Which veggies does your toddler eat?

[cdlamis]

Julia used to be so good about eating anything I gave her. Now she is picky which is fine but she hardly eats veggies.

I have tried everything- ranch, etc and still the only two that she will eat are tomatoes and peas (both without ranch thankfully!).

Which ones does your toddler eat? Should I be worried about her limited veggie diet? Any tips to getting her to eat others?

Daniella
Mom to Julia 6-13-02
And baby #2 EDD 12-30-04!!

[raynjen]

Noelle eats lots of veggies - I have problems getting her to eat other stuff. One thing we found is that she turns her nose up at most cooked items. The only veggie that she prefers cooked is corn (but, then again, I haven't let her try it raw ;). Her favorites are: peppers - red, orange, and yellow (not so much green); cucumbers (peeled, I'm working on that); corn; broccoli (we slice and cook the stems too); water chesnuts (is that a veggie?); peas (cooked); soybeans (cooked); carrots; the thick part of the lettuce leaf (the spine?); and a couple of others.

One thing that we instituted is a 'no thank you' serving this is a wee-little serving (maybe two of her spoonfuls) that she HAS to eat. She always has to try everything on her plate, but not necessarily finish it. We also ration out her favorite stuff based on what she has eaten on her plate. So, if we are having Mexican, she gets a 1/3 of a tortilla and we will hand her more depending on what she eats (like if she has a spoon of beans she gets more tortilla). My child loves carbs, so we can bribe her with potatos, rice, bread, etc.

Jen in Okinawa
Mom to Noelle (2 2/3)
Architect in a previous life...

[bnme]

My DS is only eating broccoli and cucumbers (is that even a veg??). He'll also eat tomatoe sauce but not tomatoes. On occasion I can get him to eat corn, carrots or winter squash -but rarely.

I also wonder if this is something to worry about -- nutrition-wise.

[August Mom]

DS is spotty on the vegetable front right now. Sometimes he eats them and sometimes not. I don't think this is unusual for a toddler. (He's fickle about other types of food too). DS almost always eats colored bell peppers (orange is his favorite). He prefers them raw but will also eat them cooked. He sometimes eats carrots (either raw or cooked in the crockpot), celery (raw), asparagus (steamed) and broccoli (raw or steamed). He generally likes salad, interestingly enough. And, strangely, he likes raw onion. He picked that up completely on his own. My mom is ready to make him an onion sandwich. LOL

[Karenn]

Colin eats very few vegetables. Peas, sweet potatoes, green peppers- that's about it. I was reading Happiest Toddler On The Block this week and he suggested baking zuchini bread, but substituing twice as much pureed broccoli for the zuchini. I'm going try that this week. He had a bunch of other tips, but that's the only one I can remember at the moment. It's hard because I really only like raw veggies myself and those are hard to feed to a toddler!

[hjdong]

I don't know if this will help at all but I find that Jamie will some days eat the same veggie (or anything) that he refused a couple days previously. The first time I noticed was with an artichoke. He ate it once, refused it the next time, the third time, he wanted some, I told him he didn't like it, but finally gave in and he loved it. He's done the same thing several times now (although I no longer tell he he doesn't like something!).

In general, he loves vegetables (meat is the thing he does't like) but for the fun factor, he loves to eat corn on the cob. It has the benefit of being slow eating, so we get to enjoy a leisurely meal. I also find he rarely refuses a category of food when they're all mixed together - like in a stir fry or a casserole - but he'll frequently refuse to eat meat if it's seperate (like a chicken breast or something).

HTH

[lisams]

DD will eat peas and green beans if I melt butter on them. She also likes corn, tomatoes and carrots (and veggy booty if you count that ;-))

I give her a multivitamin just to make myself feel better!

Lisa

[darby24]

My nephew is an odd child. He's just turned 2 and still absolutely loves baby food! Basically he likes the texture of the food, no lumps.

My sister has tried making his favourites - squash, sweet potato and the like and whips it up with a food processor but he still finds lumps. The jars are really only at my place or for going out (zoo, aquarium, etc). And we've got a good deal here at $5.50 for 9 jars - certified organic.

My sister and her kids were over for dinner last night and while we adults enjoyed Chinese take out, J was very happy with a bowl of steamed rice, steamed carrots and celery and then finished it off with a jar of sweet potato and a jar of blueberries and apples. I think that's pretty well balanced for a 2 year old!

What he does eat is homemade french fries, cut up wedges baked with a dash of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Steamed carrots, peas and cooked celery he'll eat. He loves lunch of chicken noodle soup (with all the above veggies.) Cooked soybeans are a huge hit as well. My sister recently gave raw veggies with dip, but he uses the veggies strictly as a carrier for the dip. So that's been taken off the menu.

My sister feels odd sometimes still buying jars, but it's the same food just pureed. As a bonus, we can eat at a regular pace as it's so smooth it takes him a while to carefully feed himself. Lets just hope he won't be packing baby food jars to kindergarten!

