19 Month Old Won't Eat Veggies

B.,

I have a cook book called The Sneaky Chef. It gives ideas about using different veggies in foods that kids already like. The website is sneakychef.com
Great book! Good luck! T.

Okay, if you make him Mac and Cheese. Put cooked carrots mashed in it. He will never know. My kids do not. You can do this with a lot of things. Broccoli in the mix to put on Chicken nuggets. Orange squash in deviled eggs. Califlower in mashed potatoes. It's so easy and you know they are eating good. Good luck.

Mother of 14 yr old daugter , 8yrold daughter and a 2 yr old son. Married to a wonderful man for 15 yrs.

Jessica Seinfeld just wrote a recipe book on this very subject- she purees all veggies & hides them into their brownies, chicken nuggets etc. & you can't taste them...Book is: Deceptively Delicious : Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food

My kids like frozen peas or corn too. Good luck

Most kids prefer their veggies raw. I went through the same thing once my lil guy started on solid foods. The trick was that I cut each up into smaller pieces and put them with any kind of dip he liked in a small finger bowl. He loved the bright colors and that he got to dip them into something. Of course his favorite is broccoli, no kid can resist baby trees. lol But we made it into a special dinner once a week where he would go grocery shopping with me and pick out a new veggie to add to our variety trays. And we would have a huge veg fest. Ecven I started eating more. He still gets plenty of those veggies all week but that is a fun and special day where we get to learn all about a new veggie (or new to him). I also keep cut veggies on hand because he will now grab those to snack on instead of other foods. It's even easier now that they have the bags of prewashed veggies in a bag. You can get a variety bag with carrots broccoli and cauliflower, and then add your own favorites ie., cucumber, tomatoes, peppers.I haven't met even one kid who hasn't loved veggie and dip night. Hope this helps!

That's about the age that my daughter was when she lost absolutely all interest in veggies. She is now 2 and a half years old and is still not the biggest fan of them. I have discovered that she has been eating them at daycare but refuses to eat them at home. I figure she's gotten used the idea that mommy can't bear it if she doesn't eat so I'll give her something else to replace the veggies, this does not happen at daycare. The other day she even asked for more at lunch time (very surprising to me)! Anyway, to supplement for the veggies I make sure she gets other vitamins from different kinds of food. I give her Pediasure, which has everything she needs. I don't feed her junk but I will give her something that I normally wouldn't maybe once a week or everyother week, just as a treat I guess. I also mix veggies in with her food. If I make pasta and use red sauce (tomatoe!) then I can mix in pureed spinach, grean beans, etc and she doesn't even notice because the taste of the sauce overwhelms the veggie taste...the key is if they can't see what it is then they have no ideas. She really does love many different kinds of veggies, but there's something about how they look that deters her from eating them.
I probably wrote more than enough, and more than you needed;)
Hope things work out for you and your little one!

A.

jerry seinfeld's wife just put out a new cook book about feeding kids vegys I don't remember the name of it but it had to do with
pureeing the vegys and adding them to other foods.
I wish I would have had this book when my kids were younger.
Check online for the name of it.

I have an 18 month and am going through the same thing! He would live on salami and mac and cheese! The doctor has no concerns. He said to just keep offering them and not to make a big deal about it. I have come across V8 Fruit Infusion juice. Each glass has an entire serving of vegetables and fruit! My son thinks it's a treat. I sometimes mix in a little water because it is really sweet. Hope this helps!

Hello, I don't mean to offend any one but there was just a big article about NOT sneaking food to kids. Its considered lying and they dont learn to eat the veggies. Plus pureing the food and then cooking it again makes it lose most of the nutritional value. They suggest giving small amounts of a different veggie every few days the kids will learn to like them. Think about it do you always want to eat something good for you or do you do it because you should. You can replace veggies with fruit or try giving raw baby carrots,ants on a log(celery with peanut butter and raisins) broccoli... with a dip like cheese sauce or ranch dressing. Don't hide it make it fun and remember if you don't eat it why should they. Plus try serving a veggie you don't like - the kids might like it.good luck. I've been there with 2 picky eaters.

That book by Jerry Seinfeld's wife is called Deceptively Delicious, by Jessica Seinfeld. I haven't read it, but one of my truly health conscious friends just recommended it to me a couple of days ago.

I also definitely support pureeing greens or other veggies and adding them into sauces, beans, or casseroles.

