Kids and vegies

[Jess]

I am desperately seeking help! My four year old son refuses to try new foods. We had thought he would grow out of it, but dinner time is a ridiculous battle. We have tried everything we can think of but he throws monster tantrums, chooses to go hungry, etc. Nine nights in a row he has turned down dinner. Bribery doesn't work. Him eating with other kids watching them try things doesn't work. No meat, chicken, fish, or vege passes his lips (except chicken nuggets or fish fingers and very occasionally hot chips). I have created the monster but how do I tame it??? Help please!!!

[Luv Angel Musik Babee]

Hmmmmm does he eat sausage rolls? Maybe you could try ad make your own fish fingers and nuggets and slip some grated vegies in them, could be a bit of work though, using minced chicken and some vegies then batter or crumb them yourself. With the fish fingers, break up real fish and slip some grated vegies in and then again batter them or crumb them. Same could go for sausage rolls too. I'm going to try some sausage rolls when I go shopping. My lot love mince and I can slip vegies in there but make sure he doesn't see you making them, so make them up at night while he's asleep or during the day if he's at day care or something. Even if you do heaps at a time I'm sure you could freeze them :) Hope this helps some

[Jess]

Thanks for the suggestion. I wish I could get mince into him. I've tried making my own chicken nuggets, etc and failed to get them eaten but I will try again. Sausage rolls could be good. I'll eat them even if he doesn't...LOL

[Patricia]

Jess I think we all go through this with our kids at some stage and I feel sorry for you and just want to tell you that this will pass...:)

What Angie has suggested are great ideas...maybe when you make him hot chips you could try adding a few sweet potato chips as well ..they are really yummy.
Another thing I found really successful is to offer a selection of cut up food (fruit, veges, meat, cheeses) on a plate..this way they feel like they have some control of their choices.

Lastly if you really are concerned that he isnt getting enough nourishment you could speak to your pharmacist or doctor about it...I know that there are drink mixes you can buy to increase their kilojoule intake etc.

Hope this helped a little and good luck..hang in there :)

[Naomi]

I have to chop and hide veges as well, although my DS is only 20 months old (he will eat mince though, so I often put veges in that for shepherds pie or whatever). I am going to try the recipe for Yomamma's savory muffins and I'm also going to try making savory pikelets and see if I can sneak some veges into him that way. Oh, we have some success with sausage rolls and things like that, and hiding veges in mashed potato - although he is getting cleverer at pulling them out or just swallowing the potato and spitting the veges out :roll:

[Manda]

Try pouring cheese sauce over the vegies, that about the only way i eat mine.
The gravox one is really nice its about $1 pk or you can get a tin for about $2.60, its quick and easy and tastes great!

[Di Nana]

I know how you feel, and I have no advise at all, as I have a daughter who is now 18 years old:yes: and still meal times are a nightmare and quite frankly I have now given up she dosn't eat meat, or veges, just stuffed potatoes, potatoe salad, roast potatoe, and chips Oh and every six months back on iron pills, be glad when she marrys and is not my problem good luck

[yomamma]

our chemist here sells these little packets of powder vitamins,can't remember what they are called but I can find out. There are two varieties one is vegies and the other is something like a salad vegies thingy. you mix the powder with water and drink it. One a day and you have all the vits you are supposed to have and they taste good. Rosie is very picky and is just starting to realise that she is not liking going to bed hungry, some times i still feed her like a baby though.

[fliss1974]

My three and a half year old boy has suddenly gone off vegies too, but he loves spag bog, so i try to sneak vegies in there. I also mash him sweet potato and we call it lolly potato - that works most of the time. He eats before his dad gets home from work so i tell him he has got some of daddy's peas and we make it a big secret! "Don't tell, Dad! but you've got some of his peas!". He does love lettuce and cucumber and cherry tomatos so he helps me make it into a face, amazing how much better it tastes if they think it is a nose and not a tomato!! My son loves cauliflower raw as well, he has it as a snack during the day, nice and crunchy, just don't tell them that it is good for them!!
Hope some of these ideas help!:)

[Naomi]

Based on Manda's suggestion, I am going to try using steamed vege sticks and call them 'chips' and give him a cheesey sauce to dip them in (he loves dipping). Hopefully he'll get a mouthful or two of the veges as well as the cheese sauce.

