how to make my baby eat vegetables?

Question

My 11 month old son will only eat toast, yoghurt, chopped up apples, mashed potato and chocolate. I know that the food he eats now can set up his likes and dislikes for the rest of his life and so I want to get him to start liking healthy food now but other than mashed potato he won't eat anything unless it is sweet.

I've tried so many combinations and mashing vegetables into his mashed potato but he just hits the spoon away and won't even taste anything unless it's yoghurt, apple or mashed potato.

Did you ever have this problem and how did you work it out?
Thank You

What a great idea Mrs.I! I will try that. I should point out that the only chocolate he eats is from his Advent calendar though. One tiny piece of chocolate per day. I will certainly try to put 2 pieces of food on the same spoon. It sounds so simple but if your mum has fostered then she must have a Lot of experience so you might be on to something there!
Thank You! I'll give that one a try in the morning.

Answer 1

Try putting yoghurt on the front of the sppon and then some vegetables behind it. Most fussy children will eat this way quite happily as they like getting the sweet taste of yoghurt in their mouth.

My mother is a foster carer and i remember she once looked after two children who refused to eat anything apart from yoghurt or cheese, so to get them to eat other foods she used the method i described above - giving a spoonful of cottage pie or rice with yoghut on the tip of the spoon. I know it may not sound very appeling to us adults, but it got the children to eat a variety of different foods.

Also, try offfering him sweet vegetables to eat such as swede and potato mash or mashed sweet potatos. You could also try giving him sticks of vegetables such as carrots, tomatos and cucumber to try, as some kids prefer eating vegetables raw.

Answer 2

Babies naturally like sweet things. That is why to an extent formulas are sweet, so is your breast milk. You have to train them to like other things. Your baby will hit the spoon away or spit it out but don't get discouraged, just keep giving it to him. Let it be the first thing he tastes each meal and for several more spoons there after. Here and then, give him what he likes, then go back to it again, don't mix it together. You want him to taste individual foods one at a time to develope taste. Eventually, he'll start looking forward to it. Good luck!

Answer 3

Mine always ate what they were given - and still do aged 15 and 16.

If he's hungry enough, he'll eat it. And try withdrawing chocolate till further notice, he doesn't need it.

Try feeding him at family mealtimes, when everyone's sitting up to the table. Just give him what everyone else is having, give him a spoon and let him get on with it. If he wants to use his fingers, let him. See what he makes of sausages!

Answer 4

I had a problem with my son's diet too.
He's 16 months now, but at around 12 months this is how I started his daily diet:
Breakfast- weetbix and warm milk (wheat based cereal if you aren't australian!) It fills their tummies with good food for a good start to the day, and the energy burns slowly so they stay fuller longer
Lunch- sandwich with either shaved ham, cheese or vegemite, a tub of yoghurt and half an orange, banana or strawberries
Dinner- now we bought this book and I swear by it. Not only are the recipes great for babies/kids, they feed the adults too! (sooo yummy)! Its called "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry's wife).
I saw it on Oprah, and haven't looked back since! Its about making vegetable puree's and hiding them in foods like macaroni and cheese, even brownies! Take a look and you will be so surprised. I swear by it.
Hope that helps!

Answer 5

Oh how annoying are some people, don't give him chocolate blah blah blah. Whats a little bit of chocolate going to hurt for goodness sake. My daughter has had chocolate since 8 months old , its a lovely treat & any sensible parent doesn't give them too much anyway.
The one thing we do with veggies is melt cheese all over them, my girl loves cheese & its great for her calcium intake. sometimes she just like cheese grated on top of pieces of veg so she can pick at them. Just afew mouthfuls of veg a day is enough for now.

Answer 6

just keep offering him vegetables it takes so many times before a child will start liking things he used to not like. it will take time and patience but he'll get it. Try adding cinnamon to diced carrots and sweet potatoes. Offer more table food and less baby food, he's ready for that any way, maybe he's just being independent in his eating and doesn't want you feeding him anymore.

Answer 7

Don't make a huge deal out of it, that will just turn it into a power struggle. Remember as a parent you are responsible for the WHAT, and the child is responsible for the HOW MUCH and the WHEN.

At mealtimes give him a plate of what everyone else is eating and just leave him be, if he eats he eats.

Seriously though at 11 months he should be feeding himself except for messy things like yogurt. And even then he should be practicing with spoon feeding himself.

Answer 8

Lots of fruits and vegetables are naturally sweet. Sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, mango, apricots, and others can be steamed to enhance the sweetness, and make them soft enough for a baby to chew.

The key is to keep presenting healthy choices and eliminate unhealthy choices (he can't eat what's not there). It can take 10-15 presentations of a food before a baby will accept it.

Answer 9

you could try the sweeter veggies first like sweet potato's, but with my own kids-i'm a big meanie, i didn't give them the choice. if they didn't want to eat it for lunch then that is what they got for snack or dinner. until they made the realization that i am the parent not the other way around! Good luck!

Answer 10

i would try and do what i do give my son his dinna of mash n veg let him pick at it and put yogurt in with it if he likes yogurt then he sees it in then he wont care or mash veg up with the mash thats another way to do it