Hellobee Boards

I had a lot of angst about this until DS started daycare - apparently he eats like a champ around other children. So if he picks at his meals at home I don't worry too much about it, but I really focus on calorie density of his foods so every bite counts somehow. So at breakfast I give him eggs and milk first, tempt him by putting some ketchup on the eggs, then after a few bites, he'll start asking for something else and I offer a mini waffle with butter, then his favorite, fruit. So his food comes in waves or courses.

I definitely stress less about it as he gets older but it was major stress on me the first 15-16 months.

Honestly, very little. He's a big guy and if he's not hungry or doesn't want to eat, that's his call. We were getting in power struggles over meals / I was becoming a short order cook and I just decided that it's a big picture type of thing (what he ate for the week vs. just one day) and that it all evens itself out.

By now, at almost 3, we do ask that he take at least one bite of something instead of refusing it outright. And he can't have seconds of one thing unless he's made a good dent in all his food (ie no more pasta until you try the veggies and salad too). But when he was younger, I had to keep reminding myself that they go through growth spurts and in the end I want him to know and respect his own feelings of hunger vs fullness as he grows up. I asked myself, haven't you ever sat down to eat and just weren't feeling it? It is hard for me, but I have to remember that he'll make up for it some other way.

@Adira: I agree! I feel like they can sense if we're stressed out even if we don't appear to be!

I literally just repeat to myself all the time that I have my picky days too, and that I don't eat the same amount from day to day. I'd only be concerned if she was not eating for many meals during the week (which hasn't happened). I usually review at the end of a week and find that overall she is still a great eater, minus a few meals of her being picky.

@kodybear: I thought that too, but yesterday we told T that if he finished all his chicken he could have a special treat and he sat back in his chair (he had been standing in it screaming "all done") and finished every last piece of chicken on his plate then said "treat?" I was shocked that he could understand the concept.

@LBee: wow!! okay, M is probably playing me and trying to down faster. haha i'll try it next time! we were just talking about this too right?? these kids.

Our situation is a bit different because my son had/has oral motor issues, so I try to make sure he's eaten during the day. He'll literally cry, gag, or throw up if he's forced, so it's important that there is something that he will eat.

I think we all have our comfort levels with this kind of thing. If I didn't stress about it, the situation would be worse, I feel.

I don't count bites at all. And I let her snack as much as she wants throughout the day. As long as I'm offering a balanced diet and healthy options, and she eats some of it, I'm happy. There are days she eats a ton and days she barely eats anything, and it all evens out. Her weight gain/growth is all on track.

(And I say that as someone who used to REALLY worry about her weight--we had supply issues when lo was 2 months old. But our pediatrician has been really relaxed about how much lo eats since her growth has been great ever since.)