Help! My 16 Month Old Son Won't Eat Vegetables.

Hi L.!
One thing you can try is always putting whatever veggies you are eating on his tray along with the other food he likes and let him give it to himself,either with a utensil or his fingers. You can also puree almost any kind of veggie and incorporate it into a pasta sauce, or bread dip you can even add it to meatloaf! You can make veggie bread. Same concept as above, except you incorporate it into a bread or muffin recipe. ABC stores and a lot of health food places offer freeze dried veggies, like corn, peas, carrots, apples, etc. and they pretty much dissolve in they're mouth, so there's not too much concern for choking, just make sure that he drinks extra water if you go that route. Hope this helps! Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

One way to get vegetables in to children of all ages it to mix them in puree form in other foods. Pastas, meats and even baked into breads. Or to puree or juice them and mix into beverages.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi L.! My 16 month old daughter is the same way. She refuses most all vegetables except she will eat Earth's Best organic sweet potatoes. Another way I can get veggies in her is by trying the "hide the veggies" trick. So far I have tried califlower pureed in mac n cheese and she gobbled it up. I still can't get her to eat anything green but I keep putting it on her plate. Her older sister (4 1/2) will now eat broccoli, green beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, ect. Hopefully you can get him to eat some veggies soon!
Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

Start to supplement his DIET immediatly..The easiest thing you can do is to introduct the extreme x2o into his liquids...There are over 70 Minerals and is all natural.....
check out my website and e0mail me, and I will give you more info..This product dosnt has to be DIGESTED, just ingested to work...No pills, No FLAVOUR, Nothing harmfull...
www.xoomaworldwide.com/stevenhanks

1 mom found this helpful

My 22 month old daughter is the same. Recently, I have found a way that works for her.
I make a pot of soup (chicken, usually) and put lots of veggies in it. I cook it for several hours so that everything becomes very soft and easy to mash. I take out a small amount and mash it with a spoon, and then mix it with arborio rice, which is soft. The "soup" then is not soupy, but it is soft, almost pudding like. My daughter loves to feed herself with a spoon and is able to pile a good amount of this on her spoon. It is rich in protein from the chicken and full of veggies. The whole mixture is very flavorful and she gets her veggies and her protein in one meal! It can also be done with beans and a vegetable soup as well, or really any type of soup you want to make.
I make different soups each week and I freeze small amounts so that I can vary it each day.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi L.,

I know of a great way for your son to get his fruits and vegetables every day. My 5 year old daughter has been taking a whole food product called Juice Plus+ since she was able to chew. It comes in capsule, gummie and chewable forms and is terrific for the whole family. Three gummies provides all the nutrition from 17 fruits, veggies and grains daily. My daughter is a very healthy child and I believe that she prefers to eat fruits and veggies because she consumes Juice Plus+ daily. If you'd like to hear more about it, feel free to call me at ###-###-#### or go to my website at juiceplus.com/+cs48679. Hope to hear from you!

To your families health,

C. Spinosa

1 mom found this helpful

Hi, L.
I hear you! I have an 18 mos. old and she does not like eating veggies, either. I have been successful giving her cucumber. She will only try to eat green beans if her older sister eats them,but most of the time she spits them out. I found that giving her the gerber graduate mashed potatoes with summer veggies works well. I have also tried broccoli with a little bit of butter, it sometimes works. I do give her vitamins since she doesn't eat many veggies. The doctor suggested that. I give her the gummi vitamins and tear them apart for her. Keep trying to introduce the veggies because it takes at least 10 times for a baby to take to a new food. I am going to get a creamed corn recipe from a friend and see if she'll eat that. Good Luck and keep at it.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi L.,
Have you ever tried Juice Plus+? When my youngest was 13 months old I started her on the Juice Plus+ gummies. I would just cut up one fruit gummie and one veggie gummie into 1/4's and she would eat it like finger food. Juice Plus+ contains 17 vine-ripened fruits, vegetables and grains. It's important to do metabolic programming where you train your child's palette. I've done this with Juice Plus+ and by having them eat a "no thank you" bite of whatever we're eating that way they're getting exposed to a new taste (after about 20 times they'll develop a taste for it.) Dr. Bill Sears talks about this a lot and says that Juice Plus+ helps to shape young tastes. My children are now very adventurous eaters. This summer they were requesting artichokes, eating grilled vegetables (zucchini, jalapenos, onions, red and yellow peppers, etc.). Another trick is to put out fruits and vegetables while you're cooking dinner and when your kids are really hungry and they're more apt to try new foods. Dr. Bill Sears calls it a nibble tray.

