What do you do if your lo doesnt want to eat their dinner?

[Mummy2CandF]

I never offer my son something else. He will quite often go back to his food later on and more often than not he is just not hungry at that time. As he is 21mths we sometimes do 'deals', so I say if he eats a certain amount or certain parts then he can have a yoghurt or fruit for pudding. This is a pretty new thing for us but really works!

 

[Blah11]

I only make her one thing too. If she doesnt eat it then shes not hungry as shes a very good eater so I just leave her and offer toast just before bedtime.

 

[redpoppy]

I'll give her a bit of something else, some finger foods, some cheese or a bit of avacado then fill her up with yogurt. But I'm always ready with back up and I never force her to eat.

 

[Mynx]

I wouldnt normally make anything else, unless it was a new food being introduced..if she didnt like it then I'd give her something else. Thankfully tho, she loves her grub so it's not a problem, unless she's ill, like right now.. she's got a stinking cold and seems to be really off her food.. her usual fave of sandwiches for lunch are going untouched, so today I made her some toast after she ignored her sandwich and she ate the lot.. seems she's gone off sarnies

 

[porkypig]

thanks everyone xx

 

[Racheldigger]

If Rowan doesn't fancy her main course, I go straight on and give her pudding, but leave the main course within reach. Very often, she'll eat her pudding and then pick up the rejected main course and eat that too.

 

[lupi]

Im quite surprised at the amount of people that offer fruit or yoghurt if they dont eat dinner my little one would cotton onto this and never eat his meal and skip straight to pud as he has a sweet tooth. If I know he likes the meal and is messing about and clearly not interested he doesnt get pudding. Generally he eats dinner really well and will try new things as he knows then he can have something else- works for us

 

[caggimedicine]

If I know it's something she likes, I wont make something else. I just let her get down, offer it one more time, then maybe give her a piece of fruit or something before bed.

Exactly the same here

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Im quite surprised at the amount of people that offer fruit or yoghurt if they dont eat dinner my little one would cotton onto this and never eat his meal and skip straight to pud as he has a sweet tooth. If I know he likes the meal and is messing about and clearly not interested he doesnt get pudding. Generally he eats dinner really well and will try new things as he knows then he can have something else- works for us

Thing is though, I think by only offering a second course when LO eats their main course, I think that's giving them the idea that the first course is a bit of a chore to eat and the pudding is the good bit. Which is obviously not a great attitude to food.

Plus, where do you draw the line at whether a LO has eaten 'enough' of the main course to warrant getting the pudding. Insisting on a clean plate could lead to LO ignore their full signs and possibly overreating, and if you just decide whether they have eaten enough, it's you deciding how much is appropriate for them to eat when really that is their job.

Not commenting on you individually, as I know a lot of people do feel the way you do.

 

[charlotteb24]

Noahs been going through a very assertive phase at the moment where he will say he doesn't want his dinner even if you put soething there that he likes. We just take it away and offer him it again later and if he still won't eat it then he goes without.

I keep having to tell myself as sometimes when they go through 2 week or so phases of it that he won't starve himself but its so difficult not to want to make something else for him! i never have yet tho!

Luckily at the moment again he is eating well but it seems to come in waves.

 

[future_numan]

I think it can turn out to be a power struggle if I tried to get her to eat when she doesn't want it so I will let he down and try again in a little while. If she still hasn't had anything by bedtime I will offer fruit or cheese but thankfully I haven't had much of a problem yet !

 

[KatienSam]

We offer Ella everything we have and if she doesn't eat it then we leave her, she is offered a snack before bed if she hasn't eaten her dinner x

 

[celine]

Great thread! My little man is not a good eater but Im very stern at dinner of course except if it is something new. I always make sure there is something on the table that I know he will eat, so if he is fussy and wont eat that i dont make anthing else.
He doesnt get dessert like fruit or yogurt but he does get a sippy cup of milk before coming up to bathtime and tends to have alot of that when he has eaten poorly but I refuse to make another meal for him or give him cracker or whatever.