How to Get Your Kids to Eat More Veggies

The following is a guest post by Sara Dawkins of nannypro.com. Thank-you Sara for the great article.

The longest war that has plagued the world is the ongoing battle of the evil green foods against your child. The age old debate of ‘Do I have too?’ is about to be answered, here are a few tricks to get your kid to eating more veggies:

Lead by example: Believe it or not but your kid watches every move and remark you make. So be sure you eat your veggies too! Keep a positive attitude and make sure they see that you enjoy your veggies. Your child will see this and most likely follow suit.

Make it fun: There are many fun recipes out there to get your kids to eat more veggies like Ants on a Log: celery with peanut butter and raisins. Or try Dinosaur Trees: line up broccoli around the plate and make it look like dinosaur land.

Hide it: If you are not feeling like putting up a fight tonight, throw in the towel and just bury the veggies. Pasta is a great way to sneak in those unwanted veggies. Try to match the veggie color to the pasta sauce. Think spaghetti and meatballs with extra tomatoes and chopped zucchini. The guide to hiding veggies is smaller the better.

Have them cook it: Just like a drawing at school, they bring home and show it off. The same idea works in the kitchen. Have your kid in the kitchen with you. Having them prepare the veggie side will make them feel like they are creating something and then want to show it off at dinner. The sight, smells and the cooking process helps your child see that veggies aren’t that bad. Make it a game, call your little one ‘Chef’ and get them their own chef hat and apron, and tell them part of a chefs job is to of course, eat their masterpiece!

Don’t make it a big deal: When you serve your child the veggies, serve it to them like you would if it was a slice of pizza or cake. You making a big deal out of what it is will only make them wonder why in the world this thing is so important. Play it cool and serve.

So now that you know how to get your kiddo to eat more veggies, start cooking and they will start eating! Have fun with it and enjoy it, bon appetite.


Author Bio

Sara is an active nanny as well as an active freelance writer. She is a frequent contributor of nanny service. Learn more about her here.