I hope this helps. If you like to learn more about JP+ you can visit my website: www.JP4GoodHealth.com

The great thing about Juice Plus+ is it's completely backed by 3rd party clinical research and we have over 11 published studies in medical journals.

Good luck!
J.

1 mom found this helpful

read jessica seinfelds cookbook!!!!! seriously!!!!!

1 mom found this helpful

there are books that help incorporate foods and vegetables w/o the kid being any wiser. Another option is buy the Jack Lanne Juicer from costco (its cheaper than place online included)It is worth the price I was able to Juice 3 carrots and 3apples together with it still tasted like apples You can mix greens with fruits as well

1 mom found this helpful

Hi L.,
My son who is 20 months is the same way. I did find he will eat veggies when I make a veggie lasagna, or in a stir fry mixed with noodles....he's a pasta guy. Also, I put lots of veggies cut up very small and saute them before adding to pasta sauce. Hope some of these tricks might help.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi! I have a child the same to the point of having the food separate on the plate I found that creamed style corn was a hit, carrots steamed with honey and baked pot with plain yogurt and real butter. It worked for me, she is still healthy and kicking.God bless.

1 mom found this helpful

My 18 month old is doing the same thing right now. Our ped said it had more to do with texture at this age than the taste. She suggested we try preparing the veggies in different ways (mashing, over cooking, more al dente, with sauces) to see what she will adapt to. I hate the idea of catering to her tastes only, but I too struggle with the idea that she isnt getting enough in terms of veggies/vitamins throughout the day...so Im trying different things. Good luck. Sounds like a common issue.

1 mom found this helpful

This is a normal stage and the key is to just find creative ways to get at least some of what they need into their diet on a weekly basis. I've noticed a lot a new products out there that contain veggies. V8 fusion was my daughters favorite. Juicy juice makes a fruit/veggie combo too. Some of the new crackers with veggies are really tasty but don't know if your 16 mo is ready for that yet. You can try pureeing foods and mixing them into other foods he likes (ie. cauliflower mixed into mashed potatoes). The one thing that I'm still doing with my 2 1/2 yo daughter, is making sure that I put just a small amount of veggies on her plate at most meals. Even if she doesn't eat them, she's exposed to them and will eventually give them a try - hopefully.

1 mom found this helpful

Try Edamame. You can get them inside the pod or pre-shucked. Both my kids love them with salt. Initially, we bought them inside the pod and had to de-pod them ourselves. But now that they are 2 & 5 they like to do it themselves or we buy the Dora Packs that are individual size. My 2 year old can't seem to get enough!

1 mom found this helpful

Hey L.,

They do tend to get fussy at this age. Fighting it will not make a difference as it is impossible to force feed him. Keep introducing the foods. In the meantime you can sneak veggies into the things he eats. Try buying "Deceptively Delicious" By, Jessica Seinfeld. She has recipes where you use pureed vegies in foods. They taste amazing and the kids do not notice they are eating veggies.

1 mom found this helpful

I assume he is eating table food? try giving him something to dip his veggies in. Ranch, melted cheese, veggie dip that how my daughter eats veggies and she loves them.

