how many vegetables does your toddler eat... honestly?

[MamaChris]

ds is nearly 15mo, and has never been a great eater, but is getting seriously picky these days. most fruit and yoghurt are still safe bets, but with vegetables, we're down to just 3: tomatoes, sweetcorn and peas (and technically, tomato is a fruit too). sometimes I can hide grated courgette or carrots in a tomato sauce, but he's getting wise to that. It's getting hard to think of things to cook for tea, and he certainly isn't getting close to 5 a day.

A guy at work boasts how his daughter eats everything, so, please, tell me about your toddler. (Keeping my fingers crossed at least some of you have a dc as bad as mine!)

honestly, as toddlers they both loved fruit and veg, now they barely touch it. It dissappoints me. I hope they will change soon

NA... he just hates condiments... it's just one of those things... i can't argue as i have foods that make me want to leave the room and throw up too so to an extent i know how he feels!

i had a lovely dietician tell me not to worry about pickiness, that the foods dd eats might not be a vry good representation of all the food groups but as long as she's healthy and growing she's clearly getting everything she needs. she made a good point when dd wasn't eating much at all other than pasta, rice and potatoes.... they might not have much protein but they do have some, as do lots of other foods so just because she wasn't eating meat didn't mean she was automatically starved of protein, similarily although she might not each a wide range of fruit and veg as long as she ate some fruits she'd be fine.

DS went off veg when he was about 14 mths old. He would only eat sweetcorn, peas and tomato in pasta sauce until recently (he's 4). We've now introduced green beans and sweet potato into his repertoire , and he has tried mange tout and sugarsnap peas and decided he doesn't like them (at least he ate a few first, though!). He is still picky, but getting less phobic about food now, and more likely to try stuff. I am super chilled about it these days and it seems to be paying off (used to stress massively, but got sick of it).

ds (just 3) will eat potatoes, broccoli, sweetcorn, cauliflower, peas (sometimes), french beans (but not runner beans), hates carrots. tomato sauce on anything and everything but not actual tomatoes. he will try most things and i know he eats more at nursery.

will eat bananas, apples, grapes, strawberries and pear sometimes.

PT Me too. I can't stand mushrooms. I do still let DS have them though. Even though it makes me heave when he has black mushroom juice dribbling down his chin. bleurgh. i'm heaving just thinking about it.

God this is depressing. DD will only eat bananas and mashed potato.

What am I doing wrong? I offer fruit and veg at most meals but she won't touch them.

Ds eat no vegetables at all.

We are very lucky, dd1 eats just about everything except tomatoes, dd2 eats everything (but is only 18 months, so there's time for that to change .
From 12 months to 30 months dd1 refused potato completely. I still kept on offering potato whenever we had it, very gently encouraging her to try, but ignoring if it was left. Eventually at about 30 months she just decided she liked it one day, and has eaten it everytime since.

Children are funny things.

None. Will not eat 'vejables.'
Fruit - mashed kiwi only.

I lived on boiled eggs and bananas and chocolate milk for 6 months when I was four, I'm still alive.

Ds2 (16mo) eats broccoli, sweetcorn, peas, cucumber, carrots, pears, bananas, raisins. I serve him whatever we are having and he politely ignores all the non-acceptable items.

He won't, eat pasta or rice or anything in a sauce or anything savoury off a spoon. But he likes mashed potato, and you can hide a fair bit in that. He also has weetabix every morning and doesn't mind if I add pureed fruit or veg. Spinach cereal anyone?

DS is doing ok at the moment but goes through stages. He particularly likes green beans for some reason. Does anyone with fussy LO's give them supplements? I'm sure read somewhere that the FSA recommends vitamin supplements up to the age of 5 but I don't know anyone who does it. Anyone?

well after myself and my mother searching every pharmacy and health shop within a 50 mile radius to find wheat free kids vitamins supplements and eventually finding some you'd think i'd remember to give them wouldn't you?

DS1 (3 yo) announced this week, "I don't like any vegetables mummy" He has up until now been OK with most things - except leafy greens.

DS2 (21 mo) only eats bread, pasta, chocolate, cereal bars and yoghurt. At one stage he loved roasted carrots but even those get left on the plate with everything else these days.

It bothers DH more than it does me tbh; they do both eat plenty of fruit... honest!

Actually, I lie; DS1 loves spinach lasagne, but only because I have reassured him that it has no vegetables in it

I make a soup of lentils, carrot, onion, swede, celery, butternut squash...sweated in butter then slow cooked with veg stock.

Whizzed up and bits disguised..it goes down a treat for lunch with wholemeal bread.

But now summer is coming on I'll have to change to a tomato version!

Honestly

Peppers (her favourite food of all time)
Potatoes
Carrots
Onion
Swede
Celery
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Brocoli
Cauliflower
Sweetcorn
Lettuce
Beans (and not just baked beans)

In fact she is a fruit and veg monster...I do consider myself lucky though

Carrot and swede mash - that is it

I dutifully stood and pureed every veg you can think of, she was a brilliant eater.

She is now difficult about EVERYTHING, but sleep.

She does eat apples, bananas and currants.

i put veg/salad on her plate every meal time and life in hope.

I have 2 older DD's and seem to remember they were fussy, they now eat everything except carrot and swede mash

live in hope, even !

I do think it is totally, completely normal and nothing to worry about. I hated veg as a kid. I now eat almost all veg (but no mushrooms for me, bleurgh!). I can totally see why a 3 yr old would find brocolli the grossest thing ever

normal at that age. The worst thing you can do is be bothered about it. Serve up veg like you noramlly would, make sure you all eat together and ignore, ignore, ignore!!

The minute you start making a fuss (cheerleading for eating ) then you're on the road to creating a picky eater.

Youi can't force them to eat, but I do insist that they don't make a fuss about the presence of not-so-favourite veg on their plates.

Dd (nearly 4) eats
potato
carrots
broccoli
onion
cabbage
peas
cucumber
lettuce (dipped in mayo
sweetcorn (reluctantly)
mushrooms (in bolognaise sauce)
pepper (in a sauce)
chilli (con carne)
tomatoes (in sauce)

and in soup or stews -
sweet potato
butternut squash
parsnip
swede
celery
courgette

all fruit

Although NONE of those veg are guaranteed to be eaten. Fairly reliable on the first things listed but will often refuse stews, mess around and just eat the spagetti from a spag bol etc etc. I'm very strict on meal times now cos if she thinks she can get away with leaving any of the veg (or any other thing she decides she doesn't want) she will. Don't think she loves^ any veg but she will eat it. Started by putting a tiny amount of veg on her plate (think 10 peas or 2 carrot batons lol) off the back of an extremely fussy faze to get her confidence up and not overwhelm her with a new flavour.

Ds (14 months) eats everything except raw veg but only really likes bananas so you can't win!!

3 (tomorrow!) ds1 eats almost no vegetables. He'll eat baked beans and sardines in tomato sauce but that is it. He won't even eat tomatoey pasta sauce with hidden veg. And the baked beans which he positively likes give him a skin rash so he only has them in moderation.

He won't eat potatoes, even in chip form (wierdo ).

14mo ds2 will eat all veg except peppers.