Wednesday, December 7, 2011

How important is dinner really??

Cason is finally at that age where dinner is a nightmare!! I don't doubt that all Mom's go through this but what do I do? He just turned two, I don't know if he understands, 'you have to eat your dinner and then you can have a treat.' And is cheese considered a treat? Or an extra piece of bread? I mean, at least he's eating, right? But then he never eats the main dish, is that a big deal? Do I continue being strict and tough on him hoping that he'll eventually catch on? Do I stress myself out making him take more bites so that he can have more bread? Is it worth the fight? Should I wait until he gets a little older till I know he understands? Say three, maybe?
Every night I walk away from dinner with a massive headache because it's such a fight and I don't know if I can do it anymore. I don't know if it's even necessary that I do it anymore. I want my kid to eat what he needs to to grow strong and big and I want him to develop good habits while he's young so that it's not an even bigger issue later but is it worth it right now? Do I keep making him go to bed with only two bites of dinner because he didn't eat the main course? Or should I be more flexible and let him eat what he wants as long as it's the good stuff, like cheese, applesauce, yogurt, or bread? Help! What do I do??

5 comments:

Mackenzie said...

Ugh... this is sucha hard thing. Cohen has been the absolute worst eater ever. And it started when he was little and I would say just thing year he has started eating with us... He still struggles with it and sometimes will sit at the dinner table far longer than us. He rarely finishes his meals, and now that he is old enough I say if he says he is full then that is all he gets. But he has to try everything. I honestly don't really have any advice because I think I went about it the wrong way and would usually end up making him something separate when he was younger. Good luck and I totally understand how stressful it is when they won't eat. A thing my doctor told me to do and to this day we still do it is if you think he isn't getting enough nutrious stuff is the pediasure shakes. Maybe something to think about instead of that extra piece of bread?! Good luck Camille.

Jeni C. said...

We go through this with Mauri, too! It's a huge struggle, and I feel like such a bad mom sometimes. She is seriously the world's pickiest eater, and it drives me nuts! I hate making her different things than the rest of us, but sometimes it comes to that because frankly, I can't stand the thought of eating spaghetti, chicken nuggets, or pancakes as my only dinner options. I try to get her to eat new things, and sometimes can get her to at least taste them. If you figure out an answer, let me know! Good Luck!

Unknown said...

As long as he is eating something let him be for a while. Its not worth the stress. He will figure it out that he wants the other stuff later.

Brady and Patrice said...

When Ayda was a baby, she was so low on the growth charts that her dr wanted us to up the calories a ton, so we started "night-night snacks". Just a little snack before bedtime. Big Mistake!! She wouldn't eat her dinner because she was counting on that snack to fill her up later that night. So, 5 years later we're still trying to get out of that habit. The thing that helps me the best with getting my kids to eat their dinner is absolutely no snacks within an hour and a half or 2 hours before meal time. Good luck, feeding kids is stressful!

dimondlm said...

Cason, Cason, Cason. What is all this fuss you are giving mom about not eating your meals??? Tell mom not to stress about this. She will just have to be a little creative. Keaton drinks a shake made of fruit and spinich and carnation breakfast drink. The pediasure shakes are a good idea as well. The Nanny on the BYU station might have a website that might give you some ideas. Cason is distracted with the holidays lately and currently as well as a new bedroom and learning to do so much right now. Try giving him healthy choices and leaving them where he can get them when he decides he is hungry enough to eat one of them. love mom