is feeding kids that important?

[Uhtrinity]

Being a parent I can say it is to keep everyone on the same schedule eating the same things. Do you realize how inconvenient it is to not only prepare multiple meals at different times, but to also prepare different things based on a child's whim? My son has always been expected to eat what is served, if he declines he is told he has to wait until the next meal, though I will usually give him a snack after an hour. Most of the time it works well.

What will happen when they start school? Demand a different lunch time or something not on the menu? You might not understand it, but it is a matter convenience as well as building life skills. To do otherwise contributes to a person who has a world revolving around them.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Being a parent I can say it is to keep everyone on the same schedule eating the same things. Do you realize how inconvenient it is to not only prepare multiple meals at different times, but to also prepare different things based on a child's whim? My son has always been expected to eat what is served, if he declines he is told he has to wait until the next meal, though I will usually give him a snack after an hour. Most of the time it works well.

What will happen when they start school? Demand a different lunch time or something not on the menu? You might not understand it, but it is a matter convenience as well as building life skills. To do otherwise contributes to a person who has a world revolving around them.

This is also true. Kids actively seek boundaries. In general, routine and expectations are a good thing. Self discipline is learned from early childhood. It's not something that an adult suddenly decides is a good thing.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I think it's more about discipline than sustenance. Meals held at a certain time are one of the first elements of structured living that will be introduced to children. Making them finish what's in their plate is another matter though. It is intended to make sure that they are satiated until the next regular meal time, but I think it just trains them to eat more than they need. So, I am pro regular meal times, but against insisting that children do anything but sit with the family at mealtimes.

 

[HydroSqueegee]

I grew up with my brother and two sisters. We always were hungry and if you didn't want to eat, one of my siblings would take care of the problem. If there was something new on the table we hadn't seen before (happened quite a lot) we tried it anyway because if we didn't there wouldn't be any left.

I always thought kids would eat if they got hungry. Then, my youngest had a baby. My grandson was diagnosed with "failure to thrive" which is doctorese for "we have no idea." He wouldn't eat. He was never hungry. He was tube fed and seems to have gotten a little better but, remains a picky eater.

What the hell is the difference in our environment between now and when I grew up? It seems like every other kid today has some kind of allergy or food intolerance today. Lactose intolerance is very common. When I was little, there was exactly one kid in the entire school who was lactose intolerant. I always tried to sit next to him to get an extra milk.

my oldest son had failure to thrive. he would only eat a tiny bit as a baby and we had to force feed him. turns out his adenoids were too big and he couldnt breath while eating. had them chopped out and all of a sudden he was eating very well. Hes an excellent eater now. he even eats things i wont.

 

[HydroSqueegee]

the pediatricians will always say let them eat on their own when their hungry. bullshit. kids will never eat if that was the case. or they'd eat unhealthy crap. feeding a toddler is one of the hardest, most annoying things of parenthood.

nah. its not too hard at all. just dont buy garbage. only keep the stuff you want them to eat around the house. they'll get hungry and eat whatever is available eventually.

 

[sswingle]

lol, are you actually trying to say that not feeding your kid a midnight snack after they refused dinner is forcing anorexia on them?

mod troll? really?

Did you just hear a whooshing sound? That was the joke, going right over your head.

 

[HydroSqueegee]

exactly. i know when my kids are getting ready or in a growth spurt. the amount of food they eat doubles to triples.

im always shocked when i see the amount of food my 6 year old can eat. he will pack it away when hes getting ready to grow. Which is about to happen... the little guy is getting pudgy again. Looks pretty silly on his small frame. I'm doomed when my boys get to be teenagers.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

it's annoying breeder habit of making the world revolve around their brat


straight people CANNOT play up enough the fact they have a babby


insert babby into every conversation



Did you hear Osama bin laden is dead?
"my babby poops weird"


Wanna go have some drinks after work?
"my babby has an event to attend"



*edit this post makes no sense
but god damn i hate babies

and i hate how even if a baby is a good, not attention whore baby, their parents will make it one



as is the case with force feeding their perfectly fine child

Troll trying to use "breeder" as an insult?

