Three Tried-and-True Ways to Serve Kids Vegetables | Cup of Jo (2024)

For what it’s worth, I didn’t reach my peak veggie love until right *after* college! :)

My kids eat a toooon of raw veg while I’m cooking dinner! I just slice em up (or they help) and they “sneak” them, lol. If they don’t eat much of their real dinner after I don’t sweat it because they filled up on the good stuff!

But also… YES TO DIPS.

Not a mom, but have been in the teen girl world for 10+ years as a high school teacher. Put some junk food and some healthy food on the table! Put the poptarts, pancakes, strawberries, egg bites from starbucks and smoothies from tropical smoothie on the table! A dish of pickled veg and fancy potato chips. I do a lunch bunch with teen girls every week and provide lunch a few times a month. I’ll make homemade brownies and get a veggie tray with some ranch out. The girls tell me all the time they wish their parents would get some balance. Perhaps take them grocery shopping and tell them they can pick out 2-3 things. My mom never kept any junk in the house so I would eat a hot fudge sundae flavored poptart everyday just to rebel against her. I bet you’re doing a great job as a mom and they will come around!

Maggie, I think they come back around? My kids took a nosedive into junk food in middle school when they starting having their own money and choosing their own foods. Sugary cereal, blue foods, etc. They were truly living their best (worst?) lives nutritionally. But fast forward to the later teens, and they seem to have gotten themselves back on track. They still snack on crunchy stuff but they eat plenty of fruits and vegetables of their own accord and pretty much avoid sweetened drinks. I would say just keep providing the healthy stuff at home. They will find their way.

“and risk spooking her” lol

When my son turned three, he became the pickiest eater on Earth – he ate what I called “The Four P’s (pretzels, peanut butter, pizza, pasta) and bananas”. He would get so constipated, I had to give him an enema. I took him to a feeding clinic at our local children’s hospital, they told me that all of the books tell you to give your child raw vegetables but you should cook them. I began with tiny bits of vegetables on his plate, a tablespoon of corn, or three carrot coins or two asparagus spears. By the time he was five, he begged me to make Brussels sprouts at Thanksgiving! He’s 23 now, is 6 feet tall, and is an adventurous eater.

A crinkle cut knife worked for me – carrots, radishes, zucchini with or without a dipping sauce. If you cut up apples the night before, they get brown like French fries – so no rushing in the morning packing school lunches!

Brilliant!

Has he tried rice paper wraps with spicy peanut sauce? I do sympathize – I had an ex – as a grownup – who only ate potatoes and corn.

That is really fun!

J’adore!!

I may be a grownup, but I’d love to go to such a party, too! Now to Google rambutans…

I loved that!

Same. When I’m on top of my meal prep game, I keep a big tupperware of colorful, cut “snack veggies” like Jenny suggested and I set it out the minute I start cooking dinner. Works wonders for preventing kids from STARVING TO DEATH. LITERALLY.

The hunger of waiting for dinner to be ready as a kid! It honestly felt like my stomach was eating itself from the inside out. I would’ve loved a plate of veggies to curb the pain!

It took 3 tries to potty train my kid. I first tried when he was 20 months because he refused diaper changes. He quickly figured out pooping on the potty, but he was a huge water drinker and would pee 12 times a day so even of he was making it on the potty half the time, he was still peeing his pants 6 times a day. His body just wasn’t ready. We tried again after he started preschool. It was too much with all the excitement and he didn’t want to stop playing. We powered through for almost 2 months before realizing he just wasn’t ready. The third time we tried, he potty trained in 1 day with almost zero effort. It was a huge parental lesson to wait until your kid is ready. It makes it easier on everyone. I know it can be hard to not compare, but they are each on their own journies. When they are ten, no one is going to remember who potty trained first and it’s not going to matter. Good luck! Also, the last time we did potty training, we did a sticker chart. I’m not really a sticker chart person, but je enjoyed it and it did seem to help.

