How do I make my little brother eat?

Question

My little brother is 7 years old and he's hungry right now. Everyone else is eating stew, but he refuses to eat it and demands (literally said he demands) that we cook him something else. How do I make him eat the stew?

Answer 1

Try separating the potatoes, meat & vegetables on a plate. Maybe its something to do with the way it all looks mixed together in broth. If it works, let me know. If not, give him bread.

Answer 2

Well, you may not be able to force him to eat; but, you don't have to give in to his "demands" either. Is he just shoing you that he can be independent, or does he really have an aversion to stew? If he is just being stubborn, you can let him know that dinner will be on the table for 15 minutes and that he needs to eat while it is there, or it will be cleared and he will get nothing. Or, you can let him know that he needs to at least try it, 2 or 3 bites, then he can have something else after he waits for 30 minutes and everyone else is done eating and the table is cleared. (No immediate payoff there, or extra attention, and he won't die of hunger in 30 minutes.)

Answer 3

If you cook him something different he will learn that all he has to do is complain and demand to get what he wants. You don't him to develop that attitude.

Tell him if he doesn't want to eat the stew he will just have to be hungry or eat some bread.

Answer 4

Tell him that this is all that is being cooked until dinner time and he would like to wait he can go but you are not cooking him anything else. No matter what the fit he throws stand your ground or u will become his slave. Let the stew sit untill supper then throw it away. Repeat this at every meal if need be!! Eventually he will eat and learn to respect u at the same time!!!

Answer 5

He is just being obstinant. He is too young to do this, too little to do that, and he has no control over anything. So what's the next thing he can try? To manipulate the family......he is like a blind person in a dark room, flailing his arms trying to find the walls. He is testing his boundaries and trying to find what buttons to push......
Don't cave in or let your parents cave in. Don't teach him he can manipulate the situation.
Send him to bed, and put the plate of stew in there with him. He will eat it when he gets really hungry.
He just needs to be taught to be cooperative and just go with it sometimes. That's what he will have to do when he gets out into the real world when he's on his own someday.....

Answer 6

Do a trade. What does he like to do or eat for dessert? Tell him if he doesn't finish the stew he can't do that or have that. Or tell him to eat half of the stew or else there's no snacks or whatever later or tomorrow.

Answer 7

Simply tell him he can eat the stew or he can go hungry. Trust me. He won't starve and eventually he will start eating what everyone else eats.

My cousin was making 3 different meals for her and her husband, and one each for their 2 kids. Stupid. Finally she started doing this and now they will eat almost anything.

Answer 8

Give him nothing. Eventually he'll be hungry enough to eat the stew. Never let kids push you around.

Answer 9

Dont let him have any other foods besides the stew. That is BS if the kid refuses to eat it. When he gets hungry enough, he'll eat.

Answer 10

Oh, My God!! My sister who's now 11 is pretty much the same since she was like 5. for about 6 years my mom is always cooking for her seporately.

I am always thinking that mom and dad aren't being tough enough with her. But I'm thinking that tough love has got to be advised here. Why? Well, in my opinion if it will continue that way as he grows older he'll be taking advantage of y'all. So tough love is the answer and better don't let her take over just like my sister takes advantage of my mother. I mean my dad used to be very angray about it and always said it's wrong. But he gave up already because he's old and tired of it. However I still try, but it's not like my parents are gonna listen to me....

So it's up to you what to do with your little brother. Lots of luck, hon!

Answer 11

Tough love! Do not fix him anything else. He will either become hungry enough to eat it now or hungry enough to eat it later. If he chooses not to eat it put it in the fridge and reheat it when he says he's hungry again. Too many starving children in the world for that nonsense.