My son (Dalton, age 5), hasn't had any veggies in over a year and a half. My doc doesn't seem concerned about it at all. We give him veggies at lunch and dinner, and he won't eat them. If we force him to take a bite, he holds it in his mouth and starts bawling. He even will sit and pick veggies out of tomato sauce if I try to sneak them in. Well, I knew him not eating his veggies wasn't good for him. He fell and broke his arm the other day. When he was getting the cast put on, the nurses said he really needed to eat his veggies to keep his bones strong. So what can I do? He use to love veggies! How do I get him to start eating them again? Thanks, Michelle
He's already won this battle. He starts bawling, and he gets his way. You said it's been a year. Let him bawl. And let him sit there until they're gone. Got any other kids? If so, let your husband take them for ice cream, while he sits there bawling at his veggies. Some things he can chose...like does he want carrots or broccoli? But others times he DOES NOT get a choice. Since you've let him get away with it for so long, you're going to have a MAJOR fight on your hands with this one.
grate them and sneak them into meatloaf, puree them into pasta sauce, cover them in cheese. Serve them cold with dip. Tell him he may choose to eat his veggies with cheese or without but he must eat them. If he doesn't eat them at dinner he sits there till they are gone, if they aren't gone by bedtime they go into the refrigerator and when he wakes up they are breakfast, you are his mother you decide what he will eat and when. Start small tell him he must take one bite of veggies, then when he is doing this easily make him take two bites, until he's eating a full serving.
I'd go smoothie on him-especially given it's summertime. My sister is a swimmer (of national standards) and I was a professional ballet dancer....you can throw a GIANT handful of Spinach - which is fabulous for you - into a smoothie and although it can make it a little green - with oranges, bananas, strawberries-or other berries it tastes awesome and ta-dah done. Otherwise-dig in and put up a fight.
i've had him sit at the table until bedtime if he hasn't eatten them.....he's been sent straight to bed for not eating them. he'd rather go to bed hungry than eat his veggies. i can't bring them out for breakfast, because he eats breakfast at our daycare every day...same with lunch. and at night, we have the same battle over and over again. he's the only child, so no "rewards" for other children. i'm going to give the smoothie a try....i'll just have to prepare it without him seeing what goes in it. if he knows there's a veggie in it, he won't touch it. we go shopping every weekend and get fresh produce for the week. he has a hand in picking out which ones we get, but even that doesn't entice him to eat them. *sigh*
Then you're in a totally no-win situation. HE has control and he knows it. Yes, you can sneak them in, but that doesn't resolve the issue. He's still totally non-compliant with this issue, and you've got to deal with the non-compliance. The fact that it's gone on for so long, along with you cannot control what's happening at Day Care, makes it impossible to do anything about.
EXACTLY my thoughts. I was always a firm believer that a child will eat what they're fed, and a 'picky eater' is only picky because they're allowed to be. Honestly, call me a mean mama, but I would keep up the stubborn fight. Show him that YOU will win the battle of the wills. His health and future depend on it. So many studies have shown that healthy, balanced eating habits need to be learned in childhood to prevent issues like obesity and diabetes in the future. In the mean time, he needs the nutrients that vegetables provide, whether he's willing or not. I would say to puree or finely grate veggies into foods, smoothies, etc. If he'll eat mashed potatoes, mix pureed steamed cauliflower into it. One of the best ways I have found to sneak in veggies is with things like homemade pasta sauce, sloppy joes (though I make them with TVP in the first place :lol, and smoothies. Finely-grated carrots, slivered beans, peas, greens (spinach, kale, etc) will essentially melt when sauteed with a little olive oil and garlic. Add a can of crushed tomatoes (or puree the sauteed veggies first for a completely smooth texture), a little salt and pepper, and you have a delicious and super-healthy tomato sauce that can be used so many ways without even a hint of flavor from the other vegetables. I can say from experience, though, that I am becoming an expert at completely hiding veggies in foods, because my son has oral sensory and muscle issues, and cannot eat many vegetables due to texture.
Yes Yes Yes!! I guess I'm one of those mean mama's too then. lol. If my son wont eat a veggie or what-have-you, he gets it until he eats it. Even if that broccoli sits on his plate for dinner for a year, and he is late to bed for a year, it doesn't matter. Apparently this has been going on a long time, so you WILL have a major problem on your hands. I also agree that hiding the veggies in the food will not solve the problem at all. It wins a small battle, even though you feel little victory because he has no idea he's eating them, and the war is still his.
My middle daughter tried that on me. She quickly learned that if she didn't eat all her veggies at dinner than the next meal would only be veggies and she wouldn't get anything else that day until she had eaten them. Her defiance only lasted two days. I don't let my kids dictate to me at all. I taught too many kids that got their way all the time at home and do not want my kids to be like them.
Amy, you know I'm a mean, no-nonsense mom! When Carl and I were first married, I put dinner down in front of his boys, and Michael asked me, "WHY do we have to eat THIS?" Without batting an eyelash, I replied, "Because I'm not your grandma, and I'm not going to cook a different meal for each person like she does. This is dinner; eat it or go hungry!" And that was the end of it!
I've got a son who is a cancer survivor..... hasn't eaten a vegetable except instant mashed potatoes in about 4 or so years. why battle. your doctors not worried for the same reason mine isn't, get him some flinstone vitamins and don't worry. Does your son like PIZZA or SPAGHETTI (with sauce).... TOMATO SAUCE HAS VITAMINS. Does your son like dipping chips in salsa?.... again its not like a real vegetable, but it is. You didn't mention fruits.... pick colorful fruits and he will get the vitamins (some not all) as in vegetables. Fruit smoothies? Have you tried the V8 fusion juices they have vegetable juice in them and they taste pretty good.
