Toddlers Eating and Drinking The Correct Serving Size of Vegetables for Toddlers By Stephanie Brown Stephanie Brown is a parenting writer with experience in the Head Start program and in NAEYC accredited child care centers. Learn about our editorial process Stephanie Brown Updated on March 25, 2020 Print Tetra Images / Getty Images Table of Contents View All Toddler Needs Kids and Greens Be a Good Role Model Figuring out serving sizes for toddlers can be tricky, even when it comes to vegetables. If you're not offering vegetables as snacks, for example, it can be tough to meet the full requirements in just one or two meals. And even if your child gobbled up greens from a jar as a baby, the toddler years will likely prove more challenging when it comes to getting your little one to even try their veggies. What Your Toddler Needs In general, your toddler needs 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables per day, which can come from the following foods: 1 cup broccoli florets (raw or cooked)1 cup cooked greens (like collards or spinach)2 cups raw spinach2 cups raw lettuces like Romaine and escarole1 cup of sliced or chopped carrots (raw or cooked)2 medium carrots (raw or cooked)1 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin1 large baked sweet potato1 cup cooked squash1 cup cooked beans1 cup or 1 (8-inch) ear of corn1 cup green peas1 cup mashed potatoes1 medium baked potato1 cup cooked bean sprouts1 cup chopped cabbage (raw or cooked)1 cup cauliflower (raw or cooked)1 cup chopped or 2 large stalks celery (raw or cooked)1 cup cucumbers (raw)1 cup green or wax beans1 large or 1 cup chopped red or green pepper (raw or cooked)2 cups chopped iceberg or head lettuce1 cup raw or cooked mushrooms1 cup chopped onions (raw or cooked)1 large whole or 1 cup chopped tomatoes, (raw, cooked or canned)1 cup tomato or vegetable juice Choking Hazards for Children Getting Kids to Eat Those Greens Toddlers usually aren't big fans of things like spinach, kale, and other greens. Chopping these up very finely and adding them in the last minute of cooking to simmering soup works well. It's good for kids to learn that there are lots of different ways to eat any one food. They may not like cole slaw, but they may love cabbage sautéed with a little olive oil and smoked sausage. They may not like big chunks of butternut squash, but they may love that same vegetable puréed and used as ravioli filling or sauce. Should You Hide Veggies? You may have heard about or read books that suggest puréeing vegetables and secretly adding them to macaroni and cheese or meatloaf. This can work well, but if you're going to start adding puréed vegetables to your toddler's dishes, we recommend full disclosure. Be a Good Role Model Of course, the best way to get kids to eat their vegetables is to eat them yourself. If you try serving your kids broccoli and you're eating French fries or nothing at all, they know the difference. All this modeling counts toward the exposure your child is getting to vegetables, too. And it can take up to 10 times of exposing your child to a new food before they become comfortable. Keep that in mind for regulars like broccoli, for sure, but also for veggie oddballs like Swiss chard or fennel that don't get as much play. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get diet and wellness tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. U.S. Department of Agriculture ChooseMyPlate. All About the Vegetable Group - Daily Recommendation. Ong C, Phuah KY, Salazar E, How CH. Managing the 'picky eater' dilemma. Singapore Med J. 2014;55(4):184-9. doi:10.11622/smedj.2014049