UGH! My 5 yr old and dinner time! (rant)

Let me start by sayin that what we make for dinner IS what's for dinner! I don't make my daughter a special meal just because she doesn't like it or doesn't want to try it or whatever other excuse she gives. I HAVE made her something else if we're making something spicy or I just KNOW she won't eat it. I give options for lunch and snacks so she does have choices throughout the day when we're at home. Anyway, that being said, my almost 5 year old is sitting at the table by herself AGAIN tonight. I HATE it!! All I want is for her to eat, NOT ALL, but some of her meal. Last night we made spaghetti (which used to be one of her favorites) and she just poked at her "stinky cheese" covered noodles (no sauce lately?). She's been saying "can I just not eat tonight? I'll go to bed without dinner..." But I don't want that! Last night she said "Mom, I know what this thing is with me not eating" "What Honey" "I just want to eat graaapes, dooonuuts, and CANDY!" I do try to bribe her to eat by offering a small, yummy dessert but even that hasn't been working...IDK. I got so frustrated tonight I actually threatened to stop making dinner for her   I feel so guilty about that, but really why should I? She doesn't eat anyway...

Do you have a picky eater?? How do you handle it? Did your kid grow out of this??

Try having her sit until she eats. She'll get hungry eventually

The food goes in the fridge, and it comes back out again at breakfast time (if it's a fit over it.) If it's legit something they don't like, they can have a pb&j, although I always make side dishes (or add something) that I know they like.

My DD is 4 and most nights she doesn't want to eat what I make but I tell her she has to eat atleast 5 good bites before she can be excused from the table. We never have a problem getting her to take those 5 bites.

My son went through that stage over the summer I talked to his pedi about and he says as long as he was eating breakfast and lunch then don't force it was normal. SO went through the same phase. Call her pedi or a nurse and ask what options you have. Eventually my son would just pick 2 bites and be done. But he eats now sometimes it's all day and every meal sometimes he just picks.

Uggh Iknow how you feel and i'm going through the same thing. I just served my six year old sme rice with hamburger meat. He literally made himself throw up because i made him have one bite. He threw up in the trash. So i take that away and give him a small cupof water. I served him slices of chicken and rice... now hes saying he hates the chicken and wont eat.

They don't eat anything until they finish the food that was prepared for dinner.

I don't care how long it takes.

I don't force Tanner to eat. He will ask for food when he is hungry. Tanner really does not get hungry until late, like right before bed. But if he says he isn't hungry, then whatever. But if he asks 1 hour later or 3 hours later, he is eating what is for dinner.

My 5 year old gets like that sometimes. If she doesn't want what I fix, she'll take a couple of small bites and get up from the table. I will ask her if she's dine, and she will usually say yes. If she's going to eat, she'll eat. It might just be a phase your daughter is going through.

DD is only two, but I am pretty lenient with dinner time. As long as she tries it, she doesn't have to finish it and I'll fix her something else. But she HAS to try it. She usually likes it after a bite. If I finish eating (I am a slow eater) and she hasn't eaten anything, she can leave the table. But when she tells me she's hungry, she has to try what was for dinner first.

I know what my baby stiter used to do and iv done it while baby sitting a friend of mines picky eater befor and it worked!!! whatever was for lunch/dinner like you said is whats for lunch/dinner.. esceciallly if i let the child pick it out! but if she wouldnt eat it id say that fine.. but when u get hungery THIS is what your eating.... most the time she would go ahead and eat it instead of waiting.. but a handful of times she wouldnt, so id put it up and when she got hungery and asked for junk food, nope you can have what was for lunch/ dinner.. SO said it was mean.. but hey it worked.

Quoting SpaceCowgirl:" They don't eat anything until they finish the food that was prepared for dinner. I don't care how long it takes."

This. If it gets too close to bedtime, she goes to bed. But usually just threatening that she wouldn't get a snack gets her butt moving.

Quoting SoonToBeProudMommyOf3:" Try having her sit until she eats. She'll get hungry eventually"

i so agree. that's how my parents were and we ate... might have taken a while but we learned that you get really hungry if you dont eat at all and got over being picky. though i still hate spaghetti!