We don't usually have dessert. But when we do, we either get it out after we all have eaten, or, if it is obvious that there will be dessert available after dinner (like when we were working on DD's birthday cake during the week after her birthday), then everyone gets their serving of dessert at the table with dinner, and can choose when to eat it. DD is served a "child-sized" portion of dessert, and there are no seconds on it. However, she can eat as much or as little of whatever else she wants that is being served at that meal. She's only 2, so I guess we have yet to see how this turns out for us, but I think it will help eliminate the "good food/bad food" problem that you run into when using dessert as the reward for eating dinner.
Try this book: Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense by Ellyn Satter
http://www.amazon.com/Child-Mine-Fee...4332812&sr=8-1
or a lot of the info, in abbreviated form, is available on the author's website:
www.ellynsatter.com
