The great thing about having young children, such as an older toddler, is that they don’t have the luxury of knowing exactly what foods they like and don’t like. By targeting your child early on in their lives with healthy fruits and vegetables, you can get them to appreciate and eat healthy food sooner and allow them to take part in determining what their taste buds find favorable.

One of the first steps to getting your kitchen to become toddler friendly is by making a special play section for your child. Use this space to educate your child and allow him/her to play while learning about the values of nutrition. Be sure to leave all harmful and dangerous items out of their reach. You may want to set up a playpen type area in your kitchen and fill it with fun kitchen items that are perfectly safe for your child to use. Such items include plastic containers with lids and wooden utensils. While cooking, keep your child amused by filling a small plastic container with cereal and securing the lid, which now turns it into a fun drum or shaker. Plus, it also serves as a healthy snack! By exposing your toddler to this area while preparing meals, he/she will become more comfortable with this area of the house and it makes it easier for you to introduce them to new foods, instead of hoping they’ll like it once you serve it on a plate.

One great snack idea to introduce your toddler to while in their kitchen play area is a homemade veggie bowl. When putting together such recipes, allow your child to help you out where needed. Being a part of the action will help your toddler feel important and make them more eager to taste the final results. Open up the fridge and help your toddler gather the following ingredients:

·    A bottle of salad dressing

·    1 Pepper (red, green, or yellow - have your toddler help you with washing it)

·    1 carrot, washed and peeled

·    1 bunch of washed celery

Set up your ingredients on a cutting board and first cut your pepper in half. Scoop out the seeds and insides so that you have two, empty pieces. Use one half of your pepper as a bowl to put your other ingredients in. Take the other half of your pepper and cut it into long, skinny slices and add it to your vegetable pepper bowl. Cut your carrot sticks (make sure to cut your carrots into small, sizable pieces your toddler won’t have difficulty eating) and add them to your vegetable bowl. Next, slice your celery into sticks and add it to the mix. Finally, finish off with salad dressing and serve! Chances are your toddler will dig in and find that they like this new, healthy snack. The veggie bowl is perfect for in between meals and will occupy your toddler for a while, making it easier to tend to other duties in your kitchen, such as cleaning or preparing dinner.

Whatever recipe ideas you may have in mind, make sure your little cook is a part of it. When children feel they are needed, it helps them learn responsibility and you can slowly introduce them to more and more fruits and vegetables that they’ll undoubtedly love to eat. This will allow them to grow up with more diverse taste buds as well as cause them to make wiser food choices as they get older.

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