Most toddlers are not fond of fruits and vegetables. Therefore, parents have difficulty getting their toddlers to eat fruits and vegetables. Sometimes, parents spend hours trying to get their kids to eat these foods. This makes meal times a frustrating experience for toddlers and their parents. However, this does not have to be the case. You can encourage your toddler to eat more fruits and vegetables with the right tips.
Below are some useful tips and things to try:
Repeated exposure
Toddlers are not typically fans of trying new things. Therefore, getting them to eat foods they do not see often will not be easy. So, you can familiarise your toddler with fruits and veggies by making them part of a daily meal plan. Additionally, buying them games or books and videos related to foods and vegetables would be wise and could spark their curiosity.
Add the fruits and veggies to other food
If you cannot get your toddler to eat veggies and fruits, it would be wise to incorporate these foods into other meals. This way, your toddler does not know they are eating the veggies and fruits. You can chop or blend the fruits and vegetables before adding them to different foods, like muffins, eggs, and meatballs. Food processors with various settings, like the ones from Kenwood, are the perfect kitchen tools to help you achieve this.
Use fun shapes and other enticing presentations
When chefs and professional food servers study their respective courses, one of the things they learn is food presentation. Attractive food presentation is not only ideal when you have guests. Your toddler may also enjoy an enticing food presentation. For instance, you can cut the fruits into fun shapes or use attractive plates. Doing so will get your child excited to eat the food. It will also give them something to look forward to at meal time.
Offer vegetables and smoothies as snacks
Toddlers associate the term “snack” with special and good foods. Therefore, you can condition your child to view vegetables and fruits as snacks, eliminating the negative views they associate with these foods. For snack time, you can create creative snacks like smoothies and popsicles out of fruits and vegetables.
Involve them in the cooking process
Many parents have shared that their kids eat better when you involve them in cooking. This is mainly because they feel a sense of pride in the food they helped prepare. Therefore, you may benefit from allowing your child to be part of the cooking or preparation of the fruits and veggies. For instance, you can let your toddler help you wash the fruits and veggies.
Eat them together
Eating veggies and fruits together is also a great way to encourage your kids to eat them. You can incorporate them into the entire family’s meals so your child does not feel different.
While the tips above are helpful, they do not work the same on all toddlers. For instance, some toddlers may respond to some tips better than others. Furthermore, you can try several other things to get your toddler to eat veggies and fruits. So, feel free to share the tips that work for you outside this list.
