Aboyade

How have you handled vegetables with your pre-schoolers? Our granddaughter LOVED broccoli until her mother started making faces when she'd eat it. Now she claims not to like it at all. I'm torn between letting her go with it and strangling her mother (grrr), I mean, insisting she eat it. When I insists, she does eat it but continues to insist she doesn't like it.

Any suggestions?

LoveMaGirl

Wow, that's a terribly irresponsible attitude of her mother in truth. I find that quite shocking-she should have applauded the child for her healthy eating.

First thing you must do is deal with her mother and make sure it does not happen again. Beyond that, do not force the issue because she could really decide to boycott them. Go easy, and gently encourage her and she will get there again.

organicmum

I'd like to put in my vote for strangling your daughter (figuratively speaking). Its so hard to get kids to eat healthy foods instead of convenience processed junk. Its very important to let our kids make their own decisions about foods and not mold them into ours.

Cham

The mother should be the one that should be strangled, not the child!

Try to mixed the vegetables with the favorite food that she likes. And try to convince the child about the good qualities that it would do to her when she eats the vegetables. Maybe try telling her that if she wants to be taller and more beautiful, she needs to eat the vegetables you have prepared for her.

alexis

I have always given my kids anything that I really never liked, why? My parents never told me they were good for me, they would try once and give up. Oddly my son loves his veggies now since we started him young and my girl is on her way to veggie land soon enough.

LoveMaGirl

Well I will admit that I don't feed my daughter foods that I myself don't like, that is just a matter of convenience. I do not want to make two meals at every sitting, and since my own tastes are fairly healthy and varied, I don't think that this is a problem.

PurpleFDU

I have to say my mom probably didn't feed me things she didn't like either, but you know lima beans aren't something people really list as a favorite food so I can forgive her that. I don't know if making an entirely different meal would be required to introduce foods you don't like so much as the simpler things like a veggie or such. But it sounds like she wouldn't miss much anyway.

Beebah

Children routinely decide they like and dislike foods depending on who they are with. At some point, they come around again. Your mom should be ashamed of herself, though. Don't stop pushing the foods; have a girl's day dress up and fix a restaurant style setting and eat grown up style and see what happens.

M&M

Parenting older children has its definite downsides, eh?

Knowing your granddaughter DOES like broccoli, I would recommend continuing to offer it, even though she claims not to like it. "Play" with it - have "trees" planted in a cheese swamp, or something - to make it seem more *her* idea

smiler

I agree that kids take a liking for something one day then absolutely hate it the next. I know my daughter used to love cheese and she'd have it on everything and for every meal but now she won't look at it. I just give her a variety and try to make it look attractive and fun (sometimes like a smiley face) and she eats what happens to tickle her. She usually ends up with a good mix.