My Four Year Will Not Eat Veggies and Has a Gag Reflux

My 2 year old went thru a phase where she wouldn't eat veggies either (she used to love them). Then we tried her on a veggie soup my mother makes for her preschool class. She loves it and eats it every nite with her dinner. Its got tons of different veggies, so I feel like at least she's getting a well rounded diet. All you do is put a huge bag of mixed veggies, a can or two of V-8, two packs of dry onion soup mix and some water in the crock pot. Let in cook on low overnight and its ready. My girl also like some potato added to it.
As far as the medicine goes....we have the gagging issue too. Lemme know if you find something tht helps (I feel like we've tried everything).

Hi,

i don't know if I can really offer any helpful advice, but I can definitely empathize with you! My stepson was the same way (and still is and he's 8!!) We can finally get some veggies down him, but it's not without tons of complaining and drama (you think we were giving him poison or something!) We still have trouble with this, but sometimes it's better not too force it and deal with the gagging and drama that they want you to see, and just sneak the veggies in other ways as other posters have suggested. You can try the sauces over the veggies, but I tried that too and it didn't work. As far as getting medicine down, try to get stuff that is not liquid if possible, or if liquid is the only option, try mixing it with a fruit juice that is in the same flavor family. This worked for some medicine, but not all (you really can't mask cough syrup). The thin strips seemed to be a better option since they melt really fast and we just had him follow it with water or juice. Sometimes it just takes time and these things will eventually pass. While it's still a struggle, it does get better, so hang in there! Try no to worry too much....just load up on the fruits and try to cut back on sugary starches to compensate for the sugar in the fruit.

Hi J. -
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C.
JUICE PLUS - America's Brand Name in Prevention

it could be a phase- try not to worry too much. will he truly not eat ANY veggie at all? not even carrot sticks with ranch dressing to dip them in? not even celery sticks with peanut butter? not even steamed broccoli covered with cheddar cheese? making vegetables palatable for young kids in no way diminishes the nurtitional value of the vegetable, though it does add extra calories and fat when we use dressing or cheese to try to get the kids to eat them- but at his age the good fats found in peanut butter and cheese are totally ok for him.

try a few "tricks": 1) if he will eat spaghetti with sauce, puree things like broccoli and spinach and mix it in with the sauce (but don't let him see you). often kids won't eat the "chunky" kind of sauce you buy in the store with veggies in it, but if you puree the veggies and mix them with regular marinara sauce, they don't know the difference. 2) another idea: will he drink v8? 3) alternatively, if the flavor is too tomato-y for him, will he drink v8-fusion? NOT v8 splash, but v8 fusion is full of veggies and tastes EXACTLY like fruit juice. they have lots of different flavors. good luck!

S.

p.s. one of the pp's said salsa and guacamole count- they TOTALLY do!!! and if you get %100 corn tortilla chips, that's very healthy. also, my hubbie makes a great meatloaf with carrots, zucchini, potato, and onion mixed in SUPER FINE, using a food processor. when the meatloaf is done and coated with the ketchup sauce, all you taste is the meat. yummy, and full of veggie goodness.

also, i agree with everyone who's saying don't force it- it's a fundamental right of a human being to refuse to ingest something. his gagging is his way of showing you how serious he is about not wanting to eat whatever you're giving him. try a different tactic.

Have you heard of Juice Plus gummies? They are a whole food product that is 17 fruit and veggie servings. I give these to my kids. They love them. And they are 100% natural. I don't have to worry now if they don't get enough veggies in becuase I kow they are getting plenty of servings with the gummies.

Hi J.,
You could also try hiding your veggies in other dishes so that your son doesn't know he's eating them. Things like meatloaf and zucchini bread are great disguises. You could also add grated carrots to lasagna...get creative. I think I remember another post about this and someone had great food ideas. Who knows there might even be a cookbook out there somewhere that has "how to hide your veggies so your kids will eat them" ideas :) Good luck!!

