and have crappy eating habits. Start the child right. He eats what everyone else eats (and I hope that is a good diet of lean protein, vegetables, whole grains and fruits for the most part) or he gets nothing. He'll start eating meat and veggies REALLY fast because he'll be so hungry.

Answer 3

As long as you eat a healthy diet yourself just give your 2.5 year old the same meals as you, just chop smaller they may not like everything but its good for them to try as much variety as possible and get used to different tastes. I used to liquidise cooked vegetables into gravy and poor this over there meals most kids love gravy and that way they are getting there veg even if they don't eat the solid stuff.

Answer 4

Easy, just give it to them and stop offering alternatives. They will soon get used to it. If you are eating them to, your kids will see it as normal and not something to avoid. My kids have eaten veg and so on since they could chew and much prefer a good roast for example with meat and lots of veg to say chicken nuggets and chips, infact they wont eat chicken nuggets unless they know they are breast meat and not the dodgy ****. It's all a matter of teaching them that these things are good for them and taste good. Start now or it will be harder later on. My kids are 6 and 8 now and love good food.
aj1964 and bmac above both hit the nail on the head.

Answer 5

Ive been lucky with my 19mth old son, i can put anything in front of him and he will eat it, but as for my daughter it's was a different story, i had to disguise everything, mixing carrot with mash potato etc, try making fruit smoothies with the odd carrot or broccoli stick in, they will never know!.....children will eat when they are hungry, little an often is the best key, finger foods with dips etc, but don't give in to giving them sweet things because they haven't touched their main course!....never did me any harm....my mum always said to me, if you can't eat your dinner don't expect any afters!

Answer 6

I always loved meat and veggies as a child, but I have some tips.
Buy organic, much better for you and tastes much better too than traditional.
Celery you can eat with low-fat peanut butter then they get veggies and protein
My grandma used to slice up oranges in a bowl and put some sugar in with it and I'd eat it with a spoon, very yummy (or you can use some stevia (you can get at a health food store), much safer than artificial sweeteners)
I buy Earthbound Farms carrots and ranch dip, they come in a little 3 pack, perfect size for school lunches and are very good and are organic (www.ebfarms.com)
Meat, I like to buy chicken and turkey slices and make little sandwiches with them
You can also make like a stir-fry with veggies, chicken, beef and add some flavors to it with sauce, lemon juice, olive oil, etc.
Add some flavor to the meat, I hate dry anything.....so buy some marinade mix to make chicken and other meats, Jack Daniels makes some good ones and there's others by the ketchup area
Make some pasta with cheese and throw in chicken and veggies
Add some low-fat ranch and other dips.....use Mrs. Dash to add some flavor to veggies and meat.
Also Frito-Lay introduced new chips called Flat Earth, they were by the organic foods at my grocery store, they have fruit and veggie chips (I actually liked the veggie ones a lot better) that are really good and each serving has 1/2 serving of fruit or veggies and I love them, I'm sure he/she would too, check them out, they have flavors just like regular chips
Make healthier meals and don't offer goodies often, children will only eat what you give them
Think about it, the little girl on TV who was 5 and 200+ lbs didn't get that way because she drove herself to McDonald's....
I always loved healthy foods and children will love them too when you set a positive example and eat them with them as well, this will affect her future taste in foods and eating small meals will help keep your child full and keep him/her from wanting the junk...
Try to make sure she has enough fiber to keep her full as well, I buy these bars which are good (I like the oats and peanut butter, they have one that's oats and chocolate too):
General Mills Fiber One bars, 9 grams of fiber per bar and they're very good
Make some muffins with flax, bananas, and nuts, this will give them some healthy fats and nuts in case they aren't as into meat, I love anything with flax in it, it has a nutty taste to it and it's really good for you
Hope this helps, good luck and good health to you :-)
Connie

Answer 7

My partner used a neat trick, get them involved with making the food, she started with soup, and just asked them to "dip their bread" in it, so they wern't actually eating the food, just the bread. It was not an overnight success, but no child ever starved itself too much. Just remember that you are the boss. If they really hate something you'll know.

Home made Pizza is good too, at least that way you know what's in it

Answer 8

Try "colour days"

One day she can eat everything red (apples, peppers, ketchup, tomatoes), one day everything green (peas, apples, spinach), one day yellow (chips, apples, bananas), you know... this way the fun of choosing (between basically healthy options but with the occasional treat) distracts from the fact that some stuff is just not on.

Answer 9

It seems that most kids will not eat cooked vegetables. As a kid, I use to hate cooked carrots. Try giving them raw, fresh vegetables such as green beans, cauliflower, celery and broccoli. You can have them dip it in a salad dressing.

In boiling vegetables, you tend to lose some of the nutrients. Try steaming them and you'll get the most out of them.

If you steam veggies.... don't overcook them. Only cook them until they are Hot, not mushy. Your kids might like them cooked if they still have crunch to them.

Also, not the healthiest, but salted butter will add taste to them.

Answer 10

Whatever you do, don't give in and let your kid have whatever he/she wants.

My kids always had to eat what was cooked for dinner. If they didn't like it...tough. I always insisted that they eat a little of everything. My daughter (now 21 years old) hated squash...and does to this day. But sometimes we had squash. I always made her eat at least two pieces. Yes, she balked, but she could hold her nose and eat it quickly.

What this taught them...is to eat different foods and to eat what is prepared for them. There are other foods my kids have grown to like becasue I always insisted they eat a little.

Now 2.5 years old is a little young for holding the nose and all...but the idea is to give them a variety and insist they taste things. Do not give in and let them eat nothing but chicken nuggets or french fries.

Then, do not give dessert if dinner wasn't eaten. Kids need to learn to eat their food and to eat healthy food.

Answer 11

put lots of variety on the plate they will eat what they like and leave what they dont but dont give in to quick, if they dont want that meal then they are told they will go without. dont make a big issue about one veg or meat but plenty of choice just not junk