Longer answer – and what to do instead: There is lots of bad advice out there on weaning. Don’t add fruits to sweeten foods that aren’t sweet, or sweeten foods that aren’t sweet just to encourage a baby to eat a new food. “Food before one is just for one.” – And fun is learning new tastes and textures and smells. Some days, babies will want to eat. Somedays they won’t. Did you know? It may take 8 or 10 tries for a baby to get used to new food! Try, try, and try again with no pressure.

Giving very young children the chance to try vegetables (even if you don’t like them!) multiple times allows them to learn the tastes, textures, and smells– and maybe like them.

Most importantly, this is a critical first step in a lifetime of a healthy relationship with food.

So, what really works to get very young children eating those vegetables? Eat them yourself. Really. If you want your children to eat healthy, it’s a family approach. Your child is learning lifelong eating habits by watching you — no matter what you put on their plate. This topic comes up alot in my family appointments!!!

Bonus: In studies, when was hiding veg found to be sometimes good? When the vegetables are added to a dish (think pureed into pasta sauce) that enhance the nutrition of the dish by adding nutrients, fibre, etc. Remember that “tricking” children into eating foods can have effects on trust.