Giveaway Results: Gerber Diaper Bag Backpack & More

We keep the fruit and veggies at eye level in the refrigerator so that when the grandkids open it, that is what they see. More times than not, that is what they pick for a snack.

Thanks for a chance to win.

pscole3467 at gmail dot com

I always offer vegetables and fruits at every meal and I eat them myself. Children are always more likely to follow your lead.

My biggest thing is to get my kids to drink more water, so I get each of them water bottles that are filled in the morning and sit around the house. They like to be able to do things them selves so if they find it they drink from it.

we try to eat healthy so our daughter sees good things modeled to her!

I offer my kids a vegetable and fruit at every meal and always have so that now they love them. It has also made me eat better as well.

I am going to try to breastfeed exclusively (due in June) and I know that will be the best for my little one. When she gets bigger, I plan to make food fun by using colorful foods and making them into fun shapes.

The best way to get my son to eat raw veggies is to cut them into match-sticks but this works mostly with carrots and celery (doesn’t get so stringy this way).

Looks like a fun prize!!

When it comes to eating vegetables my children and I find objects on our daily walks and name what food they look like. It makes are meals more enjoyable and they love to have contest to see who can come up with the most similarities as they eat

I give my son choices, but they’re all healthy. I also try offering healthy dips like peanut butter to make fruits and veggies more appetizing.

My son’s favorite meal is breakfast. Sometimes he eats so much at breakfast he doesn’t eat much else the rest of the day. So I try to make sure he has some fruit and some whole grain cereal.

we have our boys try everything on their plate. if they don’t like it after 2 bites, then they don’t have to eat it. but, i try again another day. it’s also good to have the kids help make the meals. it usually works out that they will eat whatever they help make.

I always started my babies on vegetables before they got a sweet tooth for the fruits. My children are great fruit and veggie eaters especially mixed in with yogurt.

I only buy packaged snacks like chips and snack mix for special occasions. My kids always go to those first, plus if they aren’t in the house I will not be tempted to eat them myself.

I like to take my children grocery shopping with me and let them pick out their favorite “snacks” AKA: fruits and vegetables! I’ve found that if you CALL THEM “SNACKS” and you LET THEM PICK THEM OUT THEMSELVES, Fruits and Vegetables quickly become their favorite instead of candy and/or unhealthy alternatives!

Thanks for the opportunity~ Hope this helps!

My 20 month old daughter doesn’t like to drink water, so I put it in a big sports bottle for her. She has so much fun with the bottle that she drinks the water instead of fussing about it.

I feed my girls (3 and 1) whatever we are eating for dinner. I also have never been much of a junk food fan so we really don’t have much in the house except fruits and veggies for snacks. Just leading by example seems to be working so far!

my daughters 1 years old i always have a dofferent vegetables

we eat fruit and vegs and always offer them to wee man… Some times we use what he is interested in to get him to try something… Othertimes, when at the store we tell him he can pick any NEW food he would like to try… Thus how he found his love of the fuzzy green KIWI…. with lil kiwi we plan to do the same…

Menu Planning!

I breastfeed for at least a year!

we fill muffin trays with a variety of healthy snacks to keep out all day. this helps me so i am not in the kitchen all day, and keeps them snacking healthy and they feel like they are making choices.

I am a preschool teacher and i always encourage my children to eat their fruits and veggies at lunch and i always eat with them so thay see me eating them.

We try not to keep junk in the house. It creeps in sometimes, but my kids love fruits and veggies, so the random treat doesn’t bother me too much.

Kids are given a vegie or fruit at every meal. I never buy fruit snacks to give them the misleading idea that they are eating fruit

I started from the day I introduced baby food. I overloaded my baby with veggies and fruits and made the mealtime lots of fun with songs and dance. She has never lost her enthusiasm for the two!! Maybe I just got lucky or maybe it pays to start early…

My son is 10 months old, so we are trying everything!!!

We sit at the table with our 8 month old son and take turns feeding him while we eat and talk to him – no tv, no reading, just family dinner time.

My husband and I teach our child about healthy eating by easting healthy ourselves. We always make sure that our child has a sippy cup of water so he can stay fully hydrated. We also keep fruits and veggies within reach, so if he’s hungry that’s what he asks for.

I try to offer fruit-bananas, orange before anything else for breakfast to get us both started on the right path for the day.

I breastfed both my boys for their full first year of life. I also, because they love tomatoes and rice together, cook white rice in low sodium V-8 and this “tricks” them into eating their veggies!

posted by Crystal

We make animals and other shapes out of our fruit and vegetables. We cut our whole wheat sandwiches with cookie cutters to make them more appealing. Changing the shape of the food is more interesting to children and make them want to eat them. They also can participate in the preparing of the meals and this also increases their desire to eat their “creations”.

Whenever my son asks for a snack we ALWAYS make sure to offer him fruits and veggies first! it works…in fact, he doesn’t even LIKE chocolate, and asks for peas and carrots at dinnertime!

I let my daughter help with the food preparation. During meals, when my husband compliments the food, I tell him that she prepared it and her little ears perk up. This usually gets her to eat better!

I never give my baby girl juice only water, breast milk, or formula. I make sure she eats at least 70-80% organic.

We always offer veggies and fruits with every meal and if that doesn’t work we start to eat it ourselves. She is always more interested in it if we are doing it and therefore is growing to like more fruits and veggies. “Junk food” is kept out of sight. She is mimicing our eating habits so we don’t make a big deal out of things we eat and she follows our lead.

My daughter is just starting on solids (she’s been exclusively breastfed since birth) so now I pump a little bit in the mornings and use that milk to mix in with her cereal/foods. That way she’s learning to eat solids and experience different tastes, but she still gets the nutrition from a little breastmilk at every “meal,” even when she’s not nursing!

We eat fruit as our dessert after dinner

When it comes to nutricion nothing is better than organic products, but even when I can not offere them to my 17 month old, I just make sure that he sees me snacking fruits and vegetables instead of sweets or chips, it works great! I just add a little kick like a nice dip or some drops or lemon, mmmm!!!!

