How To Make Vegetables Interesting For Your Toddlers

How To Make Vegetables Interesting For Your Toddlers

26 Jul 2022 | 4 min Read

Reema Shah

Author | 740 Articles

It can be challenging to get your toddler to eat vegetables. While some kids eat vegetables, other kids may need to get repeated exposure. Parents can try different recipes for toddlers who hate vegetables. Here are five tips that may help to make vegetables interesting for your toddlers. 

One way to make eating fun for toddlers is to allow them to feed themselves. It can be a messy affair but all you need is a little patience and some baby wipes to clean the messy hands and feeding table. 

5 Tips To Make Vegetables Interesting For Toddlers

1. Keep Exposing Them To Vegetables

It’s normal for toddlers to dislike certain vegetables when they first taste them. In such a case, try offering small amounts of those vegetables with another food that your child likes. Meanwhile, keep encouraging your toddler to try and taste different vegetables.

Your toddler will most likely change their mind about vegetables over time. Some children may need to try a new food about 8-10 times before they accept it and 8-10 times more before they finally decide they like it.

2. Involve Your Toddler In Cooking Vegetables

Getting your child to plan and cook the family meal will more likely make them want to eat the vegetables. Here are some ways you can get your little one involved:

  • Put the chopped vegetables in the saucepan before you cook them
  • Let them choose vegetables for meals when you are shopping
  • Wash the vegetables 
  • Arrange vegetables like capsicum and tomatoes on a pizza base or a pancake.

If your child is old enough and you feel they can safely handle kitchen tools, you can also get them involved in chopping.

Let your child see their siblings eat veggies along with offering delicious recipes for toddlers who hate vegetables / Credit – Pexels

3. Offer Vegetables As Snacks

There are many easy recipes for toddlers who hate vegetables and you can you simply prepare them as delicious bite-sized snacks. Try limiting unhealthy snacks at home which will make your child more likely to pick vegetables when hungry. 

Here are some easy vegetable snack ideas-

  • You can serve vegetable sticks with delicious dips like guacamole, cheese or yoghurt
  • Mix colourful chopped vegetables like carrots, cucumber or capsicum with a simple dressing and serve your little one. 
  • You can offer frozen baby peas to older children but it can be a choking hazard for younger children, hence avoid giving it to them.
  • Serve vegetable sticks with dip, natural yoghurt, cheese or wholemeal pita bread.

4. Mix Vegetables In Other Dishes

Add vegetables in ways your toddler will not notice to smoothies, meatballs, sauces and muffins. There are many interesting ways you can try if you are looking to make vegetables interesting for your toddlers. The opportunities to add veggies to meals are practically endless.

Hide the vegetables in the form of sauces and dips and serve them with other healthy foods that your kid likes. You can make spinach sauce pasta, veggie tomato sauce or onion dips. 

Simply add grated vegetables to waffles, pancakes or muffins. You can also mash some sweet potatoes and beets and shallow fry them to boost your toddler’s vegetable intake.

Pick kid-friendly vegetables like sweet potatoes and cauliflower along with trying new recipes for toddlers who hate vegetables / Credits – Canva

5. Lead by Example With Vegetables

Your child learns a lot of things from you including food choices. Hence, the best way to get your child to eat more vegetables is by letting them see how much you enjoy eating them yourself. 

You can teach your child about healthy eating during family meal time or make interesting bedtime stories with veggies as characters. Your child will also learn from their siblings so if they see they are enjoying the vegetables, your child will follow too. 

Keep exposing them to the vegetables in small quantities now and then. There may also be chances that if your child is continuously rejecting a certain vegetable, they simply don’t like it. However, you can try these ways to make vegetables interesting for your kids. Give it time and offer kid-friendly vegetables in different forms. 

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