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How to Get Toddlers & Kids to Eat Eggs
July 2021
Last reviewed: October 2022
Author:
Charlotte Scott
Coauthors:
Jennifer Anderson, MSPH, RDN
Alexandria Delozier, PHD
Laura Petix, M.S. OTR/L
Erinn Jacobi, M.S. OTR/L
Stefanie Kain, B.S. M.Ed
About Kids Eat in Color
Created by experts, Kids Eat in Color is the leading resource for families seeking evidence-based information and strategies on child nutrition and feeding.
Author:
Charlotte Scott
Coauthors:
Jennifer Anderson, MSPH, RDN
Alexandria Delozier, PHD
Laura Petix, M.S. OTR/L
Erinn Jacobi, M.S. OTR/L
Stefanie Kain, B.S. M.Ed
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Eggs are a nutritious and inexpensive food for kids, and many parents want to include them in their child’s diet.
For some kids though, eating eggs can be challenging. It might be because they are picky eaters and they have a hard time with the texture, smell or flavor of eggs. Maybe they’ve had an unpleasant previous experience. Maybe they just haven’t learned to like eggs yet.
Do you want to help get your child to eat eggs? In this article, we’ll teach you to navigate any food struggles that arise when your child refuses to eat them. Plus, learn all about eggs for kids, including why eggs are good for kids, how to talk about them so kids will want to eat them, and how to help your child get comfortable trying new foods.
Yes. Eggs have many nutritional benefits for kids and toddlers. They are an amazing source of protein and vitamin D, both which benefit children’s growing bodies.
A “complete protein,” eggs contain all nine amino acids that our bodies do not produce. Protein is important because it acts as the body’s building blocks. It helps the body support and sustain itself.
Eggs also happen to be one of the few food sources to naturally contain vitamin D, a vitamin that helps with the formation of strong bones.
Here are some tips to help your child learn to try eggs. You can use these strategies for any food you want your child to eat. These strategies also help prevent and overcome picky eating.
1. Vary the way you serve eggs to your kids
Prepare, cook and serve eggs to kids in different ways. This offers kids many kinds of exposures and many opportunities to learn to try them.
Ways to serve eggs to kids
Fried eggs
Scrambled eggs
Hard-boiled eggs
Omelets
Egg muffins or bites
Quiches, casseroles, souffles or other egg bakes
Egg salad and sandwiches
Fried rice with eggs
Deviled eggs
More ways to add eggs to your child’s diet
You can also serve eggs to kids in French toast and in baked goods like pancakes, waffles and muffins. Picky eating tip: Have them help you make the food, so they can see the ingredients (including eggs) that are used to make their favorite dishes.
Though eggs are commonly eaten for breakfast, you and your child can enjoy eggs for lunch, like in a sandwich or salad, for dinner in fried rice (or breakfast for dinner!) or hard-boiled at snacktime.
Note: If you tend to serve one kind of eggs over the others, you can still add variations. Cook them with different spices and seasonings, and change up the way you chop, dice or slice them.
Related: Get a high-protein French toast recipe loaded with eggs in our Real Easy Weekdays ebook.
2. Don’t force your child to eat eggs
We do not recommend pressuring kids to eat. Pressure may push children to refuse foods even more.
What does pressure look like? Here are some examples of ways parents might unintentionally pressure their kids to eat eggs.
“Just one more bite, and you can have dessert.”
“Great job with that bite, now just one more!”
“You must eat it, or you won’t have playtime after dinner.”
Creating a pressure-free eating environment can be a great first step toward helping your child learn to like new foods like eggs at their own pace.
Kids who haven’t learned to like eggs commonly use negative language when talking about them. You may hear them say things like, “Eggs are so yucky!” Speaking this way reinforces their pickiness.
You can teach them to speak differently about foods by modeling using a wide variety of neutral words that describe the characteristics, flavors or texture of foods.
Using neutral language is not an instant solution. But, it can help get your kid to eat eggs in the future.
Words to describe eggs to kids and toddlers
The texture of eggs can vary greatly depending on how they are cooked, but here are some words you can use to describe eggs to your selective eater.
Yellow/white
Fluffy
Smooth
Bouncy
Big smell
How to explain the benefits of eggs to kids
We encourage you to help your child make the connection between the foods they eat and how their bodies feel. Instead of saying “eggs are healthy,” you can explain to your kids the ways in which eggs can affect their bodies.
Here are some ways you can talk to your children about what eggs do in their bodies.
Age 0-3: The white outside of the egg is called its shell. It is hard and strong. Eating eggs can help make you strong too!