1 mom found this helpful

Since he loves bread, I would try baking veggies into bread. There is a great book written by Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry's wife) about how to sneak good things into kids food without them knowing that it's there. It's called "Deceptively Delicious". It's worth a try. :)

1 mom found this helpful

Try not to react, (Iknow that's hard), but try frozen green beans, or peas. My son used to think it was a treat to have a bowl of frozen peas with his own spoon. He's 11 years old, and sometimes eats veggies and sometimes still doesn't want to. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

Two words - hide them! My daughter went through the same thing around that age as many kids do. I know several pediatricians who call this age "the beige phase" because the majority of the foods that kids want are beige (bread, pasta, cheese, etc.) My daughter had the unusual food issue that she would only eat toaster waffles. Period. Nothing else. For six long months! I started making my own waffles at home and putting pureed veggies in them (broccoli, carrots, etc. along with the oh-so-appetising ham and cheese waffles - yuck!) Since your son likes bread, make zucchini bread. If he eats meat, make meatloaf with pureed broccoli, carrots and/or cauliflower. While you're hiding the veggies, continue to offer him bite-sized veggies and chances are he will eventually warm up to them. My daughter (now 6) munches up all kinds of veggies, from asparagus to corn to spinach. Take heart, this phase won't last forever.

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

have you tried the new cookbook- deceptively delicious? it is a fabulous way of getting vegetables into peoples diets who refuse them- even husbands! she purees vegetables and sneaks them into recipes.

give it a try

L.

1 mom found this helpful

My kids love smoothies. I buy greens that come in a powder form and add a scoop to their smoothies I make for them in the morning. I also add a little bit of flax oil which has a lot of benefits too. You may have to play a little bit with combinations to see what he likes. It's also helpful if you try to get him involved in the process - adding the fruit to the blender, throwing in a scoop of his favorite yogurt, and having him push the button. You can also buy Vruit Juice from Whole Foods - it tastes great and has a lot of vegetable in it. Good luck!!

1 mom found this helpful

Jessica Seinfeld wrote a cookbook that features "kid friendly" recipes where veggies are pureed then mixed in with the recipe. You could also possibly buy baby food veggies and use that in the recipes instead of taking the time to puree. I haven't tried this yet, but I've been meaning to!

1 mom found this helpful

Hi L.,
The book Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food, will be a good start. She also makes the point to put a veggis on the plate in addition to the veggies you have added to the food.
I am also a consultant for Isagenix and they have a GREAT kids nutritional plan that is affordable too. my website is http://funtobefit.isagenix.com
If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me anytime. ____@____.com
C. Flick

1 mom found this helpful

I had the same problem. I kept offering the vegetables but would find ways to puree them into her food (spaghetti sauce etc..) so she would at least get the nutrition aspect of it. I am sorry to say, my daughter is now 4 and is still an incredibly picky eater. She will eat guacamole on occasion(great nutrition wise) and edamame (soy beans) and a very limited selection of vegetables. She also isn't a big meat eater at all and never has been. Hummus can be easily blended into things like cream sauce...there are some great cookbooks with recipes specifically to hide all the "good stuff".Fruit is also great if he will eat that, blueberries are full of antioxidants etc...
After years of stressing about it, she is my 2nd child, I have totally relaxed because she seems to only eat pasta, bread (carbs of any kind) fruits and limited meats and vegetables but is growing very well and is totally healthy! Keep offering them and you never know when he may surprise you...as my pediatrician told me "as long as she is getting one good meal in a day she is fine". Good luck and try to relax....

