We've been trying to teach good manners. My latest craze is trying unfamiliar foods.
The setting: Sunday dinner at a friend's home.
Action: "Ew gross. I don't like that yucky stuff." and reluctance bordering on bribery to even sit at the table, with elements of tantrum.
Yeah, I wasn't impressed much.
Consistency is hard for me, but we've been introducing unfamiliar meals, or meals that she has thus far declined. A combination of dessert bribes, early bedtimes, and resurfacing dinner plates at subsequent meals are part of our hard-hitting strategy. And poor Emma, at 18 months, is being subjected to a light-handed version of the same.
Today Lizzy was pretty hungry, having declined dinner at dinner last night and the same meal at breakfast and lunch today. She finally ate a couple bites at 3:00. I didn't follow up with a hearty meal; just enough snacks to get by.
She ate, if not respectable, an acceptable portion of ham fried rice for dinner tonight and is enjoying frosting on graham crackers before bed.
Perhaps we'll make it after all. Here's to one step forward.
This parenting stuff, though rewarding, is rather tough.
1 year ago
5 comments:
Amen to that last line.
I've had tons of people (including the kids' doctors) tell me that they'll eat when they're hungry or that they won't always be so hard to feed.
Still waiting for this "phase" to pass.
Good luck!!!
Way to stick to your guns! I'm nervous about this phase. What is it with kids and food?
I'll go with "they'll eat when they're hungry"
If they aren't hungry, that's fine. The next meal is in a few hours.
I'm also ok with not liking something. I abhor raisins and lima beans.
But I'm done with the 4-year old dictating her own personalized diet.
I have been there too. Our 8 yr old finally doesn't have to be labeled as the picky eater. As a baby he refused to eat baby food. When fed rice cereal his breathing would become challenged and then almost stop. He had a reaction to rice cereal, none of the other cereals, which bewildered the Drs. He has no other allergies, and can eat rice fine now. He hated things of similar texture. Who can blame him when it almost killed him? He still has a hard time with yogurt, applesauce, cottage cheese and bananas. But pudding is not included, Go figure. He became very picky because of this issue with his palette. It drove me crazy. PB sandwiches are still a favorite, but now he eats what we are eating and doesn't complain, even likes most of it. Other than No Thank You on the things already mentioned.
I know my situation is a little different, but there is hope.
I had a friend once tell me this strategy. However old the child, dictates the amount of "must have" bites. You could use it for main dishes, fruits, and veggies...I don't really ever make my kids eat ALL their food. But if they're "too full" to finish dinner, then they are still too full to have a snack or dessert. And I do often leave their food on the table so when they ask for a snack, I can point to the dinner and say, "Oh good, you're hungry. Finish your dinner. With my older kids, it has also helped to let them pick one or two meals a week (and even let them help make them).
Post a Comment