Age 3-5: Eggs can help give your body energy and build strong bones.
Age 6-11: Eggs have protein. Protein helps to form stronger bones and muscles.
Age 12-18: Eggs are a complete protein. Complete proteins contain the nine essential amino acids our bodies need to build strong bones and muscles.
We like to say, if you don’t serve a food, your child will never eat that food. To get your child to eat eggs, serve them often!
Here’s a really kid- and toddler-friendly recipe to help get your child comfortable eating eggs: Quick & Easy Egg and Chips.
This recipe is fun for kids because it combines eggs with a food they might like (French fries).
Pour two beaten eggs over leftover French fries and cook on medium-low for 4 minutes, flipping over once halfway through. You end up with a sort of French fry omelet!
More recipes with eggs for kids
These recipes can help get eggs into your child’s diet.
Food activities help kids learn to try new foods. When they touch, smell and interact with a food, they are learning about it.
Food activities also desensitize the body’s sensory system. This means that your child’s body gets more used to the food. For some kids, this kind of sensory play is helpful.
If you need more food play ideas, you may enjoy our food activities guide: Food Play Every Day.
Tell your child to draw a face. Let them decorate the face with the coloring utensils.
Separate egg yolk and egg white into separate bowls. Scramble each separately.
When done, place scrambled eggs in separate bowls and use the fluffy eggs as the hair of the face.
Get creative with toppings and decorations. Take many pictures and enjoy!
Notes
Ages: 5-12
Did you make this recipe?Tag us with your recipe @kids.eat.in.color and follow for the best positive help for feeding babies, picky eaters, and all kids
Berk, Laura E. Development Through the Lifespan. 7th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc., 2018.
Copple, Carol, and Sue Bredekamp. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs: Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8. 3rd ed. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2008.
Hagan, Joseph F., Judith S. Shaw, and Paula M. Duncan, eds. Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents (Pocket Guide). 4th ed. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics, 2017. https://brightfutures.aap.org/Bright%20Futures%20Documents/BF4_POCKETGUIDE.pdf.
Created by experts, Kids Eat in Color is the leading resource for families seeking evidence-based information and strategies on child nutrition and feeding.
Charlotte Scott is a Western Carolina University Alumni with a B.Sc in Nutrition and Dietetics and a Minor in Spanish. She is currently a Child Nutrition Fellow for Kids Eat In Color and a dietetic intern at Be Well Solutions Dietetic Internship. Charlotte is passionate about community service, nutrition counseling, and public health in the hope of opening her own center for families and children at financial risk. Volunteering is dear to her heart, and her curious nature intrigues a passion for expanding her knowledge in various fields.
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Eggs are a nutritious and inexpensive food for kids, and many parents want to include them in their child’s diet.
For some kids though, eating eggs can be challenging. It might be because they are picky eaters and they have a hard time with the texture, smell or flavor of eggs. Maybe they’ve had an unpleasant previous experience. Maybe they just haven’t learned to like eggs yet.
Do you want to help get your child to eat eggs? In this article, we’ll teach you to navigate any food struggles that arise when your child refuses to eat them. Plus, learn all about eggs for kids, including why eggs are good for kids, how to talk about them so kids will want to eat them, and how to help your child get comfortable trying new foods.
Article contents:
The benefits of eggs for kids and toddlers
How to get kids and toddlers to eat eggs
How to serve eggs to kids
Why you shouldn’t force kids to eat eggs
How to talk to kids about eggs
Egg recipes for children
Egg food play activity
Related: Get our free picky eater guide to help you feed your child without the stress.
Are eggs good for kids?
Yes. Eggs have many nutritional benefits for kids and toddlers. They are an amazing source of protein and vitamin D, both which benefit children’s growing bodies.
A “complete protein,” eggs contain all nine amino acids that our bodies do not produce. Protein is important because it acts as the body’s building blocks. It helps the body support and sustain itself.
Eggs also happen to be one of the few food sources to naturally contain vitamin D, a vitamin that helps with the formation of strong bones.
Related: Join BetterBites – the best selling course for the families of picky eaters
How to get kids to eat eggs
Here are some tips to help your child learn to try eggs. You can use these strategies for any food you want your child to eat. These strategies also help prevent and overcome picky eating.
1. Vary the way you serve eggs to your kids
Prepare, cook and serve eggs to kids in different ways. This offers kids many kinds of exposures and many opportunities to learn to try them.
Ways to serve eggs to kids
More ways to add eggs to your child’s diet
You can also serve eggs to kids in French toast and in baked goods like pancakes, waffles and muffins. Picky eating tip: Have them help you make the food, so they can see the ingredients (including eggs) that are used to make their favorite dishes.
