2 year old won't eat vegetables...

ooobedoo

I can't comment to much as I have a gannett(sp?) but my son went off mushrooms so I called them appletts and he ate them, whilst shopping in tesco last week, he said 'mummy, mushrooms are appletts aren't they' busted!!!!

I was bribed by a uncle when I was young, £5 if I ate all my green and I love them now.....maybe I think I am going to get money when I eat them.....

Quietgirl

All i can say is that my 5 year old would never eat vedge when she was younger. Now she s gone from one extreme to the other and loves vedge especially sprouts. I never though my child would ever it vedge. I think there tastes change often.

caseystar

My kids have been eating vegetables since a very early age (dd is 5 and ds is 2). But to keep it interesting for them, i mix mashed potatoe and turnip to make a mountain, brocolli and cauliflower as trees, peas to make rocks etc and make islands. Works everytime.

Psykicpup

I agree with the above posts but would like to add just gentle reminder that when she refuses the lovely healthy food you have slaved over she is NOT refusing your love! - Even thats exactly how it feels! (Been there, done that!)

As long as you dont give in and continue to put just a tiny bit on her plate & she sees you enjoying veg, she will come round.After all it is just her age.

Hubby & I used to make a huge fuss of something that the LO (dd & ds) wouldnt eat & wasnt on their plate & when they asked about it would offer them a taste off our plate (other peeps food always tastes better doesnt it lol)

Kit_Kat_Kate

What about getting her to help you make a few simple snacks?
Putting 5 peas on the plate try to get her to eat them? Start small?

emmaroids

if my 2 year old refuses to eat her veg, i will clean her up and send her away,

she soon returns to finish her food.

CazW_2

First off.. i haven't read the other replies as I'm just aboput to start dinner and just know i'll forget to reply to this if i leave it till later so if this has already been sujested..SORRY!! lol


My now 4 year old used to make a real full about veg when she was about 2 and i found taking her shopping with me to pick the veg helped quite alot...and also her grandparents grow alot of veg and being able to go out into the garden and pick it, clean it then eat it...she loved it!!

Now we grow our own veg too and my youngest who is now 2 is really loving watching everything grow... this is also a great way to save some money on your shopping

HTH
Caz

Bach_Off

I could recommend a couple of things. My girlies have eaten much more vegetables since buying (and using!!!) a steamer. The texture and taste is much better than anything I've previously microwaved or lightly boiled.

I'd also say to watch your timings of meals (too tired to eat-too tired to try) and try some of Annabel Karmel's receipes - especially some of the soup ones.

Lastly, not sure how old your 2 year is (i.e. just 2 or closer to 3), but Lauren Child does a very funny book about faddy eating 'I will not ever never eat a tomato', peas are not peas, they are green drops from Mars!

Best of luck...

wickywocky

There's a great book called My Child Won't Eat! How to prevent and solve the problem by Carlos Gonzalez. He basically says don't worry about it. Don't try to bribe, cajole, trick etc just offer a range of healthy food and relax. It's very pro breastfeeding and therefore might irritate some people who, for what ever reason, did not breastfeed.

We used to have battles with my son, now 4 and three quarters. Life got so much better once we stopped trying to get him to eat and let him choose. We talk to him about balanced diet, and what different foods do for him and why he needs them. Now he's willing to try new things and eats foods he previously wouldn't (and won't eat things he previously would!). I hope it's setting him up for good eating habits later - learning to only eat what he needs, not to feel he's got to eat things just because they are on his plate. Is food less wasted if you eat it when you don't need it than if you throw it away?

I do occasionally get him involved in cooking with me and he enjoys shopping and helping choose. I also often put food in dishes on the table so he helps himself to what he wants.

We don't normally do desserts but if he's not had much main course I'll do him some custard with fruit (bananas or just pour hot custard over frozen berries - defrosts the berries and instantly cools down the custard), yogurt and honey (and hopefully banana) or a bowl of cereal (my aim being that he doesn't wake up hungry during the night or in an awful mood the next morning).

Hope I'm not coming accross as super-mum, I'm far from it. Different things work for different families and the things I've mentioned are things that have improved our lives a bit. The range of foods he eats is so limited I often dispair about what to feed the family, and I can't do the "hidden" ingredients because he doesn't like mixed up food, so it's far from perfect but it is improving.

katglasgow

I struggled with my DS from age 18 months up to this kind of age until eventually I decided to get tough - I work 30 hours a week and dont have time to prepare more than 1 meal at dinner time! I cut down the size of his portions a bit as I think I was giving him too much and tried to make dinner more appealing by using the happy face technique but I starting saying to him that if he didnt eat - or at lest try - everything o his plate he wouldnt get his yoghurt. I dotforce him but its his choice. I also dont put more than I "new item" on his plate at a time, e.g. consintently given him carrotys as his veg until he's happy eating it, then go for peas etc... He's now 3 and a half and even my mum (proper old styler) now comments on how much better he is at eating and he enjoys meal times. As he has got older, his undertsanding of blackmail has worked even better - he will try almost any new food if its Sunday as he knows thats the day we get ice cream for pudding!