If your child doesn’t want what you give them to eat, what do you do?

Question

If your child refuses what you offer them to eat, do you end the meal without offering anything else? Do you make them something else? How do you handle it? I don’t know what age is appropriate to just let them go hungry if they don’t want what you give them to eat.

Answer

So you should be offering a safe food at every meal. This is something you know your little one likes and eats well. Offer 2 to 3 foods. No press to eat any of it. Simply eat meals together. Talk about how sour the raspberry was, or how crunchy the cracker is. It is your job to provide the meal and your child’s job to eat as much or as little as they like. If all they are was fruit and they want more even though they did eat anything else give them more fruit. The key is repeated exposure to a variety of foods even they don’t always try it. You want to avoid catering for meals. Offer a variety of foods and be sure to include at least one safe food and offer seconds or thirds of whatever they eat.

Answer

If my girls won't eat what I made them I just save it and try to give them it when they're hungry again. If they still don't want the food I give them something else. My oldest is almost 3 and my youngest 15 months so neither are old enough to make themselves some food and I would never leave them to go hungry. If they were older and could make themselves something else to eat it would be different.

Answer

We offer something else. If he still won’t eat we just assume he’s not hungry and will offer again later. As long as he eats something during the day and is drinking fluids we don’t worry about it.

Answer

I get baby down and wait 15/30 minutes and try again with the same meal. But if it's just not what baby wants, I'll make a gerber meal or pb&j or something. I think mine are too little at this age to be truly picky when there are factors like teething to consider.

Answer

I usually offer him something else.
Also, please follow Feeding Littles on Instagram, seriously they’re so amazing at handling feeding babies, toddlers and kids and teaching you different techniques. I love their language around food, go check them out!!

Answer

My girl eats or waits until the next meal/snack - but this basically never happens because we offer 3 options on her plate. We follow the Feeding Littles techniques and it works! 
If you just make a child another dish you feed into pickiness and that’s something we don’t have time for. Mom is not a short order cook

Answer

My guys has recently been really weird about dinner. Sometimes he wants it, sometimes he doesnt 🤷🏻‍♀️
He knows how to sign "eat" and "all done" so if he really isn't feeling dinner when he's signing "eat",  I'll make him a peanut butter and jelly. If he's not eating and signing "all done" I just let him go about his way. I still try to encourage him to sit with us while we eat.  If he didn't eat a whole lot or skipped dinner, he usually asks to eat an hour or so later so I'll reoffer.

Answer

Considering he’s only 16 months no.

If your child doesn’t want what you give them to eat, what do you do?

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