Getting children to eat and not waste

Newtonlot

I think I do the opposite.

I'd rather they had smaller portions and then assk for more.

My DH has that problem, that if his plate is full he can't eat it, would rather have a smaller portion and then have more after -even though he would end up eating the same. So have learnt with him not to fill his plate and have been the same with the girls.

I am hoping dd1 is just going through a phase (a short one hopefully) and that dd2 is just trying to copy dd1.

caz182

Hi,

My son suddenly turned fussy about 2 and was a nightmare to feed. He went from eating veg/fruit and almost anything to almost nothing. I found it so so stressful so I can sympathise with you. The only advice I can give you is keep putting the food in front of them, don't make an issue of it but if they do eat it give them lots of praise and attention. Don't give in and make them seperate dinners or go and make a 2nd meal cause they don't like the first one. My son (just due to turn 4 now) now knows that whatever I put in front of him is the only choice and if he doesn't like it it's tough luck, he doesn't get any pudding/treats unless he eats all of it or at least makes a good effort to eat it. In the end we ended up using a food reward chart to get him to try new foods and it seemed to work a treat.

Good luck!

Newtonlot

Am off to look for a reward chart we can use for dd1. And try to think of some sort of reward for her.

dd1 wasn't impressed that dd2 was eating her lunch or the whoops and well dones that I was singing. Hopefully she will learn.

caz182

I made one up on my computer with different food pictures and a section for "new food" and I gave him a smiley face each time he ate one of the items on the list or anything new. Plus we stopped hassling him and relaxed about it all so it all seemed to come together. So every time he saved up a set amount of smiley faces he got to pick a little toy or book.

I did see a good reward chart in my local Morrisons the other day. It was in a book stand thingy with the "diddy books", you know the ones where they can draw animal faces/etc and then wipe them off. The reward chart was made by the same company. It looked quite good.
x

cazscoob

i had this problem too a few weeks ago and stood firm, DD now knows if she doesnt eat what we are all having then she will not get anything else. she now asks if she has ate enough or if she really enjoys it she asks for more!!

on the otherhand DS2 is 7 months and he eats for scotland i have stopped giving him baby food and he eats whatever we are having + more sometimes i swear he eats more than me!

mumof4our

My lot are all picky about different things and it was starting to get stupid catering for each one. I decided that I would make one meal for them all and anyone who didn't eat it didn't get dessert. The only thing they could have would be fruit, rather than fruit and something else.

ALIBOBSY

To be honest my 3 DS(10) DD1(5) and DD2(9 months) all mostly eat for england. Occasionally we get days where one of them eats double the normal or half as much. Kids can be a bit like that, but I try not to worry too much about it.

On the odd occasion one has refused a meal, they get nothing else until they at least attempt to eat a good amount of it. Like another poster said I don't want them to overeat, and my mums constant clear the plate when I was little is something I want to avoid.

They will give in. Be strong.
good luck
ali x

thriftmonster

When both of mine went through this stage, I would put the uneaten meal in the fridge. If they were hungry before the next meal I would offer to reheat the meal. At the next meal I would throw the previous meal away (or feed it to the dog) and start again. I didn't insist on it all being eaten - but a decent effort had to be made if they wanted anything else.

Both boys eat well now and are both pretty thin for their height.

Good luck - kids refusing food is sooo stressful!

gairlochgal

Yes lots of good advice here. Food is one of those areas we all get stressed about. Bear in mind there is lots going on for the children - their appetites go up and down as they grow, their tastes change, and food is one of the earliest areas where they figure out that they have some power and can experiment with non-compliance with mummy!

I go for small portions on small plates and letting them ask for more. I quite often try to cook things where there can be more in a dish on the table so they can help themselves.

vaio

Newtonlot wrote: »

Am off to look for a reward chart we can use for dd1. And try to think of some sort of reward for her.

dd1 wasn't impressed that dd2 was eating her lunch or the whoops and well dones that I was singing. Hopefully she will learn.

You seem to have cracked it, congratulations

One thing I might be tempted to do is to avoid making a big deal about it either by reward charts or whoops & well dones when they do eat. Keep it low key and ordinary