3 Year Old into Asking for Veggies?

Does the act of feeding your child veggies cause havoc at the dinner table? Do you worry that your toddler will never have something green touch his or her lips?

Well, I have a little secret to share with you, something I learned from a little red person named Elmo and now my three-year-old is actually asking for her veggies. Yep, that’s right, every night while I am cooking dinner my little one is requesting to be served spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, and carrots, sugar snap peas, cauliflower and whatever else I can pull out of the fridge. Please note, I am not sharing this with you as a dietitian preaching to get your kids to eat more greens, rather I am sharing this as a mother who has struggled some with getting her toddler to try new vegetables.

My secret is something Elmo likes to call “kukie faces”. What is a kukie face? Well, a kukie face is simply a face made with vegetables. A very basic concept and not at all hard to do, but sometimes we need to be reminded of ways to outsmart the little people in our house. No need to be “deceptive”; with kukie faces, you can lay it all out there and watch as your child not only explores with his or her imagination but also with his or her taste buds.

Here are the ingredients…
• Shredded lettuce
• Cherry tomatoes
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Baby Carrots
• Celery – sliced
• Edamame
• Purple Cabbage
• Bean Sprouts
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Red Bell Pepper, sliced
• Broccoli Slaw
• Shredded Cabbage
• Spinach leaves
• Hummus
• Guacamole
• Whole Wheat Tortilla

The great thing is with Kukie faces, there is no limit on what you can serve. Have fun, be creative, and encourage your child to explore new foods. On a final note, and this is coming from me as the “dietitian”, if your child does not like eating all the vegetables on his or her “kukie” face, don’t stress. The important thing is to expose new flavors, textures, and smells. If your little one is trying new vegetables but still not liking them, that is okay. Praise him or her for trying and keep on serving and encouraging exploring. One day you never know what they may be asking for.