When do you 'let' them not eat?

I know this has been asked before. At what age do you not mind if they miss a meal? DD is refusing to sit in her high chair (won't sit in any chair). I told her that she won't get food if she doesn't sit down. (brother is sitting in his chair but not liking it much since she isn't sitting) She is my chunk, but when is it ok to not feed? Am I making any sense? She did sit in a chair and might have gotten something in her (not much), but then it was play central. What are some some tips of the trade?! Thanks!

 

I was always told that toddlers eat when hungry...so if my 2yo doesn't want to sit and eat, I don't force him. Now, at a restaurant or something he has to stay sitting...but that is a different story. I will generally have one or two options for him if he decides he is hungry later (string cheese, yogurt). But there has been lots of nights that he doesn't eat any dinner (or lunch).

 

I would have to say she's just not hungry! Just let her get good and hungry, no snacks no nursing nothing, then see if she complies....worth a shot!

 

I say anytime they're not following the rules is the time to let them not eat as a consequence. She's not going to starve or really even be terribly hungry if she has to wait until the next snack/meal. Just this morning, Natalie didn't want to sit in her high chair, so I told her she couldn't have any breakfast, but she still wanted to stand at the table and drink her milk, eat her muffin, distract her sister, etc., so I told her either she had to get back in her chair or breakfast was over and it was time to wash up. She refused, so we went straight to the bathroom to brush teeth and wash hands/face, and then I deposited her in their play room while I went back to the table to finish breakfast with Rita. She pitched a fit for a few minutes and stood at the gate crying, "Breakfast, breakfast!" but I knew she was more angry than hungry, and she calmed down after just a few minutes.

I think it's just consistency -- sitting down in a chair to eat is a perfectly reasonable rule for you to have, so I think you just need to be consistent so she gets that it's really truly no really the rule, LOL.

 

Thank you for your replies so far! I do appreciate it! She still isn't acting hungry. It's going to be bedtime soon. Thanks again!

 

And you thought you were running the house...
Can't force them to eat. Can't force them to potty train. When will we parents realize that we are no longer in control? :laughing:

 

I agree. Control is an illusion!

Sometimes when my boys are fighting me about sitting in their highchairs I'll give them a couple of cheerios or a cracker, which seems to distract them enuf to get them into their chairs. Sometimes they eat well, other times they don't.

Holly

 

QUOTE(****mws**** @ May 31 2007, 01:27 PM) [snapback]274180[/snapback]
lots of mothers thing im nutz.. but i sit with my babies and feed them from one bowl..
they have something to hold and chew but the majoity of their food comes from me.
weather they are sitting on the floor with me or in their high chairs.

i hate to say it .. its less mess.. if i feed them and give them crackers to practice with .. rather than spagetti


I did this. I started letting them really feed themselves a lot when they were between 2 and 2.5. They did fine and caught up really well, and I had almost no issues with food being thrown or dropped on the floor because I was always the one holding the food. I also almost never had to wash food out of their hair. By the time they were in control of their eating entirely, they didn't put it in their hair or throw it on the floor. I was lucky, though, neither of my girls is a picky eater.

 

Sometimes my kids decide that they don't want to sit in their chairs at the table. But it is a family rule that even if they don't want to eat they need to sit with us. Either it be in our laps or in their seats. If they choose not to eat that is fine but they have to join us and not be in another room playing. So some of our meals have had some tears but they have come ti realize that it is family time.
Do what you feel is the right thing to do.
Amy