Introducing a toddler to new foods

Northern78

Hi all

Just after some advice about introducing a toddler to new foods. DS is 2 and half and to be fair he does eat fairly well, likes potatoes, peas, carrots, corn on the cob but I'm finding it a struggle to get him to eat different veg or salad. We've just had salad for tea and as expected he didn't touch it. I took some off his plate and on to another and asked him to just eat that but he wouldn't. I don't want meal times to turn into a battle but I do want him to give things a go.

Thanks in advance!!

Melonade

Let him help make it and even pick at things while he's helping. Another that worked for us is to make silly faces with the food then you can say stuff like "go on eat the nose or hair"

LannieDuck

Hi, my 2 1/2 year old is exactly the same, with almost the exact same veg that she likes (carrots, peas, sweetcorn, occasionally broccolli).

She does well with a wide variety of fruit, but doesn't really like trying veg that she's not familiar with. I'm keen to get her used to eating a wider variety (sweet potato and parsnips are on my target list), and had success last week with avocado but only on the third attempt (I managed to get her to nibble it the first two times). My plan is to get her to have one nibble of the new veg each time I offer it to her before I let her go on to pudding, and then she can leave the rest of it if she wants (until next time).

Her nursery said that she has salad with meals there, but when I asked more closely, they admitted that most of the kids just push it around their plates!

HTH

GwylimT

Babies and toddlers naturally avoid plants, we have always just fed our children whatever we eat, so while they may leave a certain part for a while they do end up trying it.

mr_knight

I just put things on my LO's plate. She is good and will try most things if she sees us eating it. Her new thing is pickled beetroot, she doesn't very often eat it off her plate but is more than happy to eat it from the jar as I am serving up (i just pop it in a separate bowl piece by piece). She never ate cucumber until a couple of weeks back. I just put it on her plate if we had it and now she loves it

We made potato salad yesterday, I didn't think she would eat it but I let her pick some parsley and mix it in and she ate it. I think getting her to help make things does make some difference.

Northern78

Thanks all.

LannieDuck our toddlers are the same! He'll give any kind of fruit a go but veg is a struggle. He tried a gooseberry today, his face was a picture!

Yeah I remember reading something about babies and toddlers being programmed to avoid plants.

Well I'll give the smiley face a go and see ofnwe have any success, if not I'll try again in a couple of months.

Like I say I'm not worried about this diet as he'd quite happily eat fruit all day but it would be nice if he had a bit more variety when it came to veg and salad.

Tenyearstogo

Pick your battles.

If your child eats some veg then offer that vegetable at meals. We always have a variety of veg as my youngest is very fussy due to a physical eating disorder. He reacted to many foods so we ended up with a range of about ten foods he could tolerate. The physical side then got into a psychological barrier. It was hellish but we are progressing now.

Introduce new veg in addition to the exist veg. My youngest has happily started eating lettuce now but is only just comfortable with cucumber. Now that we are up to two salad veg, I'm introducing tomato to his plate. I don't expect it to be eaten voluntarily for another few months.

Northern78

Tenyearstogo you're right, it's all about picking the battles. Sometimes I do think I expect too much of him.

Wouldn't life be so much easier if kids came with a user manual!

tyllwyd

I'd say don't make a fuss about it, but do keep putting it on the plate so its there if they want to try it (or if they do it accidentally). If you are eating the food, they will try it eventually - maybe not until they are teenagers, but as long as they are eating basic veg they will be fine.

pawsies

I would turn it into a game. Try a bit of reverse psychology, boys never listen anyway This is only for kids that are confident and don't often listen.

Ok I put this courgette on your plate but I don't want you to eat it. If he goes to it then say oh no don't eat that! I would suggest that you overdramatise it and also if your child is nervous or likes to listen then don't do this game as it may reverse their behaviour or make them worry about the food.

sulkisu

Northern78 wrote: »

Thanks all.

LannieDuck our toddlers are the same! He'll give any kind of fruit a go but veg is a struggle. He tried a gooseberry today, his face was a picture!

Yeah I remember reading something about babies and toddlers being programmed to avoid plants.

Well I'll give the smiley face a go and see ofnwe have any success, if not I'll try again in a couple of months.

Like I say I'm not worried about this diet as he'd quite happily eat fruit all day but it would be nice if he had a bit more variety when it came to veg and salad.

Have you tried putting vegetables in the fruit bowl? Ok I know it sounds silly, but at that age they don't really know the difference between fruit and vegetables, unless it is treated differently. DS1 still thinks that cherry tomatoes and cherries are pretty much the same thing. I serve a bowl of strawberries and cherry tomatoes mixed together.