I always cut fruit and veggies into fun shapes when serving them to the kids.

My little guys only 7 months, So we are just beginning to try new foods. So far so good…He’s not big on meat, so we try to buy veggies and mix with the meat baby food…it’s working so far. It’s like sneaking in the protein.

Setting a good example. If daddy doesn’t eat his peas, why should the kids?!?

The easiest way we help improve what our kids eat is simple. We just don’t buy junk food. If there isn’t any in the house, when they’re hungry, they’ll grab fruit or light yogurt or some whole wheat toast. I have found that when there are ANY chips or white bread or sweets in the house, they naturally eat that first. So, we just eliminate that as a choice. Simple!

My older child will not eat a single piece of fruit, but he loves smoothies, so I mix strawberry yogust with bananas, strawberries or blueberries. We also hide veggies in mac and cheese, chilis and other meals that our kids normally eat.
I also believe that kids learn by example, so day after day after day keep on offering fruit and veggies, but don’t forget to eat them in front of your kids.

cant wait to try it

WE TRY TO REALLY INTRODUCE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

We still struggle with healthy eating, but the best thing I’ve found for my 16 mo. old son is to provide a wide range of options. We try things over and over again because some days they take and some they don’t.

Although exhausting at times, I try to make up a little story or joke to go along with the food to keep his interest in it. For green beans, I made up a story about a jelly bean who wears green jeans. Sometimes being a writer comes in handy!

Give them a choice between two healthy snacks, they get something healthy but also get a say in what they eat.

My husband & I try to lead by example with our snacks & eating!

We throw a couple handfuls of fresh spinach into the blender with the fresh fruit and yogurt for the smoothie each morning. You can’t taste it or see it and it is a great way to get a little extra green in the kid’s diet

Having on the go snacks that are healthy is a priority in our household. By cutting fruit and veggies up into hand held pieces or fun shapes, the kids are more likely to grab and go.

My husband and me are eating healthier so our son will pick up on our healthy eating habits.

I bought the dinner time game and the kids always love playing and it gets them to eat their food with out a fight. I always give them 3 options for meals and they choose which one to go with so they are making decisions also.
thanks for chance to win

I just had a new baby and would love to have the diaper bag. My 2 1/2 year old loves her fruits and veggies and this would be good to continue that.

We try to not feed our son things that come in packaging. He eats lots of fruit, veggies, nuts, cheese..etc. He also loves having a fruit smoothie with breakfast.

I let my son pick out which can of vegetables we are having for dinner & then poor it in the pot. He’s more likely to eat something he helped cook.

I always get my daughter, she’s 9 years old now, to help me cook dinner. She can stir, open, chop, mix, and even put things in the microwave for me. Kids are more likely to eat something if they helped make it! Also, when she started reading, I had her read the ingredients and directions to practice and improve her reading.

We keep fruit on hand at ALL times! We also menu plan and go to the library and check out kid friendly snack idea books-one of our favs is called Snack Attack! yummy, good, easy recipes in there~

I have two boys ages 3 and 1 and another baby on the way. I found that our family was good about eating healthy at home but when we went on long trips we would buy lots of chips and candy to snack on. So on our 13 hour drive to my inlaws last month I decided to cut apple slices, carrots, and other healthy snacks and put them all into small zip-lock bags in a cooler under the seat. Whenever my toddlers wanted a snack I pulled out their own little bag of fruits and veggies and they loved it!

My kids help me prepare our meals. When they feel included, they are more eager to eat the healthy stuff.

My daughter doesn’t eat anything! Help!!

I offer my kids fruits, veggies, and yogurts for snacks. If you eat healthy, your children will also.

cut it up and make small pieces for the little ones to hold better but not to small

Snacks always have to be healthy. Cookies and the like are only offered after a regular meal.

My daughter is turning 1 in 2 weeks, a great birthday present…She loves Gerber food! and Gerber puffs!!!

We only keep “snacks” around the house that are good for our kids. So any snack they have is nutritious. Also, at the local market, they pick out what fruits we buy. They are always excited to be a part. And they enjoy eating their “choices.”

My boy is only 7 months old so right now he gets his fruits and veggies everyday. I try to eat healthy as well so to be an example i guess for him.

My husband doesn’t like fruit or veggies. But he has started eating them on a regular basis to set a good example for our boys. How can you ask them to eat what you wont???

We were never big veggie eaters but we eat them all the time now in the hopes our son will eat them willingly. And we love them now too!

My husband and I encourage our young daughter to take at least one bite of every “new” food that we offer her–if she doesn’t like it we still praise her for trying the new food, and we offer it again at a later date. We let her try the same food many, many times and often she ends up deciding she likes that food after all! She is finally, after many attempts, eating and enjoying cucumbers, lettuce, and even asparagus.

We eat lots of fruit & veggies here, that is usually what our snack times consist of. So much so that my 17 month old daughter is IN LOVE with celery! I gave her a stick of it to help her with teething and she ATE it … and LOVED it, I was nervous about the stringy things choking her, so I chopped it up, but Hubby didn’t know that so he gave em to her in whole sticks and she is a pro at em now!

We set a good example of healthy eating and it has been passed on to her!

Since my kids were little, I have been offering vegetable and fruits. My daughter will eat everything – strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli – but my son is super picky. He does like salad and apples, so I let him eat all of the salad and apples he wants! And, I insist that he tries one bite of everything at dinner. Every once in a while, he surprises me and will finish his whole serving of vegetables.

We haven’t had luck getting our kids to eat whole fresh fruits, so I started buying dehydrated fruits and vegetables from an on-line store that caters to campers. The kids are now eating real, unsweetened, unsalted dehydrated fruit & veggies and are none the wiser!

There are some great comments on here…I can’t wait to try them out!
I give my daughter healthy options to choose from, and act like the healthy snacks are really exciting. She gets just as excited, because she’s getting something special, but she doesn’t know that it’s still healthy & I want her to eat it.

