Getting My 3 Year Old Son to Eat Better

M.,

I have a 2 year old grand-daughter who will not eat any fruits or veggies.
There is a brand named APPLE & EVE. They make juice boxes that have fruits and VEGETABLES. My grand-daughter loves these. So, at least she is getting some fruits and veggies into her system by drinking these juices.
A.

here's some of the things I do:

talk about how the fruit & veg helps get the poop out (can -help with potty training also if he gets a reward for pooping on the pot)
-get him to help you prepare & cook the veggies & fruits
-plant and grow them with him
-pick them at a pick your own farm
-talk about which animals eat the various fruit & veggies
offer dips like ranch dressing, hummous, peanut butter
-when you cook the veggies, put butter, olive oil, salt & pepper on them -- kids can handle the extra calories and it gives the veggies flavor that gets them to eat them

Good luck!

I would say find a time when you're relaxed and get him to start helping you cook. First things he likes like rice and potatoes. Then move on to other things. Also, you may have tried it already, but what about dipping sauce? Let him mix a package dried of italian dressing with sour cream and then dip baby carrots (organic since it's a root vegetable!) or cherry tomatoes in it. HE can drizzle chocolate syrup over strawberries or bananas. Or even a dab of cool whip makes it like an ice cream Sunday. If he gets into bananas, see if he'll do mashed banana with avacado, it is SO healthy, tastes just like a banana. He may enjoy the mashing himself. My son loves to make sweet potato bake (again organic since it's a root vegetable, may be hard to find this time of year.) He's turning three this month and has his own vegetable peeler, peels the sweet potato until he gets tired then lets me do the rest, I cut it up, boil until tender and drain, then my son splashes in some milk, nutmeg and apple pie spice and mashes. Bake about 40 mins at 350, can sprinkle a bit of brown sugar on top if you like before baking. He also loves to make green bean casserole. It tastes much better than green beans from a can and he feels like he did it. Good luck!

M.,

There is a great recipe book by Jessica Seinfeld that shows how to hide veggies in regular foods that kids love. I use it all the time, because my son is autistic and has a very restricted diet. I can pass you some of the recipes directly if you want, just email me at ____@____.com

K.

My kids used to love smoothies. I would put frozen strawberries and apple juice in the blender to make them. You can use other fruits also. We also made homemade popsicles with the strawberry-apple smoothies. (That way the kids think they are getting a treat). Another thing that seems to work with my kids is if I put out a tray of fruits or veggies and dip. If I put something on a plate for them, they are not always interested, but if I put a tray out and don't make a big deal out of it, they will always walk over and start nibbling. In other words if they think it's a snack they will eat, if they think it's a meal, they don't eat as well. Also you could try letting him see a big kid that he looks up to eating healthy foods. Let peer pressure work to your advantage.

Another idea, check out The Sneaky Chef books, which are focused on "sneaking" veggies into "junk food." Go to www.thesneakychef.com for more info.

Lastly, stop beating yourself up. We all think we are going to be perfect parents when we have kids. It doesn't take too long for every one of us to slip up somewhere. Your son is lucky enough to have a Mom who loves and takes care of him. Everything will be fine.

Sister, I'm right there with you!
Right now, I've resorted to offering 'snacks' instead of meals. Cheese and crackers are a favorite along with raw baby carrots. I trade spoonfuls of spinach or broccoli for popsicle treats at the end of the meal. Also, I'm relying on the Apple & Eve brand Fruitables drink boxes to make up for other nutritional needs right now. My son refuses most meats except for chix nuggets, so I just wonder about his protein intake. He has also given up yogurt recently. For no apparent reason. I've heard and read that you just have to keep re-introducing/offering the foods you want integrated. And I do but I also try to get in on grazing times instead of piling on the stress at official mealtimes.

You have already gotten some great suggestions :) There is a good book on a behavioral approach to eating -- it is "Getting Your Child to Eat, but Not Too Much" Can't remember who it is by last name starts w/ S (Stellar, Sutter, or something). The other thing is if he his gagging is he vomiting too?? Do you feel that he is bothered by either the texture or smells of the foods? Does he have any other sensory issues? See www.spdfoundation.com for more info on this. If you do think this might be a problem then might want to get an occupational therapy eval to help with the feeding issues. I have a few kids that I work with that are picky eaters that we are trying to introduce more fruits & veggies :)

You haven't failed! Kids go through spurts of likes and dislikes. My oldest lived on mac&cheese & chicken nuggets for what seemed like FOREVER. There are plenty of way to get some fruit & veggies in covertly. Have you tried smoothies. I also make muffins using pumpkin and spice muffin mix with a little water...that's it. We also do a mac&cheese that uses canned butternut squash to help make the "cheese" sauce. Making muffins & bread like pumpkin, banana & zucchini gets some in too. Does he eat pasta with sauce you can hide a lot of veggies in pasta sauce by blending them first:) It may be a texture thing so try them different ways, raw with dips, cooked, smashed, etc. Most kids love dips, so fruit with yogurt may work for your son. My kids LOVE roasted root vegetables (squash, sweet potatoes, carrots,potatoes).