[Hallie_D]

According to the teachers at his daycare, DS eats pretty much any vegetable they put in front of him. However, home is a different story. He loves corn, especially when we roast the ears and then cut of the kernels so that they are in long "sticks" that he can pick up. Sometimes he will ask for peas and eat tons of them, other times he refuses to eat them. Sometimes he likes cucumbers, sometimes not. Same with carrots, sweet potatoes, and pretty much any other vegetable. We give him a multivitamin and try not to force the issue because we don't want it to become a huge battle.

[cdmamatutu]

I read an article recently (not sure where...) stating that for many kids, if you try repeatedly (they were talking about 10 or more times) to introduce a rejected food, the child will eventually accept it. This article stressed consistency, and said most parents give up too soon. Haven't tried it in real life, as my kids will eat anything. :)

One of our favorite veggie dishes is summer squash and zucchini, sliced thin and sauteed. I top it with cheese and crumbled crackers, and my family gobbles it up.

Also, you can puree many different types veggies and cook them in pasta sauce to add undetected servings. :)

You may also try taking your child to a farmer's market and having her pick out a couple of new veggies. If she picks them out and helps prepare them, she may be more willing to try them.

Just a few random ideas...HTH :)

[kelly ann]

DS eats no vegetables :( We try and try and try to no avail. Unless you count french fries and ketchup as potatoes and tomatoes. And no fruit as well...maybe I can count the tomatoes in ketchup as a fruit??

[trumansmom]

Thank goodness! I thought Truman was the only one! We can occasionally get him to eat some corn and applesauce, but other than that, nada.

I hate throwing away vegetables every day!!

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/29/01 and Eleanor 4/14/04

[apfb]

Broccoli, green beans, bok choy, raw tomatoes, cucumber slices, red peppers, carrots, spinach.

Adding a sprinkling of cheese makes just about everything more appealing to DS since she loves cheese- cheddar and parmesan.

When we go out, she likes to eat salad greens tossed in salty vinegrette.

Used to like sweet potato, pumpkin, garbanzo beans, and white beans but has refused them several times. I'll keep offering them to her later on and see what happens.

Good luck!


1st time mom to Maya the Mighty b. 3/2003

[nitaghei]

DS eats pretty much any vegetable I offer him - but not all the time. Right now he only wants sauteed veggies - or Indian style (heavily spiced).

He eats : asparagus, carrots, peas, corn, broccoli, spinach and other greens, cauliflower, sweet potato, green beans, all kinds of squash, peppers, and several others I can't remember off the top of my head.

He has yet to refuse a fruit I've offered him.

On a related question - when is it safe to give raw veggies? Like carrots, peppers, cucumber, tomato? In terms of both choking hazards and health issues.

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a cocker and a PWD

[egoldber]

Sarah is pretty picky about veggies. But her favs are:

steamed cauliflower (she can't get enough)
steamed broccoli
peas
carrots
green beans

She is not a fan of any raw veggies.

HTH,

[elf]

My daughter loves to eat frozen peas and frozen corn - still frozen.

[MartiesMom2B]

She'll only eat peas, unless I hide vegetables in spaghetti sauce and serve with pasta. I tried the Veggie Delight spinach nuggets, but I think I picked a wrong time to try out new food when Martie has a double ear infection and sinus infection.

Sonia http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/character/1/character03.gif
Proud Mommy to Martie
http://lilypie.com/baby2/030406/3/4/3/+10/.png

[alkagift]

Matthew eats peas, broccoli (florets only, of course) corn, carrots and green beans if he's in a good mood. He will eat tomato sauce but not tomatoes. Have you tried putting parmesan cheese on the veggies (not a sauce, just grated cheese)? Matthew will sometimes try something new if it's presented in an unusual way, like mashed with cream cheese or in a casserole.

He will, however,eat chick peas out of a can so there's no accounting for taste, though, eww.

Allison
Mommy to Matthew Clayton, 5/19/03

[BethinMass]

While my oldest is moving out of toddler age, I wanted to agree that the more you put the food in front of them, the more likely it is they will eat it.
My daughter has gone through phases since she started eating real food when she was around 1 of what she would eat. However the more I'd put it out the more likely she was to eat it.
I also let her know that she had to atleast lick the food I put on her plate. For some reason my daughter will start going, I dont like this, but when she tastes it, it's another story. So if she licks it, she normally realizes that she likes the flavor and will finish it. However I only do this at home, since her licking new food while out in public may be a bit strange.
I also have let her dip in whatever she wants, I still remember when she dipped her brocolli in milk (while disgusting to me, she liked it :p) and she even drank her milk after, ewwww.
My parents NEVER made me eat veggies or fruits, and I currently have a very hard time eating it unless I force myself. I'm trying to get the kids to eat healthier then I did as a child and to like foods that are good for them.
I've never been happier then when my daughter wants a snack and usually goes for veggies/and or fruits before wanting unhealthy snacks (for the most part *grin*).