Rewards seem necessary for behavior change, not just exposure.
For generations, the dinner table standoff between toddlers and vegetables has seemed an immovable feature of family life. A three-month Dutch study of nearly 600 young children now offers a quietly hopeful finding: that small, non-food rewards like stickers and toy crowns can meaningfully shift a child's willingness to try vegetables, suggesting that the habits of a lifetime may be shaped, in part, by the gentlest of encouragements. The research, conducted at Maastricht University, reminds us that learning to accept the unfamiliar is not merely a matter of exposure — it is also a matter of feeling safe enough to try.
- Picky eating in toddlers is not simply stubbornness — research shows children typically need eight to ten exposures to a new vegetable before accepting it, making early intervention both urgent and delicate.
- A three-month study of 598 Dutch toddlers revealed a striking divide: children rewarded with stickers or toy crowns for tasting vegetables increased their willingness to eat them, while unrewarded children showed no improvement in actual consumption.
- Repeated vegetable exposure at nurseries helped all children recognize more vegetables, but recognition alone did not translate into eating — only the reward group crossed that behavioral threshold.
- The type of reward proved critical: non-food incentives celebrated the act of trying without distorting children's relationship with food, a boundary the researchers were careful to preserve.
- The practical takeaway is within reach of any parent or nursery — a sticker, a plastic crown, and consistent exposure may be enough to quietly rewire a toddler's relationship with vegetables before resistance hardens into habit.
Getting a toddler to eat vegetables has frustrated parents for generations, but a three-month Dutch study suggests the answer may be surprisingly simple: stickers and toy crowns.
Researchers at Maastricht University recruited 598 toddlers aged one to four from nurseries in Limburg, dividing them into three groups. One group received daily vegetable exposure plus a small non-food reward each time they tried one. A second group received the same vegetables but no reward. A third control group received neither. Researchers tracked both vegetable recognition and willingness to taste over the study period.
At the outset, children across all groups could identify roughly eight to ten vegetables from a list of fourteen and were willing to sample five or six when offered bite-sized pieces. By the end, both exposed groups improved their ability to recognize vegetables — jumping from nine to eleven identified — and even the control group gained slightly, suggesting that simply being in an environment where vegetables are present carries some benefit.
But the rewards made a decisive difference in actual eating behavior. Only the rewarded group increased their willingness to taste vegetables, rising from five or six to seven. The unrewarded group showed no change in consumption, and the control group's willingness to try actually declined slightly.
Lead researcher Britt van Belkom noted that non-food rewards appear to work because they celebrate the behavior of trying something new without creating the impression that vegetables are something to endure. A food-based reward risks undermining the goal entirely. The finding is a practical one: repeated exposure builds familiarity, and a small tangible acknowledgment of a child's courage to try can be enough to turn recognition into consumption — no special equipment required.
Getting a toddler to eat vegetables is a puzzle that has frustrated parents for generations. A three-month study of nearly 600 children in the Netherlands suggests there may be a simple answer: stickers and toy crowns.
Researchers at Maastricht University Campus Venlo recruited 598 toddlers aged one to four from nurseries in Limburg and divided them into three groups. The first group was offered vegetables daily and received a small non-food reward—a sticker or plastic crown—each time they tried one. The second group received the same vegetable exposure but no reward. A third group, the control, received neither vegetables nor incentives. Over three months, the researchers tracked how many vegetables the children could identify and how many they were willing to taste.
The baseline numbers told a familiar story. Before the study began, children across all groups could recognize roughly eight to ten vegetables from a list of fourteen—tomato, lettuce, cucumber, carrot, pepper, onion, broccoli, peas, cauliflower, mushrooms, green beans, chicory, pumpkin, and asparagus. When offered bite-sized pieces of six vegetables to sample, most toddlers were willing to try five or six.
By the end of the study, the pattern shifted in revealing ways. Children in both groups exposed to vegetables—whether rewarded or not—improved their ability to recognize them, jumping from nine vegetables identified to eleven. The control group also gained some recognition, moving from eight to ten, suggesting that simply being in an environment where vegetables are discussed carries some benefit. But here is where the rewards made their difference: willingness to actually taste vegetables increased only in the group that received stickers and crowns. That group's consumption rose from five or six vegetables to seven. The unrewarded group showed no change in their actual eating behavior, and the control group's willingness to try vegetables actually declined slightly.
Britt van Belkom, the researcher who led the work, emphasized that the finding hinges on understanding how young children learn to accept new foods. Previous research has shown that toddlers typically need eight to ten exposures to a new vegetable before they develop a preference for it. The question her team asked was whether rewards could accelerate that process—and the data suggested they could, but only if the reward was not food itself. A sticker or toy crown created enough positive association with the act of trying vegetables that children became more willing to taste them.
The distinction matters. Non-food rewards appear to work because they celebrate the behavior—trying something new—without creating confusion about what constitutes a meal or snack. A food-based reward might undermine the goal by suggesting that vegetables are something to endure in order to earn something better. The researchers were careful to test this boundary.
The implications are practical. Nurseries and parents looking to expand what young children will eat have a tool that costs almost nothing and requires no special equipment. Repeated exposure to vegetables builds recognition and familiarity. Add a small, tangible acknowledgment of the child's willingness to try, and the likelihood that they will actually consume those vegetables increases. It is not a guarantee, and it is not magic—but it appears to work.
Notable Quotes
Young children typically need to try a new vegetable eight to ten times before they like it, and regularly offering vegetables at day care significantly increases their ability to recognize them, but rewarding toddlers for tasting appears to increase their willingness to try different vegetables.— Britt van Belkom, Maastricht University Campus Venlo
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a sticker matter more than just putting vegetables in front of a child day after day?
Because recognition and willingness are different things. A child can learn what a carrot is without ever wanting to eat one. The reward seems to shift something in how they feel about the act of trying.
But couldn't the reward just be a distraction? Maybe the kids were eating vegetables to get the sticker, not because they actually liked them.
That's a fair question, but the study measured willingness to taste, not just compliance. And the fact that the non-rewarded group didn't improve their consumption—even though they were exposed to vegetables just as much—suggests the reward was doing something real, not just bribing them through a moment.
What about the control group? They improved their vegetable recognition without any exposure at all.
Only slightly, and only in recognition. That's probably just the noise of growing up in a world where vegetables exist. But they didn't eat more vegetables. They actually ate fewer. So exposure matters for knowledge, but rewards seem necessary for behavior change.
Is there a risk that kids become dependent on rewards? That they won't eat vegetables without a sticker?
The study doesn't follow the children long-term, so we don't know. But the theory is that repeated positive experiences—trying something and getting acknowledged for it—builds a habit. Eventually the reward might not be necessary. That's the hope, anyway.