Though eggs are commonly eaten for breakfast, you and your child can enjoy eggs for lunch, like in a sandwich or salad, for dinner in fried rice (or breakfast for dinner!) or hard-boiled at snacktime.
Note: If you tend to serve one kind of eggs over the others, you can still add variations. Cook them with different spices and seasonings, and change up the way you chop, dice or slice them.
Related: Get a high-protein French toast recipe loaded with eggs in our Real Easy Weekdays ebook.
2. Don’t force your child to eat eggs
We do not recommend pressuring kids to eat. Pressure may push children to refuse foods even more.
What does pressure look like? Here are some examples of ways parents might unintentionally pressure their kids to eat eggs.
Creating a pressure-free eating environment can be a great first step toward helping your child learn to like new foods like eggs at their own pace.
Related: Learn the basics of feeding kids and toddlers with our toddler fundamentals feeding course.
3. Consider how you talk about eggs
Kids who haven’t learned to like eggs commonly use negative language when talking about them. You may hear them say things like, “Eggs are so yucky!” Speaking this way reinforces their pickiness.
You can teach them to speak differently about foods by modeling using a wide variety of neutral words that describe the characteristics, flavors or texture of foods.
Using neutral language is not an instant solution. But, it can help get your kid to eat eggs in the future.
Words to describe eggs to kids and toddlers
The texture of eggs can vary greatly depending on how they are cooked, but here are some words you can use to describe eggs to your selective eater.
How to explain the benefits of eggs to kids
We encourage you to help your child make the connection between the foods they eat and how their bodies feel. Instead of saying “eggs are healthy,” you can explain to your kids the ways in which eggs can affect their bodies.
Here are some ways you can talk to your children about what eggs do in their bodies.
Age 0-3: The white outside of the egg is called its shell. It is hard and strong. Eating eggs can help make you strong too!
Age 3-5: Eggs can help give your body energy and build strong bones.
Age 6-11: Eggs have protein. Protein helps to form stronger bones and muscles.
Age 12-18: Eggs are a complete protein. Complete proteins contain the nine essential amino acids our bodies need to build strong bones and muscles.
Related: Get our free picky eater guide to help you feed your child without the stress.
Egg recipe for kids and toddlers
We like to say, if you don’t serve a food, your child will never eat that food. To get your child to eat eggs, serve them often!
Here’s a really kid- and toddler-friendly recipe to help get your child comfortable eating eggs: Quick & Easy Egg and Chips.
This recipe is fun for kids because it combines eggs with a food they might like (French fries).
Pour two beaten eggs over leftover French fries and cook on medium-low for 4 minutes, flipping over once halfway through. You end up with a sort of French fry omelet!
More recipes with eggs for kids
These recipes can help get eggs into your child’s diet.
Egg food play activity
Food activities help kids learn to try new foods. When they touch, smell and interact with a food, they are learning about it.
Food activities also desensitize the body’s sensory system. This means that your child’s body gets more used to the food. For some kids, this kind of sensory play is helpful.
If you need more food play ideas, you may enjoy our food activities guide: Food Play Every Day.
Breakfast Face
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
References
“Canada’s Food Guide.” Government of Canada, July 19, 2021. https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/.
“Feeding Eggs to Babies & Children: What You Need To Know.” Australian Eggs, September 25, 2017. https://www.australianeggs.org.au/nutrition/babies-and-children.
“Egg Nutrition.” Egg Farmers of Alberta, March 12, 2021. https://eggs.ab.ca/healthy-eggs/egg-nutrition/.
“2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans – AEB Press Release.” American Egg Board, January 5, 2021. https://www.incredibleegg.org/articles/make-every-bite-count-with-eggs.
“Kids Health Information: Vitamin D.” The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, May 2018. https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Vitamin_D/.
Berk, Laura E. Development Through the Lifespan. 7th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc., 2018.
Copple, Carol, and Sue Bredekamp. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs: Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8. 3rd ed. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2008.
Hagan, Joseph F., Judith S. Shaw, and Paula M. Duncan, eds. Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents (Pocket Guide). 4th ed. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics, 2017. https://brightfutures.aap.org/Bright%20Futures%20Documents/BF4_POCKETGUIDE.pdf.
Milestone Moments: Learn the Signs, Act Early. Atlanta, GA: Department of Health & Human Services USA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/parents_pdfs/MilestoneMomentsEng508.pdf.
“Preschooler Development.” MedlinePlus. U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2, 2021. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002013.htm.