Healthy Eating Tips for 3Yr Old

i agree with the other two mamas - KEEP offering it, don't make him special things just so he'll eat - and get him to help you. my son is 4 and he loves helping mom cook. he likes to stir and "check" on the food as it cooks. and i have noticed it greatly improves his attitude towards what we are eating.

Only offer him one new thing at a time, along with several items he already likes (for example, chicken and some fruit that he likes, along with a new veggies. Or pizza with one new toping). And always give him very small portions to start with. Too much can overwhelm a child and keep them from even trying.

Also keep in mind that a child this age gets what they need over the course of a week or so rather than on a day to day basis. It is perfectly normal and okay for him to want nothing but breads one day, and then tons of fruit the next. Just have lots of healthy choices around for him.

Get him involved in the shopping and preparation process. Take him through the fresh produce section and have him help you pick out things for healthy snacks ( carrot sticks, celery sticks, apples, grapes, bananas) then have him help you get it all ready to present to Dad as a "treat". Do you and your husband eat a healthy variety of foods? A child is going to copy what they see their parents doing.
My 3 year old grandson loves fresh fruit and vegetables...in fact my daughters latest update on Facebook is "It is gratifying to hear Kieran say "mmm I love brussel sprouts"!!!!!!
Find new, interesting ways to "present" the healthy foods...think like a 3 year old...do something different. Don't just open a can of corn and heat it up...steam some green peppers, squash,baby carrots and cauliflower...so that it is still nice and cruncy and colorful.
Offer the heathy food at snack time...toddlers do a lot better if they are allowed to "graze" and just eat a bit at various times of the day. It keeps their blood sugar levels from dipping and spiking and helps avoid the accompanying mood changes. Offer fruit slices with yogurt dip or "ants on a log" ( celery sticks stuffed with peanut butter and sprinkled with raisins).
Most of all be positive and low key about it...don't force the issue...just offer the good things and see what he gravitates to.

I too have a very picky 3 yr old eater. He always has been. It is very trying to get him to eat anything that isn't in his "circle of foods" as I call it. He will gag and sometime throw up, so I have always been hesitant to force him to eat something. One thing that worked for me is to use a sticker chart. One day I was cleaning out the bathroom and came across one of his sticker charts from when he was potty training and thought hey this might work for his eating habits. Basically I give him a small sticker for each bite of new food he eats. We keep his chart up and praise him about how many stickers he has.
For the longest time I thought that he was just in faze until just recently. My 7 mo old son is in no way interested in solid foods. He will lock his jaw and cry and gag if we does get any food in his mouth. I wasn't worried about b/c my first son took a while to be interested in food. I just took my baby in for his 6 mo checkup and his weight keeps creeping down on the charts (was in the 97th% at birth and is now in the 50th%). I told the doc about his dislike of food and he is going to have me meet up with a speech pathologist to see if he has a food aversion disorder. As soon as I got home I googled "food aversion disorder" and came across some very interesting articles. I was in shock b/c as I was reading much of the information, it was describing my first son! It seems to me that most of the steps I've already been taking with him (the sticker chart, not forcing food, offering plenty of choices) are the right steps. I haven't yet been in to see the pathologist, but if they give me any good tips I'll be sure to let you know :)

It is funny what works with different children. In general, I agree that you continue to offer a variety of healthy foods (and eat those yourself), and eventually they will try and like many of the options. Bringing them into the food purchasing and prep is helpful - I've created picture shopping lists, and the kids are responsible for picking out the items (fruit, veg, fish) on their lists. Frilly toothpicks for eating and "baby" vegetables (carrots, cukes, squashes) can increase the appeal factor.

We always told our kids that you have to try it, but you don;t have to like it. Just don't make him any special meals. He should eat what you both eat. When I was a kid i didn't like onions or mushsrooms. My mom still made things with them. I used to pick them out, but after a while I got tired of picking them out and just ate them. Have him helpl plan meals too. If he plans it, he'll be more likely to eat it. Tell him he has to pick 2 vegetables for dinner on Monday. Have him pick a different vegatable for the next meal, etc. He can help make salads too! Teach him to help in the kitchen and get him an apron!

The rule I had when I did daycare was ONE BITE. The kids knew they had to take one bite of each item and that was all if they didn't like it! (Not a big bite either! Just enough so they actually could taste it.) More often than not, they ended up eating the new foods because they liked them! Even though they just got done telling me they didn't like that.........LOL.