I’m a vegetarian and although I will let my son make the decision himself on whether or not he wants to be a vegetarian, I find that he already enjoys eating healthy like I do. We offer organic fruit for dessert after dinner instead of sugary sweets. Now, don’t get me wrong…I’m not strict about sugary sweets…I just like for them to feel like special treats instead of an everyday thing.

We let the kids grow something of their choice in the vegetable garden. They help us with the garden, especially picking the vegies. They always love to eat what they’ve grown.

When we go in the car, I know that my son will most likely eat the best, since there isn’t the distraction of toys and walking around to play. I will bring a bag of fruits or veges for him.

I try to always serve fruit and veggies with each meal. I also try to have different things for the kids to try

My only child is just 7 months. In order to give him a life long love of veggies and fruits, we are exposing him to a large variety of options now. We are also modeling it for him in our own diet. We are also giving him only water in his sippy cup (even though the AAP says he can have juice now) and breastfeeding on demand to avoid an early “addiction” to sugary (even if the sugar is natural) juices.

We eat vegetables and fruits at our house and try to instill that in our children as babies by eating them in front of them along with a variety of different ones. They are both good vegetable and fruit eaters todate

My son loves to eat Jelly sandwiches and Tuna sandwiches.To make them fun I use cookie cutters and also an apple slicer for cool shapes. He loves to press down on the cutters and make them himself. He eats them up! YUMM!

We eat a variety of frutis and vegetables and that seem to help both the girls learn to like lots of different ones.

The more my daughter sees mommy & daddy eating and enjoying their fruits & veggies, then hopefully she will too.

My husband & I always eat healthy in front of the kids! Practicing healthy eating habbits is good for the kids!

Whenever my kids ask for a sweet snack they must eat something healthy first whether it be a piece of fruit, yogurt, string cheese etc. Usually by the time they’re finished with that they no longer want the sweet treat.

I offer fruits and veggies at every meal and I also offer them at snack time.
Another healthy snack for the little ones is cheerios!! My one daughter is learning to self-feed and she loves Cheerios!!

I got “special” cups for each of my children that is their watercup I leave them on the counter beside the fridge and they love getting the water out of the door in our fridge,it’s almost like a game to them and they drink more than when I fix it for them, we also make fun healthy snacks together they tend to eat them better if they were involved in the prepreation.

offer lowfat dips (yogurt or sour cream) kids luv to dip plus can get extra calcium in

We try to instill in our 7 kids the notion that what you eat today affects your body tomorrow. If they want to have healthy bodies, they need to eat mostly fruit, veggies, water, whole grains, and lean meats.

I always put out the fruit and vegetables before anything else and if they are hungry they eat it! Just having it available keeps them healthy and happy!

I offered my 9 month old vegetables before fruit. It worked with my daughter for a long time to wear she didn’t really need sweets. Now at 6 she has to have a vegetable and a fruit of her choice before dessert

put sauces on unappealing foods!

I think the best tip would be to eat what your children eat! If the entire family is eating healthy, our children don’t know any better. We wouldn’t be able to expect our children to eat well when we were, say, eating fast food or something really unheatlthy. Showing our children at a young age that produce is “yummy” makes them want to try it, usually they love it too!

With twins, it is important to make things easy and conveient, I prepare seperate snack size bags with grapes, apples, carrots, celery and such so they can grab and go. It is healthy and they are happy because they can choose what they want. I also serve fruit and veggie with every meal and I make sure they have fish at least once a week and we also only drink organic milk.

I always offer veggies or fruit before meat/carbs so that they will eat it. or sometimes i mix it in and they dont even notice.

We have a rule, you don’t have to like it but, you have to try it.

I remember when my mom would make eating nutritious foods fun. We’d have ants on a log made out of celery and peanut butter with raisins on top, or make apple slices and cover them with cheese, naming it something fun and different every time. At my house, if we are having a great time at the table, it doesn’t seem to matter what “healthy” foods we are eating. It’s something we integrate into our everyday menus. Thanks!

Not that my son is 2, I have him help out in the kitchen. He pours, mixes, dunks, etc. and he eats more now that he’s helping make it. I also dice veggies up and mix in with the meal. They are so small he can’t see and it tastes good so he doesn’t care. Just be consistent and keep trying. They will come around and of course they learn my seeing so if you eat your veggies and fruits they will too. Good luck.

i keep my child on a scheldule so that he wont eat out of boredom or for comfort

I buy the plates that are divided, then fill each part with a fruit, vegetable, and main course. They eat at least some of everything that way and they think the plates are fun.

I taught my son that vegetables will help you grow big and strong like daddy and anything that daddy does is tops with him. He eats fruits and veggies at every meal.

I try to keep fruit on the table so its eye level for my 4 yr old. He seems to just walk a grab something rather than asking me to get him chips that are in the cabinet.

I always put veggies on my son’s plate first. If he’s hungry he’ll eat them up before anything else. Then meat and starch and fruit.

For my 1 year old, who is always on the go, snacks have to be fast and furious. Snacks include whole wheat organic pasta, dried dates, steamed carrots, and whole wheat organic banana waffles. The waffles are homemade and placed in the freezer. I give them to her directly from the freezer to help with her cutting teeth. She loves it!

She has no idea what candy, cookies, fast food, or cheerios (full of sugar) tastes like. She doesn’t miss what she doesn’t get.

While eating dinner with our 2 year old, we make sure to make it a family event. We all sit around the table, say grace, and enjoy each others company while enjoying a meal together. If my son asks for more of a certain food and hasn’t eaten any of his other items (he loves tomatoes but often won’t eat the starch)I request that he take one bite of his brown rice, before I get him more tomatoes. He complies and he gets a taste of the new food. Eventually he enjoys the food and eats it too.

we keep mostly apples and carrots eye level in the fridge and thats what they can see so thats what they want

We offered our children fruits or yogurt for desserts, included various veggies daily, excluded soda in the house, only had sweets at birthdays and holidays. Now our daughter is doing same with our 3 yr. old granddaughter. Starting from a young age, children learn good eating habits by observing their parents.

