How do I get my child to eat vegetables like Maia does??

Maia loves her vegetables and that is awesome, to be fair Maia like most foods and I don’t have any magic tricks for you.
What Maia doesn’t like however is mince and that drives me a little crazy so I have just adopted a rule of you take a bite of it when its made for you but you don’t have to eat the whole lot and most days I am able to stick to that rule and don’t lose the plot because I am so sick of making her food that she doesn’t eat, she needs to eat more than a couple of tomato slices and avocado for dinner that’s not going to fill her tummy!!!!! However……. would you finish a whole plate of food that you didn’t like? You would try it sure but you wouldn’t eat your whole plate would you? Well kids are the same.

I am sorry to tell you I don’t have a magical cure to make your kids eat vegetables but here is what we do do at our house and so far has been successful

• Try not to make it a big deal to eat their vegetables (or whatever the food item they don’t like that particular day)
• Eat dinner as a family as often as you can. If they see you eating the same food as what they are served it may not seem so daunting to them.
• If you don’t like something don’t put that onto them by saying you don’t like it
• Give them a chance to try it and decide for themselves if they like something, if you say “oh they wont like that” “oh that will be too spicy” “oh that has this on it so they wont eat that” all these things are things that will make your kids not like the said thing, even if they tried it last week and didn’t like it, different place different time they might just like it.
• Don’t give them another option once the meal is in front of them, the only time the kids get another option is when the whole family try’s something and doesn’t like it. If they know they could have fruit or yoghurt instead of the vegetables on their plate they are likely to take it wouldn’t you?

I have also set up a draw in the fridge that Maia is welcome to help her self to at any time no interference from me, this can be 5 minutes before dinner or first thing in the morning. The only thing i have put in the draw is carrot rounds, cucumber sticks, vine sweet capsicums, tomatoes and a few cheese sticks. The reason I have no problem with her snacking 5 minutes before dinner is because if she eats half a container of cucumber and carrots 5 minutes before dinner then I don’t have to worry at all at dinner time which shes eaten her veges, if she eats cheese 5 minutes before dinner then shes had a good source (in my option) of protein so she’ll stay full.

These are what works for us every kids and family is different so work on what works for you. BUT try and try really hard not to make meal time a stressful time otherwise kids get their backs up and dig their heals in. Kids are a lot more stubborn than us most of the time!