How to get a fussy 3 year to eat more veg?

[Iwasthefourthwiseman]

My DD1 is very fussy. Pretty much the only veg she will eat is cucumber. She will occasionally eat carrot sticks but never cooked carrot.

She can spot veg a mile off, even so I try grating carrot or courgette into anything I can. Occasionally I have tried to give her a spoonful of food with a bit of pepper hidden in it but she can taste it and spits it out.

I often make a pasta sauce with a load of veg pureed into it, so that is one way I get it in her. She doesn't like cakes of any kind so veggie muffins are sadly out of the question, even sweet ones. She does like biscuits, can I put veg in any sort of biscuit without her noticing?

Does anyone have any other novel ideas on how to get her to eat veg? Please tell me she will get better!

[mousymouse]

keep offering. nothing else really you can do. if she eats fruit there is no worry over malnutrition...

[seeker]

In my experience the more you ignore her and eat veg yourself in front of her the more chance there is of her starting to eat it herself. Serving dishes on the table are a good idea, with you and dp and anyone else who's at the table enthusiastically helping themselves to peas and sweetcorn and beans and things without comment.

[Goingspare]

Hide the veg in pasta sauce and soup, let her see you and other family members eating and enjoying veg, give her plenty of anything she will knowingly eat, like raw carrot, and don't worry.

Gradually get her to taste new things when you can, but don't make a big thing about it.

Both my DDs have added vegetables to their diet one by one over the years, and both eat plenty now (though DD2 would rather eat sprouts and spinach than cucumber and raw carrot!).

[Iwasthefourthwiseman]

FWIW is it something I've done? I did baby led weaning and am in the 'if you don't want it you don't have to eat it' camp (though I do try and get her to try things). Is there something better I can do when DD comes around to weaning?

She did used to eat more veg and would try things more as a baby, but she's never been an eat everything child.

[Goingspare]

I wouldn't have thought so. I thought green vegetables tasted horrid when I was small, so didn't eat them. It turned into a massive power struggle with my mum though, so I remained stubborn about it until I left home, pretty much. Then I started to try things again and ended up eating everything. If you don't bother with the power struggle bit, you can probably accelerate the process of your child gradually trying things and deciding they're OK after all.

And though I think it's possible to mess up feeding/weaning (see above) I believe it's possible to do all the right things and still have a fussy child.

[mousymouse]

we have the house rule that ds(40) has to eat a bitefull of everything on his plate. if he doesn't like it he can leave the rest. we are quite firm but gentle with it.
but he really likes veg for him it is the meat I struggle with...
ime babies eat more varied than older toddlers, but it sounds you are doing great overall.

[SJisontheway]

You can get lots of hidden pureed veg into risottos and curries too...

[Iwasthefourthwiseman]

Yep, we do curries too (frozen spinach is my friend!) Rarely make risottos as it is hard enough cooking with a 3 year old and a 2 month old. but i hear you can bake them in the oven?

[SJisontheway]

Yes, I use one of rachel allens recipes for a green risotto - spinach, peas and onions all blended. Bung it in the oven. Very easy. I often put some cooked chicken through it too.