She’ll sometimes sit there for hours just picking & nibbling but an hour or two after we take her food away she asking to eat. Should we be giving her what she didn’t finish? How long should we let her sit there?
2006-09-04 10:02:30 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
I would give her 1/2 hour and if she doesn't eat it put it in the fridge and if she ask for something to eat later pull it out and heat it up. I would not make her something different. I would not let her sit there for more than an hour at a time.
2006-09-04 10:07:43 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Give her 30 minutes, then tell her it's time to clean up and put it all away. She'll get hungry but don't let her pick in between meals or she'll never eat her food at mealtime. She'll catch on and begin eating when she should. Set a timer , too. She won't be able to have an hour or two for lunch when she goes to Kindergarten next year. Good luck.
2006-09-05 15:40:01 · answer #2 · answered by cindy1323 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should stop making eating an issue. Lay down some rules that you are sure you can stick to, like her eating what she has taken onto her plate herself and keep giving her that (within reason of course). Clear the table no more than 10 minutes after the others are finished. Apart from that, leave her alone. As soon as there is no game to be had out of being difficult she'll stop. It will take strong nerves to get through those days though.
Good luck
2006-09-04 10:12:45 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
My daughter is very small and dantiy. She is going to be 6 and wears a 3T everybody thinks that my 4yr and her are twins (LOL). What we do with all of our kids is give them a very small portion that way they will finish and if they want more we get them more. That way food does not go to waiste. It has worked for all 4 of my kids and they are not malnurished. Some kids just do not eat very much. Try that along with making sure there is not any distractions. And make sure you include her in meal's try asking her what she likes to eat at her age she is starting to make her own oppinions and likes and dislikes.So include her in . Do not make her stay at the table for hours all it will do is get you more upset and she will get stressed out also.
I hope somebody gave you some info that will help
2006-09-04 15:51:59 · answer #4 · answered by mysticalmoon1975 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had that same problem...she would sit there and not do much of anything......but..i would have a time with my older one eating...because you would ask her are you hungry and she would say no..So, I would get up in the morning..and she would too..I wouldnt feed her breakfast...i wouldn't feed her till she was starving..because at 4 they know when they are hungry she would ask for popcicles and that 's a no no ...
now i know it doesnt work for everyone and I was careful to watch her dont get me wrong...because if she didnt eat then i worried I gave her a suppliment vitamin......but i didnt have any problems...soon she was eating her three meals..because she wanted sweet stuff or other things like popcicles and I wouldnot give it to her..she ate nourishing food..Soon she realized that she wasnt going to get her way...and always make her sit at the table...but I hope I helped...
2006-09-04 10:39:33 · answer #5 · answered by ck1_content 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ok, here is what I do. I give my kids about 20 min to eat. If they are not really eating, that's fine, they may not be hungry, but they have to wait until the next meal/snacktime. I have regular meal/snack times, about every 2 to 3 hours. I do not save their food. If they don't eat their lunch (it kills me but) I throw it away and they get fresh food at the next meal time. I do not have time to let a kid sit at table for hours.
2006-09-04 10:10:46 · answer #6 · answered by Daisy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
with my daughter who eats as slow as a snail I might add what we do is ......we give her an hour to eat because if she is really hungry an hour is plenty of time for her to be full then we take it and toss it ......we do not feel it is her fault if she does not eat what is on her plate till it is gone ...then later she gets a small snack of carrots or apple slices .(if you get rid of snacks throughout the day she may eat better at meals) we also called the Dr. and she is now on ensure so she gets her vitamins . GOOD LUCK
2006-09-08 05:06:32 · answer #7 · answered by thunder_rainclouds 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What I did was give my kids 20 or 30 minutes (or until they leave the table) to eat. I would cover their left over food and put it in the fridge, if they were hungry before our next meal I would bring out the left over food. One of the things that they need to learn before starting school is to sit and eat.
2006-09-04 12:41:32 · answer #8 · answered by PLDFK 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I know that when i talked to a pediatrcian about the kids i babysit, they said about 1 teaspoon of each food per yearof age. So if you are having spaghetti and corn then your daughter would get 4 teaspoons of each. I wouldn't give her more time to eat than it takes you to eat. If she is still hungry offer a small healhty snack. You may even try to offer a drink first because sometimes hunger is mistaken for thirst in small children. Just an idea.
2006-09-04 10:11:29 · answer #9 · answered by Sierra 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
If you indulge her, she will be able to use delaying tactics to manipulate you as she gets older. Kids are always trying to find out where "the line" is. If your goal is to make life more simple and avoid fights and delaying tactics, then you can do what I did with my son. I took my time eating. When I was finished eating, so was he. Whatever was left got pitched and he could have something healthy to eat at snack time (two hours after his meal). It might seem a little cruel at first, but it doesn't take long for kids to learn if you're consistent and do it every single time.
2006-09-04 10:09:23 · answer #10 · answered by farmgirl 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