My Top 10 Quick, Simple and Nutritious Recipes for Toddlers
One of the biggest mistakes we make when it comes to preparing meals for toddlers is that we spend too ...
Read MoreImportant notice to customers — product packaging changesLearn More
NEW FOOD PACKAGING IN STORE NOW
From August 2018, customers will notice our rebranded food packaging start to appear on shelf in all major stockists.
We are excited to announce our new packaging will start to appear on shelf from August 2018. This transition to new packaging will occur over a number of months. During this time there will be a mix of current and new packaging on shelf.
There are no major changes to these products, in some instances there is a small name change or slight recipe improvement, see below for the full details.
Products purchased via the website will be delivered to customers in our old packaging until the end of October. From November, products ordered from the website will be delivered in the new packaging.
Please note, our Infant Formula packaging will not be rebranded until later in 2019.
For any questions, connect with our team of accredited practising Dietitians on +61 3 6332 9200
Product name changes
Generally speaking, kids do not like vegetables. Why? Because we, the parents, are so desperate for them to eat something orange and green on a daily basis that we do not teach our kids to like vegetables. It is really that simple.
Kids like the foods we teach them to like. We reward them with lollies, party foods, even fruit on a daily basis. We teach them that they will get dessert if they eat their dinner. When they behave well we hand out sweet treats and take these away when they are not so good. It is our habit of craving and treating ourselves with sweet foods that basically infers that the bland tasting vegetables are inferior.
It is also important to remember that children, small children in particular, do not need a lot of food. This is in contrast to our belief that they always need more food. When our kids have a couple of pieces of sweet fruit – or a couple of kid-sized yoghurt treats – along with some milk and juice, it is no wonder they turn away their vegetables at the end of a long day. The reason for this is that they are most likely not very hungry and probably very tired.
So, rather than obsess about what vegetables our child is or is not eating, change the focus and most importantly lower your expectations. While your little one may not sit down happily to a plate of boiled carrots and peas, they may munch on some baby tomatoes or cucumbers throughout the day. You might find they also enjoy spaghetti sauce, which unbeknownst to them contains a few cups of vegetables. And, they may really like your specialty juice, in which you throw some extra kale or spinach in. As long as kids are eating a couple of different vegetables in some form each day, you have nothing to worry about.
As a rule of parenting thumb, what you focus on will continue. This means if you consistently emphasise what your child is not eating, chances are they will continue to not eat it. To prevent a picky eater, try hard not to talk about food. Serve your regular meals and give praise when good foods, including vegetables are eaten. Most importantly, speak about vegetables as you would any other food – otherwise you are subtly teaching them that ice cream is much better than the carrots you really want them to eat.
For some top tips on ways to increase your child’s vegetable intake, read on below.