Try putting cheese on the vegetables or you could mix the vegetables in a dish that you are making. I make chicken pot pie and cut the vegetables real small and my children will eat it. I also had a hard time getting my three year old to eat vegetables, but now that I cut them into smaller peices or put it cheese on veggies he loves it. I hope this helps

Almost all kids go through a phase where the hate veggies. some are more dramatic about it than others. I too was at the end of my rope with my 3.5 year old about veggies. It was frustrating to say the least. After trying everything, what finally worked for us was a combo of things, the main thing being a timer. at some point in her meal (usually toward the end) I set the timer for 3 minutes and she races to eat her veggies, she always eats ALL of them. She LOVES doing it. she actually asks me to set the timer every day now. Try it with your son. Make it a fun game, like a race. Also, along with that, offer some kind of reward at the end if he beats the timer in finshing all his veggies. for us, it's usually a small piece of candy, sugar free popsicle, and a smiley face on her reward chart. Mealtimes have been much more pleasant in our house since the introduction of the timer. You can even use it for chores and such. The only obstacle I face now is how do I get my 15 month old to like veggies again ;)

Dear J.,

Now remember, think about this, do you like to taste everything? Do you like to be forced? I bet not. That is what is happening right now with your chunky guy. He is just being an individual, and probably the gag reaction started one time when he had to try to eat something that didn't smell or look good to him. Then it continues until now. So what you need to do is to sit with them when they are eating - sometimes children do eat at different times than the adults - and put a plate in front of you with veggies on it. Take bites and make sure that he sees you, and go ummmm . offer him a tiny piece of the veggie you are eating and put it on his plate or ask if he would like to taste a tiny bit. He will say no at first, but just do this for a while, and do not talk about how good vegetables are for us, or that he needs to eat them, or that brother eats them, just offer and relax and talk about things that he loves to do and people that he loves, make him comfortable. I have noticed that through the years my children, grandchildren, and gr grandchildren just love to talk at meal time about this and that. Make it an
enjoyable time.

Next, have him stand on a stool or chair and help you prepare the meal. If he wants to cut, then you stand right there and show him how to do it to be careful, and spend some time doing it. That time will pay off in you and him becoming closer and him becoming more involved in food.

That is all I know. Except for one thing, as I get older and I am doing it quickly, I get sick when I think of eating certain foods. It surprises me because I always ate EVERYTHING - it was a joke that was true, that I always cleaned my plate, but not now, so I have an inkling of how he must feel.

By the way Mexican is a nationality - not a race, Mexican and 'white' are the same race. I think. I know that I am part American Indian and that makes me a mixed race person because there is a story that Asian people - a different race - came across the Bering Strait when it was solid ground and mixed with existing Indians in North and South America. I think truly that we all are mixed race by now. BUT the Mexican Culture is different from the 'White' Culture, and that brings joy and diversity to us all. Hola !!

Human beings are complicated, aren't we? C. N.

Hi J., my husband just found this "greens to go" mix. I think he got it at the grocery store. What it is a power that you just add to water. It is 100% natural, made with Organic ingredients, no sugar added - it says it's a fruit and veggie mix so you get the benefits of both. It taste like flavored water, the one we got was "apple/melon" flavor, kids love it!
you can check it out on line at, www.togobrands.com Let me know what you think should you get it! Good luck, veggies are always a battle:) L.

I would not force him to eat veggies. I am going through the same thing with my 2 yr old. He will not eat veggies, not even corn. I just offer it to him once a day on his plate. Our pediatrician said just to be sure to give him a multi-vitamin. I figure if I offer it enough he might try it. I think this is there way of being independent and making choices. I don't want to force my child to eat anything he doesn't want. I don't want him to feel like he has to eat every last bite of food because I think that might cause an issue with his weight. I do have an easy way to give your kids veggies without forcing them. My son loves carrot juice. He also likes V8 splash or V8 fusion. They have fruit and veggies in them.

