If your child wont eat what is being served, do you make them something else or let them go hungry? - Page 2

[LindsC]

Nope. I make one meal and make sure that there is something that he likes within that meal. He has times when he picks at his meals and times where he asks for seconds, but we always serve him a small portion of whatever is being served for that meal and he decides when he is done. He does snack throughout the day on healthy things too

[EFmom]

I put a meal out that contains a variety of items. I don't intentionally serve complicated things I know they will hate, but provide a wide variety of interesting dinners. There is always something like rice or pasta in addition to the entree. There is fruit after the meal. The kids can eat or not eat.

But that's it. There are no alternatives. Once they got the idea, it was pretty stress free.

My kids are older now and both are terrifically easy about food. When they visit their friends' houses, the parents often comment to me about what a joy they are to feed. In contrast, some of their friends make my head explode when it comes to eating.

[blizzard_babe]

Meals are meals. We all eat the same thing. DS can eat or not eat. He has plenty of opportunities to eat healthy snacks, so I figure he'll get what he needs somehow. So... no, I don't make him something else to eat, and no, he doesn't go hungry.

[jess152]

Originally Posted by swd12422

We do snacks between meals, so if he refuses to eat what I made, he can have a snack later. But I don't offer something else at the table during the meal...

As far as veggies are concerned, if she's not eating any at all, why not make the snack a smoothie? When DS wasn't eating much of anything, I'd put a bunch of food on his plate during the meal just in case he decided that would be the meal he'd eat. When I cleared his plate, all fruit and veggie leftovers went into the blender with some yogurt and either a banana or some dates (for sweetness) and more veggies. Then his "snack" would be the smoothie with all the fruits and veggies in it. (Actually, I used to add canned beans too, b/c he wouldn't eat meat and wasn't getting much iron in his diet either... Sounds gross, but a whole banana in there covers up the taste of just about anything!)

Brilliant!!!!! Trying this tomorrow!

[ians_mommy]

I dont make a seperate "meal", but DS is more than welcome to refuse what I make for dinner and help himself to cheese, fruit, cereal etc (something that requires no additional work). I dont have anything within his reach/eyesight that I would not feel comfortable with him eating for dinner.

The way i figure it is he really doesnt have a say in the meal planning (only 2 1/2 y.o.), but he should have a say in what he does and does not want to eat.

Everybody has unique preferences when it comes to food and everyone has "off" days. I will eat just about anything, but there are times when I only want cereal for dinner...I would be super annoyed if someone told me "no, you have to eat this or nothing".

Sometimes he tries everything on the plate, sometimes he only eats one item, sometimes he eats a seperate snack and sometimes he chooses to eat nothing...it all balances out by the week's end.