 

[LookBehindYou]

I don't think it has a lot to do with being hungry or not. My son is 7 now, but at around 3 or 4 he started to have issues at dinner time. Had nothing to do with hungry, and everything to do with being picky and just not trying something new. If they only eat a bite and say they are done, but ask for a snack 2 minutes later, or would have no problem eating a few slices of pizza, you have to put a stop to it quick.

We basically had to take stuff away from him if he didn't eat his dinner, toys, tv, earlier bed time, whatever. Didn't last too long, he got the picture and eats fine ever since.

People (especially non parents) need to realize that kids at around 3 or 4 will start testing parents to see what they can get away with.

Has little to do with nutrition, or whether or not they are hungry or not. They are are trying to be the boss, which you can't let happen.

 

[rasczak]

Being a parent I can say it is to keep everyone on the same schedule eating the same things. Do you realize how inconvenient it is to not only prepare multiple meals at different times, but to also prepare different things based on a child's whim? My son has always been expected to eat what is served, if he declines he is told he has to wait until the next meal, though I will usually give him a snack after an hour. Most of the time it works well.

What will happen when they start school? Demand a different lunch time or something not on the menu? You might not understand it, but it is a matter convenience as well as building life skills. To do otherwise contributes to a person who has a world revolving around them.

This.

 

[waggy]

Troll trying to use "breeder" as an insult?

you new here? this is something he always does when anyone talks about there kids. he is a hard core militant gay.

im always shocked when i see the amount of food my 6 year old can eat. he will pack it away when hes getting ready to grow. Which is about to happen... the little guy is getting pudgy again. Looks pretty silly on his small frame. I'm doomed when my boys get to be teenagers.

LOL yeah same. both my kids are small (my son is 43inches adn 40 lbs, my daughter is 45 inches and 45 lbs) but damn they sure can pack in the food.

i made home made pizza last night. them 2 finished off a full one (3 slices each) between them. i had a slice and a half and was full. About a hour after dinner they both are walking around with a slice of mine! WTF

 

[Texashiker]

what's the point of getting into a fight at the dinner table every night because they say they're not hungry?

Sounds like those parents have been reading too many parenting magazines. Those parenting magazine authors write about the perfect lifestyle - the mom cooks a good meal and everyone sits down and eats. The thing is, life is not perfect.

The kids will eat when they are hungry.

At 2 years old, the child should be able to tell the parents when they are hungry.

 

[waggy]

Sounds like those parents have been reading too many parenting magazines. Those parenting magazine authors write about the perfect lifestyle - the mom cooks a good meal and everyone sits down and eats. The thing is, life is not perfect.

The kids will eat when they are hungry.

At 2 years old, the child should be able to tell the parents when they are hungry.

trouble is you have to many parents that don't take the time to learn the kids "signals". many kids at that age do not communicate by verbal all the time. so they get upset when they won't eat and cry all the time.

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

Whether or not you feed them, they will still go out to eat rocks, mud & poop anyway.

 

[slayer202]

Being a parent I can say it is to keep everyone on the same schedule eating the same things. Do you realize how inconvenient it is to not only prepare multiple meals at different times, but to also prepare different things based on a child's whim? My son has always been expected to eat what is served, if he declines he is told he has to wait until the next meal, though I will usually give him a snack after an hour. Most of the time it works well.

What will happen when they start school? Demand a different lunch time or something not on the menu? You might not understand it, but it is a matter convenience as well as building life skills. To do otherwise contributes to a person who has a world revolving around them.

oh i'm sorry, I didn't know children were supposed to be convenient. feeding a kid when he's hungry instead of when you're hungry is not teaching them anything. if you don't have the time or sense to care for your kids properly, don't have them

 

[Sonikku]

is feeding kids that important?

Suppose you could try not feeding em' and see what happens.

