How to Get Your Picky Eater Child to Love Vegetables

We as parents all know that out children should be eating vegetables every day. They contain so many nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that it doesn't make sense to deprive your child of them. Having your child eat vegetables regularly can do a lot for their health so make sure your child gets enough.

Although you're probably more than willing to serve your children all the vegetables they need, you may have the same problem that many other parents have: your child just won't eat them. This concern affects thousands of anxious parents because many children are very picky eaters.

Before you give up, try following these tips:

If you're baby hasn't started eating solid foods yet, introduce foods in the correct order. Let your child eat vegetables before they taste fruits! Get them used to the taste and texture until it seems that they like it. Only then should you introduce fruits. This is the best plan of action because babies who have tasted the delicious sweet flavor of fruits may reject vegetables that aren't as yummy.

Use a blender to make a vegetable/fruit puree or shake. I know this doesn't sound like its too appetizing, but you'd be surprised at how many babies would gobble it down! It's provides all the nutrients of the fruits and vegetables that you choose to blend, and it tastes better than plain vegetables.

Add more flavor to your baby's veggies. Cooking the vegetables in homemade chicken or beef stock is a good way to go about this. However, please stick to homemade stocks and not commercial ones, because the chicken and beef stock you buy at the store usually has very high sodium content. Too much salt is no good for your little one.

You can also try cutting the vegetables into very small pieces, then topping your veggie dish with some cheese or cheese dip. Some babies will love it, but others may be turned off by the cheese due to personal taste.

Don't forget about spaghetti! The tomato sauce provides a serving of vegetables and you can sneak even more vegetables inside if you want. Puree some carrots and mix it in with the spaghetti sauce. You probably won't like the flavor but I doubt your child would mind.

Make use of the slightly sweet vegetables like carrots, squash and pumpkin. You can grate these and add them to your child's favorite breakfast or desert. Some good ones are muffins, cake and fruit jello.

Offer your child vegetables when they're most likely to be hungry. This works well at the beginning of meals. Simply offer them a bowlful of cooked vegetables so they get used to it. Make sure the veggies are the only food present for those few minutes, so that your child won't be distracted by other tastier foods.

Choose the right vegetables. For example, give your baby sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. Sweet potatoes provide more nutrients and vitamin A.

Don't be a hypocrite. What I mean is that you child will wonder "Why do I need to eat this if mom doesn't" when they see that you aren't eating the same foods as they are. Set a good example and maybe your kids will be more likely to finish their vegetables!

These simple changes like mixing vegetables with other foods and offering veggies alone when children are hungry may get your child to start eating more nutritious foods. However, please keep in mind that these changes do not happen overnight. Be consistent with your child's healthy diet and reward them for their good eating habits.