Try to let him pick a new fruit/veggie every week at the store with the understanding that he has to try at least one bite without gagging. The gagging is a power struggle thing not the actual food, both my kids did it too. I also found that my kids are more willing to try new things if they get to choose it. So they go through their kids cookbooks and pick new recipes to try out.

Be patient. What he likes today he may not tomorrow. Remember just like adults his tastes will change. Good luck!

Will he eat hamburgers or meatloaf? Both are easy to "hide" veggies in.

Also, make it fun. Cut the fruit/veggies into fun shapes, give him different things to dip it in (salad dressing, ketchup, etc).

If he'll eat french fries, you could make homemade french fries from various veggies.

All in all, keep encouraging him to try new things. Eventually something will spark his interest.

M.,

Since he likes yogurt, buy the plain and add fruit to it. At night after he goes to bed, take the fruit and mash it up so that it is a bit fine and then add it to the yogurt. He should eat it just fine since he likes yogurt. As far as veggies, make meatloaf and cut the veggies very fine and stuff in the meatloaf. You can do the same with chicken and potatoes. Also try adding a sauce he can dip the veggies/fruit in. That's how I get my autistic 4 year old to eat her fruits and veggies. She's just a fan of them because of the texture or the taste.
You can also try getting him to drink V8 Fusion drinks that have a full serving of fruit and veggies in it. I'm not sure how you are on sugar, but I don't think it has a lot.

hi M.,
he'll probably come out of it, but it's still a good idea to keep veggie puree in your freezer to supplement. i buy the best, freshest veggies (fruits too) that i can when the farmers' markets start to come out, steam them lightly until they're just soft but still full of good stuff, then puree them (using the vitamin-filled steam water) and freeze the puree in ice cube trays. you can then pop 'em out, store them in the freezer and thaw them to add to soups, stews, burgers, all sorts of things.
:) khairete
S.

smoothies are one way that people have gotten their children to eat more fruit and veggies. You can put veggies in the smoothies. Also blending fruit into yoghurt. You can cut the veggiese ino shapes with cookie cutters. Avocado is is great fruit to mix into many dishes even brownies.
These are a few things that other parents mentioned over the yrs.
I am fortunate to have a son who eats every fruit and veggie under the sun.
Good luck
L. M.

This may not be the response you were looking for but based on your description of what he does he, he is eating "healthy" food. There are more things that are good for him besides veggies and fruits. He doesn't seem to be eating much of the junk food. The chicken nuggets are somewhat junky because of being fried, but he is getting the protein. I think you should keep introducing him to the veggies and fruits and he will eventually come back like he did before. If you are worried about him missing out on some of those nutrients from veggies and fruits maybe you should talk to his doc about adding vitamins until he will eat them again.I do not think you should try to force him to eat them, just put them on his plate. Maybe encourage him, oh aren't those peas so yummy, etc. He could rebel to not eating anything. As long as he consistently sees you and those around him eating them, he will see that are ok and yummy to eat and start eating them again. I think as parents we get so stuck on that veggies and fruit are healthy and everything else is junk. Or we expect our kids to do things we won't even do, are their veggies and fruits you don't like? I know I have them, so as a result my son does not get introduced to the things I don't eat but he may like. I hope this is helpful to you.

Can you make the food fun for him and let him try it that way? Maybe make a salad bar at the table with all of the veggies in their own bowls where he can make his own. Or have him help you make a fruit salad. I know broccoli and cheese is not the healthiest, but it would help him to try it. Or even in foods like spaghetti, throw some zucchini or squash in the sauce just to get it down. My older childnre (4 and 5) have to try at least one bite of everything on their plate. They eat most things and love their veggies and some fruit, but we still make them try. 3 might be a bit young for that tough, our 2 year old doesn't HAVE to try, we do our best, but you know how 2 year olds are :). But try to incorporate the fun of cooking and maybe even growing some of your own veggies. Good luck!

First, start to talk to him about the food pyramid. (Go to http://mypyramid.gov/preschoolers/ for help.)

Then, go to the library and get the cookbook Deceptively Delicious, or one like it. Let him look at the picture with you and choose things he wants to try. This will require some extra work from you (preparing the purees and such) but it will be worth it.

You will accomplish three very important things:
1. teach him about good nutrition
2. give him ownership of his nutrition
3. get more nutrition into his body w/o creating a power struggle

I'm not saying that this will work over night, but as the mother of an 8 and 12 year old with strong gag reflexes and picky palates, I can tell you that over time it works, in spades.

In the mean time, give him a multi vitamin and maybe an Omega-3 supplement.

Good luck.