Stop Suppertime Skirmishes: Tips and Tricks for Getting Your Kids to Eat Their Veggies

It’s tough to get kids to eat their veggies. They just don’t want to do it, or do they? How do some parents get their kids to scarf down broccoli, while others have to trick them, only to find out that the only thing they ate on their plate was the hot dog?

Here’s how savvy moms do it.

Set An Example

It seems almost too easy. Setting an example doesn’t seem much like a “tip,” but it’s one of the easiest things you can do to change your kid’s behavior and influence them in a positive way. Your kids aren’t going to do what you yourself won’t. So, if you don’t eat veggies, don’t expect your kids to.

In that sense, you’re the rolemodel. They will only follow what you do. Asking them to do otherwise is hypocritical.

If you don’t go to the doctor, they won’t want to, either. If you don’t go to the dentist, they won’t either.

So, if you don’t have medical insurance get some. And, if you don’t have dental insurance, go online at mydental.guardianlife.com/our-plans/ to check out some plans.

Make It Fun

If you can’t make it fun, then kids won’t be inclined to eat healthy. Kids love to play pretend, but they also love games. So, you can combine the two. Broccoli can be intimidating to a child that really wants mac and cheese. But, if he’s a dinosaur who needs to eat several mini trees to outrun a tyrannosaurus rex, he might see those florets as good food. Making things fun, like this, is the key to “getting” your child. And, once you’ve done that, you can “sell” your child on a lot of different things — healthy things.

Get Them Involved

Children are more invested in their meal when you get them involved in the preparation of said meal. Taking your kids with you to the store and letting them pick out the ingredients gets them invested in the outcome of the meal. Let them pick out one or two things to cook, too.

Teach them how to assemble a meal, and even let them help with some of the preparation. They’ll love it. And, they’ll be more inclined to eat it. Not only that, they’ll appreciate it more because of all the hard work they put into making it.

Enforce a One Bite Rule

Research shows that children who initially reject a food must be exposed to it at least 8-10 times before the food will be accepted. Most parents who have success with the one bite rule require that a child at least try one solid mouthful of a rejected food whenever it’s served. After enough times, the food will be more familiar to the child. Usually, they’ll start to look more favorably on it.

Don’t Force The Finish

Most parents get carried away with the one-bite rule and try to force their kids to finish their meal even when they don’t want it. One of the biggest misconceptions is that forcing a child to eat food they don’t like will get them to change their minds about it.

This is wrong. They won’t. In fact, they might end up resenting the fact that you’re doing it. And, worse, they may give up on other foods more easily. Instead of exposing them to more foods, you’ll be shutting them down to new experiences.

Understand What They Like

Children don’t see the world like you do. They have very different values. They don’t really care about health. They think they’re invincible. They see food as something they nosh on because they’re hungry. You tell them something is healthy and they won’t understand it. They won’t care. On the other hand, most children feel limited by their size and want to be stronger, and bigger. Explaining that broccoli “helps you grow” is more effective because it speaks to them and what they want.

Use Butter, Garlic, and Bacon

When in doubt, use butter, garlic, and bacon to entice your children. For picky eaters, the most important thing is that he gets comfortable with the idea of eating food that he initially doesn’t like. If that means serving it with foods he does like, like cheese or bacon, that’s a good idea.

Use ingredients that are close to a real food as possible. Children can handle more calories than adults, especially if it helps them learn to love good food like spinach and broccoli.

Amelia Byrne runs a day care center and knows a thing or two about fussy eaters from her own kids who are now grown. She writes articles for parents on childhood issues, from bed wetting to fussy eaters and so much more.