re: Getting a 3 year old to eat vegetables

We only went 24 hours with no food - we let him have milk though, so that was probably the mistake that kept him full enough to not eat. Maybe not long enough either.

Tried smoothies (even w/o hiding anything in it) and he won't touch it. He caught us hiding a vegetable in spaghetti before, but I'll try again. I didn't think about hiding it in a dessert though, he would probably be less discerning there.

And no, I'm not worried about the dude's overall health or that he'll grow up to be 5'6" - I realize this will pass - but his genes suggest he'll be tall, and I don't want him to get to first grade looking like he was just liberated from Auschwitz.

You can't force him to, so don't turn meal times into a battle of wills. At that age he'll starve before he'll let you win, so don't sweat it, just make sure he takes vitamins. My son didn't eat vegetables at that age. When he got a little older he would eat pork and beans and sometimes red beans (after I stopped harassing him and his friends began teasing him about it). He was strictly meat, potatoes, and bread. He still doesn't eat most vegetables and he's over 40 now.

PS - He's always been healthy as a horse and he's over 6' tall.

Jerry Seinfeld's wife has a great cookbook for this. Seriously.

Talk to your pediatrician

You may need to see an occupational therapist

Does your child like these protein mixed up together? There are some aversion issues that need to be addressed.

Buy a nice blender. You can hide a bunch of spinach in a fruit smoothie. My go to is 2or 3 handfuls of spinach, frozen blueberries,frozen pineapple, frozen strawberries, and either a banana or avocado (don't do both or the texture will get to thick).

You're the parent.

You make him eat it.

End of discussion.

What are you going to do when he is 16 and he doesn't do what you want him to do?

I hate stressful meals. He's 3. Talk with his pediatrician about any supplements the doc may feel he needs, if any.

I hated vegetables growing up. We were never forced to eat them. I love them now. The smell of some back then that made me gag now make me salivate.

Your son will be fine. You're making more stress for your entire family than is needed. He's going to associate them with stress if you don't stop. And, for crying out loud, starving a 3 year old is wrong.

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spaghetti (w/o noodles of course)

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So he just slurps down the sauce?

I can literally put green beans in front my kid and he'll turn it down, but then he'll beg for one of these. He eats his veggies when he wants to, but on the days when he wants to be difficult (most) we just make sure he gets one of these. Amazon ships us w boxes every month. He's almost 3. Yeah, it's kind of baby food, but I'd rather him get good food instead of chicken nuggets and hot dogs all the time.