The 'sticker hack' helps parents get their kids to eat fruits and vegetables

13 January 2024 , 16:55

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If you struggle to get your child to eat fruits and vegetables - this could be the hack you need (Image: Getty Images)

If you struggle to convince your child to eat healthy fruits and vegetables instead of high sugar and salt snacks, we may have found the trick for you.

Marketers know exactly what they are doing when they fill the packaging of a child's snack cake with popular cartoon characters. Why would a child eat a plain old apple when they can munch on a chocolate cake that is wrapped in their favourite colourful cartoon?

Now one dad has come up with the ultimate hack to encourage his kids to eat fruits and vegetables. In an Instagram video that has more than nine million views, Utah dad Levi Jensen uses stickers of his kid's favourite characters to trick them into eating the good stuff.

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You could soon be watching your child bite into an apple thanks to this hack (Getty Images)

In the video, he places the stickers on a number of items and puts them in a clear plastic bin for his two-year-old daughter to choose form. Aria takes a look at what is on offer and picks a red pepper with a sticker of Frozen character Anna on it.

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In the caption, he explained: "Did you know that putting characters on food products drastically influences a child’s taste preferences and d snack selection? (Cited from the Journal of Pediatrics). Food marketers have known this for years and have used this to attract kids to highly processed foods. So why not use this to make healthier food options more attractive to our kids?"

Putting stickers on your child's fruit could encourage them to eat it (Getty Images/Tetra images RF)

Speaking about how they use the trick in their house, Aria's mom, Emily Jensen, told TODAY.com it is a "super easy and affordable way to make eating nutrient-dense foods more fun and exciting for kids." They even credit the use of a Little Mermaid sticker for getting their toddler hooked on cucumbers.

Parents in the comments have shared their disbelief at the hack. One person said: "Not even joking, I put Elsa stickers on the yoghurts they didn’t want and all of a sudden my kids wanted them"

The dad says using character stickers encourages their toddler to eat healthy foods (Facebook)

Another commented that some countries have adopted laws around the use of cartoon characters on highly processed food. @happily_childfree said: "Thats why they made it illegal to sell food with (populair) cartoons in the netherlands"

Another mom commented: "Okay….as a mom with a way too picky 2 year old….TOTALLY STEALING THIS HACK!!! Might be the best thing ever. lol" @tamaralove84, said: "This is so true actually. We were at the store yesterday and the bananas had wish stickers on them and my daughter who is usually really tough with fruit begged for them and this morning she said don't forget my wish banana momma. So. Maybe I'll try this with all fruit and veg lol."

Lydia Stephens