QUESTION:

“My baby won’t eat vegetables. I have tried disguising them in soups and pasta sauces, mashing them up etc and it will work the first few times but then she figures it out and refuses to eat them! I know this is a common problem but I am starting to worry! I’m just wondering if anyone has any advice or tips that worked for their baby?”

ANSWERS:

Kerryn H.

If you offer fruit (so sweet foods) in replacement because she won’t eat vegetables. Don’t. Offer something else. For me if my almost 2 year old refuses to eat whats offered the only thing I offer is weetbix.

Katie S.

I’m not sure how old your daughter is and if she can eat raw veggies yet but I have found this works well with my kids. They prefer to eat snow peas, beans and carrot raw or cherry tomatoes. I also find I give them as a snack whilst I’m preparing dinner and then I don’t have the battle with veggies at meal time. Avocado as a spread instead of margarine/butter also works well.
Good luck.

Elinor F.

We do this too. Never really worried until they were past 8 – 9 months. Then I had them in the highchair ‘helping’ make dinner and they got a small piece of whatever I was cutting up. It was also a chance to talk about numbers, colours, shapes and names of each vegetable. I still do this now with my 2 year old.

Kirsty P.

Yep get them when they are hungry and they will nibble without noticing! Also make sure you let them have some foods they can say “I don’t like” to and don’t have to eat because we all need that. Keep trying any and all varieties you can. Oh and peer mentoring – older cousins or friends or even grandmas who will eat something readily can tip them over into eating new things or at least trying them. Eating something you love and saying “you’re not getting of this I am eating it all myself… yum, yum, yum!”

Jennifer P.

I know you’ve tried hiding them in some dishes, but have you tried grating them into those dishes. I grate carrots and zucchinis into pizza sauce, bolognese, pasta bake. Works on miss 2 (and hubby). Also air fry sweet potato

Jenny B.

We also grate stuff into anything we do with mince – spag bol, chili con carne, burgers even! a friend got me on to grating pumpkin in there, as well as carrot and zucchini. i know people say it’s good to learn to like them, but our lad was down to only eating carrot, so i had to try to sneak some others in!

Kirsty P.

I have always loved some veggies… will fight the kids for the last “tree” of broccoli. But even so one loves avocado, the other won’t touch it etc lots of different veggies to try. Show them everyone has likes & dislikes. Not “you have to eat this cause it’s healthy.” Also found tricks like slightly cooking carrot so not too hard but not squishy if they like finger food. Hero older kids eating something has been shown to get them to try stuff. Lots of trying & being ok when they don’t eat sometimes.

Nicky L.

Don’t worry, they go through phases. Just keep trying different flavours and if you end up feeding them mashed banana so be it ??? as long as they have enough wet and dirty nappies they’re fine. I found my first baby was a lot pickier when he was teething or unwell so I just focused on breastfeeding and offering little bits here and there.

Kristina G.

Songs and books about fruit and veggies – my little one is nearly two and they have been excellent in getting her to try/re-try healthy produce. I also try and make it sound really exciting when we buy them. I try and purchase one new thing every time we go, and if she wants to try some while we are finishing the shopping then I more than welcome it. I think the key for my daughter has been trying to make it really fun, not pushing or punishing and letting her have some independence with it (I like to include her in the prep and cooking of fruit and veggies where possible – she likes to eat things she has had a hand in making.)

Melanie H.

Is the pain inside the breast? Or is it nipple pain? (I used to get a short-lived but intense sensation inside as the breasts let down / starting making more milk. This stopped after a few weeks.) Definitely schedule a clinic appointment to get some advice and reassurance, as others have suggested. In the meantime, you could ring the Australian Breastfeeding Association hotline 1800 686 268.

Melanie L.

Depending on the child’s age, a colourful finger food salad with a yummy dip such as hummus or cream cheese. I.e. Slices of fruit and pieces of colourful veggies arranged on a platter. Kids like fruit, so try sweeter veggies like red capsicum and snow peas (which are both technically fruits, like many so-called “vegetables”).

Also, young kids are as smart as whips and love pressing parental buttons. If your little one knows this is an issue, they will be more likely to dig their heels in to enjoy the drama. Therefore, I would suggest never discussing the “vegetable issue” in front of the child. Don’t make a thing out of it, and they may then be less likely to make a thing out of it, and perhaps even “forget” to forensically examine all meals for “vegetables”. Anyway, good luck!

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