Those of you who aren't "short order cooks"

LIAngel · June 2011

I know there are a few of you that claim that you aren't "short order cooks". If your LO refuses to eat whatever meal you are serving, then they will just have to wait til the next one. No breakfast? That's fine you''ll just have to wait til snacktime or lunch. No lunch? Okay then nothing til dinner.

I'll admit that I am a bit of a pushover and will give Nicholas something else if he won't eat. He refuses all veggies *sigh*. I've tried everything to get him to eat them. Anyway, I decided yesterday that I was going to instill that "You get what you get and that's it" My dad was here visiting last week, so I was a bit lax on the rules. I was on my way to the gym and gave N his dinner. I said to DH before I left "This is what he gets for dinner, if he doesn't eat he doesn't eat til breakfast tomorrow". I know he ate a few bites while I was there.

Now from what I hear, kids won't starve themselves. If he has a Cheerio for bkfst and a piece of cheese for lunch and then no dinner that day it's not the end of the world. But how long til I do worry about him not eating? I mean surely it can't be good for him to sustain himself on a Cheerio. I am really trying to be tough, but I don't want him to waste away.

Maybe when Ava is on purees, he'll be so jealous of the big deal I'm going to make out of them ("Mmmm Ava loves her peas! Ava aren't they soooo yummy? Nicholas doesn't want any so Ava can have all the peas she wants.")

Soon2beMrs.Sivert · June 2011

We are not short order cooks. That being said I try to make sure at least part of their meal is something they'll eat, be it the fruit or veggie. I also try to balance what I'm making them that day. If I'm trying something new I'll make sure that the other meals during the day are familiar. We do mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks. So I'm not worried about it. They will generally eat pretty well.

krissybegs · June 2011

I do what the pp does - make sure there is something in the meal that he likes so at least he eats something. We also do not give him a lot to start with, so he has to finish everything on his plate before he can have more of the thing he likes. Does he fuss and cry sometimes, of course, but he knows the rules. Also, my son loves cheese and only gets it at the end of the meal when he finishes everything and does not fuss.

The funny thing is that my DH was telling his friends what we do and they thought we were being mean by not giving him what he wanted so he would eat.

KYRN · June 2011

DS is a pretty good eater but some days he barely eats anything (more lack of appetite than refusing). He usually makes up for it at dinner or the next day. You're right, he won't starve. I do offer snacks sometimes in between meals but they are either leftovers, or a fruit or veggie by itself. You can also try sneaking things in until he's a little older (purees that you mix in). I wouldn't worry too much about it unless it becomes extreme.

We do a lot of "give mommy a bite" He usually gives himself the bite because he thinks it's funny. I like to do cereal for breakfast because there's a lot of good stuff in there, lately it's been honey nut chex.

Mrs.Reem · June 2011

Well... My girls will eat pretty much anything, so that makes it 100,000 times easier. I never make them finish their plates but they might find the same plate on their tray when it's snack time next if they didn't. We do morning, afternoon, and before bed snacks so it's only another 2 hours usually before another meal. Also if one of their meals was not well received, I make sure the next snack has good protein and/or veggies. They only get the carby/less healthy snacks if the meal before that was a good one. Our pedi says measure their intake by the week, instead of by the day. Interesting concept, I guess.

EastCoastBride · June 2011

Soon2beMrs.Sivert:
We are not short order cooks. That being said I try to make sure at least part of their meal is something they'll eat, be it the fruit or veggie.

To follow on this, to me, there is a difference between being a short order cook and cooking something you know they'll like.

I actually make DS his meal earlier. He still goes to bed by 6:30 or 7 and eats dinner around 5 or 5:30. I'm not ready to eat then, nor do I have time to really make a full on meal at that point.

So- I make him his food and sit with him. But I make him ONE meal. He eats what I serve (and which I know he likes) or that's it. I'm not going to make more than one meal for him.

NiniJ55 · June 2011

I would not consider myself a short-order cook... LOL

But on the other hand I try to serve things to Tristan that I know he likes (He is also not so bad about it). If I'm serving something he may not like (like something new) then I also serve something he does like so at least I know he ate something. My sister does that "eat now or wait till the next meal" thing and I personally don't like it.

muppet.fan · June 2011

Like pps, I try to always give E at least one thing on her plate at dinner that I know she'll eat.

I'm also more lax now that she's starting to understand the whole "try one bite." If she at least tries the protein and veggie and still doesn't want to eat/is asking for something else, we usually let her have applesauce or yogurt. That way I know she's not going to bed with an empty stomach. I'm not a big fan of the "eat now or wait until the next meal" either.

I also sometimes save her dinner plate and offer it again about 20 minutes before bathtime and a lot of times, she'll eat then.

mrsolsenk12 · June 2011

I don't make a second dinner. Now due to my work schedule, dh and hayden eat alone but he is the same way. I do try to make sure it is something he likes but if he doesn't eat it, then he doesn't eat. Dinner is usually the only meal I have this trouble with. He usually eats breakfast and lunch really well so i don't worry much if he skips dinner.

EastCoastBride · June 2011

The other thing I've come to realize too is that at this age, DS is very fickle. one week all he wants is banana's, the next week, he wants nothing to do with them.

This has happened w/ a number of foods. I made him a pizza once. he devoured it. The next time? Couldn't get him to even eat a bite of it.

