Getting back on track with meals

Since our house flooded we haven't really been on track with meals. We've been eating out a lot and not always getting three meals a day, but lots of grazing in between. We haven't been the healthiest. So now I have two fickle toddlers who I need to get back on track. We're in a basement suite now, so I can actually make meals. I am making them things that they used to like, but they want nothing to do with it and hold out for french fries instead. We also have developed some bad TV during meals habits that I have to break, which means that I will probably have to bring back their booster chairs for a while so they will sit still. We're still waiting for a kitchen table to appear in our suite though. Argh!

So basically they're not eating at all lately. Today they licked a tablespoon of peanut butter off of their bagels, ate about 11 grapes each, a handful of crackers for lunch and 3 bites of cauliflower. Two bites of pasta for supper. They did drink a fair amount of milk today. So do I just let them starve themselves into eating well again or wean them back to healthy food?

I wish we'd tried to be a little more regimented about their meals in the last month; bad habits form so easily!

 

I'd do cold turkey on the tv. Shut it off at dinner time. As for the food, what I would do is offer 3 healthy choices and one very small amount of fries or crackers or something they would eat. Do larger portions of the healthy. Then after a few days, cut down on the unhealthy. Keep cutting it down until in about a week or 2, you stop serving it. They will not starve themselves but they will use EVERY trick in the book to get you to give in. When they don't eat the healthy, pull it out the next time they say they are hungry (10 mins later) and re-offer it. Good luck, this is not going to be easy.

 

Don't be so hard on yourself, we went through a really picky eating time at 2.5 and we had no changes, same healthy choices were being offered, and they just didn't eat them. They came back around a few months later to their usual eating habits. It could just be the age. I always made and still make sure to offer a fruit and veggie that I know they will eat along with whatever the meal is. I like Irene's suggestions.

 

I agree with Jori-don't be so hard on yourself! With that age comes picky eaters! Anthony loved loved loved sausage and hotdogs. Now-won't eat them. And when he does, he starts coughing. Out of the blue. I think now it's because there is a 'skin' on them. Who knows. But it was literally overnight.

My kids are big fry lovers. Now, when they do get them, I let them have a couple, then they need to finish x, y, and z before they can have any more. In fact, Anthony the other day ate all of his sandwich, then the cheeseballs! And asked if he could eat them!

I think you could start telling them that they can have _____ but they need to eat _____. Its not going to work overnight, but they will catch on!

 

You could try home fries, just potatoes cut and baked with a tiny bit of oil... but we have the same problem and never went through what you did, I think it's pretty universal in toddlers (heck you got me beat, mine won't touch cauliflower).

 

If you give them a small portion of everything on the plate, will they just eat the fries and beg for more, or eat the fries and slowly move onto other things? I'd 'wean' them off of fries if they'll eat other things. If they won't eat anything else, I might just 'run out' of fries for a 4 or 5 days. I do believe they won't starve themselves, but may have a couple of days that they don't eat as much.

 

Hi - i agree with everyone's replies. For the TV we also have had to ween them off of this - now I let them watch a 1/2 hour of tv before dinner and then turn it off to eat. This helps as it calms them down before dinner and they don't complain the whole meal about wanting to watch tv.

 

Relax. My 2 go through cycles of not eating because they probably are not growing and dont' need it. They will eat when they are hungry. With that said offer nutritios food only at meals and they will get the hang of it. Don't worry they won't starve to death. They will quickly learn if they want food its only at meals. My kids only get tv 1/2 hr before bed. Meal time is family time.. no tv.

 

I forgot about this thread :lol: We rescued their booster chairs from the garage and I put all the snacks away to keep them on a tighter meal schedule and they've been much, much better. Today they both ate a whole piece of whole wheat veggie pizza for lunch! I have also kept their milk off the table until halfway through meals and that has helped a lot too; I think they were filling up on milk before.

I think it's definitely a combination of their age and also just the total and complete lack of structure the last month. At home we don't even have a tv that they see on a regular basis so having one that they basically have access to all the time has definitely changed things. My kids have watched more tv in the last month than I ever wanted them to, but it keeps them busy while I am on the phone with contractors etc. Hopefully we'll be back in our house sooner than later and be able to get back to our regular routine.