BBC launches new Vegesaurs show for kids - and it's a meal-time game changer

Everyone needs a helping hand when it comes to healthy eating (opens in new tab) and the BBC's new Vegesaurs TV show for kids is a meal-time game changer.

Following on from the successful cartoons Supertato, Roots and Fruits, and My Petsaurus, the BBC has teamed up with Screen Australia and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to release season one of Vegesaurs.

Most parents will understand the complex feelings around ensuring your baby, toddler or child has the nutrients they need for development (opens in new tab) and growth and baby-led weaning (opens in new tab) is just one concept that can make a huge difference to meal-times.

And while the '...here comes the aeroplane...' method tends to stop as soon as a child is out of a high chair (opens in new tab), there's no reason why food and play cannot continue in some shape or form.

It's understood that Vegesaurs creator Gary Eck came up with the idea for the show when he saw a child playing with vegetables (opens in new tab) as though they were dinosaurs.

And if meal-times are a struggle in your house when trying to introduce your child to some healthy foods with kids recipes (opens in new tab), then these 19x five-minute cartoons are proving to be a meal-time game changer.

Featuring a young triceratops (dinosaur carrot) called Ginger, three baby Pea-Rexes (T-Rex pea's) called Wasabi, Minty, and Split  - plus there's two 'bananaraptors' called Sleepy and Shorty to name but a few of the loveable characters.

CBeebies shared news of its release on social media, "We have brand NEW Vegesaurs for your little dinosaur fans! Watch today on CBeebies & BBC iPlayer."

And parents say the show is already proving to be a hit with their children. One mum wrote, "My son has been so excited for this. He wanted a banana first thing this morning usually he wants crisps. Hooray for Vegesaurus!"

Another parent put, "My son goes nuts for cucumber. I'm lucky that he loves his veggies. His favourite dinosaur is a t-rex and he laughed so much at the pea-rexes in the cartoon."

Another parent tweeted, "Me & my three year old watched some this morning, then he spent the entire walk home from school pick up telling his big sister about it! Needless to say it’s on again. Winner."

And a fourth added, "My little boy loves this, biggest dinosaur fan ever, so hoped it’d be a hit. Safe to say it’s a favourite, never heard him belly laugh like that before!!"

Stephanie Lowe (opens in new tab), mum to Ted, five, and Family Editor at Goodto.com said she "loves" the concept of the show and has also shared her own tips of how she encourages her son to try new foods. 

"My take on 'getting kids to eat veggies' isn't about 'making it fun' it's about giving them autonomy over what they choose, lowering expectations, and modelling the regular eating of vegetables (in a low key way)" she said. 

So how does she do it? Steph says she gets her son to eat some of his greens by, "Always adding a small (v. small) pile of veggies and allowing them to leave them if they want to." 

She explained, "A parents' job is to cook and serve the dinner, a kids job - to eat the dinner in what order they want and how much they need - as we don't know their body or how full they feel." 

Steph concluded, "Ted eats broccoli... if there's ketchup. And I take that as a win."

Episodes of Vegesaurs are available to watch on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer.