Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What do you do when your kids won't eat or are picky eaters? Do you just leave them in front of the table and make them have it for breakfast like my mom did?
Never forced a child to eat. We encouraged them to try something if it was new, and I never made multiple choices for fussy kids, but it's much easier in the long run to make meals that appeal to all. And, should any of them turn up their noses at something they previously devoured, then they were welcome to have a bowl of cereal or a sandwich.
My children are required to eat one bite of each food that is served (until we are all confident they don't like it - after about 10 servings). If they eat the one bite and really dislike it, they have the option of making themselves a peanut butter sandwich for dinner.
I thank them for trying the food, even if they didn't like it. Otherwise, we just don't talk about it - no arguing, no cajoling. I try to make sure that each meal has at least one food that each child likes, and that means we serve a lot of fruit with meals.
I've found that after I've stopped serving them a food they consistently didn't like, eventually they ask to try it again. My 5-year-old son discovered he actually loved mashed potatoes, and then asked if he could try the gravy on it just like stepdad eats. My daughter tries various foods and then announces she still doesn't like it. I thank her for trying again and move on.
I also make a point of bringing the kids with me grocery shopping at least once a month, and I will buy any fruit or veggie they request. That seems to hwlp with the willingness to taste.
My daughter was always a pretty good eater, but we never made a big deal out of her not wanting to eat something served. If she said she didn't like it, we'd just tell her she could make a peanut butter sandwich and she would. That only happened a couple of times. But I'd never force a child (or anyone) to eat something they didn't like and I sure wouldn't save it for breakfast the next day.
I never fussed about food. The only rule I did have is that the dinner I make is the dinner you get. If you don't like dinner you can have a banana and a glass of milk. I tried the "if you don't like dinner you can have a sandwich" thing, and every single kid was perfectly content to eat sandwiches for dinner. So I put the kibosh on that. Most kids have poor apetites at dinner anyway. If they go to bed a little hungry, maybe they'll be more encouraged to try dinner the next time.
Never force a kid to eat, and for god's sake don't serve them nasty rotting food, or make them sit at the table for hours like my parents did. Even we as adults have food preferences, imagine if the tables were turned and you had to sit at the table until you shoveled down yesterday's old liver you had for dinner. Kids are people too.
My children are required to eat one bite of each food that is served (until we are all confident they don't like it - after about 10 servings). If they eat the one bite and really dislike it, they have the option of making themselves a peanut butter sandwich for dinner.
I thank them for trying the food, even if they didn't like it. Otherwise, we just don't talk about it - no arguing, no cajoling. I try to make sure that each meal has at least one food that each child likes, and that means we serve a lot of fruit with meals.
I've found that after I've stopped serving them a food they consistently didn't like, eventually they ask to try it again. My 5-year-old son discovered he actually loved mashed potatoes, and then asked if he could try the gravy on it just like stepdad eats. My daughter tries various foods and then announces she still doesn't like it. I thank her for trying again and move on.
I also make a point of bringing the kids with me grocery shopping at least once a month, and I will buy any fruit or veggie they request. That seems to hwlp with the willingness to taste.
This is pretty much how I do it.
I read somewhere once: The parent decides what is served, and when. The child decides if they eat it, and how much.
My 14 year old is still picky about certain things, usually based on her mood rather than her taste. She just won't eat it. 17 year old will eat virtually anything and has the chubs to prove it!
Never made an issue of eating. Instead, we focused our energies on promoting enjoyment of our time at the table together. I'm not sure if that was the key, but we seem to have few food issues in this house...that is, other than my shameful inability to control myself in the presence of peanut butter M&Ms.
Never force a kid to eat, and for god's sake don't serve them nasty rotting food, or make them sit at the table for hours like my parents did. Even we as adults have food preferences, imagine if the tables were turned and you had to sit at the table until you shoveled down yesterday's old liver you had for dinner. Kids are people too.
^ That is brilliant! What a concept- like all the patrons at a restaurant not being able to leave because they didn't eat their soggy vegetables!
Everyone seems to be pretty much on the same page which is nice to see. I'm hoping the upcoming generations will have less eating disorders than the others raised in the "high control" fashion.
Food should not be used as power with kids. It rarely works.
My mother had children before marrying my dad. I am technically his "first" child (biologically speaking). One day, my dad tried to force me to eat something I didn't like by making me "sit at the table until I ate it." Ha! Ha! I sat alright. For hours, didn't touch a thing. Yep, he lost that first battle with me and food and never tried it again...probably because my mother gave him some tips on what he did wrong later that night...
Food should not be used as power with kids. It rarely works.
My mother had children before marrying my dad. I am technically his "first" child (biologically speaking). One day, my dad tried to force me to eat something I didn't like by making me "sit at the table until I ate it." Ha! Ha! I sat alright. For hours, didn't touch a thing. Yep, he lost that first battle with me and food and never tried it again...probably because my mother gave him some tips on what he did wrong later that night...
^ That is awful! My mom would actually sit there and SCREAM at me to put it in my mouth. So of course i would, but i would take the smallest bites and i would involuntarily gag on it. Good times.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
