Teaching Your Toddler To LOVE Salad

Ok I’ll admit it I like salad, but if you tell me I’m going to have salad for dinner I’m not that excited about it. My two year old though!? It’s like I said we were going out for ice cream. Now lettuce (uncooked and not hidden in something) is still a mildly new concept for us. There was some exposure to it on taco night or when we eat BLT’s, but its never been the center of a meal and we never really expect them to eat much of it. That however is starting to change. We’ll be getting lots of lettuce from the farm this summer and want to use it in meals the whole family can enjoy, not watch it go to waste. So we started off with a few topping heavy salads. Toppings my kids know and love and dare I say got excited about? So now when we announce salad for dinner its all good!

Our favorite is this hearty winter salad. The kids get a light layer of spinach barely covering the bottom of the bowl and then we add pears, roasted sweet potato, walnut or pecan bits (no whole nuts just yet), blue cheese and pomegranate seeds. I feel great about the variety they are eating and the exposure to “salads” and they basically think I’ve given them a bowl of snacks for dinner. It’s also one meal that’s easy for me to adjust since I’m making it bowl by bowl so I will – we have one (grown up!) who doesn’t like blue cheese so they get parmesan instead, heavier on the pears for those who love it, less for those who don’t etc. All of these toppings are things my kids have had exposure to during lunch or snack and really enjoyed so I wasn’t worried about them eating it, but feel free to mix it up to things your kids will like. Croutons are usually a safe bet, but we’ve also tried a few plainer salads with toppings like avocado & chickpeas – just lots of them.

If you are just starting out and a little nervous if they will try it then introduce it as a side to a family favorite (instead of chicken caesar – chicken and a salad & mix it for yourself), but don’t stress about them eating it all.

In our house we also talk a lot about what foods animals like to eat so a favorite game is to be a certain animal eating the food. Such as a big bear eating blueberries, a baby bunny nibbling lettuce. While we are eating we talk a lot about the sounds we can make when we eat – can you crunch it really loud or really softly? A favorite lunchtime question, “Wanna hear my biggest crunch?” is often followed by a round of giggles as they actually crunch something or eat the softest food on their plate. Hilarious. Again, it’s okay by me if they just eat the toppings or the bits they like. The idea is that they are just getting exposed little by little and opening themselves up to trying salads or any new food really!

Follow up and give us your toddler’s reactions to salad in the comments below!

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