Question
My toddler loves French fries, but I’d like him to eat more vegetables. Any ideas?
Answer
Sometimes feeding vegetables to your baby can be a challenge. The Nestlé Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) 2008 showed that on a given day, 30% of toddlers 12 to 24 months don’t eat a single serving of vegetables. And when they do eat vegetables, French fries were the most commonly consumed vegetable.
As you start to replace the French fries your toddler normally eats with more nutritious vegetables, like deep yellow and green vegetables, keep in mind that it may take several attempts, sometimes up to 10, for your child to accept a new food. If she doesn’t like certain fruits and vegetables, don’t give up! While you never want to force your child, continue to offer her new varieties of vegetables along with familiar favorites. This age is an important one for building healthy eating patterns into preschool and school-age development.
Here are some fun ways to help you serve a nutritious diet:
- Mix GERBER® NatureSelect™ 2ND FOODS® fruit purees or GERBER® 3RD FOODS® fruit purees into iron-rich infant cereal.
- Add GRADUATES® veggie dices or 3RD FOODS vegetable purees to pasta, rice, soups, or macaroni and cheese.
- Spread 3RD FOODS Banana Strawberry or Peaches purees onto a cracker or piece of whole-wheat toast.
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