Gavin has been a really good eater up until the age of 3. And then I guess he figured out that he really doesn't have to eat it if he doesn't want to. This has been a struggle for a few months now. We have decided that we need to figure out what the consequences are when he doesn't eat his dinner. This is what we do: He has to remain at the table until everyone is finished eating. If he is hungry later the only thing he can eat is the rest of his dinner. And of course no dessert.
I must say this isn't every night. He is still going through growth spurts and eats great then. We are just trying to get a routine established here. So, to all you mommy's out there, any other tips for me?
These are some of my favorite picts! Well, how can ya not love strawberry short cake!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Picky Eater
Posted by Amber at 8:07 PM
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4 comments:
The experts say not to force children to clean their plates, but we often find ourselves in the same boat as you. It's frustrating especially when the kids want to snack and say they are "starving" just a half hour before dinner, and then they refuse to clean the plate, stating that they "don't like it" while making the most annoying face in the world... like you're trying to force them to eat the most disgusting thing in the world! We used to save their plates. But I found that they weren't really hungry after dinner and it still got thrown away. I've read up on portion sizes for kids, which are surprisingly quite small. A few things that have worked for us are: giving them smaller portions and encouraging them to just have "two or three bites". Cleaning their plates has become a lot easier, and they are often asking for seconds. Good luck!
I agree with Janell. Also, we don't force our kids to eat anything and we don't argue about food anymore. We went through your stage awhile ago, too. Now the kids know that they get one chance to eat their dinner and if they choose not to, then there will be no food until breakfast the next morning. And definitely no treat after dinner. Sometimes if I am serving a new vegetable or something they are not familiar with, I will make them try one bite and sometimes they surprise themselves and end up liking it. Good luck!
I am struggling with this with both boys right now. Andrew has picked up on Jacob's bad habits. I stop snacking by 4pm. It is sometimes a fight to keep them out of the kitchen, but oh well. Then If they don't eat what's at the table they don't eat anything til breakfast. If they are really hungry they will eat whatever you give them. However Jacob is SUPER picky and he has that stubborn personality. He will not be manipulated (we learned that with potty training). That's my only advice. I can say I think every parent struggles with this. So stand your ground and be a trooper.
Sounds familiar! We do the same thing...if she sees us eating dessert and wants some she has to finish her dinner. And we have a cut off for snack time too (4:00). It's hard and she goes through spurts so I think when they're growing and hungry they'll eventually eat!
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