Signing "all done" too soon
greeneyed_bride
member
DS (12 months) has been signing "all done" at the end of meals for a while now (well, his own version of it anyway). But lately he has been signing it when he has hardly eaten anything. If he just wants to get down from his high chair or if there is no more of whatever food he prefers at a particular meal, he will sign "all done" even though he's not full. Then if I let him down, he will spend the next half hour coming to me and begging for food.
I try to hold him off by telling him he's not all done yet and by "bribing" him. I'll say, "If you eat another bite of oatmeal, you can have another piece of cheese." It usually works for a few bites, but the things that he wants more of are typically the things I want to limit his intake of. (He would eat nothing but cheese for three meals a day if I let him.)
He's still to young for me to use the "ok, but if you get down, you don't get any more food until lunch/dinner" strategy with him, so I don't know how to break this habit. I also don't want to get into the habit of force-feeding him if he says he's done. Any suggestions?
Re: Signing "all done" too soon
Don't give him the food he likes best until the end of the meal - serve what you want him to eat first, then when he says he is all done, you could offer cheese or whatever if you think he should eat more food. If he is really still hungry, he'll eat it. Even my kid, who is a cheese freak, will turn it down if she is truly full.
At this age they really will stop eating when they are full, but I find that they also have fun just using their signs/words and learning they can control outcomes - it is how they learn cause/effect. When she learns something new my daughter practices it over and over. and over. and over. Our entire dinner is her taking two bites, signing all done, so I take the plate away and we continue eating, then she asks for more, I give her the plate back, she takes a bite and signs all done, repeat...it is frustrating sometimes but it is all a learning process.
This. We are pretty firm on our son eating in his chair due to earlier feeding issues and lots of "grazing". If he doesn't eat a lot at one meal because he has chosen to play, he will make it up at the next meal.
Layla 01.08.12
Chloe and Vivian 07.23.13
My Gang. Halloween 2013
the favorite food thing! DD started doing this as well. If she starts getting to the point where she is going to cry because we won't let her down, i do. ( such a choking hazard with her crying and eating) I won't lie.. sometimes we will take her plate away and jsut move all of her food to one of our plates without her seeing, then ask her if she'd like anything from our plate. most of the time it usually works. or if we even move it to a different plate of her own. Now she'll sign all done as soon as we sit her in her pack n play for me to work out or do house work haha.