This is dinner, take it or leave it

SusieBW

At what age is it okay to stop catering to your kids' whims regarding what they eat?  As in, "this is what we're having for dinner tonight - you can eat this, or you can have no dinner at all."  Is now too young for them to understand that?

Last night DD didn't want to eat dinner.  I gave her leftover chicken and rice casserole with steamed veggies on the side.  All things I know that she really likes to eat.  She threw it around the kitchen and refused to eat more than a couple of bites.  Instead she kept asking for crackers (puffs) and more milk.  I gave up on that dinner and tried to get her to eat hummus.  She happily ate one spoonful straight from the container, but when I made her half a hummus sandwich (which she also generally adores), she ripped it up and threw that around the room.  Then she just started asking to get down from her high chair and go play.  I finally gave up and let her go play - I'm not going to try and force her to eat.  The result was that she went to bed without any real dinner.  The first thing out of her mouth when I went in to get her out of bed this morning was "eat?"

WDYD in situations like this?  Offer a snack before bed, or just put them to bed without dinner?

solsburyhill

I personally think it's too young to be super strict about it.

So what I do is fix him a plate of what we're eating - however, I always include something I know for sure he'll eat like applesauce or a cheese stick.  He gets that and only tha

Pips09

I'm not sure exactly what age, but I know that we are not there yet.You have to be able to reason with a child for that strategy to work, and you can't reason with a toddler (duh).

This does happen to us, and I'll offer a few altenatives befor

solsburyhill

Oh and I just got this letter sent home from his 18mo appointment today stressing that healthy children will not starve themselves and all these instructions to not over feed the kids.

Never make them clean their plate, if they continually leave

Ms5586

I also think it's too young.  I do try and take into account that he is genuinely hungry when we come home, and he'll eat a good-size snack (usually a banana).  He's a bit of a snacker, he doesn't do a lot for one meal.

bluejetta

My plan is similar to Sols and the best advice I had from my friend (also a pediatrician) was this:

We parents have one job - to offer healthy good food

Los have one job - to decide what and how much of what is offered to eat

If we tr

memali26

Honestly, we do it with both girls already. We make one dinner for everyone and they can choose to eat it or not. I make sure there is always something offered they will eat, usually a veg or other side dish they like, but more often then not my kids j

GVSU-04

I asked the ped about this.  She said he's not going to starve himself and to not prepare something else.  The daycare ladies always talk about what a good eater he is, so I am confident that he is actually eating enough.  I think that by t

luvmyducks

I have friends who had their Pedi tell them it was time at 12m.  It made me nervous bc of DD's weight gain issues when she was an infant--she's fine now, but still.

I asked our Pedi at 18m appt and she said now is not the time and more close

shelley1002

I think around age 5 is good and when they can understand if they don't eat what is made they go hungry.  Could be earlier depending on the child and their level of understanding.

If DS doesn't want to eat what we are I will make sur

SusieBW

Thanks everyone.  I tend to agree with most of you guys than now is still too young to stop catering to her whims and adopt the "take it or leave it" attitude, but she seriously didn't want to eat anything the other night, even stuff I know she li

womancake

I struggle with this because V is on the small side, so I don't want to let her go without eating.  But I don't want to set up a bad habit of letting her just eat whatever she wants.  For now, if she's really not feeling what we serve, I will ma