My son is 3 and 2 months and we are just now trying to seriously get him trained. So you’re not alone . . . He is interested but almost seems like he can’t be bothered to use the toilet. I am usually afraid to leave the house if he is trying underwear, but Monday we went to a doctor’s appointment and out to lunch and he told me several times he needed to go and wanted me to take him to the bathroom! So don’t be afraid to try going somewhere! He is marginally more excited about using the potty if we put a Cheerio (a “pee-rio,” as he calls it) in the toilet and he gets to try to hit it. Is this gross? Horrible for the sewer? Probably. But if it works I will take it. We give him 1 fruit snack after for trying (even if he doesn’t go), 2 for going potty, and 3 for hitting the target. I hope I don'[t addict the poor kid to sugar, but again, if it works…

Just don’t stress about it. It’s true to say he will learn when he’s ready. I tried at 2.5 with my eldest daughter and it took 6 months of constant accidents and me refusing to give up. What a waste of my time! My son – I waited til he was a bit last 3 and he toilet trained quickly. My youngest daughter toilet trained (by daycare!) in 3 days at 2.5. All kids stayed in nappies at night until they were dry (which was around 5).
Honestly just don’t worry about it – it feels like a massive milestone at the time but it shouldn’t break you. It’s true that kids will learn when they are ready.

We potty trained both kids in the summer by doing pants-off days. Mostly outside for obvious reasons. At first, the goal was for them to recognize when they were peeing. Then working on where they were peeing. It was more fun than the potty sitting we had attempted at first inside and took only 2 days or so to get the hang of it

My first son was 3 years and 4 months when we did it and he learned quickly. He just wasn’t ready before that.
Similar to the food approach, I think it’s more important for kids to have a good “experience” rather than strive for perfection. Try not to let comparison rush you. I’d put it down for a few months and then try again later (and really psych him up!). Good stickers or m&m’s as rewards don’t hurt, either. ;)

Maybe too late, but have you played up the excitement of wearing big boy underwear? We were VERY rarely in a store, so it was amazing for our boys to go into a store and choose their own.
We chose one day to train, and talked it up. Circled it on the calendar, talked about how we might feel, what problems and successes we might have. lol We played it differently than a lot, in that we did put them in underwear while they trained. I wanted them to feel that grody, wet feeling. We talked about how yucky it felt so they had another incentive to make it to the potty in time.
One kid declared loudly each time he was going to try. The other waited until I left the room every time. Know your kids!
And make sure your potty is in a place that he can run to in time. We only have one bathroom all the way upstairs, so a potty on a towel sat in our living room for awhile to ensure no accidents. Good luck!

Oh Crap Potty Training

My son was 3 and very resistant to potty training. We tried a bunch of times with M&Ms, getting to watch a video on the potty, etc. and he just refused. Eventually, I read the book Oh Crap, followed the guidance (just took away diapers, planned for him to have a “naked” weekend), and we were essentially done by day 2.

I think that’s common. We haven’t even attempted yet and my son will be 3 in a few weeks. None of the boys around his age at school are potty trained. Friends had great luck with the three day method using the Big Little Feelings training. We’re going to attempt that in a month or two. But honestly, I’m in no hurry. I love that we can go anywhere and do anything and not have to worry about access to a toilet!

Yes to the Oh Crap Potty Training!

I’m here to be the third person to recommend Oh Crap Potty Training. I used it 10 years ago and I’m happy to hear it’s still getting recommended!

We have wild success with loaded baked potatoes and potato salad with extra vegetables (corn, avocado, cucumber, tomato).

I also make a habit of just asking them to add a vegetable to any plate of food they make. Kids are happy to whack on carrot sticks or frozen peas or peppers where they really don’t “go” with that meal …. It doesn’t matter! Get it in and make it a habit to add a veggie every single meal.

Question for parents of picky kids – were your kids picky eaters as a baby too, or did the pickiness start later?

My 8-month-old loves veggies of all kinds (zucchini, avocado, carrots, broccoli, you name it) and I’m so curious if this will last or if it’ll change when she becomes a toddler/gets a little older.

My 17 month old used to eat a wide range of vegetables at 8 months, but now I have to hide them! You never know….

Mine developed pickiness later! She still l loves peas and broccoli but everything on her plate has to be SEPARATE or she won’t eat it. I think it’s normal for their tastes to change a bit.

It started for us around age four to six and lasted until twelve. At three years old, they would eat blue cheese and figs, and sprinkle fenugreek on their oatmeal, and loved salmon with chimichurri. Then we had a long phase of reducing their variety of food. Never anything crazy restrictive, but it was difficult to eat out and they ate a lot of very simple meals (rice and beans, no sauce—that kind of thing). But eventually their palates began to expand again! Good luck and may your baby have a continuously adventurous relationship to food!

