I do, but I get tons of crap about it from my family and other people that I know. They all think that DS should be eating breakfast, lunch, and supper, with snacks in between. Granted, this would make life a little easier and more routine, but I want him to be in control of his own hunger. Sometimes he eats every hour of the day. I just try to make sure that it's healthy. The only time I deny his request is if I'm cooking a meal that will be ready to serve within about 15 min. How does everyone else handle this?
Do you allow your toddler to eat on demand?
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I feed my toddler mostly on demand, but there is a bit of a schedule. When we get up in the morning, he wants breakfast, and then sometime around noon he wants lunch, but I want him to eat when he is hungry, and not when I think he should be hungry. We have a history of eating problems in my family, so I do not make food a big deal and let ds follow his own cues...
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Yup. He eats when he's hungry.
If I'm lucky, he also eats at mealtimes.
If I'm lucky, he also eats at mealtimes.
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We eat 6 times a day. breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. Generally no need for extra snacking in between but I do not deny any request for food. BUT I give them a healthy choice, not just a carb. Also if close to dinner things like carrots or other veggie are the only snack choice.
We eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time of day (usually at least.) Other than that, she snacks whenever she's hungry. The only time I tell her she needs to wait is if dinner is going to be ready within 20 minutes. I try and keep everything healthy, but sometimes I fail (smells are very bad for this pregnant mama right now, so sometimes carrots smell rancid when they're not, so she eats something non-offensive like chips.)
Yep, ds grazes through the day. I do offer him breakfast right away as it's healthiest to get your body going with some food before anything else. I also offer lunch and dinner at "usual" times but he snacks in between. I usually just give him a cup of cheerios, wheat crackers, or carrot sticks that he can carry around with him and still do his usual activities.
I just don't understand why people insist on making a power struggle out of food.
I just don't understand why people insist on making a power struggle out of food.
yup, but it's almost always something healthy (yes, indeed, she sometimes gets popsicles and even *gasp* ice cream!). I give her a choice of veggies, fruit, maybe tofu, hard-boiled egg, something like that, and she can have as much as she wants, unless I think it will upset her stomach (which happens when she eats too much rice, for example).
This reminds me of a story my mother tells about whn I was little. I told her I was hungry, and she made me some version of what she thought was a good snack (probably PB&J on a ritz cracker), and I said "No, I'm not hungry for that, I'm hungry for CAKE!"
So, if she's really hungry, she'll eat one of the things I give her, but it's not a restaurant, and I do not produce cookies on demand...
Actually, thinking about it, I feed her meals when she's hungry, and then I eat them too, so if the question is "do I feed myself on demand" then the answer is no!
This reminds me of a story my mother tells about whn I was little. I told her I was hungry, and she made me some version of what she thought was a good snack (probably PB&J on a ritz cracker), and I said "No, I'm not hungry for that, I'm hungry for CAKE!"
So, if she's really hungry, she'll eat one of the things I give her, but it's not a restaurant, and I do not produce cookies on demand...
Actually, thinking about it, I feed her meals when she's hungry, and then I eat them too, so if the question is "do I feed myself on demand" then the answer is no!
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my mom had VERY strict meal/snack times. like you had to wait 5 minutes til 4 o'clock exactly. my sisters and i both now have pretty severe eating problems. my twin sister would go through growth spurts where she would be hungry every hour and would have to wait in agony til the next eating time. she has blood sugar issues now and a myriad of other problems. i'm just the opposite, until recently i didn't get hunger signals ever. i would realize that i had gone 2 days without eating. i just didn't notice. we're both dealing with this as adults and learning good eating habits, but i'll never schedule my kid's eating.
Yes, I "allow" my DS to eat on demand.
I also "allow" him to eat whatever he wants. (like alegna, I find it a little strange that it's seen this way)
About the only structured thing that I try to do is offer him healthy foods and snacks periodically, and also if he's doing something that involves sitting. I think it's easy for a toddler to get caught up in what he's doing and get overly hungry and cranky, so it's my gentle reminder.
I also generally have meals throughout the day... I find that he really likes having freshly cooked food offered to him (spaghetti, etc.). So I make meals for myself, of course, and offer them to him as well.
He doesn't always eat at "meal time" but he frequently eats at least a little.
