My 2-year-old won't eat vegetables
⚡ Short answer: Age 2 is when food refusal peaks and control starts to shift from parent to child.
Anonymous
2 yaşında çocuk annesi · Feeding
My 2-year-old daughter won't eat any vegetables — even looking at them, she pushes her plate away. How do I get her to like vegetables?
Maiyko AI ADVISOR
The real reply from the in-app AI advisor
Age 2 is when food refusal peaks and control starts to shift from parent to child. When your daughter pushes away vegetables, it's often not about taste but her discovering she can say "no."
The most powerful strategy at this age is offering vegetables steadily, without reward or punishment, as a normal part of meals. So vegetables should be on your plate, which she watches you eat happily, before you even serve them to her. Steady, relaxed, model-based exposure works better than pressure.
Practical tip: instead of leaving vegetables totally off her plate, try forms where they're there but not the star — vegetable-filled meatballs, pastry with veggies inside, blended veggies in soup. You can play "bite games" — you both take turns biting a carrot stick. Play and your presence matter more than taste.
If after 2 weeks of steady, low-pressure exposure she still won't try any vegetable, check with your pediatrician or a child feeding therapist about possible sensory sensitivities.
⚕️ Health note: This answer is for general information only; it is not medical advice. Every baby is different — for decisions about your baby's health, consult your pediatrician.
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