What do you do

when your 2 or 3 year old refuses to eat dinner?

Quoting Expecting # 2!!:" when your 2 or 3 year old refuses to eat dinner? "

Wait until she tells me she's hungry, then make her something else.

Nothing...he/she will eat when their hungry. A common mistake alot of people make is making the child something different other than what everyone else is eating for dinner. My friend did this and her son is 7 years ols and still expects his own special meal for dinner when everyone eats something else.

Quoting Expecting # 2!!:" when your 2 or 3 year old refuses to eat dinner? "

He's sits there until he's eaten all of what I've asked him too...if he's refusing I usually only make him eat half of what I put on his plate..usually the whole "just one more bite" then after that bite "one more bite" he'll eat until it's done...obviously if he's sick or something I don't force him to eat it all though.

Honestly? On the nights my 2 1/2 year old wont eat what I make (spicy food or something like that) I just make him a banquet meal. It has protein, veggies, and a starch. He loves a select few of them so I always have a couple on hand. And Walmart has the for $1 each.

It is my job to provide food. It is his job to eat it or not. I try to offer him healthy, pleasing choices, but sometimes he really just doesn't want to eat at all.

I tell my kids it's my job to put the food in front of them and their job to eat it. If they don't want to eat they need to sit at the table with the rest of us until they're excused. No big deal, I always offer a snack before bed so it's not like they go to bed without eating but I'm not going to make them something else and I'm not going to "force" them to eat either

<blockquote><b>Quoting melissa_83:</b>" Nothing...he/she will eat when their hungry. A common mistake alot of people make is making the child ... [snip!] ... friend did this and her son is 7 years ols and still expects his own special meal for dinner when everyone eats something else."</blockquote>


 

I offer water and he goes to bed...

<blockquote><b>Quoting summerbabyX2:</b>" I tell my kids it's my job to put the food in front of them and their job to eat it. If they don't want ... [snip!] ... they go to bed without eating but I'm not going to make them something else and I'm not going to "force" them to eat either"</blockquote>


That's what we do. She has to sit with us but does not have to eat. That's how children develop bad eatin habits and that causes obesity.

I always feel bad and make DS something else to eat. He's so picky. He's gotten a lot better but he isn't old enough to tell me what he wants or what's wrong with what I've made so I cater to him. If I create bad habbits I'll do my best to rectify them but in the mean time I like for my son to eat.

We make him sit there until we're finished eating... Then we'll clean up and carry on.

His plate of dinner goes in the fridge. If he says he's hungry, that's what we offer him..

Only time we make him something "special" is when we're having something that we know he won't eat - but we offer it to him just in case he wants to retry it.

Quoting lolajessup:" <blockquote><b>Quoting summerbabyX2:</b>" I tell my kids it's my job to put the food ... [snip!] ... we do. She has to sit with us but does not have to eat. That's how children develop bad eatin habits and that causes obesity."

that's my thinking too and I never tell them to "clean their plate" or make them sit there until they eat. It creates a negative association with food, I want them to think of eating as nourishment to help them grow strong and healthy. I tell them to listen to their tummies and to stop eating when they are full. I know I have days where I just don't feel like eating or I don't want what I've made for dinner, why would they be any different?

<blockquote><b>Quoting summerbabyX2:</b>" that's my thinking too and I never tell them to "clean their plate" or make them sit there until they ... [snip!] ... I have days where I just don't feel like eating or I don't want what I've made for dinner, why would they be any different?"</blockquote>



We tell dd the same thing. Listen to your tummy.