How do I get my 3.5 yo DD to eat/try healthier food?

[KSMOMMY25]

So I am a first time mom of a 3.5 yo dd and ever since she has her adnoids & tonsils out she hates pretty much all fruit except watermelon.  We need some suggestions on how to get her to start eating healthy again and liking it.  She is very picky and says she hates pretty much everything.  We put it in front of her and send in her lunch box and she just wont eat anything.  My mother thinks its ok to bribe her with you can have chips if you eat a couple bites of chicken etc and I think thats a really bad idea and ask her to stop all the time.

 

Any suggestions would be great

[sarah824]

My DS is super picky too. He is 7 and refuses to eat fruit and veggies at all. Unless it is soup. He will eat split pea, tomato, and cheesy broccoli soups. So I make those in the crock pot and freeze them. Then if he won't eat what we arehaving for dinner he can have soup.

[PoehlerBear1983]

Don't compromise if your daughter gets hungry enough she will eat

[deedee3849]

Continue offering it to her and don't resort to junk foods if she refuses healthy foods. She will always hold out for the junk food. When I made changes in our family's diet I had to elimante certain foods completely (fruit snacks, sugary granola bars etc). I told them I was no longer buying them and I haven't. Maybe trying to find healthier alternative to foods she likes such as whole grain pita chips for chips. I would also suggest swaping out things gradually.

[nngmommy83]

continue putting it in front of her and eventually she will get the point that ther'es no other options

[allboys246]

I have to agree with all the other ladies, just keep giving it to her and she will give in and eat it. 

[bethany169]

Yup, I agree with all the others.  One thing that helps me get Cab to try new foods is if he gets to pick them out in the store, or help make them.  If you can get her involved with helping to make dinner, etc, she might be more inclined to try eating it.  I've also found that we have to be careful with the timing of an afternoon snack, even a healthy one.  If it's too close to dinnertime, Cab won't eat dinner but at bedtime, I'm dealing with whines of "I so hungry, mama!!!" LOL

[LancesMom]

I used to hide stuff in my kids food!

[darkwhisper]

 chocolate, yes i mean brownies, will disguiese the flavor of just about anything. I don't worry about it now that i can get my 6 year old to eat it with out hiding it, he likes his spinach fried with salt free garlic and herb seasoning. I used to put it, or puree'd broccoli, or green beans in his brownies. :P.. it worked until now.  Make her smoothies that have the fruits and veggies in it as well. just puree the veggies as fine as you can so that there's very little taste. It doesn't hurt to keep introducing it to her either. tell her just to take 1 bite at first, of the fruits and veggies, then let her go. Then the next time you have it, tell her 2 bites and she can go...we've done this for a year now with my son, and he still tries to argue and make deals, but at least he's not gagging at it anymore. He also knows that if he eats the veggies, he gets a much better dessert, lol.  He now cleans his plate when it's set in front of him, with the exception of a couple bites of meat. I let some things slide now and then. :)  Also, if there is something you don't like, but trying to get her to eat. Try your best not to show that you don't like it at all, or else she will think "oh mommy doesn't like, neither do I"... I do that with green beans and peppers with my oldest. he don't like either still, and i can't blame him.  but he's like me, he can stomach a green bean, but he still gags with peppers.  lol.

[JP-StrongForTwo]

stop feeding them snacks in between meals. stop giving in every time they say 'im hungry' in between meals. and if you make something, she eats it or goes hungry, no second meals allowed. 

(im not saying you do these things. but this is waht worked for my DD) 

[calash]

Offer healthy foods and nothing else....my pediatrician always told me, "a child won't starve themselves", eventually she will eat....I use this all the time and it always works, took me a while but I now have 2 DD's and they eventually will eat after they learn I'm not going to give them pretzels or goldfish crackers or whatever.......I just say tough luck, eat what I gave you and then we can talk about a snack, worked like a charm this very day...............BUT when they get this routine and say the rest of the family is eating something they just hate, my pediatrician told me it's okay to substitute a PB&J here and there, as long as it's healthy bread, sugar free jelly and sugar free peanut butter...................Good luck, I've been there!!