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Share your tips on the ways you get fruit into your kids' diet and encourage them to eat more fruit

296 replies

AbbiCMumsnet · 29/07/2019 13:13

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Fruit is a key component of a healthy diet, and making sure your kids eat enough of it can be a challenge. It can take countless attempts to convince your child to eat some, and getting to a point where your kids don’t dismiss the idea is no mean feat. With this in mind, Nice by Nature would love to know all the different ways you get fruit into your kids’ diet, and how you encourage them to eat more of it.

Here is what Nice By Nature have to say:
“At Nice By Nature we’ve created a new range of delicious fruit ice lollies! They are made from 100% fruit and absolutely nothing else! In fact our lollies always contain:
- 4 ingredients or less
- No added sugar
- 22-24 calories
- Contributes to your five-a-day

Your kids might call them a snack or even a treat, but you can think of them as a fruit bowl in your freezer!

From talking with mums and dads, we know that it is not always easy getting the food we want into our kids' hands, let alone their tummies! We simply believe that nature has its own store cupboard, a world of wonderful ingredients in the fields, forests and orchards. The good news is that Mother Nature is happy to share!

Visit our website and follow us @nicebynatureuk to find out more!"

Have you come up with a crafty way to get your kids to eat more fruit? Have you managed to persuade your kids to see fruit as a treat? If so, do you have any techniques you could share? Or maybe this isn’t necessary and your children are already very good at eating lots of fruit?

Whatever your ways of getting your kids to eat more fruit, share them on the thread below, and feel free to add a picture or video to accompany your post - we’d love to see these!

Everyone who does will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

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Share your tips on the ways you get fruit into your kids' diet and encourage them to eat more fruit
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7
Mariobug25 · 17/08/2019 10:50

I’ve had huge issues trying to get my son to eat fruit and veg. I don’t know what it is but he always insists he doesn’t like it. I think it stems from the fact his dad has oral allergy syndrome (an allergy to lots of seeds in fruits and veg). However he cannot resist a fruit smoothie! Yes it’s effort but it gets fruit in him so who cares? He also likes the dry fruit children snacks like fruit winders. There is ways, even for the fussiest.

sarah3875 · 17/08/2019 11:08

We just enjoy it as a family like anything else. I think try not to make a big deal out of it if sometimes you are met with refusal.

Smellophant87 · 17/08/2019 13:32

We always have lots of fruit in the house and keep it where the kids can see it so they will often ask for it as a snack.

purplevamp · 17/08/2019 18:51

We've recently got a Nutribullet and the kids have smoothies everyday now. Mainly bananas and frozen berries but they love it.

JoGodfray · 17/08/2019 19:16

Thankfully all mine love fruit. My younger ones love getting involved with chopping! We often make fruit salads with lots of different fruits. I would love a garden big enough to grow our own

PamelaTodd · 17/08/2019 19:47

I have a ridiculously picky eater, and since my dc have started school there have been a steady stream of fussy friends through my kitchen too.

I prepare a plate of fruit and veg every day and put it out while I’m preparing dinner for that “ I’m soooo hungry is dinner ever going to be ready?” time of the day.

I always make it clear that you only have to eat what you like, which cuts out the “ooh that’s disgusting” comments that manage to put everyone off something they were happily eating before. Instead there tends to be a scrambling for favorites. “You don’t like peaches? Great! They’re my favorite” that often entices the reluctant ones to try what the other one is eagerly gobbling (FOMO) Wink

Because ds has sensory issues with food, we developed a system for trying new foods - a kiss, a lick, a nibble and a bite. We start by touching the food off his lips (kiss), then off his tongue (lick), then the tiniest nibble and a proper bite. It’s not scary to kiss a new food, so it’s a good way to get started. Over time he’s dispensed with the first two steps and is quite open to trying little tastes, and it’s something that we do a lot of round the table when it’s just family. When his school took part in an initiative to get students trying fruit and veg everyday he was in the minority for actually tasting new things (and proud of his ability to do this).

I have to add that I am very, very careful to check over the fruit I prepare to ensure there are no unpleasant surprises. That’s the fastest way back to square one.

