How do you handle your picky eater?

shellylovelee · March 2014

Looking to see how others handle the dinner scene... I serve my 28 mos and 13 mos the same meal as we eat. Half the time my 28 mos old will eat something on the plate, enough to satisfy me. But what to do with the other half? He feels to young to go without a meal. We do get him down and he will come back a few times, sit again, take a tiny bite then refuse. I do not want a nightly battle nor do I want to make multiple meals. Curious how others handle picky eating... Thanks!

ncbelle · March 2014

I've always followed the "they eat what we eat and if they don't eat, they don't eat" rule - has worked for 5 years

Sometimes toddlers just aren't that hungry, particularly at dinner which tends to be their smallest meal of the day. They are also really good at reading their hunger cues - which I think is important to respect. And if you don't want to cater to picky, just serve what you are serving!

The bigger a deal you make over it, the bigger a power struggle it becomes. Eating together also makes a big difference.

Xath · March 2014

Ditto the above. We have a "no thank you bite" rule that means he has to try one bite of each thing on his plate before he can be excused. If that's all he eats, that's it. We don't make special food for later, and he's still growing well.

shellylovelee · March 2014

We have this same rule, except I need to improve on being ok with it being the only food he eats. I don't make a second meal, but since he eats fruit I end of "negotiating" more meal bites before fruit. This is what is exhausting and I just need to stop it.

law&order · March 2014

Take a look at "Child of Mine" by Ellyn Satter, and the Ellyn Satter Institute (ellynsatterinstitute.com). She discusses, in detail, the "division of responsibility"- parents are in charge of what is offered to eat, when, and where. Children are in charge of "if and how much" they eat.

sunnyday016 · March 2014

Like the others have said, I have learned to just let it go. If he eats, that's great. If not, oh well. There will always be breakfast in the morning. Meals are so much less stressful when I only have to worry about putting food on their plate. They can worry about what they put in their mouth.

TiffanyBerry · March 2014

I'm in the "here's what's offered, eat what you want of it, but there isn't anything else" camp. Though i do try to make sure that at least one item she likes in in that offering. After dessert (she gets one little Dove chocolate for dessert, if she's still hungry, she can have a piece of fruit or veggies.

Sometimes she doesn't like the offerings as doesn't eat much. That's ok too. It's her choice. I don't know how hungry she is, so it'd be ridiculous of me to say "you must be hungry, you have to eat this much".

That said, some (few) children have REAL sensory issues and REAL food aversions. They *may* starve themselves rather than choose to eat. It doesn't sound like that is the issue here, but know that in a few instances, the "here's what's we're having" approach doesn't work.

MisN · March 2014

I try to have one thing on her plate I know she likes and we have a try it rule in our house.

dashofreality · March 2014

My DD is proof that skipping dinner won't hurt your kiddos. If she is starving after dinner she can have an apple or a banana. I just wrote a whole post on this: https://dashofreality.com/pickyeater/

shellylovelee · March 2014

Great thoughts! Thanks all!

rodiesmum · March 2014

hmm my daughter is borderline underweight (but healthy according to pedi) so i try to offer her food that she likes, and encourage her to try food that she is not familiar with so that her "repertoire" will widen at the very least

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