How to encourage your child to eat healthier foods

This post is sponsored by Happy Family Brands but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Happy Family Organics recently launched a live chat on their site – HappyFamilyOrganics.com – for any parent who may have questions related to feeding their child. Parenting can be tough, and it’s nice to know that a company is supporting us with advice AND nutritious foods for our babies.

I’ve been doing this mom thing for about 7 years, and I know that I don’t always get things right. When my son was closing in on 6 months of age, I had so many questions for his pediatrician about feeding him. I hated waiting between appointments to ask her all of my first-time-mom questions, and sometimes I just forgot the important questions. I was adamant that he not start solids until he was 6 months, but then I wondered if that was the wrong thing to do. I also questioned the order of foods I was giving him, was he getting enough, and what if I gave him all the wrong things?

Basically, parenting is hard from day one. All kids are different when it comes to what they want to eat and it’s normal to second guess yourself. My biggest hope is to one day get my child to eat healthier foods. That’s not too much to ask for, right?

My son has always been a picky eater. My daughter is almost 2 1/2 years old, and it’s amazing what she likes and dislikes. Basically, she loves food. I think back to whether or not we could have done something different when my son was this age, and the answer is – I don’t think so.

My daughter basically gets a backpack of food to take to her daycare every day. I provide second breakfast, snacks, lunch and a few extras – just in case! She loves fruits and vegetables, and I KNOW I am the lucky one. When I don’t have the time to cut up fruit or vegetables, I at least make sure she has something of sustenance. She loves the Happy Tot bars. Who else can add spinach to a toddler snack bar, and get away with it?

Another staple for my two-year-old’s diet is yogurt. She. Loves. Yogurt. I’ve compared various yogurt brands at the store I don’t want a ton of sugar (because she doesn’t need that), and I prefer to know what ingredients are in the food I’m giving my kids. I seem to come back to the Happy Tot Whole Milk Yogurt again and again. (I’ve even written about the yogurt earlier this year. My girl really loves them and her morning isn’t complete without a yogurt.)

But what if I’m doubting myself? My son is still picky, and I don’t want my daughter to pick up those picky habits. Happy Family Organics has recently launched a live chat on their site and they are a great (free!) resource for any parent. The Happy Mama Mentors are available 8am–8pm (EST) Mon-Fri & 8am–4pm (EST) Sat-Sun. This group of moms are all registered dietitians, lactation specialists and are certified in infant and maternal nutrition.

They aren’t just available for parents of babies. I asked questions about my son, and they were quick to offer some tips of how to get more vegetables on his plate – and into his mouth without a struggle.

How to get your child to try more vegetables:

Make sure the vegetables are available. If this means cutting them up at the beginning of the week so they’re always accessible, try it.

Offer them in different ways every day. My daughter loves tomatoes, but she really loves smaller tomatoes she can just pop in her mouth without cutting up. We’re working on getting her to try them when they’re cut up in meals.

Try not to deny a vegetable. If you don’t like a certain food, try not to pass that along to your child. (For instance, I am NOT a fan of mushrooms, but I’ve encouraged my kids to try them. My husband happens to love them. I’ve found if I don’t find something “yucky” then my kids are more likely to try the food.)

And at the end of the day, if you have to sneak spinach or carrots into another food, I’m on board. It’s one of the reasons I love the Happy Tot snacks. 😉