Mommy's Secret Tricks!!

My son (14 months) has suddenly decided that he is nothing more than a CARNIVORE! He went from eating anything I put in front of him to ONLY MEAT. I try to sneak other things in and occasionally, I get lucky, but just in case, I give him V8 Fusion to drink. It tastes like fruit juice but each 8oz serving is a full serving of fruit and a full serving of vegetables!!! He LOVES it! It comes in several flavors and he thinks it's the best. Even my 12 year old who thinks V8 is "nasty" loves it. I told her it was fruit... she tasted it, loved it, then I told her the truth! HAHA She still drinks it though.

Just a suggestion for those kids who don't like their veggies!

Cheese and dip. My kids think adding cheese sauce to veggies or dipping raw veggies into ranch is very cool. I usually buy fat free dip, and they can't tell the difference. I don't know why they will suddenly take to it, but it works! Ants on a log (celery topped with peanut butter and raisin "ants") are very big with my 3 yr old. I think as long as it doesn't look like ordinary veggies then it's suddenly new and interesting, and anything interesting deserves a chance in their book.

This might not be so much a hint, tip or trick... but I felt it fit in.
My daughter who is now 7 years old was such a picky eater. and would not eat alot of foods,(sorry mac and cheese gets old quick. LOL. When she was about 4 or 5 I started letting her help me with cooking,something simple like adding water or mixing something on the counter. She loves to bake, and help make mashed potatoes, Her favorite thing is home made pizza on the soft tortilla shells. and she started eating things that she would not normally eat, and it carries to this day, if she helps me cook, she will eat it.. plus it is a good bonding time for her and I when there just not seem to be enough hours in the day, with me working a fulltime job, home work, bath time and bed time. I believe this will help her create memories that she treasure.
Thanks for listening

My kids love to imitate me, so I make a big deal about how delicious something is when I am eatting it. My 2 yr old loves broccoli and cauliflower because of it.

Monkey see monkey do, the trick that my mom used with my 5 year old sister is that she lets her make her own plate but my sister will put whatever my mom puts on her plate. She thinks that she is making the "big girl" decision and loves brocolli now!`

My husband hunts deer and we process it ourself. This past season our 2 yr old was a big part of the help. Now every meat we eat he askes what it is and if daddy shot it? One night to get him to eat his pork loin we told him that it was a bear, and gave him a big story about how daddy shot it and it was either him or the bear that was going to be in danger? My son thinks that every meat we eat now is something daddy has hunted! Hey what ever works to get him to eat his meat? He is 3 now!

i tell my 2 year old that celery and carrots are candy. i cut them up and put them in pretty candy dish. i have actually seen her sneaking to get some before.

D.,
That's a good one! My kids are to old for me to pull that kind of stuff with them. I do cook them carrots in syrup and they call them candied carrots! They love them.

I have a recipe for Basil pesto that I add spinach to and my kids scarf it right down!

Here it is:

1 bunch fresh basil or 4 plastic containers of basil (only use the leaves).
1/4 c. olive oil
1 bunch fresh spinach
1 small container ricotta cheese
1 small container heavy cream or whole milk
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1 box bowtie (farfalle) pasta (I use the kind that's made from vegetables or whole grain)
1 can of chicken broth

Start heating the water to boil the noodles and begin cooking them at the same time as the basil.
Cook the basil leaves in about an inch or so of water for about one minute, or until soft, but no more than 4 minutes. Set aside. Heat the olive oil in the same pot and add garlic. Cook for a few minutes, and while cooking, rinse spinach thoroughly, and put spinach and basil together in blender. Add enough chicken broth to blend thoroughly. Then pour back into pot and heat until hot, but not boiling. Add ricotta cheese and stir into basil mixture. Then add parmesan and stir well. Add heavy cream and/or chicken broth until desired consistency is reached. Heat until warm and pour over pasta.

That is so smart! Great idea!

What a great thread! i'm going to jot down some of these suggestions for sure. My (16 mo) son is on a kick of not eating meat. Of ANY kind. No chicken, no hamburger, no tuna. Nothing! Even if I mash it up and try to disguise it, he finds it and eventually either spits it out and hands it to me, or tosses it to the dogs (a trick he picked up REALLY early). Since he usually eats the same things we eat, and he LOVES veggies (for now) if he sees other kids eating something, he will usually follow suit. Mom and dad are
B-O-R-I-N-G!

I hide veggies in spaghetti and other dishes like that. I've even resorted to telling my 2 year old son that a nathan hot dog is sausage!! Other hot dogs he knows are not sausage but nathans he eats everytime!! I also hide veggies behind cheesy potatoes and both kids eat them that way too.

My nephew until he turned 3 always thought a Ritz Cracker was a cookie! ;)

My 4 year old daughter would not ever eat a cheeseburger with the bun, she would always discard the bun and eat the meat. She finally ate one right a couple months ago when she asked for a Krabby Patty, which of course every mom should know what that is lol! For those who may not, it is the name of the burger Spongebob Squarepants makes at the Krusty Krab. Now we give her a choice and ask her if she wants a Krabby Patty with cheese or something else. That is my trick for getting her to eat bread.

When I want my son to eat something new, I introduce it to him while he sits on my lap and we share the same bowl, spoon, etc. It makes him feel like a big boy to eat the same things as ma and works sometimes. Truly offensive foods to him (brussels sprouts) won't work, but almost everything else will be eaten.

Great thread idea, D.--thanks!

My girls, many years ago, wanted every expensive cereal they saw advertised on tv. I couldn't afford it, so I bought the cheap stuff from Aldi's, store brand from HyVee or Fareway and once I got home, I emptied the box into a clear Tupperware cereal storage container. They NEVER saw the box and since it "looked" like what they saw on tv, they ate it!!!!! This trick worked all the way into their teens. Now, of course, they are 21 and 17 and know the truth, but guess what? THEY buy the same stuff themselves from Aldi's, HyVee or Fareway!