1 mom found this helpful

Hi,
I too am a stay at home mommy of 11month old baby girl Eryn...2 &1/2year old twin boys Justin & Ryan...and my 3year old son Cole!!! I just got this book at Costco called Deceptively Delicious by Jerry Sienfeld's wife...It is around $25 dollars...it tells you what you need how to steam/puree and freeze individual measured out amounts of things...because you premake and have stored on hand all kinds of vegetable purees,etc. and they have this awesome recipe in it that is macaroni and cheese and it has quite a bit of cauliflower puree. My boys are the same way..very picky! They didn't even second guess the macaroni and cheese they ate a ton of it..there are also tons of other recipes for all kinds of meals and desserts/treats..etc. I highly recommend you buy the book and get everything and do what is says once you get into it ...you'll be so happy and the kids won't really know that there had been some big compromise...lol! Write me back if you want I live in Southern Calif. My name is B. and my e-mail address is ____@____.com...hope to hear back from you and good luck! :o)

1 mom found this helpful

have you seen the book "deceptively delicious?" jessica seinfeld hides pureed veggies (and other healthy foods) in things like mac and cheese, meatloaf, pancakes, chicken nuggets, etc...the recipes are all really delicious...my 19mth old loves most of them, and so do my husband and i!

1 mom found this helpful

I started my son on Juice Plus when he was 18 months old. It contains 17 fruits, vegetables, and fiber in capsule, chewable and gummie form. It is not a vitamin but whole food with extensive clinical research behind it. With my daughter, I added it to her first cereals by breaking apart the capsules and stirring it in. It is such a relief knowing they are getting that nutrition everyday. My kids eat extremely well but I surely don't feed them raw beets, kale, parsley, spinach, tomato, cabbage, broccoli, carrots EVERYDAY! The fruits are apples, orange, pineapple, crabberry, peach, acerola cherry, and papaya. The fiber is rice bran and oat bran. Check out www.simplypreventive.com and read more about it. Good luck, S.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi. This is normal behavior. My 18 month old daughter still doesn't like many veggies but I have come up with some creative ways to get some into her.
For my daughter I give her V8 Fusion. She loves it. I also puree veggies and put it in banana bread, blueberry muffins, etc. I make smoothies and throw in a handful of veggies. I also have the cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld.
I found some potato wedges with garlic and rosemary at Henry's and my daughter can't get enough of them. They also have sweet potato fries that she loves as well. Last night I roasted some green beans with garlic and olive oil and she was all over it. Also, try giving your son raw veggies with a dipping sauce. He will probably make a mess but it should help him try different veggies.
So, please keep putting veggies in front of him. And make sure he sees that you eat veggies as well.
Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful

You're not alone. My son won't have a veggie near any of his food. I just do my best to try to get proteins in when I can and I give him lots of fresh fruit. Plus I also give a vit. suppliment daily. Vitasol I think it's called, you can get it at walgreens. He loves it! I have also tried cooking with veggies hidden in foods.

1 mom found this helpful

I have 2 boys, One won't eat anything, the other will eat everything...One thing I've found that they both love is "Just Peas" from Whole Foods...they have a whole selection of dried fruits & veggies - Their favorites are: peas, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, cherries, tomatoes...The only other way I could get Derek to eat vegetables is green bean casserole at thanksgiving time - for about a year I always had a greenbean casserole in the fridge...Also I give Derek Peach-Mango juice from V-8 fusion (veggies in the juice)...
hopefully something here helps...wishing you luck

N. s

1 mom found this helpful

L.,

My son got like this around the same age. I think that the best thing to do is just continue to offer it and eventually he will eat some veggies. My son now is almost 3 and eats raw carrots and celery. I also give him a multi vitamin and I give him a glass of something like V8 fusion or veggie/fruit juice from trader joes. I figure that way he is getting some nutrition from veggies if he won't eat them. Good luck and don't stress over it. Just continue to try offering and he'll come around!

L.

1 mom found this helpful

I still give my 2 YO Gerbers Squash, Carrots, and Sweet Potatoes. She thinks they are treats. If I offer her that stuff in whole, she would spit it out too. I also buy her the green beens at Walmart that are in their own "fruit cup" container. She eats them cold as finger food and loves them too.

1 mom found this helpful

I had the same problem. So, I offered my daughter a "gardenburger" and she loved it! You buy them in the frozen food section. I microwaved it for 45 sec on each side and sliced it up. It's worth a try.