This is what we do: Serve your veggies first, then the rest of the meal afterwards. Don't even tell him about the rest of the meal. If he's hungry, he'll devour whatever you give him first. Another thing I do is puree extra veggies into things like sauce, meat loaf, meat balls, soups, etc. If all else fails, I tell my daughter that if she doesn't eat at least 1 or 2 bites of something, she will be eating it for breakfast. I don't argue with her about it, it's her choice as to whether she'll eat it for dinner or for breakfast. We've only had to have her eat something from dinner for breakfast once. Make sure you offer veggies and fruit for snacks, maybe with some dip (that's not too sugary or salty). My daughter also takes a vitamin.
And of course, don't let him see you upset about it. Asserting likes and dislikes through food is a good sign of mental development, food is one of the few ways children can control their environment. I would be proud that he's so smart at such a young age, and just understand that you have to find more creative ways to get him to eat healthy.

You may want to check out the cookbook "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld. She had some great ideas to hide veges in kid friendly food so they don't even know it's there. I bought the cookbook myself and although I haven't tried any of it yet, since I have a 6 month old who is not eating table food yet, it sounds like a great concept. I'm tempted to try it on my husband.

Well, you could always puree some veggies and mix it with the beans in the burrito or if he will eat spagetti mix some pureed veggies into the sauce. He may want to try eating it if you make it look fun, like make a funny face using cut up veggies or a bug or something he likes. Your doctor may also have a few other suggestions.

A.

I heard a neat idea about food on sticks. My kid flat refused to eat at all so I started putting her chopped up food on stir straw (like for coffee) because they are small and not poky. She LOVES it. I make her cabobs with chicken nuggets (cut up chicken breast) and pineapple and green beans. Or I'll just put on broccoli and carrots (cooked of course to make it soft). I've even done lunch meat, cheese, and cucumber (she thought it was a pickle). She also likes to dip things so i suck it up and give her cheese sauce or ketchup and let her dip her carrots, green beans, and such.
Also try the baby carrots that come int he bag int he produce section. They are a little sweeter so he might like them more than cooked ones.

Your Doctor is your best one to know if things are progressing the way he wants them to or not. Are you and your husband both small people??? Maybe your little boy is just going to be a smaller person. Dont let meal time become a struggle...if it does it will mushroom into a bigger problem that it already is. My first thought was...let him eat the burritos and grilled cheese sandwiches...its a pretty balanced diet ( beans count as a veggie!!! There are a couple of things that you just cant impose your will on a child about....THEY are in charge..and they seem to know it...one is potty training and one is what they eat!!! Relax...and enjoy meal time with your little boy!!!
R. Ann

I have a 21 mo. who goes through picky spurts, where her brother could be bribed with brocolli. I found Spagetti was a favorite, even when adding other veggies. Maybe try one & see what sticks.
Also if you're interested in making sure he gets the nutrition without the fuss, try MonaVie. I give it to my kids because 1 oz gives them 1.5 svs fruits, 1.5 veggies & it can be served as a smoothy, ice cream etc. check it out on juice-moms.info

Maybe try different finger foods. Finger foods are what mine loves the best getting to do it himself. Corn is the best for that! Peas, chopped green beans, he's at the stage where I would think he wants to do it himself! Brocoli is fun if you show him how to eat the tree top! My boys have both gone through phases where the didn't want veggies, just keep offering him what you guys are eating! Stay strong! Good luck!

I have a 25 month old and a 12 month old. The 12 month old will eat ANYTHING and the 25 month old up until last week wouldnt eat hardly anything....ever!!! She started this about 14-16 months and only gained 1 lb between her 18 & 24 month check up. I have questioned the doctor many times. His answer as well as any other older mother I asked....."when they're hungry, they will eat & as long as there isnt too much sugar involved, then it's ok". My situation, the 25 month old LOVES milk and so I always gave it to her when she asked which left her "full" so to speak and when I tried to get her to eat anything, she wouldn't...not even sweets. I recently have started a bites or bed conversation with her. She has to take at least one bite and almost always, she'll come back for more. If she totally hates it, I wont make her eat it, but one bite is important so they know just because it doesnt look good doesnt mean it doesnt taste good. Tonight for instance, I made chili, she looked at it and was like no way...I said bites or bed and she took one bite and then ended up finishing her entire meal much to my suprise and also I dont let her have her milk until after she eats. It's been working for me. Good luck and dont get to frustrated. Just cut back what they love to eat and then they'll have no choice but to eat what you give them.

I "sneak" the veggies in where you can but still offer bite sized veggies with every meal/snacks. Keep offering them even if he won't eat them.

Also don't force the issue. Try all kinds of veggies.

Best of luck.