We started something called “thank you bites”. If there is something they don’t want to eat they need to at least take thank you bites. Thank you bites are 4 bites one for each word “thank you for dinner”. Knowing they don’t have to finish it if they don’t want to makes it easier for them to eat a little. (Thank you bites don’t count on veggies though–they get ketchup or ranch to help with those.)

We are vegetarians,but recently I found out that eating raw vegetables is more nutritous than eating cooked. I include salads more often in my meals now!

I let kids help pick out the veggies and fruits they like, then help them prepare it for their own meal! Kids love this and eating it with them shows them how good they did!

We try to buy mostly organic foods for our daughter. We also only allow fruit juice with breakfast.
Hope to win!
heatherbrowne@sbcglobal.net

I offer fruits and veggies first and show my tot that I love them. We eat together.

My children genuinely like many fruits and vegetables, but in order to broaden their dietary intake, I use playdates as opportunities to introduce new fruits and veggies. This is one time when “peer pressure” has actually worked to my advantage as my kids have voluntarily eaten (and liked!) new fruits and veggies because they see their friends eat them. I have even had other moms call and thank me for introducing their child to a fruit or vegetable they wouldn’t have otherwise eaten. On such occasions, I allow the children to “play” with the fruit or veggies by cutting them into fun shapes (carrot coins, etc) and provide dips and dressings for them to experiment with.

I get my kids to eat fruit by cutting it up first in small pieces and making something fun out of it like: frogs on a log (apples, peanut butter and raisins). They must eat at least one veggie at dinner and finish it all in order to get something sweet.

I am exclusively breastfeeding my baby!

My tip…watch the Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. We all sit around and watch it when it on and Ohhh and Awww the weird (gross) things that he eats. So when it comes time for the boys to try something completely natural and healthy we always compare it to something we’ve seen on the show. “I think you can eat a carrot, at least it’s not squid!” lol! It works every time!

Then I ask them to give me feedback like a food critique. They love it!

We offer fruits and vegetables as snacks, as well as with meals throughout the day. We also have a few fruit trees in our yard and plant a garden every spring. The children love tending to the plants and watching them grow. Each day after we harvest, the children are eager to eat the tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers and whatever else we may have grown. Our garden is only 4′X6′, but it is large enough for us to grow some healthy food. This not only nourishes our bodies but also instills a sense of pride in all of us from knowing that we planted, tended and harvested our own food.

fruits and veggies at every meal.

Always having pre-cut veggies ready and available to eat. Cutting them into fun shapes also helps!

I add herbalife shakes to my daughters diet and chewy vitamins. she is a picky eater.

My daughter tends to watch what I am eating and then follow suit. She’s only 16 moths old, but likes to “share” her food, and will share yours as well! At least it keeps me eating as healthy as she does!

I always offer my daughter fruit and veggies at every meal. I give her healthy snacks like bananas and peaches or strawberries with whipe cream. I don’t leave out the junk though because I think that everyone needs alittle sweetening up somedays!!!!

When kids first start eating solid foods, make sure you give them veggies first so they can like that b/c if you introduce sweets first, they will always prefer that over more nutritous veggies.

I always serve fruits & vegtables at every meal & I also squeeze fresh fruits & sometimes blend vegtables and make them into ice pops for dessert.

I lead by example; lots of fruits and veggies, water and sugar free gum.

We made food charts to make sure we are eating our daily amounts of our food groups. We mix and match and let the kids pick out different foods for the day. It’s like a puzzle and they enjoy planning their meal.

I buy the fruit and oatmeal bars to eat when on the go so he won’t be tempted to eat junk food.

Always have on hand only what you want them to eat, let them pick out the snack, they don’t always want what you pick.

I try and have the fruit in the fridge where it is the most noticable and also cut a whole lot of different kinds into pieces so they look more edible

try and put a cuople of pieces of veggies when making shakes or smoothies the taste blends right in its not noticable at all

They take part in the planting and harvesting of fruits and veggies in our patio garden/orchard.

I take my daughters on weekly trips to the farmers market. There they can sample and buy their favorite and new fruits, vegetables, nuts, and even seafood.

always offer fruits and veggies. keep all the junk and candy hidden.

i start every meal with fresh fruit before i serve the main dish

I just had my first child 6 months ago, but the plan to KEEP him happy with his veggies and fruits is to let him choose his own when we are at the market. And in the summer we will be visiting Farmers Markets as well where he can do the same.

Our baby is just starting to add cereal and vegetables but I do plan on having a fruit & veggie at each meal (and intend on my plate matching that!) and hope to make her food look interesting so she will be interested.
-siszien@aol.com

My son always gets his fruits and veggies! If he wont eat the food…I’ll give him juice. And he loves breads…so that one is easy!

We only have water after the teeth are brushed in the evening.

Kids learn to eat by example. You eat vegetables, drink milk, etc., they will too.

We do our best to keep the sweets out and the good stuff in the house. Veggies are available with every meal. Fast food is a struggle but the apple slices at BK are a big hit.

lil_wifey21 at yahoo dot com

I try to make sure the fruits and veggies have lots of colors and that helps my kids want to eat them with me!!

I need to employ the very message given in that video – to keep trying to serve foods that my children previously rejected. What I am doing is offering a vegetable and fruit at every lunch/dinner meal. I also am sure to offer a protein at every breakfast meal so we don’t get caught up in the sugary breakfast offerings out there.

hdressel(at)dresselmeadows(dot)com

I cook carrots and puree them. Then I hide the pureed carrots in mac n cheese. No little ones are the wiser but they are healthier. :~)

I try to always have a plate of severel different fruits on the table at meals so that my kids can pick a few they know they like and i can give them a few that they may not have tried in awhile to see if they like them

I found a cap for water bottle that turns them into sippy cup style. This way my toddler can drink from a big boy water bottle just like mommy and not make a mess.