Started later. My first baby ate absolutely everything, including olives and sucking on lemons. He got more selective after about 4 years old and has continued to add and deduct from the acceptable list to this day (he’s 12). My second baby was a little bit more selective as a baby but will now eat anything and everything.

My now 12 year old daughter ate anything and everything up until school. Then she wanted to eat like everyone else – white bread sandwich with a very boring spread, an apple and a packet of chips or similar. We do this for school, then have exactly what Jenny has described above for after school/pre-dinner snack every day (huge salad plate with bread sticks or rice crackers & dip). She gets to have a ‘normal’ lunch, I get her to eat vegetables.

For my 18 month old, it’s more of a texture thing that he can be picky about now, less about flavor! Or a weird experience he doesn’t like… for example, he won’t touch a blueberry after its skin got stuck to the roof of his mouth haha.

I think it’s those dang pouches. Once they get a taste of them they never go back to the fish and broccoli rabe. At least mine never did. Not that I stopped giving pouches to future children. My 2 year old is eating cereal for most meals but I’m now forcing my teens to eat everything and it’s getting better.

My daughter was very adventurous as a toddler. She started going through a “my tastebuds changed and i don’t like xyz” stage. My secret weapon – let her overhear me bragging to someone about how “she’s crazy about kimchi and yesterday she ordered kombucha.” That gets her right back on track.

Genius!!

That sounds delicious, Annie! My 2 year old is also pesto obsessed but my sneaky fast version is just blending Costco pesto with a mess of defrosted peas (and a little water and salt). He eats it by the spoonful! Next time I’ll try adding spinach in it, too.

This! My 4yo won’t touch veggies at the table. BUT he has tasted so many while I’m cutting them. No pressure and he feels sneaky : )

Same! It works.every.time.

I can verify, IT WORKS!

Yes! I believe the word was “unceremoniously”? That’s what I think when I sliiiiide that veg tray out on the table…

This is what I came to say! As a child I would eat vegetables straight from the garden and declare, “mommy, I growed this in MY garden.” I was so proud of myself! Like your son, Elsa, I had no interest in store-bought produce or restaurant vegetables. It’s a total life hack and when I have kids, they’re going to spend lots of time hanging out in “their” garden.

I’m baffled about why vegetables are not eaten by children in the US. There are generations of families all over the world (and even in the US) that are vegetarians and their kids eat vegetables just fine. Maybe we need a change in mindset. If we don’t consider vegetables ‘grown up food’ then maybe children won’t pick up on that and be picky.

When I cook for my children starting from 9 months old, I made whatever I wanted to eat and gave it to them. They had no other choice and they knew no other way to eat. This is how I was fed and how my 15 cousins were fed too. Not one picky child in the bunch.

FYI, they do have their dislikes. One son does not like eggs or oatmeal. The other son does not like raw tomatoes and sour foods.

It’s not a U.S.-specific thing — many kids eat veggies here too, and also many kids around the world have sensory issues or intolerances or disabilities that make veggies especially hard. Hope that makes sense!

I did homemade veggie and fruit based foods for my babies starting at 6 months old. Only to have them vomit it up violently due to sensory issues. After months of that we took a step back and decided it was not worth it to have our baby shaking and crying every time she saw a spoon. She is still a picky eater, but doing so much better at 3.5 yrs old and eats some veggies and fruit without issue.

My older kid had sensory issues with food and my younger had many food allergies which limited options. I’m glad you had a smoother experience.
From the outside it’s hard to “see” why members of a family eat the way they do.

We did the same for my kids… they ate what we ate from the beginning. My 5 year old eats most things. My 9 year old is SO picky. He ate everything until he was 18 months and then cut so many foods out. So it’s not always simple as that.
And it is insulting and frustrating when
people simplify it that and blame the parents.

I don’t know a single person who considers vegetables grown up food *shrug*

I live in the UK and I can confirm that this is not just an American thing.

I think it’s a mistake to assume the food preferences of a child are due to inadequate parenting skills or an incorrect “mindset”.

Perhaps picky eating isn’t restricted to the US but one thing that does seem to be more prevalent in the US than elsewhere is the snacking safety net. Many kids I’ve known are confident that if they don’t like a meal they’ll get something safe — like a bowl of cereal or a familiar snacking food — later to help them take the edge off their hunger. I know this may upset people for a whole bunch of reasons, but in the cause of lifetime wellness, branching out and being more open to new goods, reducing food waste and a lot of other important things, we need to stop constantly managing kids’ hunger by offering snacks (usually processed) all the livelong day.

