I would if they were older.
I don't think I could send my toddler or little kid to bed hungry though.
Edit: for the record I'd never use it as punishment. If they refuse to eat what I prepared then.. Guess they'll be super hungry in the morning!
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My friend did this to her 4 year old recently because she bit another LO at preschool!
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I don't think I would punish by not eating. I want them to always eat! Punish in other ways.
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No. Food is not punishment.
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Not as punishment but yes, if its because she is super picky. My pediatrician's colleague wrote a great blog post about it...
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I'm not a parent yet but I can't see myself doing that. There are more useful forms of punishment. Food is a necessity and shouldn't be a consequence.
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I would send them to bed without dinner if they were refusing to eat (as opposed to a punishment for an unrelated misdemeanor). I'm a big fan of having the punishment fit the crime. Bite another kid at school, lose the privilege of having something they like to play with until they can play nicely, that sort of thing. However, if they were refusing to eat, I'd remind them firmly that that is what is being served for dinner and they can eat it or choose not to but there is nothing else.
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I wouldn't ever use that as punishment, but if I make dinner and she refuses to eat it for whatever reason, well, that's her choice. I'm not going to make a special meal just because my child refuses to eat what's been put in front of her. I wouldn't use this strategy with a toddler though, I'm talking more when they're old enough to understand their behaviour and the consequences.
I am really skeptical about using food as a punishment though as I think it can lead to unhealthy eating habits later on, just my theory, no research to back it up
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if they refuse to eat, yes.
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No. I don't believe in using food for punishments or rewards.
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If it's because they won't eat what I made? Yes. I feel really strongly about not making special meals just because you don't want chicken and broccoli that night. You eat what you're served. Period.
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Not as punishment. If they don't want to eat dinner, I'm not going to make a special meal.
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If they refuse to eat, possibly but never as a punishment. I would also never make LO eat everything on their plate if they were full. I hate that.
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As my mother says "I'm not a short order cook. You can eat what's for dinner or you can not eat".
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@MamaMoose: yup!
My mom said if we didn't eat what was made for dinner, then we weren't going to eat at all. I'll adopt the same policy.
I don't think I'd use it as punishment for something else though.
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Not as a punishment but yes, we are going through a stage now where if you don't like what is served for dinner, you don't get what you want instead. I always make sure there is at least one thing on the plate he'll eat bu other than that, it is up to him if he wants to eat. (He'll be two next month).
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Like many PP have said, not as a punishment, but yes if they are being picky. One meal = entire family eats.
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@MamaMoose: @Mrs. Pen: My mom was a short order cook for my little sister and she is 1000X pickier than I am.. If she didn't want Mexican food, my mom made her spaghetti. If she didn't want x she got y. It annoyed me so much when I was younger. She was a really skinny little kid, but it was probably because she only ate a few things.
Im going to expose my children to all kinds of food. If they don't like what's for dinner then too bad. I refuse to have a spoiled little kid boss me around. LoL
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Regarding my unborn children/child: If they don't want what we're having for dinner, I think I'd be fine with them grabbing an apple or making a sandwich, but I wouldn't do the work. I think not liking something is valid--who am I to say you have to enjoy my casserole? But if you don't enjoy it, I hope you like spreading peanut butter on bread...
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@Rubies: that blog post is great! I totally agree about not turning it into a battle but letting LO decide that he can either eat his dinner or go to bed without eating--but it's his choice.
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@tororojo: yeah when we got older mum would tell us we can make a sandwich or a bowl of cereal or something. But SHE wasn't making anything else. And what we ate had to be somewhat healthy.... You can't have Mac and cheese every night.
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I would only do this for an older child, I think atleast 6 or older because at that age they are in full time school and should have a better understanding of things.
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We do this all the time with my husbands daughter, she does not like my cooking and will sit there for over an hour crying.
We tell her fine, don't eat, but when you ask for a snack later you'll be offered your unfinished plate.No short order cooks in this house either!
I would never use it as a form of punishment. Standing in the middle of the room with your arms above your head is much more effective
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Yep! G has gone to bed hungry by his own choosing on more than one occasion. The only time this happens is if he chooses to not eat what was made OR he has a bad attitude at the dinner table & chooses not to change it (usually because of not wanting to eat what was made).
I was sent to bed without dinner once growing up as punishment..... My sister & I unwrapped & then re-wrapped all the Christmas present under the tree. When we got busted it was already late afternoon/early evening & my mom, in trying not to kill us, sent us to bed early.
I guess if our kids did something extreme that would have us send them to bed early that would be using food as punishment but I don't foresee that being something too prevalent.
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Only if they called me a bitch at the dinner table or something really intolerable, and not as a matter of depriving them of food but just something so bad that they had to leave.
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Not as punishment. I would if he chose not to eat what I cooked for dinner. Like others have said, I'm not a short order cook.
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When they're older, yes.
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If they are old enough to decide 'I'd rather not eat then eat this' the. Yeah they can just go to bed without eating.
My mom used to make us sit there until we ate. Once we ate it was actually good! -
Only if they aren't eating what I prepared at an older age. DS is 3.5 years and I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing his tummy is empty. I usually say "eat 5 bite of what I made and then I will give _____" (usually yogurt and fruit). But if he becomes picky when he's older, definitely. Like pp's, not as punishment.
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I would never withhold food as punishment but like you and other pp I would and have sent lo (4yo) to bed without dinner if she refuses to eat what we are having. I always cook kid friendly things that I know she likes, sometimes she is just stubborn.
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This happens a lot with LO. He's definitely gone to bed hungry because he refuses to eat. But like others, I would never use it as punishment. Our friends make their kids eat their unfinished dinner for breakfast too.
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I would never use food as a punishment. I remember growing up I was a picky eater and would often refuse to eat what my mom made for dinner. I would sit at the table as all the dishes were cleared around me and just wait through a battle of wills with my mom. Later at night though I would cry in bed because I was hungry. My mom would finally give in and bring me a string cheese or slice of baloney (lol). I remember being so happy! If DD is anything like me with food I'm in for a very picky ride!
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Oh man, I was really hoping DD would get DH's appetite, but I think she got mine! She's barely even tried anything and it's not looking good. It'll be a battle for sure ... when she's older, and if she refuses, I'll let her sleep w/o dinner. I hope she's super hungry for breakfast and doesn't wake-up like @autumn865 in the middle of the night. Lol!
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We did it last night with my 21 month. We offered him food and he ate none of it (hot dogs and chilli which he gobbled up today). He then proceeded to utterly breakdown and it became very apparent he was overtired. So, to bed he went.
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