Since the day I got that first pink line, my goal was to make sure my child was familiar with lots of different fruits and vegetables. I loved them as a kid, and I had high hopes that he would, too. And he always has. While I’m happy for my child to love watching videos on youtube.com, I prided myself on the idea that he still loved eating fruit and veg.
So, imagine my surprise the other night when he looked at me, squinched his nose in disgust, and said, “No, Mommy. I don’t want that healthy thing on my plate!”
It was an avocado. One of his very first foods.
Knife. Heart.
I was completely floored. So this week, as I wandered the produce department while grocery shopping, contemplating this new development, I remembered a DVD I had at home. It’s called Copy Kids Eat Fruits and Vegetables, and its main purpose is to show kids enjoying their fruits and veggies in the hope of getting your kids to do the same. Pretty simple, right? Kids, unscripted, eating healthy things and having fun.
Simple? Sure. But effective? I was ready to find out.
The DVD is split into 12 yummy chapters, each focusing on a different fruit or vegetable (Bell Peppers, Cucumbers, Carrots, Avocado, Tomatoes, Broccoli, Oranges, Bananas, Raspberries, Strawberries, Apples & Blueberries.) We have NO problem with fruits, but since there is a chapter devoted to avocado, I tossed one into the cart, along with a cucumber, and headed home.
Let me preface this by saying that I was a bit skeptical.
Could something so simple possibly work? Did I really want my son doing anything just because he saw other kids doing it? Doesn’t that go against the way I parent him? Using peer pressure for good instead of evil is still allowing your behavior to be influenced by the masses, isn’t it? Would I actually be happy if my son followed along just because the kids on TV were doing it?
Then I told myself to shut up, and I gave him an avocado and a spoon, and sat him in front of the TV.
The children appeared on the screen, and they ate. One at a time, they smiled, laughed, took bites, and had fun. And you know what? Within minutes, he was scooping up his avocado, too. What!? Yup. It seemed to work. The cucumbers, too (and he’s usually pretty lukewarm about those.)
My husband hid in the kitchen and I caught him peering out, curious to see if there was any merit at all to this method. The look on his face was pretty funny when he saw that it did, in fact, work…and work well.
Our little man even got a little riled up and silly watching the other kids. See how he can stick his face in the avocado and eat like a puppy! 🙂 Goofball.
After we watched the parts we really needed, he said “Mommy! I want the tomato one!” then proceeded to get really mad at me because we didn’t have a tomato. Same for the broccoli, and the carrot. So I made them for dinner…and now they’re in his belly. Mama <– happy. (But it's highly suggested to have an array of fruits and veggies on hand for viewing. If your kid wants to go on a veg bender, you should probably be prepared.) Now, in this case, we’re talking about a child who has always been really good about eating his veggies. And fruit? Well, I have to limit him, actually, or he’d eat nothing else. But I’m willing to go out on a limb here and suggest Copy Kids to any parent who might be concerned about their child’s pickiness at the table.
Why Copy Kids Eat Fruits and Vegetables just might get your kids hooked on fruits and veggies:
- It’s produced for children ages 6 months to 5 years, which are key ages for developing healthy eating habits.
- The DVD project was inspired by a real mom, Cai Dixon, and her real child, Bella, who was hesitant to try new things…until she saw other kids doing it. A simple concept that proved to be quite effective.
- Copy Kids is endorsed by renowned Dr. Jay Gordon, MD, and approved by the USDA. The DVD has since been added to their Education and Training Materials Database for pre-school nutrition.
- Copy Kids is the recipient of three childhood excellence awards, including PTPA (Parent Tested, Parent Approved.)
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Good luck!
My son lives green beans and broccoli cooked only… everything else is difficult. id love help
I have one grandson who will barely eat vegetables at all. We need something to motivate him. Maybe this would work.
My little does not like avocado even though was his first food and loved it back when. I wish he would eat it now!
There isn’t a veggie my son ‘likes’ because I can’t get them in his mouth! He says he wants to eat healthy and he asks about what I make that is healthy, it goes on his plate – but not in him.
My dd used to be a very good veggie eater but she has decided to become quite picky as of late. She used to eat big tomatoes like they were apples but now its difficult to get her to eat 1 cherry tomato. 🙁
Sometimes my little guy turns up his nose to things he actually likes (“I don’t want vegetables in my soup!”) but I just give same and different veg over and over. Sometimes brocolli plus pumpkin bar = eating everything, even though a few hours earlier brocolli was passed up at lunch time.
My son is at a phase where he won’t eat any vegetable unless it is purred in a pouch.
our 4 year old grandson loves fruits & veggies…he likes to dip his veggies in ranch sauce
my picky eater went through a lot the last year tryingto find what he does and doesnt like. we have always made it fun and encouraging, he is now happily accepting what we take because we lead by example and explain the benifits and let him help make or create the food
I hide veggies in tomato sauce. My son is a picky eater and practically lives off pb and j and hot dogs.
My kids are hit or miss, I do have a 6 year old son that despises vegetables. We have to sneak them into our dinner entrees because he just wont eat them as a side.
My 7 year old dislikes pretty much every vegetable so he would REALLY benefit from this.
My oldest will not eat any veggies….and the only fruit I can occasionally get him to eat is bananas…my youngest will usually eat whatever I give to him.
My 3.5 loves broccoli and okra but I hide most other veggies in with other things! Fruit is not a problem!
my guy will eat pureed peas. just not whole peas
None of my children seem to like asparagus and it’s a favorite of mine!
My son does pretty well but hates broccoli.
my kids dislike brussel sprouts —– Pauline aka Paol Trenny ….. emscout9 at Hotmail dot com
Our 3 year old likes green beans and corn, but everything else he isn’t too excited about. Our older son likes lettuce and some others, but I’d still like them to eat more and have a larger variety of veggies they would eat without me having to “hide” them inside something else.