1 mom found this helpful

Kids will eat what you eat. Try offerng only vegetable meals for awhile for your entire family! Eventually he will eat it and come to realize he likes some of it.
Try keeping it simple too like plain steamed broccoli.

Mother of a 2 year old that loves vegetables!

1 mom found this helpful

Hello L. - I have two boys who can be picky eaters also. I do remember when they were young that fruits and veggies were a chore. Don't worry however, kids will soon become more adventurous and taste new foods. What would be helpful is to supplement his diet with other nutrients. Have you heard of Youth Juice? It is a puree of 7 organic berries and sea-vegetables. My kids love it straight from the bottle. A 2 oz. serving is all you need. No pills or swallowing!

Please take the opportunity to learn more:
www.ourworldnetwork.com/chrisbrockhoff

Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful

Hi, My son is 18 months old and I've been going through the same thing for months!!! Have you ever heard of Jessica Seinfeld's new cook book for her kids called deceptively delicious?
It hides all sorts of vegetable purees in kids favorite foods (broccoli puree in chicken nuggets ect.), it actually helps a lot, specially since my sons diet used to consist of chicken tenders and crackers.
He's still a very picky eater but is stating to do a bit better. You can also mix avocado in with rice and chicken and usually my son will eat that too.
Another thing I started doing i giving him almond milk or oat milk instead of cows milk. Higher in nutrition and better for them.
I know its frustrating, please know you are not alone. I'm going through exactly the same thing, just take advantage and let your inner creative chef out to play!
Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

Hi there,
My 6 year old son went through that for a pretty long time, he was a master at finding anything green-- even when I cooked it in the food-- he would eat around it and spit out the vegie.
I just kept introducing vegies... peas were the first he would eat and now (at 6) he eats almost everything, I still have my battles, but he loves cucumber, broccoli and peas.
I would say at 4 that his taste buds started to change a little and he was more willing to try green foods. He has always loved fruit and I have continuously introduced and served a wide variety of fruits, tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, mangos etc... it helped me to feel a little better about his lack of vegie eating.
You might also try Jessica Seinfeld's book, she has some great ways to introduce vegies and fruits into foods.
Keep trying-- he will come around!

1 mom found this helpful

Try Juice Plus+! I believe in it so much that I am now distributing it...have a look at my website at www.juiceplus.com/+sc86163. It's not a vitamin - it's whole food!
And regarding the books that hide purees...I have a few, and I recommend Missy Chase Lapine's "The Sneaky Chef". Don't worry, he'll come around! I used to dislike half the things I eat now...my adult taste buds don't reject bitter or earthy flavors anymore. It's just the way it is! The most important thing? Exposure. No matter what you do to trick them (which is absolutely okay with me since I know the outcome is that my children reap the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables) make it obvious that it is important to you by keeping the veggies on the plate! Their taste for the GOOD foods will develop, and sooner if you persist.
I'm not going to wish you good luck because I know you'll do all you can and will therefore be met with some success! THAT is just the way it is! -S.

1 mom found this helpful

Hey I know it can be frustration but KEEP putting them in front of him and I know some days my boys will eat them all up other day not - SO I did get the Jessica Seinfeld cookbook and most of it works like the scambled eggs with califlower puree and a box of mac and cheese with squash or carrot I do the turkey burger with puree carrot and it gives the meat a different texture and they eat it up ! Also do the multi vitamins and fruit smoothys are great- so dont give it he'll come around-good luck ! We have all been there -keep smiling

1 mom found this helpful

Make a game of it! Pick purple cabbage, red tomato,green grapes and teach the colors of the rainbow. Sounds corny but it worked for me. My daughter is now 4 yrs and she still likes to play the rainbow game. Make a happy face out of peas etc. As a bonus, she knew her colors by the time she was 2!

Good luck,

J.