Your son can get his vitamins from other sources, but IMO it would be best for him to get them directly from his veggies. It would be ok if the battle ended with "just veggies". Once he figures out he got away with it, and you've thrown in the towl, he's got the needed ammunition to apply it elsewhere.
We had this problem in our home with our ds when he was younger. A friend recommended serving the meal in two courses. Serve the vegetable first (salad is socially acceptable to serve separately, so it wasn't a difficult transition to do this). Once the vegetable was eaten, then the rest of the meal was served. (this method also works for "meat and potato" men ) We didn't have to do this for very long before ds developed a taste for vegetables and would eat them when served alongside the main course. Can I instert a funny story? Hope so...here goes....when ds was 11, we had begun building our home and we had the kids go to public school for a time. One day I got home to find my husband holding a baggy with little dried leafy pieces in it. He held it up and exclaimed, "Look what I found behind the couch!" I was freaking out! Had he already gotten ahold of marijuana in his short time in the ps middle school???!!! Alas, in the midst of my break down, dh says, "Honey, it's dried brussel sprouts." :lol: Never been so happy to find out my kid wasn't eating his veggies!!!
I agree with some PP a grater and blender are your best friend! When our garden comes in each year I grate up a ton of zucchini and add it to everything. Meatloaf, hamburgers, spaghetti. I make something I call 'confetti spaghetti'. Just pasta, alfredo sauce and fresh veggies grated up real tiny in there. It's colorful, my kids call the veggies "sprinkles"!!! ( usualy use zucchini and carrots. If he picks out the grated up food, puree it in a blender or food processor before adding it. You can easily add pureed veggies to pizza or pasta sauce, the meatloaf, hamburgers, homemade BBQ, homemade mac and cheese, lots of things.
I too have a picky child. I don't cater to his taste buds. When my son was little, perhaps five, he went three days not eating because he did not want to eat what was served for dinner. I sure was sweating bullets by the second day. On the third day I was starting to waver in my convictions. We did not want to give in to our son's pickyness but we did not want him to starve. On the night of the third day he ate the meal. During the three days he did get fluids and nutrition through the fluids. On a side note, my son is thin and always has been. Eating is not that important to him. My son is now fourteen and does not like vegetables. He will not serve himself vegetables. At dinner I will put a few on his plate and tell him he has to eat them. I also tell him it is good for him and good for his tastebuds and it will also make his future wife happy. He always gags down the few vegetables. The bigger issue is that your son is getting his way, not that the vegetables are not being eaten. If he is stubborn now and gets his way, what will happen when he is a teenager? This is a battle that you need to win for your son's sake. Keep him home for three days and win the battle. This may sound harsh. Perhaps it is too harsh and I am wrong. You will need to decide what is best for you and your family. Just look at the big picture and make the best decision for you and your family.
Another thought. Perhaps he has this negative feeling towards vegetables. If you can show him that vegetables are good, he might begin to give them a try on his own. If he likes pizza and speghetti, tell him that they have vegetables. If you make a smoothie with fruit and vegies that he likes, tell him that it has vegetables. You get the idea.
You know-why not let him see that you put spinach in. AND all the other whatnot - maybe even throw some ice cream in...I don't know. But if he can see it's in there, but NOT taste it....it might even the playing field a tiny bit. I would also try making"sweet" veggies - sweet potatoes with pineapple, apple, and a little marshmallow, or try soybeans (in the pod) that he can use his hands....or sauces like carrots sliced up, and cooked in butter and a little lemonlime soda (called "coins" I think - my kids adore them). Take your frustrations out on making them more interesting. (Oh and carrots can go in meatloaf). Also, when I make veggies I KNOW my dd hates-she still gets served them-just a substantially smaller portion (literally I will count the beans and say, "Now you have 5...you need to eat all 5."). Then when she makes it thru that-she gets praised by everyone, instead of reminding her thru the meal that theyre still on her plate. Lastly - if it is really, really bad...well - and most won't like this - but I would make him mostly vegetables for 2 weeks. Like pasta with broccoli, then a tiny piece of chicken and a heap of corn......or straight vegetarian meals-and i wouldn't let up-at every meal (you can discuss with your daycare provider as well-if they won't cooperate offer to have him bring his food with him...it's not a permanent thing). And I would not at any time let him have anything else. He'll eat once he's hungry enough and once he sees you're not fooling around. Unfortunately, you have to not be fooling around, and be extremely rigid. Any break from that, and he'll regress. I would also have rewards ready for after every meal (I'm huge on jello....) I have to admit, my children are great eaters-but they had absolutely no choice when they were under 8. And they could choose not to eat-but that meant they went to bed until the next morning (Only has happened 2X in 10 years.) I admit to negotiating amounts, but it still got eaten. Have luck!!!!
My old roommate Rosie worked at the Ohio School for the Deaf as a sub teacher. I worked there as a part-time house parent, and so we knew the same kids. I worked with the younger kids, and part of my job was to take them to lunch/dinner on the weekends when I worked. I was suppose to sit and supervise them. Well, I figured that, since their mom couldn't be sure they ate properly, I should do it. Remember, these were ages 6-10, about, not teens. So I made them eat at least SOME of their veggies. Well, when Rosie worked with them during the school day, she had to accompany them to lunch and supervise. She ALSO made them eat their veggies. UNTIL the day came when they served brocolli. Turns out, Rosie HATED brocolli. So she was VERY sympathetic to the kids who didn't want to eat it, and didn't make it. I got after her when I found out! I told her it wasn't right! The kids had to have the exact same likes/dislikes as she did!!! LOL!
