Comments on: 3 Ideas for Picky Eaters

By: Deborah Godfrey

Deborah Godfrey — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 08:27:23 +0000

In reply to brandi. Love that hubby is accountable for agreement too! That sure makes a difference, great work!

By: brandi

brandi — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 21:17:22 +0000

We made a rule similar to the one listed above. My boys had a bad habit of getting up during dinner and walking around, looking at things, getting things, looking for the dog, etc. Anything but sit and eat. Our kids are 7-9. If they get up during meal time, their plate is removed from the table. At first, we take the plate and then they have a chance to eat it after everyone else is done eating. If that doesn’t deter them, then they lose the plate and don’t eat again until the next meal. After two experiences, they no longer get up and wander around during the meal. It’s important to be consistent. My husband didn’t like the idea and resisted it at first, thinking it was cruel, but we tried it and got good results. It’s much more enjoyable for everyone. The kids even feel proud of themselves when they sit through the whole meal! Also, I realized the importance of creating mealtime as family time. So my husband and I will stay at the table until the kids are done, that seems to make them feel less anxious about staying put through dinner.

By: Daniel Wagner.

Daniel Wagner. — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 11:19:53 +0000

On the POP Facebook page, we had a small discussion about how to get a child to stay seated during dinner time and eat. She said, ” Here’s one I struggle with the most.. every night when we are having dinner I cant get Caleb to stay in his seat. He wonders around, gets in the fridge, and only sits down for 5 mins at the max. I cant buckle him in a seat because he knows how to undo it. And he wont listen to anything I say.”

Another person commented, answering, “My suggestion: Secure the fridge and warn him if he gets up, he loses dinner. Couple of nights of going to bed hungry he may be willing to listen.”

What do you think? Does this method seem a bit forceful to you?

By: Wendy

Wendy — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 22:58:55 +0000

I think it might also be helpful to have a better understanding about how taste buds work and change. For example vegetables can have a bitter taste to some children at some stages in their life that adults don’t notice. The one bite rule seems very reasonable, since this can go away, it’s good to “check in” with your taste buds to see if anything has changed. Also I knew of a parent who had a really picky eater, and was devastated to find out her child wasn’t being picky, he just had multiple allergies! Talk about a guilt trip for making him sit at the table and force down that recipe with nuts! So there does seem to be several things to consider when dealing with a “picky” child! Another interesting thing I picked up… did you know the U.S. is the only country that has a “kids menu”? Everywhere else kids eat what adults eat, no hot dogs and mac n cheese in France!