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pharmcat2000
Mom of 2 + 1
Member since 10/05 7395 total posts
Name:
Catherine
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Toddler feeding; what do I do?
I'm a big believer in not making my child eat if they are turning away from food (not that I'd be able to force a 1 year old to eat anyway). When she seems really disinterested in eating at dinnertime, which is usually when she seems not to have a good appetite, rather than fighting with her and having her wreck the kitchen with flying food, I take her out of the high chair and let her go play while DH and I finish our meal.
So here is my question: When she turns away from several different food choices at dinnertime (meat and veggie) and I let her down, if she comes back later looking for a snack (usually goldfish or pretzels) do I give her what she is asking for or do I offer her the dinner again? My first response is to give her the dinner, but if she still doesn't want it, do I give her the other items that she is requesting? I don't want her to go to bed hungry, but I really don't want to start teaching her that it is okay to skip dinner and then ge snacks later. I know that when she is a bit older and can understand consequences a bit more she is getting her dinner back, but is it too early to do that to her now?
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Posted 9/19/07 8:29 PM  |
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nrthshgrl
It goes fast. Pay attention.
Member since 7/05 57538 total posts
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Re: Toddler feeding; what do I do?
If it were me, I would only offer dinner.
I would say "First dinner, then snack" Even if she ate a little bit more of dinner, I would offer her the snack after so she gets the concept. Later on you can make him finish his plate as he cries about how you don't care about him & you're starving him to death. Oh wait...that was me, not you.
Good luck! Eat up Marron!!
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| Posted 9/19/07 8:53 PM |
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BaroqueMama
Chase is one!
Member since 5/05 27530 total posts
Name:
me
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Re: Toddler feeding; what do I do?
Posted by nrthshgrl
If it were me, I would only offer dinner.
I would say "First dinner, then snack" Even if she ate a little bit more of dinner, I would offer her the snack after so she gets the concept. Later on you can make him finish his plate as he cries about how you don't care about him & you're starving him to death. Oh wait...that was me, not you.
Good luck! Eat up Marron!!
This is exactly what I do. If Ava is on a hunger strike and won't eat dinner, later on when she asks for pretzels or cookies, I offer her dinner again. Even if she takes two bites, I give her a pretzel or whatever, afterwards because I feel like it gets the message of first dinner, then snack. It usually works and she'll actually eat dinner.
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| Posted 9/19/07 9:09 PM |
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monkeybride
My Everything
Member since 5/05 20541 total posts
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Re: Toddler feeding; what do I do?
Posted by nrthshgrl
If it were me, I would only offer dinner.
I would say "First dinner, then snack" Even if she ate a little bit more of dinner, I would offer her the snack after so she gets the concept. Later on you can make him finish his plate as he cries about how you don't care about him & you're starving him to death. Oh wait...that was me, not you.
Good luck! Eat up Marron!!
This is what we do now. While I don't want food and eating to be an issue in our house I don't want her only eating "snacks". So now that she is able to understand I tell her she has to eat energy food or meat or protein then she can have her snacks.
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| Posted 9/19/07 9:15 PM |
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pharmcat2000
Mom of 2 + 1
Member since 10/05 7395 total posts
Name:
Catherine
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Re: Toddler feeding; what do I do?
Thanks ladies. I'm glad to hear that I'm doing the right thing. Tonight we had this happening, and I put her off when she was asking for the goldfish and somehow got her interested in the Tupperware bowl the green beans were in and she ate a good amount of them, then she refused to eat any meat so I offered her a yogurt which she did eat. So then I gave her the "shishies". 
Message edited 9/19/2007 10:32:36 PM.
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| Posted 9/19/07 10:32 PM |
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Faithx2
All good things in 2016!!
Member since 8/05 20181 total posts
Name:
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Re: Toddler feeding; what do I do?
Posted by nrthshgrl
If it were me, I would only offer dinner.
I would say "First dinner, then snack" Even if she ate a little bit more of dinner, I would offer her the snack after so she gets the concept. Later on you can make him finish his plate as he cries about how you don't care about him & you're starving him to death. Oh wait...that was me, not you.
Good luck! Eat up Marron!!
I do this as well. It's not easy either  Lastnight my dog got hit in the head with fists of green beans
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| Posted 9/20/07 7:53 AM |
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