1 mom found this helpful

The best advice I've gotten is:
"Think of their diet/meal over the course of a week, not a day!"

1 mom found this helpful

You should read the book "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld. It has so many recipes using healthy veggie purees that your child doesn'y know are there! We have loved every recipe we've tried, and I have the world's pickiest 6 year-old!

1 mom found this helpful

I agree with everyone about recipes that hide the veggies. Those are great, but you also should keep offering the veggies in front of him so he doesn't think he's not expected to eat them at all. I also use "dips" to our advantage. My son is allergic to eggs (hopefully will outgrow it) so we can't use Ranch Dressing, but we use sour cream, yogurt, and at times he dips veggies in mustard. I know, he's got strange tastes, but sometimes just having a dip of some sort helps him at least take a bite of something. I often cut up sticks for him to dip, like carrots, or using frest green beans. He is also one that likes frozen peas straight out of the bag. Cracks me up!

Another thing we do now is a multivitamin. Let me know if you want more information on the one we use, but it comes in powder form and it's like the crystal light packets. It's fruit punch flavor and has superfoods in it (like blueberries and lots of veggies), so I don't worry about him getting the nutrition at this point. I know he's getting it in his "special juice" each morning and I just keep offering him the good foods in hopes that it will pay off when we're through the picky stages!

Hope that helps.

D.

1 mom found this helpful

i put a little vitamineral in my son's juice..you can get it at Whole Foods..try veggies w/ cream of mushroom sauce on them? or some kind of sauce..i just bought some fruit and veggie supplements..they're gummy bears..you can also get a blender and mix things in like spinach and make yummy drinks.

1 mom found this helpful

I wouldn't worry about it. My daughter is the same way (she is two). She loves carbs and chicken. It drove us nuts! My pediatrician sad to give her formula every morning (the 9-24month) We did it until about 22months and then started giving her Ovaltine, which has a lot of vitamins in it. Ovaltine also has sugar, so we only give it to her once or twice a day. My pediatrician said that is fine. If you press the vegetable issue too much he will always fight you on it. We just offer the vegetables on her plate and sometimes she surprises us and eats some.

1 mom found this helpful

I really sympathise. My 8-year-old still doesn't eat the way I would like her to! I just wanted to mention two things to keep in mind. The first, while cooking with your kids is really fun, pay attention to his reactions to the food he perpares. Some children LOVE eating anything they have a hand in preparing. My daughter's reaction is the exact opposite. For us any food prep plan is about spending time together, exparimenting and growing closer. If she eats what she makes, it's a bonus! The second thing is that picking your battles is not just a stress-saver, it can be a way to gain your child's trust. I realized that the more I worried about my child's food intake, the more it became a power struggle. I had to ask myself if food was really an issue I wanted as a power struggle with my daughter. Considering all the media and social pressures to look a certain way (for both boys and girls), I feel much better about trusting that she will eventually eat better and healthier. More importantly, when she does, it will be her choice. For now she gets a daily multi-vitamin. I spoke to her pediatrician about it and he agreed that as long as she was growing and thriving like her peers, she was fine. One last thing: trust yourself, no one knows your child like you do. Lots of luck!

1 mom found this helpful

Hi L.,
does your son eat fruit? You can hide veggies in a fruit smoothie. Or give him fresh extracted vegetable juice mixed with apple and carrot for sweetness. The freshly extracted juices have more nutrients than eating the actual vegetable. You just have to make sure he is getting enough fiber from other sources, like whole grains, legumes, soaked nuts. I hope that helps.
if you have any questions email me at ____@____.com

1 mom found this helpful

I have the cookbook 'Deceptively Delicious' by Jessica Seinfeld. All of the recipes have some sort of veggie in them. For example, the peanut butter & jelly muffins have as much carrot in them as peanut butter!(& they taste great). I've really like the recipes that I've tried so far. I think the book is around 15.00 & Costco usually has it in stock.
Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

I had the same problem with my 2 year old. She would eat all of her veggies and then one day she just started saying "no". I have since started using Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook Decepitively Delicious and now she is eating veggies but doesn't know it. It even has desserts. I know cookies that have chickpeas sounds weird, but they are really good. We can't keep them in our house longer than two days. Check it out.