Every summer we plant a garden. The kids help in the whole process from tilling the ground to harvesting the plants. They enjoy eating what they’ve worked hard to grow.

When my daughter was a baby as soon as she could feed herself some things I stopped feeding her on a spoon. She rarely will not try anything we give her cause she feeds herself. I try and stay away from processed foods and go for things that are more natural. She will normally pick fruit and veggies over chips and cookies cause that is what she has had from the begining and allowing her to feed herself has allowed her to be independent and willing to try what she has been given. I never force her to finish her food, if shes hungry she will eat.

one way i get my daughter to eat right is by taking her shopping with me. she loves that she gets to pick the fruit and veggies and put them into bags all by herself. it makes her feel like shes in charge, and she has no problem eating them through out the day. plus i bought a brita water system for in the fridge and she can get her own drink all by herself like a big girl.

I have 10 month old twin boys. I got lucky because they have liked everything they’ve tried so far. In the beginning, if they made the yucky face, I would try mixing a little fruit in with the veggie to sweeten it up. I also found the more they tried the item alone they did actually like it and soon enough the faces stopped. Now that they can have some dairy, I mix vanilla yogurt with tiny bits fruits or veggies and it is their new favorite! Thanks!

I believe the best thing we can do to encourage our kids to eat healthy is to set a good example. I always do my best to not say I dont like something in front of my kids. We always eat our fruits and veggies and we try something new as often as possible.

My husband and I sit down to eat together, we are trying our best to establish this routine BEFORE our baby arrives in 6 weeks!!

We try to use pureed veggies in every meal! Even desserts! The kids don’t even know what they’re eating. Thanks for the great giveaway!!

I offer my 15 month old what we are having for dinner before the stage 3 baby food. To try to get her to eat more “big girl” food.

I limit the amount of juice my girls drink-they could live off it if I let them. They know they can only have one glass a day, so they get to choose when they want it, otherwise it’s milk or water! It has really helped the battle when I give them the “power” to choose

My son loves fruit and veggies. I am not sure why but he loves most anything that is a fruit or veggie. Now getting him to eat meat is a different story.

My son has never had candy at our house so he snacks on fruits and veggies. Raisins are his favority “candy”. I carry a small box in my purse for on the go snacking emergencies!!

I keep fresh fruit and vegetables available during the day and at mealtime. I purposely don’t purchase chips so that when we have that crunchy craving, we reach for a carrot!

My son is very good at eating fruits and vegetables. I learned that if you start them young, then they will continue to eat healthy.

Thanks for the giveway. I always keep plenty of fruits and veggies that are cut up on the counter and in the fridge. Junk Food-out of sight out of mine. I also buy small quanties so that it is always fresh.

I think to never give up on giving them healthy fruits and veggies. Once I stop giving it to them they stop eating it.

We put fruits and veggies already cut and washed in a low drawer in teh fridge so they are able to get to it when they want a snack.

I encourage my child to at least try all types of food and if he truly does not like that particular thing, I have another side dish ready to serve, typically one I know he will eat until gone and its good for him.

i try to make the fruits and vegetables into shapes and try to make it a game with the kids. i try to teach them colors, shapes and counting. i think it helps them eat more. if anything it helps with their learning.

I add peanut butter to regular instant oatmeal and serve it with apple slices and a glass of milk for beakfast. Sometimes I will switch up the fruit or add yogurt instead of peanut butter and then serve with juice. I figure that it starts the day off right and my kids love it in the colder months.
We also try to make sure that our kids eat the healhty food on their plates before getting the other more fun foods… that way of they get full before they finish, I know that they aren’t full of sweets.

We try to let our daughter help pick out the fruit and/or veggies for dinner. If she helps pick them out; she eats them because it was her decision. She also feels her thoughts and opinions matter to mommy and daddy because we allowed her to be a part of our dinner making process.

Ever since my daughter was able to eat gerber, I gave her a lot more veggies than fruit and she is 2 years old now and loves her veggie. She wants them with her breakfast, snack, lunch, and dinner

Always have fruits and veggies on hand

Keep kid-friendly healthy snacks readily available. Examples are baby carrots w/low fat dip, celery stalks w/cream cheese or peanut butter, grahm crackers or other whole grain crackers like Wheat Thins, and of course lots of fresh fruits like bananas, blueberries, oranges, as well as some dried fruits like craisins, raisins, apricots, or plums. Of course portions must be age/size appropriate because even healthy foods will contribute to obesity if more calories than needed are provided.

I let my 3 year old grocery shop with me. He picks out his own fruits and veggies. Then he eats them all week.

its hard to get kids to eat right, but you just keep tring

I began getting my daughter to eat fruits by “jazzing” apples and bananas up with a little peanut butter!

We have lots of fruits and vegetables in our home. Our boys love them. We eat some everyday at bedtime for a snack. We also have them where everyone can see and reach them.

i have only offered my son the “healthy” food so far. someone tried to offer him soda one time and he refused! i also try to get organic as much as i can.

I ‘prepackage’ serving size snacks in ziploc baggies and everyone eats their snacks from them. (Mommy and Daddy, too!) Now we all have the same (healthier) snacks and we aren’t buying the more junky foods…

I too have fruits in the fridge within eye level and reach I have three wonderful kiddos and keep healthy snacks in the pantry where my kids can see them first and reach them. I offer fresh fruit and veggies as often as I can and try to set a good example.

We usually have fruit at lunch and a veggie at dinner. No dessert (granola bar, cookie, small candy, graham cracker, sucker, marshmallow, whatever-is-on-hand) unless you eat your fruit/veggie. I learned this trick from a mom of a diabetic b/c she based the insulin given on what she was serving her son so he had to finish his meal. Very helpful since our oldest was diagnosed as diabetic last fall.

