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Mealtime issues...

monkaloomonkaloo
in Houston Babies

Blake has started this new habit with regards to mealtimes and I'm not sure how best to deal with it.

We'll sit down to eat dinner and he'll pick at his food, play with it, fool around, and overall not eat very much.  He'll finally say that he's done and then we clean up, etc.  About 30 minutes later he'll start complaining he's hungry. Sometimes he waits until he's in bed 2 hours later and then complains he's hungry.  It mainly happens at dinner, but he's done it a couple of times at breakfast, too. It's not the food itself, because it's things he knows and likes.

We've adjusted eating times, tried giving him a smaller afternoon snack so he's more hungry at dinnertime, and nothing seems to work.  Part of me thinks if we let him graze at his plate in between playing, he'd be fine and would eventually clear his plate.  But that's a can of worms I don't want to open. 

I don't want him to go to bed hungry, but he also shouldn't be eating meals/snacks at bedtime.  I also think it's important he understands that mealtime is conducted at the dinner table with the rest of the family.  Has anyone dealt with this?  Did anything work for you?

Thanks!

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Re: Mealtime issues...

  • savannah11savannah11

    Orion would do the same thing.  We let him know when we sit down to dinner that this is his only chance to eat and the only plate he is getting.  If he wants more food or something else while we're still at the table that's fine, but no snacking later. When he says he's done we again reiterate that he won't be getting more food and to make sure he is really done eating.  He got the idea pretty quickly.   Otherwise he liked to claim hunger in an attempt to delay bedtime.  

     Disclaimer:  O is a perfectly healthy weight and eats plenty for breakfast, lunch, and snacks so I don't feel like I am depriving him of necessary calories.  On Tuesdays he has soccer and is usually ravenous afterward so we do sit him down for a second dinner on those days. 

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  • monkaloomonkaloo
    imagesavannah11:

    Orion would do the same thing.  We let him know when we sit down to dinner that this is his only chance to eat and the only plate he is getting.  If he wants more food or something else while we're still at the table that's fine, but no snacking later. When he says he's done we again reiterate that he won't be getting more food and to make sure he is really done eating.  He got the idea pretty quickly.   Otherwise he liked to claim hunger in an attempt to delay bedtime.  

     Disclaimer:  O is a perfectly healthy weight and eats plenty for breakfast, lunch, and snacks so I don't feel like I am depriving him of necessary calories.  On Tuesdays he has soccer and is usually ravenous afterward so we do sit him down for a second dinner on those days. 

    Thanks for the response!  I should have mentioned that we also warn him he won't get anything else after he leaves the table.  We've followed through on it, so it surprises me that he continues to try.  Persistent little thing!  I also agree on the delaying bedtime tactic.  I do think it's an attempt to pull at my heartstrings so I let him get up.

    He also falls within the normal range for his weight, so I suppose we'll just stay consistent.  I just have to get over my own feelings about it!  

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  • rayskit10rayskit10 member
    imagesavannah11:

    Orion would do the same thing.  We let him know when we sit down to dinner that this is his only chance to eat and the only plate he is getting.  If he wants more food or something else while we're still at the table that's fine, but no snacking later. When he says he's done we again reiterate that he won't be getting more food and to make sure he is really done eating.  He got the idea pretty quickly.   Otherwise he liked to claim hunger in an attempt to delay bedtime.  

     Disclaimer:  O is a perfectly healthy weight and eats plenty for breakfast, lunch, and snacks so I don't feel like I am depriving him of necessary calories.  On Tuesdays he has soccer and is usually ravenous afterward so we do sit him down for a second dinner on those days. 

    This is our situation at home with Truitt, too. I make sure to give him pretty power packed lunches and an extra snack b/c he'll eat a ton at school. then, if he misses dinner i have no guilt. I may be all touchy feely and AP but I also don't put up with toddler nonsense. lol! They are too clever for their own good! 

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