Oh, and I also don't usually ask him to wait to eat while I'm cooking. The reason is because sometimes he helps me cook, and he will stand next to me on a chair preparing stuff. He likes to nibble on the ingredients to whatever we're making (like if I'm making a casserole, he'll taste the chicken, and the cheese, etc.). I think this is a really good thing because of the connection between fixing and eating things, and also exploring.
So, eating right before meals does not bother me.
I also "allow" him to eat whatever he wants. (like alegna, I find it a little strange that it's seen this way)
About the only structured thing that I try to do is offer him healthy foods and snacks periodically, and also if he's doing something that involves sitting. I think it's easy for a toddler to get caught up in what he's doing and get overly hungry and cranky, so it's my gentle reminder.
I also generally have meals throughout the day... I find that he really likes having freshly cooked food offered to him (spaghetti, etc.). So I make meals for myself, of course, and offer them to him as well.
He doesn't always eat at "meal time" but he frequently eats at least a little.
Oh, and I also don't usually ask him to wait to eat while I'm cooking. The reason is because sometimes he helps me cook, and he will stand next to me on a chair preparing stuff. He likes to nibble on the ingredients to whatever we're making (like if I'm making a casserole, he'll taste the chicken, and the cheese, etc.). I think this is a really good thing because of the connection between fixing and eating things, and also exploring.
So, eating right before meals does not bother me.
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yes as i do my 12 year old. people need to eat when they need to eat, otherwise it can cause major issues in life.
Yes, both my children (2.5 years old and nearly 6) are permitted to eat whenever they are hungry. If meal time is near and they request a snack, I give them "real food," something that could replace one of their meal components. So if I am planning a dinner of whole wheat noodles, cheese and a vegetable, I might offer a cheese-stick or carrots and dip for a 4:30 snack and then skip the cheese or the veggies (depending on what they choose for snack) at dinner and serve plain noodles. I LOVE when my kids are hungry and ask for food; one of my goals in parenting is helping my children understand what their bodies need and when. Plus, as a pp remarked, WE get to eat all day if we want to, so why should they be prevented from the same?
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My dd eats when she wants. We have a snack bin just for her and her own shelf in the fridge. She does sit at every meal with us, but depending on her mood, she may eat or she may just play with the food. It's her call. I only require that she sit at the table with us.
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Quote:
yeah that!!!
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Originally Posted by KristiMetz Yes, I "allow" my DS to eat on demand. I also "allow" him to eat whatever he wants. (like alegna, I find it a little strange that it's seen this way) About the only structured thing that I try to do is offer him healthy foods and snacks periodically, and also if he's doing something that involves sitting. I think it's easy for a toddler to get caught up in what he's doing and get overly hungry and cranky, so it's my gentle reminder. I also generally have meals throughout the day... I find that he really likes having freshly cooked food offered to him (spaghetti, etc.). So I make meals for myself, of course, and offer them to him as well. He doesn't always eat at "meal time" but he frequently eats at least a little. Oh, and I also don't usually ask him to wait to eat while I'm cooking. The reason is because sometimes he helps me cook, and he will stand next to me on a chair preparing stuff. He likes to nibble on the ingredients to whatever we're making (like if I'm making a casserole, he'll taste the chicken, and the cheese, etc.). I think this is a really good thing because of the connection between fixing and eating things, and also exploring. So, eating right before meals does not bother me. |
yeah that!!!
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Yes, she eats when she's hungry. It would be difficult to get MY spirited DD to eat when she doesn't want to.
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I think it's important children learn to listen to the signals their bodies are giving them, KWIM. I think many in our culture today have been taught to bypass these signals thanks to parents who forced them to eat when they weren't really in the mood to eat.
I think it's important children learn to listen to the signals their bodies are giving them, KWIM. I think many in our culture today have been taught to bypass these signals thanks to parents who forced them to eat when they weren't really in the mood to eat.
I offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner around a similar time everyday just because that's when I tend to be hungry. I offer it, and he eats if he wants. Between meals, I offer snacks pretty often. DS has learned exactly where "his" snacks are kept in the pantry and fridge and can recognize what he likes so if he gets hungry, he'll go right to it! So yeah, I feed him on demand. I figure I have the right to eat what I want when I want, why shouldn't he?
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dd isn't always hungry when I am or when the clock dictates "mealtimes" so yes, I honor requests to eat. I do offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner around the time that dh and I usually eat, but during the day I have a snack tray set up for dd. When she's hungry, she munches from the snack tray mostly. I don't want food to be a big deal and want dd to follow her own cues for being hungry.
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