Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

Do you make something else? Or let them be done without eating?

DD is 20.5 months.
I've done both, but today seriously she's getting on that last nerve.

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

I might offer a fruit or veggie but I don't make them anything else.

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

I used to make something else, like a sandwich.

Now I'm mean and make her wait until the next meal if she doesn't want to eat what I made.

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

Andrew eats nothing and I have learned to deal with it. Now he has learned to tell me what he wants and when so I just give it to him then and not worry about the time etc. If that makes any sense

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

I played that game for WAY too long. We started a new rule a few months ago - eat what we give you or you don't eat.

It works well

P.S. We also instituted a new rule of NO snacks for 1.5 hours before meals. It cuts back MAJORLY on the pickiness.

P.P.S. Bribery works too. I know she likes sweet potatoes, so I'll give her fish as her "first course" and tell her that if she eats her fish, she'll get her potatoes. That works too...

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

if he doesnt eat what we eat he doesnt eat... I dont have time to make separate meals, so far its been ok, somedays he'll eat and somedays he wont. he always eats bfast and lucnch at daycare so i dont worry. Sometimes kids dont always have to eat 3 meals a day.

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

basically, I know what she likes and what she will eat...
If she doesn't eat it, I don't think she understands "eat this or get nothing" so I usually just give her some noodles or cheese, fruit etc... something that I always have ready in the fridge...

I am not prepared to send her to bed without eating yet...

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

Megan is really bad with lunch.

She will eat breakfast usually and dinner because she doesnt do well with lunch. If she doesnt eat the main thing I offer her, I then move on to the veggie. If not the veggie, then the fruit. If nothing, then shes done..for the time being. I will return to it an hour later if we have the time and she usually picks at it then. I am neurotic about her not eating anything, so I always try to go back to it. Dinner though is dinner. If she doesnt want it, I feel the milk afterwards fills her up enough to sleep through the night. I know she will eat a better breakfast the next day if she didnt eat the night before. She compensates for herself but it does drive me insane!

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

I usually let her pick between 2 things for lunch and breakfast and that's it, dinner she has no choice.

Her favorite for the longest time has been mac n cheese with some veggies mixed in, actually any kind of pasta, she could it eat all day long everyday.
Today i didn't let her pick, it was ready to go when she came downstairs since i was eating the same thing for lunch.

She hasn't eaten anything from 10:30 this am, and when she woke up from her nap at 1:30, nothing.

Seriously, I told her no snacks til dinner. I'm mean today Plus she'll drive me insane.

but i'm sure the kid will go into the fridge later and pick out her hummus. and i'll hear mommy, snack, walk kitchen, come on mommy snack...

Message edited 1/17/2008 1:49:27 PM.

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

I know what my girls like to eat so i just feed them that.

Eggs, Fruit, waffles, pancakes, yogurt smoothies

Turkey roll ups--I put a piece of cheese on top of a slice of turkey then roll it up and then cut so it's easy for them to pick up.

mac and cheese i add tuna to it or chicken

they are not big on the veggies..the love beans, corn so i give them that they love those spinach things they sell with the breadcrumbs on it

dinner they eat mostly everything. Crabcakes i gave them the other night. steak, sweet potatoes

i usually give them low fat soy choc milk for a dessert.

Some meals they eat more then other meals and if they don't want to eat then i don't force them..I know if they are hungry they will eat.

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

I stick to stuff he likes and if all else fails he has a waffle

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

I have 2 good eaters for the most part, but they can be picky as heck!

My rule.. I cook. You eat. You don't want it? To bad, go hungry. No special treatments here.

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

I have two picky eaters. Molly is only 15 months so I will cater to her a little more, but Jack either eats what I give him or goes to bed hungry.

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

Its a restaurant at my house. I usually ask him what he wants and if it's reasonable I will get that for him. If I have made something that I want him to eat, I will hype it up, like it's the best tasting thing ever.

If he doesn't eat, I'll leave it on the table and he can go back to it (I always thought grazing was good?) or I'll offer a fruit.

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

I tell him "okay, dinner is over" and we go off and do something else. If he is hungry, he will eat what I give him. If not, he can play and have a yogurt later on.

Tough Luck Kid....he never wakes up hungry, so I just assume he has had a big lunch at nursery (they cook awesome food there) and he has had enough. Last night he ate a pack of mini pringles for dinner. Well, it won't kill him!

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

I usually have him eat 6 mini meals a day. Sometimes he eats, sometimes he doesn't. He has his staple items which he loves, then other stuff that he picks at, but I keep offering.

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

I used to make food until she ate something. Now, I'm trying to just make one thing and that's it...if she doesn't eat it, too bad. It makes me NUTS when I spend so much time making her a meal and she won't even eat a bite!

Re: Toddler moms-what do you when your kid won't eat what you serve them for a meal?

I let her get down and continue on with her day. When she's hungry, I offer her the same thing. Eventually, she'll eat it if she's hungry.