[Bright Spark]

I make vegetable bakes,
about 500g - 1kg mixed vegies (fresh or frozen and depends on how big your baking pot is)
1 300ml cream
1 cheese sauce mix ( I use homebrand)

cook vegies, boiling for about 5 mins drain and add to baking dish (i have a pot)
Mix cheese sauce mix mix with hot/boiling water (about half a cup) and pour into baking dish.
add cream and Mix well,
you can also mix through some grated chesse, bake for about 1 to 1 and a half hours.


I also vary this recipie by adding just pasta, or tuna and pasta, or jsut tuna and pasta (no vegies). When i use tuna tho i also use a tin of crushed tomatoes.

[Telori]

Yep I use to hide my vegies too, but I have found the dipping in sauce works great. I thought I was doing really well when my older girls were young, I would sit them at the table with their plates of meat and vegies and I would collect the plates nice and clean...it turned out one was eating all the vegies and the other was eating all the meat!...not a balanced diet but they've grown up fit and healthy.

[Naomi]

Yep I use to hide my vegies too, but I have found the dipping in sauce works great. I thought I was doing really well when my older girls were young, I would sit them at the table with their plates of meat and vegies and I would collect the plates nice and clean...it turned out one was eating all the vegies and the other was eating all the meat!...not a balanced diet but they've grown up fit and healthy.

LMAO that's kind of funny ... kids can work the system even when you don't know they're doing it

[Telori]

It's funny how much we stress over whether our kids are getting enough of this or that...by now at bub #5 I still stress he's missing things...must be an in built mother instinct....:dk:

[Faithy]

I have a problem with geeting my children to eat veggies as well...I have a 14 year old and an 8 year old and everydinner time we have to fight , so instead of fighting I just make things that they like and I know thats so bad!!!...so any suggesting would be appreciated

[Barbara]

I've never really had a problem with my kids eating vegies. They both eat whatever I put on their plates.

Another way of diguising vegies though is to make a huge pot of soup with as many vegies as you can think of with a bit of stock. Once cooked, puree it until it looks like a smooth paste. Portion it out into containers and keep them in the freezer. Then, whenever you make a casserole, pasta or shepherds pie etc etc, take a portion out of the freezer & mix it through. That way there are no vegie "bits" for them to find.

[GINAinLA]

My son and I are vegitarians, so he doesnt have any problems with eating them, so I dont have to worry about sneeking them in. But I have steamed and then pureed carrots to use as the base for spaghetti sauce, it sweetens it and thickens it. My son like to dip his raw carrots in ranch and his celery in pb.

I also buy him veggie nuggets. The are spinach and cheese. and I guess they look like a chicken nugget. They are good and then he doesnt fell left out by not having the real deal.

What if you just did not give him any more chicken nuggets at all.

At our house you have to finish what is on your plate. There has been times when my son may not be as hungry as the night before and cant finish, but I would give him his veggies and fish first then once he ate that he could have potatoes or rice. that way he is eating the good stuff first.

Good luck

[Naomi]

We found this product at the supermarket called vege-fingers which look like fish fingers but are mashed potato with other veges in it (and crumbed).

We don't make Hugo finish his food. He never would, he eats very little. This past week he ate almost nothing - I'm usually laid back with food but even I was panicking a little by Friday. Luckily he started eating again on Friday night and has been good since.

[grammyjo]

Kids go through stages. As long as he's eating & getting enough fluids, I wouldn't worry too much. Give him juices. Don't force or try to bribe him. He'll except it everytime then.

Jo

[Telori]

Kids go through stages.
Jo

Yep that's the way I see it. If they aren't eating much of something at one stage it will change and they will eat heaps but cut back on something else. At the moment Aiden is eating way more than Logan (A is 11 months, L is just over 2). But I know that will change. Jaimee never ate a whole meal and I still push to get her to. She's always been a picker...if I put her left over food in the fridge on her plate she will pick at it all night 'til it's been eaten. If I try and make her eat it all at one sitting she'll dig in her heels and not eat anything...(J is 8)...