10. Chop them up (liquefy them) and add them to other things, such as meatloaf, muffins, etc.
9. Make up new names for them - ie., broccoli = "baby trees" (note: it is NOT a good idea to call them things like Larry, Bob, or Laura Carrot. This can actually scar your children for life.)
8. Tell them they need to eat the number of bites corresponding to their age. ("You're three now, so you can take three big bites!")
7. In honor of The Wailer, there is no #7.
6. Two words: ADD CHEESE!!
5. "Hide" them behind bites of other food and sneak the offending party into their unsuspecting mouths.
4. If your kids have disturbing issues, pretend each bite is killing the veggie as it screams for mercy (a favorite at our house).
3. Suspend all talking privileges until the desired number of bites is taken. (works especially well with talkative children)
2. Bribe with dessert
1. Yell and threaten
16 comments:
Or you can do what I used to do to David when he wouldn't eat something. He went thru a "no cheese" stage when he was about 5. So, I would act like I was going to put it on his plate and then say something like "Oh, I'm sorry. You can't have this!"
"What is is, mama?"
"It's cheese and you wouldn't eat it and it would just go to waste, so I'm not going to give you any!"
"I might eat it"
"I don't know David. It is so good too, but you can't have it!" He would start asking for it every time....I guess reverse psychology works when they're little.
I hope this doesn't freak you out about us babysitting but I never even realized that numbers 10 through 2 existed. Thanks for the tips.
hey, these are the same tactics you use on me!
~d your method is like when our kids were little and said they didn't like green pepper. Being as it was a main ingredient in many soups, spaghetti etc. I had to think fast. So, I just started using red "green" pepper. I got away with it for a long time. They would ask if it was green pepper and I said "NO!" They finally caught on and getting technical, "Is this red green pepper?" Caught! But by then they were pretty much eatting it anyway.
I used to let bj and andi choose the color they wanted their oatmeal or cream of wheat in the morning!!! Worked wonders!!! :) LG
Under #1; I want to hear what the threats are.
number four was my favorite.
rachel told me on sunday:
"you're the same person, but now your hair is black and curly."
she's a smart one, that kid.
Anna - I've tried the reverse psychology thing on Rach, but darn it if she doesn't call my bluff every time! And Zekers is just so agreeable, he'll simply grin and say, "OK, Mommy." Maybe it works better when they're a little older.
Jason - that explains why whenever your name is mentioned at our house, the kids hide in the closet and whimper. (Zekers just stands there saying, "No Jashon, no!")
Danny - Where you're concerned, I'd be lost without #6! (and that's not just limited to veggies)
~d & Linda - the food coloring thing is intriguing. I'll have to give it a try. It works for baths, so why not food??
revpharoah - it's mostly just incoherent yelling; i just thought "yell and threaten" sounded better.
Lauren - #4 gets used a lot around here. Which is why we haven't had anyone over for dinner in a very long time. I really worry about Rach sometimes! (But I guess I should worry more about myself, since I started the whole thing in the first place. )
reading this post and all of the ensuing comments made me laugh really really hard and hope that i can remember this if i ever have the good fortune to be blessed with children.
i like #4
and if only rachel had a babysitter like me all the time. you would never have to worry about her, charity! :)
So HOW do you get a 31 yr. old daughter to not only eat mushrooms herself, but also not make a big deal out of them to her kids, AND help them to learn to like them?? Which number would you use if you were me???
This is a most baffling question?
MM
have you tried telling them that vegetables pack a lot of nutrition into a minimum of calories. For a measly 35 calories (the amount in one little teaspoon of butter), you can get a half cup of vegetables that contains a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and health-building substances, called phytonutrients - not to mention a lot of flavor. Second only to soy, vegetables are the best plant source of proteins, fiber, and iron, in addition to being high in folic acid.
#7 really hits home. Thanks for the good advice, Charity!
No matter what we do, Luke won't eat his vegetables yet. He's not yet three months old, so there's time...
Anonymous - In spite of my explanations of the health benefits of various veggies, my 3-yr.-old remains unimpressed. Go figure! :-)
mom,
charity doesn't have to eat her mushrooms.
she can just pass them to me!!!!!!!!
wow i'll have to try those the next time i babysit...dessert is the only thing that has worked so far.
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