I agree!!

I love picking up a new dip to try at trader Joe’s for this – most recently it’s been celery and buffalo chicken dip!

My brother in law is one of the healthiest eaters I know but he didn’t willingly eat a vegetable until he was age 17! Give it time, keep offering interesting food, and as much as you can, try not to worry!
xo

Solid Starts ( the website and the instagram) is full of incredible resources and strategies from professionals!

Hi Cindy, My daughter thought the same thing with her 1 year old son. What helped a lot was cutting things up for him to eat by himself, as he didn’t like “being fed”. It’s worth a try- maybe it’s the same for your son! Now, when they need to feed him something with a spoon, they say “baby bird”, and he opens his mouth for them.

oh my gosh Cindy, hang in there!! I used to nanny for a little boy who eventually started feeding therapy when he was about 2.5/3yrs and it was a long slowwww process. I’m sure your therapist has loads of info/resources but kids.eat.in.color on instagram is a great follow and has a facebook group too if you’re looking for solidarity. My biggest tip is food play. And like you said, he wont be carting off bottles of milk to school so try not to stress too much. Good luck!!!

They do things when they’re ready! You’ve done your job well, providing the food and the therapy. Now you keep waiting and keep offering and you’ll get there. My youngest of three boys is three and doesn’t want to potty train,
While his older brothers were finished training and were fully using the bathroom at his age, but he is perfect and will let us know when he’s ready! My oldest is now eight but also didn’t eat solids until a bit over a year and now he’s our most adventurous eater! It’s so hard to wait but relax knowing you’ve done all there is to do, just enjoy him!

I’m sorry, Cindy! Both of my daughters have sensitive gag reflex and could not handle solids for a long time. My oldest especially had a hard time with violent vomiting of any food at all including purées. My second daughter doesn’t vomit as frequently or as violently but does struggle also.
There is hope! We didn’t do food therapy. I wasn’t against it, but honestly just thought it would resolve on its own. Which it did! We relaxed about bottles which was helpful to the whole family. We continued to try healthy food pouches and whatever food we were eating. Our oldest just all the sudden started eating solids around 2.5 years old on her own and the vomiting stopped. She is a great eater now a year later, although still picky with squishy foods like blueberries. My 15 month old shows interest in our food and will try the tiniest nibbles but is otherwise not having it. So we will just keep trying and wait it out.

Mom of three, one who is an adventurous eater and two who approach all foods as potential poison.

I second the advice to put out raw vegetables while the hungry kids are circling the kitchen during dinner prep time. While there are exceptions with my picky eaters, in general raw vegetables seem more palatable – and they are easy to put aside while preparing a more involved meal.

I also second the suggestions of putting out vegetables during zombie screen time. They don’t even realize what they are eating sometimes, I swear.

And as my little kids have grown into big kids (teenagers even!!) I’ve found the refrain is true: Simply make the option available. On busy, exhausted nights – or when the kiddos are constipated from lack of fiber consumption – it’s so frustrating to make a vegetable knowing that no one will eat it. But it pays off, truly.

For one, there will be surprise vegetables that the kids love. It came as a surprise that all our kids LOVE celery (?) so thanks to those vegetable spreads at parties for that learning. And shockingly our pickiest eater likes bean and corn salad (???)

But also: One day, maybe when they are 5, or 8, or 15, they will decide that actually purple cabbage IS a fun addition to salad, maybe beets CAN be okay, or that brussel sprouts ARE yummy when roasted. And all those meals where the purple cabbage was surgically picked around, there were tears over the beets, and the brussel sprouts went to the compost were, in fact, worth it.

(But also, it’s okay if on some of those stressed nights you just plopped a bag of baby carrots on the table and pretended that you didn’t notice that some people didn’t take any.)

Oh yes, the Bombay version is dynamite.

Piggy plates! Adorable!

I have one super picky kid and one adventurous eater, but neither one will eat cooked vegetables most of the time. I decided to give up and just embrace their little raw foodie lives.

Enter: homemade ranch dip. It’s sour cream, a little milk to loosen it up, and powdered ranch seasoning from a canister. It’s not classy, but it’s delish and my kids will just sit there and chow down on raw veggies until they have cleaned out a big platter. I figure that sour cream and veg is a lot better than most things they could be snacking on, so I try to have one ready when the 4pm whine hour hits. If they fill up before dinner, at least it’s just veggies!