 

[vi edit]

I don't think it has a lot to do with being hungry or not. My son is 7 now, but at around 3 or 4 he started to have issues at dinner time. Had nothing to do with hungry, and everything to do with being picky and just not trying something new. If they only eat a bite and say they are done, but ask for a snack 2 minutes later, or would have no problem eating a few slices of pizza, you have to put a stop to it quick.

We basically had to take stuff away from him if he didn't eat his dinner, toys, tv, earlier bed time, whatever. Didn't last too long, he got the picture and eats fine ever since.

People (especially non parents) need to realize that kids at around 3 or 4 will start testing parents to see what they can get away with.

Has little to do with nutrition, or whether or not they are hungry or not. They are are trying to be the boss, which you can't let happen.

This is the situation we're in. My 3.5 year old is a picky, stubborn little turd. She won't eat not out of lack of hunger, but because her stubborness is more powerful than her appetite. She's hungry. You know she's hungry. She knows she's hungry. But she just wont' fucking eat. So we take her dinner away, she doesn't get a snack, and she goes to bed hungry bitching and moaning that her stomach hurts. Rinse and repeat almost daily for us.

And the kicker is that she *is* malnourished to a point. She's at the bottom of the growth curve for size and weight and is a skinny little thing. The pediatrician is a tough spot because she says we're doing the right thing by not giving in to her, but also says that she's pretty small for her age.

So WTF do you do with that situation. That's what is really frustrating. You know your kid *is* failing to thrive but her own stubborness is the one causing it. Not a lack of food, or type of food, or anything else. She'd eat a pop tart of candy or ice cream in an instant if you gave it to her. But I'm not loading my kid up on shit food and trash just to give her calories.

 

[lxskllr]

So WTF do you do with that situation. That's what is really frustrating. You know your kid *is* failing to thrive but her own stubborness is the one causing it. Not a lack of food, or type of food, or anything else. She'd eat a pop tart of candy or ice cream in an instant if you gave it to her. But I'm not loading my kid up on shit food and trash just to give her calories.

Ask her what she wants to eat. I've always let my daughter choose what to eat for meals, but I retain veto power. Of course I don't have a bunch of crap in the house either. The worst thing is the occasional kid cereal, which I eat also, but it's always been known that they aren't for meals. Kids cereal is a candy bar in a box, and it's always been treated accordingly. Get rid of the candy, PopTarts, and ice cream, and cook some different things. See what she likes to eat.

 

[SlitheryDee]

This is the situation we're in. My 3.5 year old is a picky, stubborn little turd. She won't eat not out of lack of hunger, but because her stubborness is more powerful than her appetite. She's hungry. You know she's hungry. She knows she's hungry. But she just wont' fucking eat. So we take her dinner away, she doesn't get a snack, and she goes to bed hungry bitching and moaning that her stomach hurts. Rinse and repeat almost daily for us.

And the kicker is that she *is* malnourished to a point. She's at the bottom of the growth curve for size and weight and is a skinny little thing. The pediatrician is a tough spot because she says we're doing the right thing by not giving in to her, but also says that she's pretty small for her age.

So WTF do you do with that situation. That's what is really frustrating. You know your kid *is* failing to thrive but her own stubborness is the one causing it. Not a lack of food, or type of food, or anything else. She'd eat a pop tart of candy or ice cream in an instant if you gave it to her. But I'm not loading my kid up on shit food and trash just to give her calories.

With my little brother (who is 17 years younger than me) I found that just making him sit at the table during mealtime got the job done more often than not, provided he hadn't been allowed to eat snacks before. Don't pressure her to eat at all. Just sit her at the table and act as if her eating is the farthest thing from your mind. There just happens to be a plate there with food on it should she decide to avail herself of it. If she doesn't eat, carry on as usual. Throw her plate away and put her to bed.

My brother was reacting more to the pressure we were putting on him to eat than anything else. Once that pressure was gone, and he was just sitting in front of a plate while people talked to him, he would start fiddling with his food and usually eat a lot of it.