Find a Juice Plus consultant in your area. They make the best nutritional supplements out there. For young kids they have gummy supplements. One is all the fruits you need for a day and the other is all the vegetables you need. You might try using an eye dropper to give him is medicine if it's liquid. He can just suck on it. A gag reflex is not usually activated unless the substance is far enough back in the mouth to trigger it. He might be faking it. At any rate he's only 4 and he'll find something else to focus on within time and this probable won't even be an issue a month from now. Good luck, L.

I've posted this before, but worth posting again.
When I make Macaroni and cheese (which most kids love) while Im boiling the noodles I but some fresh broccoli heads in the water. After you strain the noodles, the broccoli turns into practically nothing and you cant see it, except a few green dots in the noodles. Broccoli has sooo many good nutrients in it and is a good veggie to sneak, and not only do they eat it without really knowing but the juices from the broccoli go into the noodles too. Hope that'll help!!
S.
ps. I also heard on Dr Phil that if your kids wont eat veggies, at least get them to eat lots of fruit because it provides fiber and makes up for the veggie loss. Also maybe get some "Ensure"s to give him a little iron.

I read all the other responses & agree, just want to add a couple things...

My son will only eat broccoli if it is cooked fresh, and soaked in something tasty like cheese sauce, chinese sauce (like broccoli beef gravy) or buttered & salted...the texture has to be just right, cooked almost to mushy, mushier than I like it. He won't touch frozen broccoli! We try to work in more things like eating cold, cooked peas or carrot slices for snacks, since they are sweet, and I usually will offer him a fruit or veggie along with some cereal or cracker...

You can get a vegetable juicer & juice up fresh veggies (consult a juice recipie book if you aren't sure what to mix). It's best to use apples as a base for the juicing, it tastes good & goes with virtually anything...try apple, carrot, celery, and a little cucumber & see if that is palatable. Usually you'll just taste the apple, even tho the juice looks more like carrot, but you'll get all the good, fresh nutrition that you'd get in juice plus, but it's fresh, so that is always better.

We also take a liquid multivitamin that tastes like mango/tropical fruit, made by Natrol...my son didn't like it at first, & he gagged too. Now he asks to take his vitamins, & I can easily get him to take the 2 tsp. recommended dose (once a day). Along with this, I give him Yummi Bears, I expect they are like the juice plus gummy bears...I got both of these at Raley's. The Yummi bears have all sorts of fruits & veggies & are relatively low in processed sugar, even tho they are like "candy"...

I have talked to lots of parents who puree or grate veggies & mix them into sauces (especially tomato sauce, easy to disguise) to get their kids to eat them. Even carrot bread, zucchini bread, & healthy muffins with grated carrots, pureed squash (butternut is really good for this), pumpkin, spaghetti squash, and other cooked veggies can be successful...I especially like the idea of putting raw veggies in the pasta water while pasta cooks, it will get some of those nutrients in, & start acclimating your son to their taste gently.

I also agree don't push it, when my son won't eat veggies (as he does from time to time!), we just add more fruit & limit other foods so we make sure he is getting adequate fresh, fiber full foods.

Good luck! Hope this helps.

I get my 3 year old daughter to eat. But its only about 5 bites but its something, by having her help me perpare it. She add the food i chopped up and stirs. And for veggies also try ranch dressing. My daughter loves to dip.
Ggod luck but don't worry to much. Just keep putting it in front of them. Their taste buds change

Most kids dont like thier veggies lol...but try different veggies...but dont tell him its a veggie because he will right away not like it...I know this because this is what my son does with ground beef...lol...hes four...but one day we were eating spaghetti and he didnt want it because it had beef...so i told him it was chicken...and guess what...yep...he ate it...i told him after the fact that it was beef and then all the sudden he loved beef...so what im saying is try different ones without tellin him so he can learn to like different things...dont force him because then he will really hate them...and also if hes taking vitamins he will be ok...my son used to never eat meat...or chicken...just fruits and veggies...and now he finally eats both...good luck =)