My family and I are vegetarians. It works just fine for all of us except my 3 year old daughter. She as most children her age does not have any interest in veggies or fruit other then brocoli. She is such a picky eater it makes me crazy trying to get her to eat. We put things on her plate fully knowing that she will not eat them. Thankfully our 8 year old daughter will eat just about any veggie or fruit so I do not feel as total failure.
L.,
On the Today show yesterday they had a segment about a new cookbook called The Sneaky Chef. It's recipes with veggies pureed into them for kids who don't eat their fruits and veggies. I'm sure some of the recipes have meat in them so you can ignore them or alter them. Check out www.today.com. It aired yesterday 4/2. You can also buy it on Amazon too.
C.
Have you tried dip? My 3yo son will lots of things if I let him dip it! Dip can be anything. He dips different foods in: ketchup, dressing, sour cream,yogurt...just about anything! I also make silly faces with the foods and tell him things like"oh, no! Your eating the nose!" Silly, but works(sometimes!) He & I are also vegetarian. I wouldn't worry too much. She'll change her mind soon enough and boycott something else! In the mean time keep offering her the foods and add a multivitamin if you don't already. Flintstone's makes a toddler vitamin that Kevin loves. Hope I was helpful! Hmm...maybe you work at our pedi's office?! :o)
Hi L.,
My family is also vegetarian and my five year old son is extremely picky. For the longest time the only veggie he would eat was broccoli. After thousands of dinners where I basically ended up eating his veggies for him, he has come around to cauliflower, corn, uncooked carrots with dressing and celery with peanut butter, oh, and of course, mashed potatoes. My advice would be to just keep offering a variety of veggies and eventually she will develop a taste for them. I also found that if I involved my son in preparing the vegetables or making them into funny faces or shapes, he was more apt to eat them. I hope this helps. If you find anything else that works for you, let me know!
C.
First, I applaud you for raising a veggie child!! I tried, but my carnivore hubby, had other plans. :)
Have you tried Gardenburgers? The Veggie Medley ones are vegan. And BY FAR the most delicious. My son LOVES them.
And the dipping idea that was previously mentioned, is a great one. I can get him to eat most anything if I tell him to dip it in ketchup.
What does she drink? Silk makes a terrific soy milk. Its called Silk PLUS omega-3s. (It was originally called silk enhanced)
Its packed with so many good things, (far superior to any cow's milk product) a few glasses for him a day, and I dont stress too much about what he isnt eating. GOOD LUCK!
