Viewing 5 posts - 41 through 45 (of 45 total)
  • Help me to get my stubborn 5 year old to eat !
  • midlifecrisis
    Free Member

    I pretty much agree with the point of view that says kids won’t allow themselves to starve. However, I’d disagree with the suggestion that you leave your child staring at a plate of cold food until they give in and eat it. That seems like a sure fire way of making them dig their heels in and refusing to eat.

    When mine were younger the response we took was along the lines of “I’m sorry that you don’t like this, you ate it last week. However, it is the meal we have prepared and it is all there is” at that point the plate was removed from in front of them and we carried on with our meal regardless.

    This stopped it being a battle of wills and meant that they didn’t lose face. If they said later on that they were hungry, we politely offered to warm their dinner up and on many occasions they would accept it willingly.

    Good luck – it can be a real pain. Just try to play it down and I am sure it will pass.

    littlemisspanda
    Free Member

    There was a good supernanny episode that dealt with it I think or it might have been that Jo Frost extreme parenting. I don’t remember it in detail but essentially the key points were I think:

    1) don’t give it attention, fuss or worry.
    2) don’t offer alternatives to the food you are eating – midlifecrisis had a good strategy for that.
    3) distract during meals – try picnics so you can look at things that are going around you and make it fun
    4) give small manageable portions -don’t overface them

    That said do look out for anything that could be a sign of an allergy/condition – diarrhoea or persistent constipation, failure to gain weight, bloating and excessive gas, eczema or rashes, getting indigestion a lot (kids will complain of tummy or chest pain). The reason I say is because my nephew was put down to being fussy and turned out to be coeliac like me – he had IBS-like symptoms, always a bloated stomach and his appetite was either ravenous or nonexistent and he had cravings for very specific foods – specifically starchy carbs and sugary things (because he wasn’t absorbing nutrients his body was crying out for energy).

    bencooper
    Free Member

    …might have been that Jo Frost extreme parenting…

    We have a rule that we don’t listen to any parenting advice from someone who doesn’t have kids. It’s easy to come up with these strategies until you try them for yourself 🙂

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    leffeboy
    Full Member

    -Don’t worry. He won’t starve

    This is slightly incorrect as I know of one child who ended in serious problems until he learned to eat again (which they did with some professional help). However you are still miles away from there, nearly all of the advice so far has been great and you are working your way though it. (that wasn’t to worry you – just to say any advice of ignoring the problem is wrong)

    Adding to the suggestions made so far (and as the parent of someone who hardly eats), you could try keeping a supply of tasty stuff in the fridge ready for the moments when they are hungry. Our idea of eating meals at regular times is nice but may be a bit too forced, so maybe giving them the opportunity to eat when hungry may help for a bit

    Good luck – this can’t be fun

    I_did_dab
    Free Member

    Small people have small stomachs and strange metabolisms. So if he’s eating something (weetabix and milk) and still growing and putting on weight, relax.
    If you want him to eat a more balanced diet, why not try leaving out snack bowls of healthy treats (with a few choccy buttons mixed in). We have found that ours never eat well when absolutely ravenous (+1 leffeboy).
    +1 for getting him cooking, playing with food is great too, e.g. make and eat models from raw veg and a few cocktail sticks.
    Don’t stress at mealtimes – don’t give him stuff you know he won’t eat, and offer a simple alternative if the meal turns out to be wrong.
    Ahh! The joys of parenthood…

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