How much will it take to get you to just try one bite???

Ah yes, the age old drama of trying to get your kids to eat their vegetables.  My oldest son (10) will eat his vegetables on a regular basis because, basically, I do not give him a choice.  If he does not like something specific, such as brussel sprouts, I do not force him to eat them.  But I promote the importance of eating vegetables on a regular basis and he does understand this.  My youngest son (2 ½) is a completely different story.  He instinctively knows when something is a vegetable or has vegetables in it.  It is almost like he has internal radar for healthy food and immediately turns his head so far away from the food that I expect him to turn into the girl from the Exorcist and do a full head swing.  Visualize it. So, how do I make a 2 year old eat? Should I bribe him or reward him when he eats his carrots? 

My fear has been that bribery or rewards could psychologically damage him in the long run.  Perhaps I would set a standard of behavior where I would have to reward him to take a shower when he is 15.  That would not be acceptable. Many experts recommend the best choice is repeated exposure to a food, perhaps as many as 10 to 15 times before a child will consume a new food (Drotz, 2008).  Also, eating vegetables in front of your children is recommended.  This has not worked in my house with my youngest child.  So is it ethical for me to offer rewards, such as promising a toy or a sticker, if my child eats his vegetables?

According to a recent research study the answer, surprisingly, is YES! In a study by the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, and the Department of Psychology, University of Sussex, they concluded that external rewards do not necessarily produce negative effects and may be useful in promoting healthful eating (Cooke et al., 2010).

The study took young children and presented them with vegetables and asked them to rate them with “yuckie”, “okay” and “yummy” smiley faces. One group of children received no intervention, a second group received a sticker if they would try the vegetable, and the third group received social praise for trying the vegetable. Over time, the children who received a reward increased the amount of vegetables they would eat and displayed an increase in thinking the food was “yummy” over longer periods of time.  So, I am going to the grocery store to buy more carrots and I think a couple of packets of Thomas the Train stickers.  Wish me luck!

Cooke, L. J.,Chambers, L.C., Añez, E. V., Croker, H. A., Boniface, D., Yeomans, M. R., & Wardle, J. (2010). Eating for pleasure or profit: The effect of incentives on children’s enjoyment of vegetables. Psychological Science, 29 December 2010.

Drotz, K. (2008). 5 steps to getting children to eat more vegetables. HealthCastle.com