Does anyone else's kid refuse to eat vegetables mixed with anything?

Dec 131 min read

My 8yo will eat broccoli, carrots, green beans—but ONLY if they're separated on the plate. The second anything touches another thing it becomes "poison." I've tried mixing it into casseroles, pasta, rice, you name it. Nothing works. His pediatrician says he's healthy and this phase will pass but it's exhausting to cook separate sides every single night. Any parents dealt with this?

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Comments(10)

TTony F.RegularDec 13

The casserole thing never worked for us either. My therapist (lol) suggested it might be a texture thing, not taste? Like when broccoli's by itself he controls the texture but mixed in it's unpredictable. Anyway we just... give up and do the separated thing. He eats the veggies, we eat our sanity

RRob P.RegularDec 13

This is called sensory sensitivity and honestly it's pretty common. My 8yo is the same way. We stopped fighting it and just serve everything separate. Pediatrician said as long as he's eating the veggies (which he is), the presentation doesn't matter

EEd R.RegularDec 14

Same exact thing with my 6yo. She calls it "food touching" and I swear it's a crime against humanity in her mind. We've just accepted the divided plate method—honestly saves me from fighting every meal

RRaj P.RegularDec 13

wait until he gets older and goes to school lunch. then he'll have to deal with food touching and it'll blow his mind lmao. mine had a full meltdown first time they mixed his green beans with potatoes

MMarcus L.RegularDec 14

My 7yo is the exact same way. Separates every single food on the plate into different zones. I've just accepted it as his thing now. He eats the vegetables, which is the actual goal, so I let the "poison" thing go. Pick your battles.

AAndy T.RegularDec 15

That "poison" comment is peak 8yo drama but also he's literally telling you what he needs to eat vegetables. Just give him the separated plate. Some kids grow out of it, some don't, but either way forcing it makes dinner worse for everyone.

OOmar S.RegularDec 14

This is actually more common than you'd think—some kids are genuinely sensitive to food touching. Not a picky eater thing, it's actually a texture/sensory thing. Using a sectioned plate made a huge difference for us instead of trying to force mixing.

DDale A.RegularDec 15

Have you tried those compartment plates? Like the bento-style ones with separate sections? We got some from Costco and it actually helped because each food has its designated zone. Idk if psychological but my kid seems happier

RRick J.New DadDec 16

The casserole hiding vegetables thing never works with kids like this—they can taste it and they know. The compartment plate is your friend. Also sometimes this is a texture sensitivity that he'll grow out of or he won't, but forcing it often makes them hate vegetables MORE.

HHank W.RegularDec 16

Honestly just get him a plate with compartments and move on. You want him eating vegetables. If he'll only do it separated, that's the win. Doesn't matter that it looks like a TV dinner.