All kids want to eat is ice cream, cookies, candy and other sugary items with a fried food thrown in every now and again. Set them up with a plate of chicken salad and you’ll have a fight on your hands. Fighting with toddlers or even teenagers is pointless. We need to find ways to win and be the parent without the fights. Here are some easy tips for getting your toddler to receive all the nutrients that they need without having to find over the ice cream cups.
Supplements
Give your kids vitamins every day. You can research the things that they need in their diet and get it into them through the vitamins. There are gummy vitamins that just taste like candy and they’ll love them. You may have to fight them over why they can’t have more than two gummy vitamins but at least you’re fighting them over healthy things instead of all the junk and sugar that they usually want to eat. Of course, they think the vitamins are still sugar and candy.
Frozen Yogurt
Frozen yogurt is an excellent alternative to ice cream. If you really think that your kids have just had way to much ice cream for one day or week or whatever, you can substitute it for ice cream. If you don’t tell them that it’s frozen yogurt, they may never even know. Greek frozen yogurt is the kind that is best for you but keep in mind that it still has quite a bit of sugar. However, all the other ‘bad’ things about ice cream are fairly low in frozen yogurt so at least there’s that.
Popsicles
Popsicles are a fun way to make sure your kids are staying hydrated. You could even freeze flavored water and they would literally be drinking a cup of water as they eat them. It’s a sneaky mom move and it is perfect. Of course, if you tell them it is just flavored ice, they may decide they do not like it but if they think it’s a sugar pop then they’ll be sure to devour it. The great part about flavored water pops is that you don’t have to deny them if they want more. The more the better, in fact.
Smoothies
Smoothies can be called milk shakes because for kids, that’s actually what they are. Kids do need milk so you can add the whole milk to some bananas and strawberries, throw a handful of spinach in while they aren’t looking and even a small amount of protein powder and hand it over. Your kids will love it and will be sipping down those great foods and nutrients in no time. It is also a great ‘to go’ snack. Throw it in a cup with a straw and head out the door. It’s good for them and it’s filling to.
Rewards
If you really want to try giving your kids vegetables and healthy foods, you might try a rewards system. Don’t allow them to have any sweets throughout the day and when it comes to lunch or dinner or whenever they need to eat their healthy foods, let them know that if they finish it, they can have a bowl of ice cream. Make sure you stick to your word though. If they don’t finish, then no ice cream. Don’t give in or they’ll test you every single night until they wear you down and out. If you can stand firm then eventually they will eat it up because they’ll know they definitely won’t be getting ice cream without conquering the salad first.
There are so many things in the world that we are going to have to tell our kids no to, over and over again. We are constantly teaching and training, you have to figure out which battles are worth fighting and which are not. If you can get good nutrients in to your kids without having to scream and shout and discipline, then why not save your energy for the things which have no alternative? Such as running into a busy street when going for a walk or picking up dead birds and pests that they might find when you take them to play in the park.