Homemade ranch FTW! Might I suggest trying it with greek yogurt. Gives it a bit more of a punch, and packs some protein in there too! :-D

I second those plastic kids knives. They can cut softer fruits and veggies, and my son loved using them! Then, he would proceed to eat 1/2 the stuff he was cutting up! LOL

We do both of those things – I have yet to have a tomato because my 2 year old knicks them all! And she loves cutting and mixing with us in the kitchen, which makes her way more likely to try new recipes

My mom was an amazing gardener, and she used to describe peering out the window when we were coming home from school because we’d descend on the veggie garden like locusts. Both parties really thought they were getting away with something!

“I had leaves….” Had to smile at the image of this discussion when he arrived home. But he WAS at camp, surrounded by actual leaves, so his description makes sense to me. Get that boy some leaves to eat!

Agreed on the farmers market! I give my kids $5 to spend on whatever they want (ie, not the baked goods) and it has resulted in trying some super fun things.

Kids eat with their eyes for sure. We like to see how many colors we can eat in a meal/day/week which helps keep our plates varied and fresh.

Oooh, that’s a good idea (the farmers’ market budget). Thanks for sharing!

Omg, it is literally the best account!!! I’ve learned SO much.

Great tips for adults, too! The key is ease and accessibility.

My two cents: Don’t waste time & energy peeling carrots! Just scrub them and cut them. So many nutrients in the skin. The fad of peeling vegetables is so illogical…

To echo another commenter, roasted veggies are delicious and satisfy that umami craving. Especially roasted chickpeas.

Personally, if I am feeling snackish, I have an apple with peanut butter or a handful of nuts (walnuts) or chomp on a carrot.

I don’t have kids, but if I remember back to my childhood, I didn’t have unlimited access to food (I basically had to eat what I was served at mealtimes). But my mom did pop popcorn in the afternoons and I would snack on that while doing homework. She also had a summer vegetable garden and would make a delicious sauteed onion and summer squash dish. And we always had a salad with dinner.

SAME! if i prep them and they’re staring at me, I will eat them! but in the moment, if they are not ready, it’s a pass.

same same!! I’ve invested in so many glass containers and jars. Truly the best strategy for avoiding waste.

Veggie prep is my self care! I listen to a podcast and get everything chopped for the week so I have easy salad material at the ready. Life is hard! Take care of your future self :)

Thank you! This is comforting (I’m currently the mom of a picky six-year-old).

I raised one who would not touch a vegetable or fruit for looooong spans of time, but is now a pescatarian, gardener, lover of all plant foods except turnips, and a terrific cook.
I was a supremely picky kid with many texture issues (sensory processing deficits), and many of the foods I refused as a kid I am profoundly allergic to, so be mindful that avoidance can have roots (so to speak) in sensitivities/reactivities/allergies.

Thank you for this!
I have a kid who is SUCH a picky eater (like it is an anxiety and we go to therapy to work on it) and none of the “guaranteed” tricks worked for him with any foods or food habits. He’s almost 9 now and is slowly getting better- aka willing to try tiny bites of new things but still doesn’t like them and they must be doused in ketchup and a glass of water beside him.
He psychs himself out before the food even hits his mouth so we have been working on that.
Just like with his fear of swimming/ water I know he will just start eating things when he’s ready

Thank you!!! Reading tips can be disheartening sometimes because my kid won’t eat any of this (definitely not the sauces or dips!). He’s four and I see him growing a little more adventurous, but we’re in the thick of the very picky years. Hearing from adults who were picky eaters and are unscathed is so reassuring!

This is so smart. Thank you.

Thank you so much for this idea and the link! Super helpful.

Same, anon! There are zero vegetables my three year old will eat in any form, and they have recently also begun refusing all fruits except strawberries. I keep serving fruits and veggies (along with the select carbs my child will actually eat) and choose not to stress when they inevitably end up uneaten and tossed into the compost bin.

Right there with you.

Hugs and solidarity to you! Mom to a super-picky kid here. Fed is good. Fed is enough!

Same here with my 4 and 6 year old. They eat the same few things on repeat. 6 year old is just starting to become slightly more adventurous with food. I don’t fight with them about it but do make them eat one fruit a day. Sometimes they surprise me and eat a bunch. They loved the rainier cherries I brought home a few days ago and devoured them!