1 mom found this helpful

I just went to an event honoring Dr. Brazelton. When asked about children and vegetables, he responded that as long as the child is eating fruit, protein, and taking a multi-vitamin, the young child does not need to actually eat vegetables . He said it was one of the battles that parents do not need to win. My grandson has started to turn down vegetables he used to like, although he will eat corn and sometimes, peas. My daughter-in-law feeds him peas in applesauce. Also, children sosmetimes will eat vegetabes if they can dip them in ranch dressing. When my children were young I used to serve mashed potatoes with peas in a scoop in an ice cream cone, which they loved. Will your child eat vegetables in soup or as ingredients in turkey or beef meatloaf?

1 mom found this helpful

I had the same problem with my children until I found a whole food supplement called Juice Plus. It is basically 17 fruits and vegetables in a gummy, chewable or capsule form. It is backed by much research so I know my kids are getting all of the nutrients of 17 fruits and veggies. And since they have been taking it for almost two years they now eat raw fruits and veggies. For more info go to www.Juicyfruitsandveggies.com

1 mom found this helpful

There is a book called the sneaky chef by Missy Chase Lapine which is about hiding veggies in other foods. I looked through it before at a book store and it looked pretty good. Its worth a shot! Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi L.,

Give your son a daily multivitamin. You can get good organic ones at most healthfood stores and they'll go a long way to replacing the nutrition your son's missing. In addition to hiding veges in fruite smoothies, you can bake them into breads (zuchini bread, carrot bread)and blend them into soups (I highly recommend getting an immersion blender -- it's the best kitchen tool I ever bought!)Most kids like to dip and at 16 mos, your son should be able to dip raw veges into things like lowfat yoghurt, ranch dressing, even ketchup. Yes, it will be messy, but eventually more food will make it into the mouth than ends up as modern art on the highchair tray! When they were little, my kids would eat almost anything if there was some cheese melted on it. They would also eat veges if I diced them and mixed them other foods, like mac and cheese.

Be creative!

1 mom found this helpful

My son was the same way, ate all of his jarred veggies and then he stopped. Even now at 12, he will only eat a handful of veggies willingly. Thankfully though, he will drink V-8 by the gallon if I let him. He loves the stuff and has been drinking it for years now. I also would puree carrots and other veggies and mix them in with meatloaf and spaghetti sauce or anything I thought I could hide it in.
Now, my daughter is 16 months old and she won't willingly eat much of anything at first if I try to feed it to her. She will pick up things by herself (she loves avocado, fresh tomatoe and I quarter olives and she can't get enough of those either) and other times I have to force a taste on her with any food (put some on my finger and shove it in her mouth) and then she realizes she actually likes it and then she'll eat it.
The only thing we really have trouble with now is meat (the complete opposite of her brother). Even when I "force taste it" she'll spit most meats out.
So there's my advice, give her somethings she can eat and hold herself (cut up tomato, avocados, quartered olives-not whole since they could be a choking hazard, cut up mushrooms, pretty much any veggie that isn't hard and could be a choking hazard-like carrots) and see if she'll feed them to herself.
Use the force taste method I described (I only do it to get her to taste it. Most times she'll like it and keep eating. If she spits it out after the taste, I don't push it again for a while.
And if all else fails, give her a sippy cup with some V-8 in it (has all the veggies in it) or now they have V-8 fusion which is fruitier and hide those veggies :)

1 mom found this helpful

I know that you have already received a lot of responses, but I just wanted to chime in as well. I have 3 children, 18, 11 and one almost 3. They all went through this, my youngest is doing it right now. While yes, you can hide them in things, this really doesnt solve your problem in the long run. Make sure that you keep offering it to him, he will eventually eat them, just dont make a big deal out of it. The more he sees them on his plate, high chair try, etc., the more willing he will be to eat them.

good luck

1 mom found this helpful

Hi L.,
Maybe you can disguise the veggies in something else. If he likes pizza or pasta with red sauce, add some other veggies to the sauce. They also have some juices out now that have veggies added - he might like those. Or maybe the doctor will let you give him a daily vitamin.

