Fun Ways to Encourage Healthy Eating

On the healthy eating struggle bus? Welcome to Parenthood! Getting your children to eat healthily is a tale as old as time, and we know how hard it can be. It can be very difficult to get your picky toddler or child to eat healthy, especially when all they want are chicken nuggets and fries. Their little tastebuds aren’t the same as ours but, as parents, we still want to make sure they’re eating as healthy as possible. Keep reading to learn some of our favorite fun ways to encourage healthy eating and the one product that will have them wanting more.

Grow Your Own Veggies

If you have space to grow your own veggies, do it! Kids learn so much when they are able to be hands-on. If they are able to see their fruits and veggies growing from seed to their plate, they will be more likely to—at least—try it!

If you do not have the space to grow your own veggies, taking them on a trip to a farm or farmer’s market can help do the trick. Seeing how fruits and veggies are grown, learning about them from the farmers, and picking out their own can give them some feeling of ownership.

Even a trip to the grocery store or having them involved in meal preparation can help encourage them to try healthy food that they normally wouldn’t. Kids like to feel like they are part of the process, so, whether it’s growing veggies or simply having them help you wash them, you’re setting them up for success.

Play With Your Food

Sometimes, the trick to healthy eating is to simply play with your food. A caterpillar made out of grapes or carrot slices cut into stars can be just the trick to get your kiddo to—at least—try it! It can also be helpful to make sure the fruits and veggies are cut into small pieces. This will make your child feel more accomplished the more of it they eat, and help make them feel less overwhelmed by the task.

In addition, giving them their fruit or veggies as the first course will give them better chances of munching away at it. They don’t have to be given alone, either—it can be helpful to have a choice of food that they do like to go along with it.

Finally, there’s nothing wrong with some good ol’ fashioned hiding! Veggie pasta, smoothies with some spinach, broccoli tots, and more are great ways to sneak in some healthy nutrition without your child ever suspecting a thing.

Reward Them

Children love to be praised for the great things they do, which makes rewarding them for healthy eating a great way to encourage it in the first place. It’s important to make sure the reward isn’t food (such as an extra scoop of ice cream for dessert), but that it is something visual and fun. Using food as a reward, or even as a punishment, can actually create bad eating habits such as comfort eating and restriction later in life.

Some ideas for healthy non-food rewards include:

• Verbal praise and recognition
• Stickers, especially if they are placed on a board
• An extra 10 minutes of iPad screen time
• The power to pick out the family movie or TV show of the night
• Ability to sit at the head of the table the next night
• Time off from a chore the next day
• Car privileges, such as sitting in the front seat, if applicable

FlexCharms Are a Great Way to Encourage Healthy Eating

Another way to reward children for healthy eating is through FlexCharms! The Innobaby FlexNLock Lunchbox and Utensils come with little holes to decorate with our adorable FlexCharms. Whenever your kiddo comes home from school with an empty lunchbox, eats all their veggies at dinner, or chooses a string cheese for snack over some chips, reward them with a FlexCharm!

FLEX & LOCK Kids is a perfectly leak-proof lunchbox without a rubber seal. FlexPlate is made with platinum material and FlexBox is made with ABS to ensure it is long-lasting. They work together as a leak-proof seal, without the need for a rubber gasket. The FlexBoard can be used for decorating with FlexCharms, and EVERYTHING is super easy to clean. Detachable when you wash it, and easy to assemble again once clean.

FLEX & LOCK Kids have practical use and fun at the same time. FLEX & LOCK will offer a new experience of lunchbox for family members. Enjoy leak-proof protection without the need for rubber seals, thanks to a 2-in-1 silicone plate that doubles as a leakproof seal. Join our mission to create a worry-free & sensible lunchbox that does not mold or leak and encourages healthy & waste-free meals—a win-Win for parents & kids!

• FlexCharms™ come in a variety of shapes & colors, allowing kids to explore and reward healthy mealtime in a fun way!
• Made with flexible & durable silicone, the charms are easy to wash & dry for your child's next interactive playtime.
• Collect them all, available in unicorn-, dinosaur-, and toy-themed custom designs to nurture kids' creativity and imagination.
• Kids will love choosing favorite characters for the day and personalizing their Flex & Lock lunchbox and FlexWare™ utensil sets!

For more parenting hacks and awesome products for your entire family, visit us at innobaby.com!