How to Get Your Picky Eater to Eat Their Fruits & Veggies

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For most parents, getting children to settle for healthier options such as fruits and veggies are often a challenge. If your child is a picky eater and you’re having issues getting him to eat his fruits and veggies, trying out these simple tips will help:

1. Making them available. Always keep a bowl of fresh fruits on the table. For easy snacking on the move, cut up fruits like apples, pears, pawpaw and vegetables like cucumber and celery, into small bags and refrigerate.

2. Variety is the spice of life. Provide a wide range of fruits and vegetables to your toddler. He will definitely develop a taste for certain favourites, and you can take it from there.

3. Be the good example. Toddlers desperately want to be like their mummy and daddy, imitating what they see their parents do. Therefore, set good examples by snacking on fruits and having vegetable soups or salads every day.

4. Involve your toddler in the preparation process. Children enjoy helping out and getting their hands wet. So, get your toddler to help with washing carrots, tomatoes or bananas before snacking. Also, get them to help in setting the table for a meal.

5. Reward your toddler. Encourage your toddler to eat more fruits and vegetables with a reward. Reward him through praises, telling him how smart and healthy he has become for eating his veggies.

6. Become a master of disguise. Adopt various ways of hiding their veggies in foods that they enjoy. For example, you can grate carrots into cooked rice, blend spring onions, green beans into tomatoes to make pasta sauce.

7. Make it a lifestyle. Always serve favourite meals with generous portions of fruits and vegetables.

8. Make it a preferred snack. Offer fruits and vegetables to toddlers even when eating outside your home.

9. Never Give Up. Consistency is the key when you are trying to instill a habit into your child. Keep offering him vegetables and fruits repeatedly, even when he refuses, until he grows to love and enjoy eating them.