5 Tips for Getting Picky Kids to
Eat Fruits and Vegetables
Eat Fruits and Vegetables
By Teresa Kolvek
toddlerdish.com
toddlerdish.com
Is your child super-picky? It’s sometimes tough to know
whether cautious eaters, as I like to call them, are getting
proper nutrition. Here are a few strategies that have
worked for getting my toddler to eat her fruits and
vegetables. Every kid is different, but some of these tips
might just work for you, too.
1. Bake fruits or vegetables into quick bread or muffins.
My daughter’s favorite are apple-banana muffins.
2. Make a yummy casserole. My girl likes rice and cheese,
so I make her a cheesy broccoli and brown rice casserole.
She won't eat broccoli by itself, but doesn't seem to mind it
in this dish.
3. Stir some pureed carrots or sweet potatoes into
macaroni and cheese. The trick with this is to be careful
not to change the color or the taste much. Orange or
yellow veggies work best here.
4. Offer dried fruits. For example, some kids won’t eat
grapes, but like raisins. These are highly portable, too.
(Caution - may be a choking hazard for young toddlers.)
5. This may sound strange, but try offering a single bite-
sized bit of fruit on a dish by itself. My daughter seems to
like for her food to be separated and neat-looking. When
she eats the first piece of diced peach, I put down the
second, and so on. She ends up eating more than she
would have had I given her the entire serving at once.
I've also found that if you offer the fruit or vegetable at the
beginning of a meal when your child is hungriest, as an
"appetizer," he or she is much more likely to try it. Also,
remember never to force your child to eat. It can take a lot
of extra effort and creative thinking to get your kids to eat
what‘s good for them. But hey, one day they might thank
you for it.
whether cautious eaters, as I like to call them, are getting
proper nutrition. Here are a few strategies that have
worked for getting my toddler to eat her fruits and
vegetables. Every kid is different, but some of these tips
might just work for you, too.
1. Bake fruits or vegetables into quick bread or muffins.
My daughter’s favorite are apple-banana muffins.
2. Make a yummy casserole. My girl likes rice and cheese,
so I make her a cheesy broccoli and brown rice casserole.
She won't eat broccoli by itself, but doesn't seem to mind it
in this dish.
3. Stir some pureed carrots or sweet potatoes into
macaroni and cheese. The trick with this is to be careful
not to change the color or the taste much. Orange or
yellow veggies work best here.
4. Offer dried fruits. For example, some kids won’t eat
grapes, but like raisins. These are highly portable, too.
(Caution - may be a choking hazard for young toddlers.)
5. This may sound strange, but try offering a single bite-
sized bit of fruit on a dish by itself. My daughter seems to
like for her food to be separated and neat-looking. When
she eats the first piece of diced peach, I put down the
second, and so on. She ends up eating more than she
would have had I given her the entire serving at once.
I've also found that if you offer the fruit or vegetable at the
beginning of a meal when your child is hungriest, as an
"appetizer," he or she is much more likely to try it. Also,
remember never to force your child to eat. It can take a lot
of extra effort and creative thinking to get your kids to eat
what‘s good for them. But hey, one day they might thank
you for it.
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About the Author
Teresa Kolvek and her husband, Tony, are the proud
parents of a beautiful and spirited toddler named Amelia.
Teresa Kolvek and her husband, Tony, are the proud
parents of a beautiful and spirited toddler named Amelia.
