At a certain age, your little one might decide to stop eating vegetables… This situation is frustrating and unpleasant for the whole family. To avoid the struggle at every meal to get your baby to eat their vegetables, here are a few tips to encourage them to enjoy them!
One tip to avoid this reluctance: developing one's taste buds
During the weaning process, you will offer a wide variety of foods in different forms to broaden your baby's palate. Developing your child's palate will help prevent them from becoming reluctant to eat foods they previously enjoyed. Until they are 3 years old, introduce your child to as many flavors as possible by offering foods in different ways!
Cooking with your little one
Cooking together as a family is the perfect way to spark your child's curiosity while sharing your favorite recipes! By involving your little one in meal preparation, they can discover foods before they're processed. They'll also have the opportunity to prepare a meal for the whole family, which they'll be proud to eat afterward!
Cooking with your baby is also a great way to encourage them to eat what they have just prepared with you.
Varying the appearance of vegetables in baby's meals
It's important to offer your baby vegetables in different textures. Sometimes, we like a vegetable when it's prepared a certain way, just as some people prefer raw, uncooked tomatoes. Try different cooking methods for the same food to spark your child's curiosity and let them discover vegetables in all their forms. For example, carrots can be raw, steamed, sautéed, or even puréed! Each cooking method offers a different culinary experience.
Playing with the presentation of food on baby's plate
To encourage your baby to eat vegetables, you can play with the presentation of the food on their plate. It's much more fun to eat zucchini shaped like fries! Don't hesitate to play with the shape of the food, but also with the colors on the plate! A plate full of color will attract your child's attention more.
Hiding vegetables in baby food
When your baby sees a vegetable on their plate, do they refuse to eat it? It's important for your child to eat vegetables for their vitamins. You can create complete meals by hiding vegetables in recipes! Make carrot pancakes, spinach muffins, or even pumpkin balls. This way, your child can rediscover the taste of vegetables without even realizing they're eating them. A great way to offer vegetables simply and enjoyably to your little one!
Set a good example for your child
Do you dislike vegetables and never have any on your plate? Then it's perfectly normal that your baby doesn't want to eat them. Children grow up by imitating their parents' habits. If you don't eat vegetables, why should your baby? By setting a good example, you increase the chances that your child will eat vegetables at every meal.
You now have all our tips to encourage your child to eat vegetables, try them out and you'll surely see a big difference.
Photo: © Lune et l'autre
