children and salad

[Banana]

As its such nice weather I have been wanting to start doing more fruit salads and normal salads, for the kids. Fruit salads no problem but as for anything even slightly lettuce like - no chance!

One of my mindees wont touch anything salad like at all (tomato, cucumber, lettuce etc) wont go near it!

I can manage to get Belle to eat cucumber, again lettuce is a no no!

The other mindees wont eat anything like it either, is this a universal child thing where they wont eat it??

Anyone else manage to get thier kids to eat salad?

x

[katickles]

Funny you should write this as i've been trying for the last couple of weeks, both with mindees & my dd - & their reaction is exactly the same. One of my mindees asctually looks scared of lettuce!!!

[caza]

My dd was exactly the same and in the end we just gave up even trying to get het to eat it. But now in the last couple of weeks if me and dh have lettuce or cucumber she asks if she can have some and although she wont eat a lot of it at least she is trying some.

Sorry I know thats no use to you whatsoever but just thought that maybe if you make it available but make no reference to it other than to have it yourself they might just start picking at it on their own accord

Caroline

[sarah707]

Ds is not too bad with cucumber and sometimes pepper - but tomato makes his mouth burn and as for lettuce... not a hope!

Dd has always looked at me like anything green is a poison chalice...

One (out of 7!!) of the mindees will eat grated carrot...

I give them salad or veg at every meal and the major accomplishment is if they leave it at the side of their plate.

[ma7ie]

Think I'm quite lucky with dd 2yrs. She doesn't eat many cooked vegetables but she likes raw and salad vegetables.

She'll quite happily eat a tomato like you would eat an apple. She loves cucumber, celery, avocado, radish, crisp lettuce, red peppers, grated carrot etc

I also make quite a lot of rice and pasta salads and chop veg very finely into them with olive oil and white wine vinegar.

Mindee on the other hand is a different matter.

[Lou]

Mine will pretty much only eat cucumber, i do make it available at most meals but they just pick at it.

I think just keep offering it, which should be very easy at this time of year!!!

[manjay]

My ds (nearly 2) is like a human dustbin and will eat anything. He has just eaten a massive salad for his lunch. DD (8) however will not touch any fruit or salad item. She will eat any veg I put in front of her so am grateful for that. I look after two sets of brothers and they are the same, like chalk and cheese. One will and one won't. Now I just put it out and if they have a go fine

amanda xx

[wendywu]

My mindees will eat cucumber, red pepper, raw mushroom and carrots. They will also eat coleslaw. They like dips with cucumber and raw veg.

Dont worry both my own DD 15 and 19 will now eat salad.

[devoncm]

both my dds have always been fussy eaters tho my eldest did start eating lettuce a while ago but think i gave her too much and she got sick of it, my ypungest has been getting better overlast couple weeks will eat pretty much anything on her plate saying ok ill try it but i dont like it, it takes her forever but she will sit and eat it, if we have spag bol i add pepper mushrooms tomato anything i can get away with adding and my youngest age 4 will say mummy ill eat it all today im just eating the horrible bits first to get them off my plate-bless, salad tho doesnt go down too well with her tho i will be doing more she can like it or be hungry
my step son would never eat anything fruit or veg, i had to mash it in his food and give it him like that but now hell eat it next to it if on the plate as he knows there will be no pudding,as for friut all he will eat is raisins when hes here,but at nursery hell eat banana aswell.

maybe ask parents what they eat at home so you get an idea of what they like, if they like celery pell a cucumber and say its celery or try rolling a lettace leaf-youll be amazed that sometimes it does work!!, try making a dip, mayo or apple sauce, if they like tomato sauce give thema dollop of that so they can dip the veg sticks in that to get them used to the taste and say now try it with out the sauce else youll run out before the one.

[Wendy Woo]

My own son looks at it like i have served him poo!!!! But lucky enough both my mindees eat it. I just add it to the plate and away they go!!!

[avril]

My x2 ds won't touch it even though I do always put a little taster on their plate. x1 mindee 15mnths will eat chopped tom and cucumber and other mindee 4yrs eats everything and anything she is given.

[Alibali]

All my kids and mindees eat anything I give them (except scrambled eggs for one) so I am dreading the day I get a fussy one

Try giving them it with different dips, or let them make smiley face sandwiches or pizza with salad topings on, it may just work.

Good luck

Ali x

[susi513]

Salads aren't successful here. They all detest lettuce, peppers, onions, mushrooms.

I've tried all manner of things, but none will eat more than one salad ingredient. So one eats the raw carrot, one eats the cherry tomatoes, one eats the baby sweetcorn etc and no-one leaves an empty plate

DD, at 13, has only recently started to eat lettuce. But only if its iceberg.

Rice, pasta & cous-cous are all popular though, as long as the green stuff is limited!

I'm going to try making salad dressings with the kids, but I bet they still don't eat it!

Susi

[sarah32]

My youngest whose 5 prefers to eat vegetables and salad, wont touch meat, hates chicken, says doesnt like taste. I think shes going to be vegetarian. Loves pretty every thing you listed plus more, will eat lettuce, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas.

Ithink the only thing she wont eat is tomato.

My other daughter whose 7 will only eat carrots and nothing else, screws her face up at any salad.

My three mindees again wont touch salad or fruit.

[Spangles]

My son won't touch salad either! I've tried and tried but with no success!

I'm hoping seeing it in a bowl most nights now summer's here will change his mind but I'm not holding my breath!

[samgeordie]

my 3yr old dd loves cucumber, lettuce & carrot, but she won't touch tomato, she also liks coleslaw and loved some homemade potato salad i did last week. She loves fruit especially strawberries, raspberries & blueberries.

I guess every child is different though, maybe ask the parents if they have tried them with it at home, no harm putting some on their plate for them to try if they want to.

[tulip0803]

DD2 (4) loves salad and will pinch it off anyone's plate if she runs out . She always used to eat her veg first (loved all veg) but since she started school last Sept she won't eat her veg but still loves salad and fruit.

DS (16) has only just started eating veg (other than brocolli and raw carrots) in the last couple of years. He eats a little salad and fruit

DD1 (10) doesn't like salad or veg but she eats fruit.

All of them are different. I just put a tiny bit on their plate and if they try it I am happy if not I don't make a fuss

[miffy]

I have one mindee who won't eat anything green whether it's fruit or vegetable!

The rest are a bit of a mixture and it's not easy to find vegetables that everyone likes so now I just cook it and it's up to them whether they eat or not.

Sometimes I puree the veg in casseroles so they are none the wiser what they've eaten!

miffy xx

[teacake2]

I think we can worry too much about making the children eat certain things, I do try to include a variety of salad, fruit and veg for the children but as one of my mindees proceeded to tell my OFSTED Inspector during my inspection last years he would not eat tomatoes as they were disgusting and asked her if she would like to eat them instead, she did this and then he told her that she was silly, which thankfully she took very well (he was only 2).* He did tell here that he would eat the grated carrots and cucumber I had given him because he loved me - so sweet - but not enough to eat the tomatoes.Still won't eat them.Teacake2

[Gherkin]

Ds and dd both love salad and will happily munch through it - they also both love salad dressing which probably helps with the lettuce! i make a yogurt dip with spring onions, lemon juice, olive oil, mint, corriander leaf, garlic, chilli and natural yogurt and my dd loves it to dip her salad into, ds is still warming up to it and would rahtet have the salad dressing.