Jacksmommy2b
02-02-2011, 01:19 PM
I have been pretty lucky with both of my boys being good eaters and enjoying a very wide variety of foods - BUT - for the past 2 months or so, Jack (who insisted I add this smilie to be him :hysterical:) has decided he doesn't have the time/interest/effort required to eat.
We do family sit down meals for lunch and dinner with breakfast being him in his seat with the usual eggs/toast/juice while I throw a load of laundry in or do the dishes. He'll sit at the table for about 10 minutes, pick at his food, then ask to be excused. I can get another 5-10 minutes and another half a meal into him by feeding him while he is distracted talking about his day but that is about it.
We keep the TV off at meal times and there are no ipods, books or his DS allowed at the dinner table. I have broken down and will allow lego men and the like as just another way to try to get food into him. We have also started not excusing him from the table until M and I are finished eating, thinking he won't be in a hurry to get back to whatever if he is stuck sittting with us, but that isn't working either.
I don't think I would be bothered if I thought he was just on the down end of a groth spurt - but a half hour to two hours later he starts going on about being hungry again!
So then I'm torn - J is a small guy to begin with so - I certainly don't want to ever deny him food - but on the other hand, this isn't a diner and meal times are meal times!
There have been times he has wolfed down a whole bowl of pasta to announce he's hungry again a halfhour later. I have no problem giving him snacks then, but I am getting really sick of preparing meals to have to make him snacks or reheat dinner before I'm even finished cleaning up the first wave.
I have tried announcing it to be the last meal of the day, the only lunch he is getting or that if he doesn't eat his meal the next snack is 2 hours from now so eat or be hungry - all to no avail.
And, like I said he is really into a wide variety of foods - but he will tell me if there is a meal he doesn't like and I really don't make them anymore, so I don't think it is an issue of him not liking the food offered.
So... what to do? Is this normal preschooler behavior? I don't want to do the 'clean your plate' thing but I'm running out of ideas.
We do family sit down meals for lunch and dinner with breakfast being him in his seat with the usual eggs/toast/juice while I throw a load of laundry in or do the dishes. He'll sit at the table for about 10 minutes, pick at his food, then ask to be excused. I can get another 5-10 minutes and another half a meal into him by feeding him while he is distracted talking about his day but that is about it.
We keep the TV off at meal times and there are no ipods, books or his DS allowed at the dinner table. I have broken down and will allow lego men and the like as just another way to try to get food into him. We have also started not excusing him from the table until M and I are finished eating, thinking he won't be in a hurry to get back to whatever if he is stuck sittting with us, but that isn't working either.
I don't think I would be bothered if I thought he was just on the down end of a groth spurt - but a half hour to two hours later he starts going on about being hungry again!
So then I'm torn - J is a small guy to begin with so - I certainly don't want to ever deny him food - but on the other hand, this isn't a diner and meal times are meal times!
There have been times he has wolfed down a whole bowl of pasta to announce he's hungry again a halfhour later. I have no problem giving him snacks then, but I am getting really sick of preparing meals to have to make him snacks or reheat dinner before I'm even finished cleaning up the first wave.
I have tried announcing it to be the last meal of the day, the only lunch he is getting or that if he doesn't eat his meal the next snack is 2 hours from now so eat or be hungry - all to no avail.
And, like I said he is really into a wide variety of foods - but he will tell me if there is a meal he doesn't like and I really don't make them anymore, so I don't think it is an issue of him not liking the food offered.
So... what to do? Is this normal preschooler behavior? I don't want to do the 'clean your plate' thing but I'm running out of ideas.