wwyd dinner/meal related

HELP!

DS is going to be 3 in sept. he is always battling dinnertime. he never feeds himself and is just so diffiult during all mealtimes

today he wouldn't feed himself as usual and when I threatened to send him to his room he flung a fork full of food onto the floor and smiles at me.

I was so PO'ed I slapped his hand and followed through what I threatened and put in his room

now he wants to eat

Please help! this happens EvERY NIGHT and I just can't take it anyore which is why I wound up slapping his hand ( I know not good)

Re: wwyd dinner/meal related

i'll give you two scenarios. (not saying either is better)

my friend's brother was a horrible eater. they tried force feeding him. eating a bowl of soup could take up to two hours and was frustrating to everyone involved. he is now 16 and still a horrible and picky eater.


my mom's rules for food were simple. if you do not want to eat or do not like something, she would never force you to eat it. HOWEVER, you were not getting a separate meal cooked for you or getting a meal later because you chose to "miss" a meal. my brother and i both eat just fine (a little too well in fact!) and will try new things before deciding if we like them or not.

does mom's method seem mean? (a kid who didn't eat dinner did not get to eat until next morning for breakfast) it may. but it taught us not to take for granted or to be spoiled. and family meals were an everyday occurrence to us, not just a holiday special.

whatever you choose, good luck!

Re: wwyd dinner/meal related

I'm not really sure what the issue is -
does he not feed himself b/c he can't hold the fork or b/c he is a picky eater, lazy?

For DS I know he LOVES pasta and doesn't really eat his "chicken". I put his 10 pieces of chicken on the plate and 5 pieces of noodles. Once he eats all his noodles, he asks for more. I tell him to eat a bite of chicken and then I give him more noodles. He doesn't realize that I shorted him on his noodles.

Try to get DS to help you in the kitchen - DS LOVES to help me, he eats things I didn't htink he'd eat b/c he helped make them. He has his own tools.

Let DS make some decisions - let him pick the vege. If he has some say, he might be more likey to eat.

HTH.

Message edited 8/11/2011 11:05:42 PM.

Re: wwyd dinner/meal related

maybe he's not hungry at the time you're feeding him?

Re: wwyd dinner/meal related

My kids are the same way. They say they want to eat but after 3 bites they don't want any more. I allow my 2 year old to graze instead of making her sit forever to eat. I will cut up her dinner into bite sized pieces and put it on the table in the living room. With my almost 5 year old, I make her sit longer & eat more. If they do not eat a meal then I tell them their only option until the next meal is fruit or veggies....no other snacks.

Re: wwyd dinner/meal related

Re: wwyd dinner/meal related

Posted by Mags1227

my mom's rules for food were simple. if you do not want to eat or do not like something, she would never force you to eat it. HOWEVER, you were not getting a separate meal cooked for you or getting a meal later because you chose to "miss" a meal. my brother and i both eat just fine (a little too well in fact!) and will try new things before deciding if we like them or not.

does mom's method seem mean? (a kid who didn't eat dinner did not get to eat until next morning for breakfast) it may. but it taught us not to take for granted or to be spoiled. and family meals were an everyday occurrence to us, not just a holiday special.

whatever you choose, good luck!

Re: wwyd dinner/meal related

i HAD grandmothers who tried to force feed me my whole life b/c i was skinny and underweight. same with my brother. I hate eating. I eat b/c i have to.

Dinner is not a battle im willing to fight. I give jack something and if he refuses to try after sitting there for a while I take him out of his chair and he gets nothing else until his milk before bedtime. Sometimes he'll go back to it and eat. and other times he goes "cookie" or "nola bar" but i say, "NOpe..you didnt eat your dinner so you dont get anything else."

I understand your frustration b/c jack has thrown his bowl or fork on the floor and looks at me like its hysterical. and Im tired of cooking meals for DH and I and something for jack b/c i hate cooking and thinking about dinner to begin with. So my patience is already very little where that is concerned.

Re: wwyd dinner/meal related

I have a very picky 3yo. If she doesn't eat what I make for dinner then she doesn't really get anything until the next morning. I have found though that she is just not a dinner eater. She will usually eat a ton for breakfast, a little for lunch, and almost no dinner.

My nephews are the same exact way.

I don't make her eat, but if she doesn't have dinner we won't really give her anything else.

I have also found that she's more likely to eat something off my plate then her own. I will put a little of the food on her plate and most times she asks for a bite of mine. I don't mind her taking bites of my food as long as she is eating something.

Re: wwyd dinner/meal related