2 Year Old Not Eating Veggi

I recently saw an Oprah show w/Jerry Seinfeld's wife and she puts veggies in the blender and adds to meals (mac & chz) it was pretty interesting, I wish I would have known about this my child is now 16, she has a cook book out, you can add veggies to brownies, scrambled eggs, etc

One of Children is a very picky eater. I have learned to sneak in vegetables and fruit in creative ways. Spinache in omlettes, peas in his mac& cheese, shredded carrots in spagetti sauce. As long as things are cut really small the texture doesn't seem to bother him. Also he helps as much as he can for his age when it comes time to cook, it seems if he helps he is more willing to try new things. Good luck.

I wouldn't take her out of the program, Her immune system just need to catch up.

Hi C.!

When a child is under 6 months old you want to keep them from getting exposed to germs because their immune systems are so fragile. However, at 2 yrs old, your child is much stronger and getting sick is what actually strengthens her immune system. I would keep her in the MDO program. It also helps build her social skills.
As far as the veggies go, have you tried sneaking them or smashing them? My almost 2 yr old eats sliced boiled carrots if I give him ketchup to dip them in, peas if I smash them and mix them in with his mashed potatoes, and broccoli I have to puree and mix with macaroni and cheese. He likes zuccini and squash if they are grilled and seasoned...and served with ketchup of course. He loves tomatoes but only if I bake them in the oven with cheese and bread crumbs.
You can also give her the Flinstones gummy bear vitamin each day so that she gets all her nutrients. Oatmeal will help keep her bowel movements regular, so give her some for breakfast or as a snack. You can puree or cut up dried prunes to mix in with the oatmeal.

Just keep introducing veggies to her. Sometimes when they move from baby food to table food, their taste for veggies changes due to the texture of them. My daughter did the same thing. My step son was 2.5 when his father and I started dating. He didn't eat veggies either. I kept introducing them to him and around 4 he started liking them again...he's 9 now and he eats most veggies, including green peppers! We talked to him regularly about what food was healthy and what was not. It helped with him over time.

Goat milk, prune juice, adding extra fiber to her beverages &/or even probiotics for children can help her bathroom issues. If she is drinking lots of milk (cow milk) that can constipate some children...Goat milk is a great replacement. My daughter loves it! She also drinks Soy milk.

I would keep her in MDO. She might relate being pulled out of the progam to being sick. Children are very smart and you don't want her to pretend being sick so she doesn't have to go somewhere.

My daughter was born 3 days before my 39th birthday. She's 4 now and my pride/joy!

My oldest son didn't like veggies either at that age. In fact, he's 6 now, and still doesn't. He doesn't like the texture of cooked veggies, but he does like raw vegetables. He'll eat lettuce, carrots, red / orangs / yellow /green bell peppers, cucumbers, celery. Red bell peppers are his favorites. He likes them when they are raw and cold much like fruit is. My son doesn't like dressing either, but will eat them with croutons. You could try different salad dressings for dipping. Since he won't eat the cooked veggies at the table with dinner, I'll put a small pile of raw veggies on his plate as his serving. This also helps with his desire to want to snack while dinner is being cooked. Now, he'll munch on those while dinner is being prepared because that's when he's hungriest and then it's not a dinner time battle. Tupperware makes some great containers to keep sliced veggies last a while. As soon as I buy the veggies, I chop them up and store them in fridge smart containers so they are easy to pull out and I don't have to spend time chopping veggies at every meal.

My 3 year old is better about veggies, but his favorite is corn on the cob. He'll gnaw on that at dinner time. That's a good one to try. You can buy those little handles that stick in the end for less than a $1 at Walmart.

As for MDO, I wouldn't pull her out. My oldest son went to a babysitter when he was young and got tons of colds as an infant, so when he started pre-K at age 3, he never got sick. My youngest, however, has been home with me until he turned 2, so he's gotten his colds now. I think it's good for them as it builds their immune system. If she's getting them a lot, could it be allergies? My son's get hayfever time to time like I do, and the symptoms are similar to a cold.

My son won't eat plain veggies either, but he will eat the Gerber Lil' Entree meals that have veggies in them. I usually just mix the veggie part in with the ravioli or chicken part and he eats it all up. He eats these meals 3-4 times a week. I know I pay Gerber a fortune, but at least I am getting vegetables in my toddler. Another thing that works sometimes is that I mix a can of veggies in with some pasta sauce or even baked beans. It's all about disguise :)

I would keep her im MDO unless she is getting really sick. A slight cold sometimes is normal. Maybe discuss this issue with your pediatrician.

You need to get the best cookbook ever, it is Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. It is great the food is really good and it hides there vegs within there food. Exp: Pancakes with sweet potato puree. It may sound bad but it really is good. You can get the book at Target. Have fun

When my DS went through this I bought a juicer. I would juice a few veggies with some fruit and he would drink it...none the wiser.

There are also some cook books about sneaking veggies into other foods...I have not tried them but have heard good things. One of them is written by Jerry Sienfeld'd wife.

Good luck

Some people dip chicken strips in pureed broccoli and then cornflakes.. and then bake. I second the juicing thing. My daughter loves anything that comes out of the juicer.

I also recommend getting the cookbook "Deceptively Delicious". I am a Mother of six children. I have three children that eat there veggies and three that don't. I bought the book and have made a lot of the recipes. My kids LOVE the food and they don't even know what they are eating until I tell them when they are done. The desserts even have pureed veggies in them. My husband and I love the food too! I wish you luck and congratulations on what a wonderful blessing you have in being a MOM. S. H

C.,
First off, congratulations on a healthy little girl! What a blessing for you.

I have the same problem with my 3 year old girl and the only advice I have is this: have you heard of the cookbook by Jerry Seinfeld's wife called "Deceptively Delicious"? It shows you how to cook and puree veggies and fruit and then use them in kid-friendly recipes so that they get their daily intake but never taste them. I just got the cookbook and haven't used it yet because I need a new blender, but I have many friends who have it and it has become their saving grace! There is also another cookbook along the same line called "The Sneaky Chef".

I did get a hand out from my pediatrician the other day that said that says quote: "Vitamin deficiencies are extremely rare, and it's unlikely that children will harm themselves by not eating vegetables. It is important to serve well-rounded meals, but you don't have to fight daily battles about 'eating all your vegetables'."

Hope this helps C., take care.