There’s always at least one picky kid in the family. Although, you can’t MAKE any kid eat, you can definitely make dinner time a little more pleasant. Dinner doesn’t have to be a battleground.
There are typically a few reasons kids refuse dinner over any other meal of the day. 1. They’re kids and that’s what they do. 2. They have too many snacks during the day that by the time dinner comes they’re not actually hungry. 3. They get in a habit of getting what they want like a PB&J and feel it’s ok to ask for something else. 4. It’s the end of the day and they’re tired so asking them to do anything they don’t want to do is going to result in tears.
Trust me, I have had all the issues above and then some! I have made so many mistakes when it comes to eating, but I‘ve also had so many wins. Aside from sleeping, eating is a hot topic in parenting. Soooo, I’ve made a list of the wins that I’ve had at the dinner table!! These are all things that have worked for us but consistency, just like anything, is key!!
1. I banned the phrase “I want something else.” Although some days it’s just easier to give them a PB&J than to listen to the whining, but I’m not a short order cook. I make a firm rule that “this is what we’re having“. It’s ok not to like something, but if they’re hungry then this is what we’re eating. It may sound harsh but no child has ever died from eating peas or eating nothing at all if this is what they choose. I remind Audrey all the time that there are kids (in our hometown even) that won’t be eating dinner because they don’t have money for food. We are fortunate enough to have dinner every night. I also remind her of the rule of 3: you can go 3 hours without heat, 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food!! Ok so this is a little dramatic and obviously I would NEVER let my child go long without food, but reminding myself of this makes me feel better about not caving and letting her eat whatever she wants at dinner. 😉
2. I also don’t allow negative comments at the table like “gross” or “I hate that”. Its ok to say “I don’t care for it” because not everyone likes the same things. She still has to eat it though if she’s hungry.
3. We try to take turns on the menu. I plan my menu ahead of time so I let each family member pick one thing they would like for dinner. That way everyone has a chance to love what they're eating. If there’s a night that someone doesn’t like something I remind them “It’s daddy's choice tonight. Tomorrow is your choice.”
4. Along with #3, I try to include Audrey in the meal planning. Grab some cookbooks or borrow them from the library, and flip through it together. Let them pick out some meals they think look good. It’s amazing how much more open-minded they are when it’s something they helped pick. Bonus: grocery shop together for the ingredients and then cook it together! Audrey has eaten some things I never would’ve imagined by including her in the process! Plus, it’s great bonding time!!!
5. CUT DOWN ON SNACKING! Seems simple but it’s very hard for us Americans to do for some reason. We snack them to death! Audrey went through a phase where she would eat almost a pint of strawberries and then not eat dinner. Yes they were good for her but they didn’t allow her to eat anything else which meant she was only getting the vitamins and minerals strawberries offered. I ended up going completely French and only allowed one small snack after lunch. It was amazing what she would eat at dinner because she was legitimately hungry!! Grab a copy of “Bringing Up Bebe” for more on this subject.
6. Along with snacking, cut out empty calories such as juice and sugary drinks. They’re filling and offer little nutritional value. I allow one juice in the morning and milk at meal times. The rest of the day is strictly water.
These tips may seem daunting if you’ve been used to fixing a completely different meal for your kids than what you eat. I’m not going to lie to you and say it’s an easy road. There are nights that you will have tantrums and unpleasant evenings when you enforce any of these rules, but trust me it is well WORTH IT!!! Chances are you’re already having tantrums over dinner anyway. It might as well be tantrums that lead to pleasant dinners in the future. Once they get that you’re not budging on the new dinner rules, they will start to actually enjoy trying new things and everyone will have a much more pleasant meal. Bon apetit!!!💕
Stay tuned: my family‘s favorite meals coming up in the next blog posts!!! Sneak peek:
Thai Pizza
Pumpkin Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Quinoa Enchilada Bowl
Easy Pad Thai
💕💕💕
Comments