I feel like at his age he's experimenting, figuring out what he likes, and I also think he wants some control too. And now that he's getting better at asking for what he wants - that's more where I draw the line.

if he asks for pasta and I give it to him, then he pushes it away and says bread. well... he's getting pasta! BUT I'll give him pasta in the first place if he actually expresses a preference because I do want him to feel he has a say in what he eats.

JillRock96 · June 2011

Very similar to pp, I try to make sure that every meal has something I know they like, especially if I'm serving something new or something I know is not their favorite. I don't make Ava clear her plate, and I'm happy if she eats all of the stuff she likes and a few bites of the other things. But, if she doesn't finish, I will often save her plate for later. If she asks for a snack after dinner, I'll re-introduce the plate from dinner and tell her that's what she has to choose from. We also have dessert occasionally (big right now, with the heat, are half of those flavor-ice popsicles). Ava knows that she cannot have one of those until she's eaten at least some of everything on her plate. I never force her to eat something I know she hates, but I will ask her to at least try a bite or two for the first half-dozen times it is offered (again, not forced).

I'm also really big on choices, especially for snacks. If she asks for cookies and I say she can only have grapes, a tantrum might ensue. If she asks for cookies and I tell her she can have grapes, carrots, yogurt, or cheese cubes, she will often choose one. But, we do have sweets in moderation, which I know others restrict.

ETA: Wanted to add that Ava will often eat big breakfasts and lunches and not really want dinner. That is totally fine with me -- I don't think kids (or any of us really) NEED big dinners if she is eating throughout the day. But, I always save her plate until after she goes to bed. If she decides after dinner that she wants a snack, she is offered dinner again.

LisaMarisa · June 2011

I think it is different for different kids. For kids who are actually picky eaters, I think you need to handle it differently.

DS isnt picky but he is often too busy to eat (and of course would prefer dessert to dinner). I dont make him something else for dinner but I will offer him choices for breakfast and lunch. Do you want a banana or a bagel, PB&J or yogurt?

If he doesnt eat it, he doesnt get anything else but I will leave it out for a little while to give him the chance to reconsider. I find that if he eats a good sized lunch, he usually wont eat dinner but if we skimp on lunch, he'll usually eat a decent dinner. Breakfast is hit or miss.

If he really isnt eating anything for a few days then I would start to worry but eating bits of things here and there really does add up and they dont need to eat much anyway.

CHI-06 · June 2011

Let me just say it is HARD. I feel really guilty when she eats nothing for dinner and won't eat again until breakfast. I don't give in though but it is really hard and there is always guilt. It is going to be harder when you first start following it strictly because he still thinks you'll get him something else... but they will not starve themselves. I make sure I get her a vitamin and she is at least drinking enough. Besides that I would only really be worried if they started to lose weight or something...

sommerrayne · June 2011

There are days Rhayna only eats a cup of yogurt and 6 ounces of rice milk and that's it. Not because that's what I want but she just refuses. We make it really clear, "This is the last food for the day". I don't play into the "I'M HUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGRRRRRRRRRRYYY" crap at bed either.

We've made it super clear. She's far beyond old enough to know what we're saying, etc.

We have started to talk more about how "your tummy gets hungry and it makes you sad" because she turns into a mexican soap opera star flailing all over when she's hungry and when she's in the throes of it, she can't understand its about being hungry. So we just keep upping our game, "You have to eat a lot of food before preschool because remember when you were very sad last time? That was because your tummy was hungry." She gets it and has obliged.

They won't starve themselves. I would make it as much of a "no big deal" thing as possible - you don't want to power struggle over it. Make your point really clear in a calm fashion and then be done with it.

naflmj · June 2011

Soon2beMrs.Sivert:
We are not short order cooks. That being said I try to make sure at least part of their meal is something they'll eat, be it the fruit or veggie. I also try to balance what I'm making them that day. If I'm trying something new I'll make sure that the other meals during the day are familiar. We do mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks. So I'm not worried about it. They will generally eat pretty well.

This is basically what I do. Even if Iwe don't have fruit with dinner, I usually give him some...he's really not a great eater amount wishe but will try and eat just about anything so we are lucky. Yesterday he barely ate anything all day other than fruit but at dinner he finished his plate and asked for more.

queenbone · June 2011

I make one meal for dinner for all of us. Sometimes it is something that I know he doesn't like, like eggplant parmigiana, so I'll make sure there is a veg that he will eat, or just the pasta maybe. Sometimes he won't eat much because he doesn't like it. Sometimes he won't eat something he normally likes so it can be hard to anticipate. But I don't feel guilty if he goes to bed hungry.

I do find that since I was pregnant, and now with the baby, that sometimes all it takes is me feeding him or letting him sit on my lap while he feeds himself. I don't know if that is because he wanted to still be a baby or if it is just the nature of being 3 yrs old.

I also have no problem bribing him with dessert in return for eating the majority of his dinner.

Want a personalized experience?

Those of you who aren't "short order cooks"

Re: Those of you who aren't &quot;short order cooks&quot;

Choose Another Board

Search Boards

Want a personalized experience?

Those of you who aren't &quot;short order cooks&quot;

Re: Those of you who aren't &amp;quot;short order cooks&amp;quot;

Choose Another Board

Search Boards

Those of you who aren't "short order cooks"

Re: Those of you who aren't "short order cooks"