Start early! Make your own baby food (it’s easy to do with fresh/frozen veggies and fruit if you make large batches in your blender and freeze in ice cube trays). Getting kids used to the taste of fresh/frozen fruits and veggies (as opposed to over-processed, often “soggy” or taste-less canned food) early helps them develop a taste for it later on.

I’ve been exclusively breastfeeding my son since he was born but we are now starting to introduce some solids. I’m feeding him by spoon instead of putting it in his bottle to make him work a little harder for his food and recognize when he is full instead of just eating to indulge his sucking reflex.

I buy Healthy quick breakfast foods. Like Kashi Cereal Bars, and Gogurts for on the run. I also serve a different veggie each night for dinner.

Thanks for the entry.

My daughter is only 3 months old so she’s exclusively breastfed right now, but I am looking forward to starting her on the Gerber 1sts foods and cereals so that she can learn to love fruits and veggies as much as I do. You can’t get better than Gerber for your babies.

I’ve noticed that my little picky eater will be more excited about eating fruit if she’s allowed to help prepare it. Peeling oranges, picking grapes off of the bunches… it also introduces her to new textures!

To get my baby to try the Gerber baby meats I always added a little of the Gerber applesauce. “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down”….lol he readily tried and ate the meats and any other new item with no problems. Since each meal always included a little fruit anyway, I was able to get him to eat balanced meals.

Cooked cauliflower mashes up real nice with potatoes.

My tips would be to start early. Even when my son was still eating baby food from the jar we always gave him the veggies flavors first, after a some veggies he would the desert. He quickly learned that the faster he ate his veggies he would have a yummy desert waiting. he still loves his veggies, he 13 now. (I am entering the contest for my granddaughter)
thanks for the chance to win..

Our daughter loves anything that she can drink. So she gets her veggies by having fresh soups like carrot, pumpkin, broccoli.. etc. We have soup regularly for lunch and then in the morning she has a “milkshake” made with frozen bananas, milk, and mangos- no sugar and sometimes change the mango up to whatever is on hand. It usually gets done fast and she asks for seconds.

We keep fruits and vegetables on the counter, in the fridge and freezer and in the cupboard(canned). We have them with most meals and snack time. Let your children eat off your plate–this is a great way to get them to try new foods.

My daughter loves to open the kitchen drawers herself and grab snacks- so all the drawers that are not child proof only have dried veggies and fruit, or 100% fruit strips- so she has no choice but to have a healthy snack. I think since she is getting it by herself she feels more excited to eat it.

So far, we started our infant with Gerber’s organic rice cereal and organic pureed veggies first and now we are giving her organic pureed fruits with her meals. But apparently she like veggies over fruits. So, to make sure she eats her fruits, we gradually mix them in as she eats. And we’re all happy!

I let my son help make his nutritious feast because he’ll more likely eat it if he made it. For example…he loves to make his own yogurt parfait….I put a variety of fruit (chopped up in small pieces)and granola out for him…and he gets to pile whatever he chooses on his yogurt. He loves it! And it’s a great way for him to eat lots of fruits. We also have a juicer, and he helps add the fruit and veggies to it. We often experiment and try different combinations.

I give them fruit and vegetables as snacks. I make it more appealing by serving them with dips.

I sneak veggies in their favorite foods. They really like muffins with the veggies in them. It makes them extra moist.

I have a brownie troop and this year we are having the parents bring in only healthy snacks and telling the girls how to eat and try healthy foods.

We try to model good eating habits, limit sweets and eating a rainbow (foods of all colors throughout the day).

My kids are not picky. They usually eat what ever we eat. They’re not use to eating junk so they don’t ask for it. But I do purée a lot so I hide curtain veggie’s in different foods. Like in banana bread I put puréed zucchini. They never know it’s there. One time I didn’t have any zucchini to put in the bread and they said something doesn’t taste right.

I offer the same new vegetable or fruit in stage 1 baby food for 3-4 days to encourage our infant to like a variety of foods & to acquire a taste for new foods. This is also good to help determine if the infant is allergic to any foods & be able to pinpoint the allergy causing food.
Thank you for the giveaway entry.

We also like to have carrots and celery around. We talk about how eating healthy helps your body. And, not only do we talk the talk, we walk the walk so to speak. At dinner time, we all eat healthy. (other meals too)

We try to show by example and eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Right now, fruits are dessert.

I have a ziploc container full of cut up fresh veggies in the fridge ready to go with a small container of fat free ranch dressing smack dab in the middle of all those healthy veggies. While I’m cooking dinner, I whip that container out, plop it in the middle of the kitchen table and let the kids go to town. They love having something to much on and I love that they are a)not pestering me for food while I’m cooking and b) eating something good for their little bodies. : )

I have a 9 month old, and he loves all the fruits and vegetables that Gerber has. I will continue to encourage him to make healthy choices as he gets older by keeping fresh food in the house rather than sugary snacks.

We offer our 2 year old a few choices when it comes to snacks, the trick is that they are all healthy. I will usually offer a couple of veggies and a fruit. Another favorite is home popped popcorn, he enjoys helping pop it.

I let my grandchildren help prepare the healthy meal and they are more likely to at least try new things.

I try to hide veggies in my daughter’s meals. For instance, I will hide chopped broccoli in her mac ‘n cheese. She knows I do this, because the green stands out in the mac ‘n cheese, but she doesn’t care because she can hardly taste it and she doesn’t want to take the time to pick them out!

I always have canned beans (black, great white, kidney etc) on hand for snacks and meals. Full of protein.

We try to eat home cooked organic meals as often as possible. Water and organic juice instead of soda. Snacks consists of fresh fruit, smoothies, trail mix, granola or yogurt. We also use the rule of only take what you can eat.

I pick snacks and foods that are healthy and I teach them how to read and understand the labels on foods so that they start making the right choice in what they choose to eat.

I don’t usually have junk foods in my home, to avoid giving in to the kids’ sweet tooth. I usually give them cheese or crackers for a snack. And I give them water and milk to drink most of the day.

