Hellobee Boards

Lil B did this last night. I ended up just giving him some yogurt (his favorite food that he would eat for every meal/snack if he could) so he would have something in his tummy before bed. No helpful advice- but I am in the same boat!

I don't have a whole lot of experience with this - I have no kids of my own (yet!!), and the children I nanny eat VERY well. I'm mostly commenting to follow, as I was just having this conversation with a friend the other day. Growing up, I ate what everyone else was eating, or I didn't eat anything. There was nooooo way my parents were making separate meals for any of us (4 kids), so we all ate what we were told, and none of us grew into picky eaters. To this day we all eat very well.

Why does it seem so much more common now for kids to be labeled as picky? Kids who will eat nothing but KD, hot dogs and chicken strips? I honestly don't get it. I know it may be easier said than done, but my plan is for my future kids to eat what we are eating, or nothing, as I was raised.

At this point, I just try a couple different things, and if they still don't eat well, I just let it go. If they're tired or crabby, they just don't eat well, and I don't think I can fault them for that but I'm not going to give them 83 choices either. When (not if, because I'm SURE we'll hit this stage eventually) they start refusing foods more consistently and they don't seem overly tired, etc., then we'll start being more adamant about eating what's put in front of you.

This happens to us a few times a week...I'll usually offer the meal I made, and if he refuses it, Ill offer again in a little bit, and then offer fruit, but that's it. If he doesn't want those things, he doesn't eat anything else. I don't worry if he does it for 1 meal, since I've heard you should look at the week of meals instead of just 1 day's worth.

I don't worry about doing it with an infant. I think toddlers push those boundaries and that's when I'll firm up with the whole "eat what you're given" mentality. I put like, 5 different things on E's plate and sometimes she doesn't eat well and I give her some yogurt or a chicken puree I know she likes. And sometimes she just isn't hungry, because she'll still refuse that. They have their moments, just like adults do. And we have had some meals where she eats a handful of something and then only wants some milk.

I do find that while she might fight food in the beginning, if DH and I are eating something, she gets more interested in it because it's ours and I can often share what's on my plate with her, which she will happily eat.

I guess I am a sucker - haha

Before age 3 I would offer oatmeal or cereal before bed if they refused dinner 0 but after age 3 all bets are off - dinner is the next thing they eat before bed. If they refuse it then that's that. Usually my 5 yr old will refuse dinner then eat it 15 mins before bedtime JUST so he can have a snack food too

I don't worry about it too much. LO refuses her dinner a lot and starts throwing stuff on the floor, I usually just take her plate away and then give her a yogurt- which I know she will eat. One day she threw almost all her breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the floor. I figured she was probably not feeling good or teething so I didn't force it. I am def not going to make another meal to see if she will eat that!

I feel like this thread needs all the child's ages, because I *think* some people who have posted have under 1's and some people have over 2's, so there's a big age gap.

Anyway, my child refuses dinner all the time. But she's 7 months and isn't really into solids yet.