Hope this is some help. You son's eating will get better eventually.

L.

1 mom found this helpful

Dear L.,

I haven't read through your responses, but I'm sure you've gotten this one several times - check out Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld - it's full of wonderful ideas for hiding veggies in everyday foods using vegetable purees.

good luck!
B.

1 mom found this helpful

I remember reading that it takes a kid about 17 exposures to a food to really decide if they like it or not, and that most kids are picky eaters because us parents give up a lot sooner than that. My best advice is to keep offering the veggies over and over again. My kids are not really picky eaters, and I think it is because we have made that eat whatever I made their whole lives. Nobody gets separate meals in our house, and if you don't like what is for dinner, than too bad, so sad. I know that sounds harsh, but none of my kids are starving, and believe me, if they are hungry, they will eat. My husband is extremely picky because his mom let him eat Cheerios for dinner whenever he didn't like what they were having. It sounds silly, but his picky eating is my least favorite thing about him. It is rather crippling to be a picky eater, there are often fixed price dinners I want to go to, but he doesn't like half of the things, and going to people's houses is kind of a nightmare, because he mostly won't like whatever they are serving, and then he is in a position of faking it or being rude. He doesn't like a lot of the foods that I like, so I go to dinner with friends, but wish I could go with him. A lot of picky habits are formed during the months that your son is, by not offering a ton of foods. I say don't give up, the more he sees a food the more accepting he will be. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

I had the same thing with my son (17 months). He used to eat anything, now not so much. I sneak in veggies - when I can. I puree veggies like butternut squash or cooked carrots, and then put it in a quesadilla (my son could eat a quesadilla every day if I let him), or I will puree mixed veggies and mix in a little spag sauce and spread it into a grilled cheese or on a wheat pita with cheese for a homemade pizza. My son loves meatballs - so I make those and then put a little of my veggie sauce on them with noodles. But, I always make sure and put regular veggies on his plate, just so he can have the opportunity to eat them on his own and one time, he did eat the broccoli - that was a great night! Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

My daughter, now 3 years old, has had picky eating habits since 6 months old. She ended up in occupational therapy when she was 16 months old to help her transition to solid foods, which she would refuse. We worked with the OT, a nutritionist, and a child psychologist. WOW! Did I learn a lot and this was my second child!

The biggest thing I got out of it was we praised eating habits in stages. First, we would get my daughter to just pick up a food we offered, ie: a strawberry. After about a week, we would see if she'd kiss the food. Each time she kissed the food we'd praise her. Later, we encourage her to lick the food and praise that action. Finally, we'd challenge her to put teeth marks in the food and praise that. Eventually, she began eating regular foods. It's been a long process, but it took the fighting out of food. I also learned what they mean that it takes as many as 17 times to introduce a food to a child before they like it.

I also learned to have a scheduled routine. If the child doesn't eat what's in front of them during the meal time, then they have to wait to the next meal time before they can eat again. You don't offer non-scheduled snacks.

The OT & nutritionists used an approach written by Ellyn Satter in her book "How to Get Your Kid to Eat: But Not Too Much". You may read this book to help with your dilema also. I know I have a totally different attitude toward feeding my children and introducing them to new foods. It's not such a battle anymore.

P.S. I have been known to hide nutritious foods as well, such as pureed carrots in meatloaf, etc. I also cook spaghetti squash and put marinara over it with meatballs. Just thought I'd share something that hasn't been shared in all the previous responses.

1 mom found this helpful