Scoots23 · 18/08/2019 09:15

Found my children loved to choose and pick their own fruit from Grandads allotment. If they had helped and picked it they were more excited about eating it, plus they understood more where and how fruit grows.

tabbaz123 · 18/08/2019 11:07

We put fruit on cereal in the morning - have fruit smoothies and then again add fruit to ice cream and various desserts BUT another fun way is to bake with fruit - the children love baking

littlemonkeyz · 18/08/2019 11:08

An easy way to increase fruit and veg intake in the summer is to blend them and freeze them into ice lolly moulds.

chunkychocky · 18/08/2019 11:18

Fruit is readily eaten anyway, but on those rare occasions we have some looking past their best we whip up an ice-cream style pudding using up bananas and berries. Or banana bread. Or apples go into a crumble. Yum.

CathBookworm · 18/08/2019 11:45

We cut up a banana and apple and leave in a bowl near where they can teach. They help themselves whilst playing and we don’t have to nag them to eat it.

laurac1987 · 18/08/2019 12:30

I don't think eating fruit is a problem unless you make it into a problem. If they grow up eating and enjoying fruits, not being forced to eat what they don't like, plus seeing their parents eat them. We always enjoy eating fruit as a family and have it lying around the house for in-between meal times.

kelliec · 18/08/2019 13:28

It doesn't take much convincing with ours but my friend uses cookie cutters to make them into fun shapes

sofieellis · 18/08/2019 14:34

Choppiong fruit into a bowl of yoghurt always worked well for us when they were little.

Twiglet1983 · 18/08/2019 15:14

We don't have any issues here with our son eating fruit, but he's always seen us eating fruit so its normal. We do have 'family fruit time' at the weekend where I prepare a dish of different fruit and we all sit down together to share it.

SuzCG · 18/08/2019 16:08

I just encouraged eating fruit as soon as I started weaning my two - peach & pear puree stirred into custard was a favourite. They got a taste for it and luckily, I've never had a problem - they both eat a variety (both with different favourites) and very often if they want a snack, they'll ask if they can have something out of the fruit bowl. Lucky Mummy!

Borderkitt · 18/08/2019 19:36

I've always blended fruit into some natural for my daughters, works a treat

suewilly · 18/08/2019 19:59

I think the best way to get anything healthy into kids diet is to show them that you enjoy eating it. Leo loves grapes because he sees us eating them so he wants them too.
Plus, Nice by Nature do an amazing all fruit ice lolly. These go down a treat in our household!

snare · 18/08/2019 20:02

offer lots of variety :)

emmav6 · 18/08/2019 20:56

my boys have their own veggie patch to grow which ever fruit/veg they want to try or cook with. hey are so much more willing to try things this way x

ginger179 · 18/08/2019 21:00

DD absolutely loves fruit so i'm thankful I don't have this problem, she cant get enough of it! If we have fruit as a snack, she has to share lol

eandoauntie · 18/08/2019 22:02

My son hasn't been on solids for long but he loves the "ice creams" I make for him - stewed fruits and greek yoghurt frozen in a rocket mould.

For my niece who is 10 we sit and have fruit platters together, she loves them and feels very grown-up.

Emmamaryd · 18/08/2019 22:08

Putting it in stews and pasta sauces as well as hiding it in carrot cake and chocolate courgette cake.

babyloi · 18/08/2019 22:18

I like to make it fun . . . here we have turned fast food into fast fruit and each serving ticks various portions of their five a day . . . and they enjoyed it so much more than they would have done a standard piece of fruit! Creativity is key in this house!

Share your tips on the ways you get fruit into your kids' diet and encourage them to eat more fruit
Share your tips on the ways you get fruit into your kids' diet and encourage them to eat more fruit
Gill81uk · 18/08/2019 22:45

I make sure my two have fruit as soon as they come in from school and it has become the norm now, they ask for it as soon as we get in. It's more difficult in the holidays but I sometimes give it to them as a "starter" before tea if we've not managed to fit it in and bizarrely they really like that idea!