 

[vi edit]

Ask her what she wants to eat. I've always let my daughter choose what to eat for meals, but I retain veto power. Of course I don't have a bunch of crap in the house either. The worst thing is the occasional kid cereal, which I eat also, but it's always been known that they aren't for meals. Kids cereal is a candy bar in a box, and it's always been treated accordingly. Get rid of the candy, PopTarts, and ice cream, and cook some different things. See what she likes to eat.

If she had her choice it'd be either a hotdog or pb&j every meal. That's it. I don't do short order cooking for her if it's a meal I know she'll eat if she'd just fucking try it.

Like last night, I did grilled chicken and a cheese tortellina with a very basic marinara sauce. She won't eat chicken unless it's breaded and smothered in ranch. And she'll eat the shit out of mac & cheese but won't touch any pasta that's not elbow macaroni. She'll instantly look at a plate and say "I don't like that" without even putting a bite in her mouth.

I don't play that. She'll get plated and sat there with us, if she doesn't eat that's on her. If I do something spicy or wild that I know she won't even remotely consider eating I'll throw in something that I know she will.

But I'm not going to let my kid have a 3 food rotating diet.

 

[waggy]

If she had her choice it'd be either a hotdog or pb&j every meal. That's it. I don't do short order cooking for her if it's a meal I know she'll eat if she'd just fucking try it.

Like last night, I did grilled chicken and a cheese tortellina with a very basic marinara sauce. She won't eat chicken unless it's breaded and smothered in ranch. And she'll eat the shit out of mac & cheese but won't touch any pasta that's not elbow macaroni. She'll instantly look at a plate and say "I don't like that" without even putting a bite in her mouth.

I don't play that. She'll get plated and sat there with us, if she doesn't eat that's on her. If I do something spicy or wild that I know she won't even remotely consider eating I'll throw in something that I know she will.

But I'm not going to let my kid have a 3 food rotating diet.

exactly!

we have a rule. you must try everything on the table. you don't like it? fine don't eat it. Don't expect me to make you special meal though.

i enjoy spicy stuff. my kids are starting to. if i make something spicy i will make my kids something i know they will eat.

but if its something new that they might like? tough shit if you don't like it. try it first before you start gagging.

also no dinner? no bedtime snack. wait until morning.

 

[lxskllr]

There's nothing wrong with hotdogs, or pbj as as there's a a vegetable to go along with it. If she likes elbow macaroni, make elbow macaroni. Pasta is pasta. It's all the same shit in a different shape. You need to have some flexibility also.

 

[Jaskalas]

the pediatricians will always say let them eat on their own when their hungry. bullshit. kids will never eat if that was the case. or they'd eat unhealthy crap. feeding a toddler is one of the hardest, most annoying things of parenthood.

Saying they'd eat something unhealthy isn't an argument given the ease of alleviating it. I hope you realize you control what's available.

 

[vi edit]

There's nothing wrong with hotdogs, or pbj as as there's a a vegetable to go along with it.

LOL Vegatables. Yeh right. The only thing she'll eat remotely resembling a veggie is green beans out of a can. Nothing fresh or frozen. She wont' eat carrots in any form. Or corn. Or hell even potatoes. No squash. No lettuces. If I do any of those pasta packets out of a bag that are like broccoli and cheddar she won't eat anything on the spoon if there's a teeny tiny bit of broccoli on the spoon.

She's just a picky, stubborn little shit.

 

[lokiju]

"why not let the kid just go and play if he says he's not hungry? throw his plate in the fridge and when his stomach is rumbling, he can finish eating it."

Because then you let them take control of the family schedule. There's a time to eat. They eat then or they don't eat until the next meal (within reason of course). I'm not saying you're some extremist about it and your kid has a cold and isn't feeling well so doesn't feel like eating at that moment and you starve him for it. But if your kid doesn't want to eat because he/she just wants to go and play, well that's what being a parent is all about. Teaching right and wrong. Teaching discipline so they're not a little manner-less brat later.

You fight the battle early so they're well mannered through the rest of their lives.

If they simply do not wish to eat that day or don't want to eat much, then they can wait until the family dinner time is done and then go play.