Fruit and Vegetable for toddlers

[cairnterrier]

DS has a major aversion to both fruit and vegetables. He's always been offered them from the start and I've got pictures of him eating broccoli and strawberries.

He now will only eat bananas and raisins and will occasionally deign to drink some smoothie. I continue to put a little of what we're eating on his plate and don't make any comment good or bad about it as I really don't want it to escalate into a power struggle type thing. He will occasionally lick a bit of fruit if I'm eating something but that's about it. Vegetables are a complete no go.

So for anyone else who had a fruit and veg hating toddler, at what age did they grow out of it and any tricks to use in the meantime?

Thanks

Think the biggest impact on my DS's eating habits was the day my friend brought her human dustbin of a toddler to tea. He got so many admiring oohs and aahs for eating everything on display that DS started new eating things just so that he could get the same reaction.

Does your DS like cheesy flavours? I've found cheese sauces/bread pizzas etc. to be very useful when it comes to sneaking in grated/finely chopped bits of veg for DD, who isn't keen on vegetables. Does he eat pasta? Get the tricolour varieties which are made with spinach tomato - better than nothing! Likewise you can get veg varieties of potato gnocchi too.

If he occasionally drinks smoothie, will he take fruit yoghurts?

You can blend all sorts of fruit and freeze it in lolly moulds. My DD eats loads like that.

Will he eat vegetables if they are actually in things rather than on the side? So roasted and pureed into a pasta sauce, or in shepherds pie or something?

I know there's a school of thought that says 'don't hide the veg' but I see it as incorporating them rather than hiding them.

Hi Everyone, thanks for all the ideas.

DS likes cheese but not cheese sauce. He's just coming around to the idea of pizza but not if it has any vegetables on it. He likes yoghurts lots but not if it's got fruit mashed into it - I've managed to sneak in grated apple and crushed raspberries this way in the past, now it just gets rejected with a very injured look.

At the moment he doesn't like ice lollies - hasn't yet got used to the concept of very cold food.

He won't eat Shepherds pie or bolognaise etc, he'll eat meat if it's in chunks but not mince. He won't eat mashed potato either so can't sneak in carrot/swede etc.

At what age did everyone's DC's grow out of this?

Have you tried showing him where it comes from i.e. nice walk somewhere and come across blackberries etc. I know it depends where you live but might take the stress out of it iyswim?

My DS went into the fussy stage at about 18mo and emerged at about 3yo. By that time we had a few groundrules. 1. Mummy only makes nice food 2. You have to try something before you're allowed to say you don't like it.... and you may have to try it again another day. 3. Weekends are 'try something new' days -weekdays it's old favourites. 4. If you don't eat your dinner, there isn't anything else.

We also did a bit of cooking and baking. Visits to friends' houses, granny and restaurants were treated as 'try something new' opportunities. We even got inspiration from TV programmes for new foods ... 'Bart Simpson's meatloaf' still a winner. :)

DS has just eaten 10 grapes at lunchtime.

Am now going for a little lie down!

My dd has been a nightmare in the past with food, but now aged 3 she has started to try something new about once a week. Hiding things was a no go for her as she will not eat anything in a sauce or even mashed. She will now eat most fruits, the veg is still a sticking point but we will get there in the end.

We made homemade burgers the other day and she ate the lot, which is great as she wouldnt try mince before now, so she will now eat beef, gammon and beef mince. Rightly or wrongly ive found the best time to introduce a new food is while she is watching a cartoon, if she trys it she can watch it if she wont try it I pause it until she does. If once she has tried it she still doesnt like thats fine I wont push it on her. At dinnertimes I will then introduce the new food along with her staples, im too soft to tell her to eat or theres nothing else. Luckly DS is a dustbin and will eat anything.

Oh I also forgot that she will now eat porridge as we called it pirate porridge and she just loves Jake and the neverland pirates at the min. Making faces out of food was also a great start for her.

Am glad I came across this post as my DD is going through her "no vegetables phase" so nice to read some new ideas to encourage her. I like the lolly idea for fruit, maybe I can introduce frozen savoury lollies?!
She loves my home made pasta tomato pasta sauce which I blitz veggies in to and DH makes a wonderful veg & lentil curry which she loves, as long as the veggies are very small. As for fruit - how about getting him to help you put together a fruit salad - either in a bowl or make a "face"?