Parents: what dou you do if your toddler refuses to eat the family dinner?

Question

do you make them something else, or tell them that either they it it or eat nothing?

Answer 1

I have a plaque in my kitchen that says "Tonight's menu: Take It or Leave It" and it applies to the toddler as well. As long as you're serving healthy, well- balanced meals, don't sweat it if he or she skips a meal now and then. They will eat if they get hungry enough. But if you start fixing a different meal based on what the tot wants, you're setting him/her up for being very picky in the future, as well as more than a little spoiled.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Let 'em sit there while you eat and they might come around. Do not make a seperate meal for them as they will expect that all the time and think that they can get their way all the time. If green beans are not their cup of tea then just let them eat whatever else is there. If not a morsel is touched they will learn when they are hungrier in the morning. Or send them to their room!

Answer 4

MAKE NO FUSS. Toddlers can use meal time to score points over parents. Give them time in a relaxed happy atmosphere. Then if they don't eat it just clear the plate away with the others without saying anything.
Don't allow too many snacks between meals. Fruit & drinks are best. Make sure the meals look appealing. I used to make 'pictures' with the vegetables sometimes. for example mashed potato face with carrot mouth, peas or bean eyes etc.
Your toodler is not going to die of starvation - they'll eat when they are hungry.

Answer 5

No, I don't make anything else... I'm not a restaurant. Of course, there are exceptions to everything. If we are having something like liver or brussels sprouts ... things I consider to be an "aquired taste" ... then, and only then, will I let them eat something else. The whole new-age way of raising children has gone too far. Can you see mothers, years ago ... who had large families to feed, trying to please each and every member of her family? That's a enormous amount of extra work, not to mention unneccesary stress.

My children have always eaten whatever is on the table, If they had a strong distaste to a certain food ... no problem, then don't eat it ... but, they were encouraged (not forced) to at least give it a try. They are all, to this day ... not fussy eaters. The only thing they don't like to eat is liver, brussels sprouts, spinach and tuna casserrole. If the meal is a one-dish meal, I try to make one that everyone likes. For a child who refuses to eat the green beans on their plate is one thing ... but, for them to have no meal, all together, is totally another. You just can't tell a child to eat the (one dish) meal, or they get nothing ...

In the case where you KNOW they like the food on their plate, as you've seen them eat it numerous times ... all my children knew, if they didn't have "room" for their meal, then, in my eyes, they didn't have room for dessert, snacks or treats after supper. Their meal was kept aside until bed time. If they got hungry between supper and bed time ... it was there for them to eat. If they ate it ... they were then allowed their choice of a snack, dessert or treat.

Answer 6

I am not a servant I am a mom. I prepare one meal every night and if my toddler doesn't want it (often the case as he is difficult) he doesn't eat it. He does have to stay at the table with the family while we eat. I put his plate in the fridge and get it out for him to eat later when he says he is hungry. Sometimes I relent and give him a glass of milk instead. It is not easy, but I believe that being able to try everything on your plate is an important social skill for adults, one that should be learned in childhood.

Answer 7

I don't make her eat it, but I don't make her something else. However I do try to have a variety of dishes at a meal, like a main dish with a starchy food and vegetables. She can take her pick of what's offered but I don't make a different meal for her. If she wants to eat that's what she eats. Otherwise she waits until the next time it's time to eat. I don't withhold dessert or reward or praise eating. It's very matter of fact- just "dinner's ready" and everyone has to come to the table but what they eat is their business, not mine.

Answer 8

The rule is that you have to provide a balanced diet for them to choose from and it is their choice whether to eat or not. The reccommendation is that you be sure to provide one item that you know they like within the choices. How severe is your childs refusal? I have one who used to vomit if you lifted the spoon of something he didn't want near his mouth. This was a kid who would cry and cry because he was so hungry but we would even take him to the grocery store and say "what do you want" and try to convince him to try something, but could not find a single thing in the grocery store that he would eat. So, obviously, we made him whatever he was willing to eat. I was concerned about him starving and even looked into the eating disorder clinics. In retrospect, I think that maybe if I would have allowed him to go hungry, he would eat a healthier diet today, but to do it all over again, I probably would have done the same thing, because no parent can watch their child cry from hunger and not try to remedy it.

Answer 9

We dont' make 5 different meals each night... we offer healthy foods for dinner- the same for everyone. If my toddler doesn't want to eat it, they don't have to. My husband makes a dinner, we offer it, and the kids decide whether or not they want to eat it. If you get into a power struggle over food, it doesn't set a pleasant atmosphere for dinner time. If you do your job to give healthy choices, your toddler does their job determining if they want to eat it or not.

Answer 10

when we make dinner in our house we at least have one side dish we know our son will eat that way if he doesnt like anything on his plate, he will at least eat that one favorite side dish he likes (like mac n cheese, or mash potatoes, etc). Also if we put on a veggie we know he wont touch, we strike a deal such as if he eats his veggies, he will get a special dessert like a bowl of ice cream or a brownie. Once we say that he chows down on his veggies like its no tomorrow. Its all about compromise. if you force a kid to eat they will refuse and itll be disaster in the long run, but if you give them options and set some limits to them with maybe a little reward, they will be willing to try something new and who knows, they just might like it.