Only Veggies Please...

We didn't do ONLY veggies, but we did offer mostly veggies at first - both kids love veggies (most veggies anyway :)

sounds like a good idea, though id do fruit too. fruit has some benefits you cant get from veggies alone. But i believe people can live, and live well, off of just fruits and veggies.

We started with veggies (after the rice cereal) and did a lot of veggies before fruit and meat and such, but we started those before a year too.

And my kids are veggie monsters. I have one son that HATES mac&cheese but will make a whole dinner out of steamed broccoli or a veggie tray (well, he loves the dip too, but still ...)

A big thing is that my husband and I love our veggies too. They eat them because we eat them!

I never just did veggies only because in my mind, all food that is offered is an acquired taste. I would give fruit in the morning, veggie in the afternoon and evening. So far I have to say that it worked out alright. I have one that eats her veggies first, then tackles everything else on her plate, and the other thinks that some veggies, not all, are the devil. I did it the exact same way 2 times and each kid has developed her own eating habits. Neither kiddo turns away all fruits or veggies. They each found what they liked and stuck to it.

We didn't do this at all--we gave our son lots of tastes in the first year--and he pretty much eats everything and anything and LOVES vegetables--he's always sneaking them off the cutting board when I'm making dinner!

we did this for our dd. and she is nuts over veggies she just loves tomatos and cucs she is 21mo and will hound me if I have a salad with dinner. She loves meat also but she first eats all veggies and fruit then goes to the protien. She is not a fan of mashed potatoes but loves when I cube them and season them then grill them or broil them. Sweet pot she goes crazy for I love it. good job

Hi N., I've got three kids, all three with very different relationships with vegetables (and all other foods for that matter), even though I did it the same with all three.

So, I'd say, after your 20th kid (at least) you're doing it the same way, and every single one of them loves every vegetable right from the get-go, than, sure, I guess your Ped is on to something!

:)

My 2.5 year old son had just about everything once he hit 8 months (we started out with fruits and veggies at 6 months, but I gave him all kinds of things after that). I let him try everything, and he loves everything. He used to ask for thirds on spinach, and still downs his veggies, and just about everything else offered to him. He is also willing to try new things, maybe because I gave him so many weird things as a child. I have never heard of just veggies, but I think it makes more sense to offer more textures and flavors, so they get used to all of it. Do what you feel works for you, but you can still have a veggie lover (and all around food lover), by offering fruit, meat, and grains the first year.

My DD LOOOVES veggies. She has had fruit from the get go too... I think that your little guy just happens to like his veggies. Fruits have a lot of nutritional value, so I like giving them to her too.

I taught my daughter to eat at a soup and salad place that we loved to go. She always ate ALL veggies, even lima beans, spinach, asparagus etc. But she's 10 now and as picky as the rest of us.

No, we haven't ever done veggies only. I'd love to know how your 3 year old is in another 5 years or so. :)

I didn't do that. They did have some fruits, but no desserts. My kids love veggies and eat a ton of them. We're not vegetarians but we're pretty close to it. In my experience, if you model the proper foods to eat around them, that's what they'll follow. I just fed them what I was eating at the time, if they were old enough for it. I didn't buy jarred baby foods since there's so much extra junk in it and most of it's pretty much nutrition-less since it's so over processed.

My kids idea of a treat are tomatoes or apples or something else along that line. I do admit though that they do like their candy & sugary treats but those are few & far between. A couple of years ago, my father decided to take all of his grandkids to the store by himself. So he had 5 children, 6 and under. (I'm not sure what he was thinking. LOL) Anyway, he said they could pick out a special treat. The nephew, who only ever ate junk, ran screeching to the candy section. My horde, the remaining four, ran screeching the other way for the produce section. My poor father said he didn't know which way child to follow! By the time he got to the produce section with my nephew my four had each picked out a piece of fruit and if I remember correctly the 2 year old had a tomato she'd started eating. To be clear here, this is a store in a small community and everyone knows my dad so he wasn't super freaked out that they scattered like that (just frustrated). But he has taken the precaution of sticking them in a cart if he has any of them now.

I think a lot of parents feed kids what the parents would want to eat. If parents don't like veggies, they are likely to overdo the fruits.

I can't speak for your method. It seems at though it worked for you once, it wouldn't hurt to try again. Our problem with it was military day cares. They wouldn't not feed a child a fruit or veggie just on mom's say so. They had to be allergic with a dr's note, so veggie only until the first year was out of our hands at that point. We just stayed balanced with our kids. 1/2 fruit, 1/2 veggie bites. We had one that loved baby green beans (gross!), but they all eat different veggies now. My 7 y/o eats fresh asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli (no dip) but only cooked carrots and NO celery. My 3y/o eats fresh celery and carrots with dip or peanut butter and won't touch broccoli. My 1 y/o still eats everything we do but I know that's bound to change.

I don't know if that method is the sole reason your daughter loves veggies, but every little thing helps!

my babies eat whatever we're eating. I don't think my husband and 2 year old would be happy if we only ate vegetables just so the baby wouldn't see our other food and pitch a fit. She HATES baby food and will grunt and scream if we don't share our food with her haha (she's 7 months, and had scrambled eggs and strawberries for breakfast). My toddler will eat vegetables, but he eats whatever we put in front of him because he isn't picky. It has to do more with the temperament of the child and their tastes for food other than what they are only allowed to eat the first year of their life.

I've always just fed all of my girls an assortment of food. I never gave them sweets until they were well over 2 yrs old. So far, so good with the eating and they're now 10 & 6 :)

Very interesting. It doesn't sound like a bad idea. Certainly it could not harm your kids!! I have a 3 1/2 yo and a 4 1/2 yo. Both like veggies alot but different ones. My 4 yo loves broccoli and spinach, butternut squash, peas and corn. She does not like salad though. My 3 yo loves salad, cuccumbers, avocados, carrots and peas but does not like broccoli or spinach...
I never gave them store bought babyfood. Always made my own and always a variety of fruits and veggies and meat as well.
They both eat great and we go out to restaurants, they like lots of interesting things like calamari, and empanadas, and chicken terriyaki etc.

My friends whose kids won't eat different foods and won't eat veggies are usually mirroring their parents...

I've heard of this too and plan on using as well with our new baby. Hope it works as well for us!

My daughter ate what I was eating - meat, veggies, grains, fruit, complete with spices and seasonings.
The reason most kids don't like veggies is that the jarred baby veggies are loaded with sugar, and they get the idea that everything is supposed to be sweet, even if it isn't a naturally sweet vegetable (like green beans). Then when they eat real vegetables, they discover that green beans aren't sweet after all, and they have trouble adjusting to that.

I'm pregnant with my 2nd son and would actuallly like to try this method if possible. I have a 2 year old who completely refuses any vegetables at ALL! He recently started to eat less fruit too. Its pretty terrible, but I can say that we started him out with veggies first & then fruits and only started meats right before a year old. I have no idea why he dosn't eat fruits and vegetables because they have always been offered and my husband and I always eat them at every meal. So, I guess I see how it just depends on the child. I do think its worth a try though because it drives me nuts that my son won't eat them now. I'm hoping this method will make a difference with the next child, but I won't hold my breath :)