I try to have lots of healthy snacks around for them. But most of the time they ask for carrots and apples because they are used to having them instead of chips. Also they LOVE yogurt, so I get the kind in the tubes so they can eat it on their own.

I try to do the majority of my grocery shopping on the outer walls, not the aisles. This is where the healthier foods can be found and it makes it easier to resist fattening foods.

We try and set a good example, offer fruits and veggies regularly, and don’t keep much in the way of junk food in our house. I didn’t give my daughter any juice until just recently, and even then when she does drink it we cut it half with water and give her v8 fusion with the fruits and veggies in it, so it’s good for her.

I offer fruits for snacks for our children and nothing more.

From a very young age, we made our children believe that fruit and veggies are “special” desserts. We tell them that if they eat their dinner, they can have fruit for dessert. They gobble up their dinner!

We all eat as healthy as we can. Right now she is at the stage where she wants whatever everyone else has, as long as everyone else is eating healthy then that’s what she wants to eat. We try to keep only healthy foods in the house (it helps that we have a fantastic produce market right up the street) and we keep them prepped so they are easy to pull out, even at the last minute.

I always serve variety of fruits/vegetables at each serving for my toddler (whether it is meal time or snack time). I’m confident that this habit will pave the way for good nutrition for him.

Vidhya Kumaran
vidhya.kumaran@yahoo.com

I give my 4 year old options for a snack – and those options only include healthy things (an apple, carrots and dip, etc). She loves being able to choose her snack and I love that it’s good for her!

I have been from the start trying to give my daughter the best in foods and in drinks. She has not been been the best eater but she loves lots of fruits and some veggies. Gerber has the best snacks and she loves them still to this day.

My son loves ketchup and ranch dip. One day I offered some dip and or ketchup to go with his vegies…WaLa he eats his vegies now.

From day one I offered my kids veggies over fruit to get them in the habit of eating healthy.

my son is a little over a year we never drink sodas only juices, milk, and water. when we do eat snack foods they are sugar free. he loves is veggies and fruits so i really dont have any trouble getting him to eat good.

We have some friends who have a 5 yo son that would rather chew on a carrot and some broccoli then candy…

My husband and I try extra hard to incorporate fruits and veggies into our life. And we make a big deal about how yummy and wonderful they are. The more we make it seem like it is a special grownup treat, the kids automatically want to try it. Even when there are foods that we DON’T really like, my husband and I always try some and smile the whole way through. It’s amazing what a little positive attitude will do.

We eat healthy ourselves to set a good example for our daughter!

My son is a very picky eater, but we try to give him veggies with every meal he will eat fruit till you make him stop.

I make sure I always have washed grapes at eye level in the fridge and cheese sticks. I also pack my sons lunch and always include a fruit and my son knows if he doent eat it then he has it for his snack after school. He has learned to love fruit this way. Now veggies are another issue. I do let him pick which veggie he eats at dinner. And I second the ranch and ketchup. Works everytime

i steam and puree veggies and put them in to pasta sauce, mac and cheese, soups and breads. they never know!! thanks, AMy!

Fruits and vegetables are staples in our house. That is what the kids are offered for snack and now they have learned to ask for them before anything else.

I have my children make the veggies with me and they have choices on how they are cooked etc. They don’t always eat them the first few times but as they get less ’scarey’ they try them and often like them

My child dont like veggies plain so when we have pizza i load it up with veggies and he is none the wiser. He does eat a fruit with each meal (willingly) .

We offer fruits and/or vegetables at every meal and make sure we eat plenty ourselves!

I have fresh fruit in the fridge always and lots of yougurt and cheese sticks.

I have a “healthy snack basket” with fresh fruit, yogurt, and cheese sticks that they may help themselves to. They’re allowed 1 yogurt and 1 cheesestick each day….with as much fruit as they’d like!

I’m breast fedding my youngest child, which is the best anyways! I am eating lots of good things for myself as well as my child then. Which means I am modeling all the good eating habits for my 2 yr old. We eat lots of fruits and veggies!

I am always trying to encourage my two children to drink more water. I keep the smaller size bottles of water in the lowest see through compartment of the refrigerator. When they are thirsty, they can get one out without the help of an adult. It works great and they love the smaller bottles!

I make my own baby food. Nutritionally it just makes sense. Although we are continuing to look for ways to introduce new foods to my son through great companies like Gerber.

stefanielritz [at] gmail [dot] com

I breastfed for fifteen months so that really helped me keep track of my child’s nutrition. I also made sure to offer her all kinds of healthy choices to eat. She didn’t even discover candy until her third Halloween, thanks to OTHER PEOPLE! She also still thinks chocolate milk can only be ordered at restaurants.

I’m pregnant for number 2 and plan to make my own baby food this time around so I can really control what is going in!:-) I hope I can time manage well enough!

At bedtime we give our kids apples and oranges sometimes instead of cookies or ice cream. When we call them “apple treats” or “orange treats” the kids don’t know the difference between the fruit and the sweets!

There are certain fruits and veggies that my 3 year old son likes, but won’t eat because he just doesn’t have enough patience to sit at the table that long. So, we tell him that before he leaves the table, he must eat x number of pieces of fruit or veggies. Seems to work like a charm.

When I go food shopping I buy lots of fruit and veggies. Also I buy lots of Dips for they can have options. I also stop buying soda I always have a pack of water. My 2 year old always carrys a bottle of water around.

I believe keeping the kids active and busy, is a start. Where I live we go out and play in the snow and sled and have a wonderful time together. When it’s time to go in, they are really hungrey. In turn they are more willing to try new healthier food items like fruit, veggies, and even a nice hardy salad.

When our dinner is full of starch, we always offer a fresh fruit at dinner as well, that way, we know our kids are getting some great fiber in there! They actually love it!

I think the best way is to set a good example yourself by eating healthy in front of them and working out. I never want to push anything onto my child but by her seeing me workout and eat healthy she wants to do the same. She is 7 and loves to show people she can do a boy pushup! She also loves to help me in the kitchen.

