By Kate Trout of Maternity Glow
As a mom of a very active toddler boy, I can’t think of a more challenging task than getting him to eat more vegetables.
At first, he was the most pleasant eater. He’d try absolutely anything and everything, and love it!
Bragging to my girlfriends, I was so proud of what a healthy little eater my guy was.
Alas, all of this ended one day when he started to spit out his peas and broccoli pieces. Then, the head shake started, and from that day on, it was constantly “no, no, no” when it came to trying new foods and eating his veggies.
I knew I had to do something fast.
So, if you are now in the same boat that I once was, read on to get your toddler to go ga-ga over their greens in seven simple ways.
7 Tips and Tricks to Encourage Your Picky Eater to Eat Veggies
1. Apply Condiments
One thing that really worked for me was mixing green with condiments.
I started to melt some cheddar cheese in with his broccoli (not a ton, but just enough to give it a more savory flavor), I mixed his carrots with some vanilla yogurt, and I even mixed a bit of sour cream in with his green beans.
It took a while, but after a week or so, I noticed that he started acquiring a taste for his veggies. Whew!
2. Arrange Them in a Fun Way
Kids are visual creatures. So, at lunch I decided to make a “picture” out of his peas.
I used two for eyes, one for a nose, and six to form a smile. When I showed him my happy plate of peas, he smiled and immediately ate the eye.
I played it up big time, shrieking that he ruined my picture.
Thinking it was hilarious that I was upset (wink wink), he started to consume the rest of it. Little did he know that the joke was on him!
3. Sneak Them In
One of my best tricks was sneaking broccoli pieces into my son’s grilled cheese sandwich. I have snuck tuna in between the cheese before and it worked well, so I decided to do the same with some greens.
At first, he made a confused face, but after I dipped his sandwich in some ketchup, he ate it up with no complaints!
4. Cut Your Losses
Some days you are going to be triumphant. Some days you are not.
Kids can be difficult, so it’s important not to get down on yourself. At least you are trying!
If they are not eating their veggies, there is nothing wrong with pulling out puree pouches. There is no rule that states toddlers must eat their veggies in a whole form, so go back to the baby food and slowly add some veggie chunks in. Here are a few of my favorites.
And, just try again another day.
5. Make a Shake
Piggy backing off of my last tip of serving up some veggie puree, try to make some veggie juice for your toddler to enjoy.
You can put celery, apple, and cucumber in a juicer, or mix up a spinach and kale smoothie.
If you can get your little one to sip their veggies, that’s a plus, and it will help them acquire a taste for veggies so they will be more inclined to eat them in the future.
6. Give Them Options
Your child will most likely be curious as to what you are eating.
Let them sit on your lap and sample your veggies. Then, pass them over to your partner and allow them to do the same with a different veggie variety.
After they’ve sampled each, ask them to tell you which one they’d like. While they may shake their head and say, “None” at first, if you continue this process for a week or so, your toddler should learn that they aren’t going to escape their veggies.
And, if they have a choice of choosing one, this is a much better deal than being told what they are going to eat.
7. No Evening Snack
If your toddler is used to some kind of evening snack or after dinner reward, take it away.
This may sound harsh, but sometimes toddlers need some tough love.
If they enjoy this evening incentive, explain to them that they have to at least eat five bites of their vegetables in order to earn the treat.
Over time, your toddler will accept this deal, and will most likely end up eating their veggies, even if they don’t like them, just to get their night time snack.
These seven tips and tricks have worked for me. Some have worked much better than others, but I think it just depended on the day.
If you are struggling with a picky eater, be firm, be cool and collected, and be patient.
You can turn your veggie hater into a veggie lover with time!
Kate Trout blogs over at Maternity Glow, A New Mom’s Guide to Figuring it All Out. She’s a coffee addict, wine drinker, and cheese lover. Oh, and she’s also Mom to the two cutest little kids.
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Danielle is the owner of Today's the Best Day. She strives to provide creative and uplifting content in order to enrich the parenting experience for women everywhere. Danielle hopes to help you and your family to make every day the best day! 
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