We grow our own veggies and harvest them as a family…all the hard encourages our children to try different things that they “grew”.

I have three boys and now a new baby girl. One of my boys is very picky and the other two will eat anything. So I try to get the picky eat to atleast take one bite of everything. He finds he likes more than he thought he would.

I always offer healthy foods and their meals. Like for instince, four out of five of my children would not eat carrots, but I always put them on their plates and had them try one. After a while, they began asking for them so now, I have four out of five that WILL EAT carrots. My youngest child who is 1 year old, I’m still working on. Thanks for the giveaway.

We make sure to start with fruits and veggies over carbs – to make sure we don’t fill up before we get to them.

My daughter is not a picky eater and I think that has to do with the fact we offered her plenty of fruits and veggies when we were feeding her baby food. She will actually choose grapes over cookies now! As long as the fruits and veggies are cut up so they are bite size to her, she really enjoys eating them. And the colder the better for her!

I keep a large variety of washed ready-to-eat fresh fruit in a bowl on the kitchen counter, so we often grab that for a snack. We often eat fruit as part of our meals. There’s always a great variety of cartons of flavored non-fat yogurt in the refrigerator as well. Fruit and yogurt are our preferred healthy snacks as well as serving as “dessert” at the end of a meal.

Our biggest advice is to model good eating habits. My husband and I eat a salad before every meal, and encourage our daughter (age 3) to do the same. She loves grape tomatoes and carrots! Also, we have a bowl on the counter full of fruit all the time. She knows she can have a piece whenever she wants. Hopefully, these good habits will root in our newest addition – our son (age 2 months).

I have a 21 month old who loves veggies and fruits. She doesn’t get sugar other than whatever is in her yogurt. When she first started eating, I started her on Veggies only. I did not offer anything sweet until she had tried all her veggies. Chips are only a treat once in a great while. She now beggs for veggies whenever she sees me cooking. Everyone is always amazed at how she LOVES her veggies and fruits.

We offer fruit all the time as well as at dessert time. Also, we fill up popsicle molds with fruit juices or yogurt & freeze.

I always give healthy foods……..veggies, fruits, graham crackers. We’re on WIC so the juice and milk they offer we give to our son along with other healthy items.

I let my kids make fruit wraps.I cut up bananas,apples,grapes,raisins.kiwi and anything else they can think of.We spread peanut butter first on the wraps then top with the fruits they like.The best part is seeing thier faces whe they finish rolling them up. My 6 year old son had me bring all the fixins up to lunch at school so he could show his friends how to make them.

All we eat is fresh food. We do not buy sugar or fatladen foods. Your children will eat healthy food if that is all they’re given. They do not know the difference.

I cut up veggies and have a veggie tray with homemade dip in the fridge at all times. When my son is hungry for a snack, or hungry too close to dinner, I pull it out and he munches away. I also keep fruit ready to go in the fridge or ready on the counter (apples, bananas)so that grabbing fruit is as easy as grabbing a bag of chips

We play a dice game with the meal. Everyone takes turns rolling the dice to see how many veggies to eat. We also play “Goin’ on a Picnic” and people get distracted from what they are eating and just eat.

Every week I bake items like apple bran muffins or zuchinni bread and make sure to substitute applesauce for the oils. My son loves to snack on ‘cake’ and they are a lot healthier than store bought items.

I bought one of those hand choppers and chop of brocoli and carrots, or any type of vegetable and mix them in with mac-n-cheese or spaghetti! It’s so simple and the kids never notice!!! It’s a great way to add in an extra serving of fruits or vegetables without the battle!
Thanks!

When my son was transitioning from baby food to table food, we used gerber stage 2 foods as a sandwich filling on whole grain bread. It introduced him to table food while still making sure he got all the important nutrition that gerber provides.

We always start with a veggie & fruit “appetizer” so that they eat that first. We also slip veggies that are pureed into everyday things that they will always eat.

We try to minimize the high fructose corn syrup intake of our kids, since it has been linked with so many negative health issues.
I also try to make all their food from scratch to minimize unknown ingrediants in prepackaged foods.

I only have a seven month old so eating is fairly limited but I have plans to go organic with milk.

I’m breastfeeding right now, but I try to make sure I have plenty of vitamins and also make sure to eat fruits, veggies, and oats!

They pick the veggies & fruit for the day

Even if they don’t like the food today we still try again the following week.

I have started a healthy and greener trend in our home – I cut way down on the soda drinks and instead replaced them with water bottles. When the water is gone, I reuse the water bottle with hot tap water and stuff a tea bag in it, a packet of sugar and let it steep to sip hot tea or let it cool down and place in the fridge for a nice cold tea drink for later. Saving the water bottles from ending up in the landfill is a plus for me. I buy water bottles that have a sippy seal on it so I can use it when i’m traveling and I have no spills. It works great for at work so we don’t spill or have dust in it either.

I also forgot to include in the water bottles I blend my favorite vegetable or fruit drinks to have an on the go healthy drink. Thus saving you from being tempted to buy sugar or fatening drinks.

I will not feed any children in our family TRANS FAT!!!

When my kids say they are hungry for a snack I only give them the choice of 2 things, usually it’s fruit or yogurt.

I have no problem with the fruits, think they would eat only fruit if I allowed it. Now for veggies that is a different story, they hate them. So I buy the juice that has veggies in also and they love that, Harvest Blends.

We give our daughter lots of delicious fresh fruits and veggies for health, but also allow for some less healthy goodies, so that they’re not the really tempting “forbidden fruit”

I offer fresh produce at every meal, and sometimes “hide” more in other items. What they don’t know…..

We do sometimes “hide” the veggies in dinners and side dishes. We have had “mashed potatoes” aka mashed califlower without the kids knowing the difference. We also try to make pot pies or there things where the veggies can be hide. Tomato sauce is a another good one or veggies in hamburger patties!