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When to start being strict re. meals?
Lo is 17 months and this week has been refusing some of his meals. He's had one good hot meal every day but has then not eaten the other eg, eaten dinner and refused tea or vice versa. I'm pretty sure he's not teething and that he is hungry, they're also meals that he likes.
I'm not sure how to handle it. Today he'd eaten all his brekfast , dinner and snacks but had a tantrum over his tea. We ignored him and carried on chatting and eating ours . Once we'd finished I took it his plate away and then carried on with his normal bedtime routine . I didn't want him to go to sleep on an empty tummy so he had bread and butter (which he loves and would eat all day if I let him) and a beaker of milk. I don't know if I should have done this though? Is it rewarding his tantrum?
He's started alot of new behaviour this week-getting upset when I drop him at nursery, taking along time to fall asleep at night and instead of laughing at daddy's peak a boo game he's finding it frightening.
Another little question-is it normal for toddlers to get a bit particular about things-eg,he wants the toilet seat lid closed or if he spills milk he wants it wiped up.
Thanks ladies xx
I'm not sure how to handle it. Today he'd eaten all his brekfast , dinner and snacks but had a tantrum over his tea. We ignored him and carried on chatting and eating ours . Once we'd finished I took it his plate away and then carried on with his normal bedtime routine . I didn't want him to go to sleep on an empty tummy so he had bread and butter (which he loves and would eat all day if I let him) and a beaker of milk. I don't know if I should have done this though? Is it rewarding his tantrum?
He's started alot of new behaviour this week-getting upset when I drop him at nursery, taking along time to fall asleep at night and instead of laughing at daddy's peak a boo game he's finding it frightening.
Another little question-is it normal for toddlers to get a bit particular about things-eg,he wants the toilet seat lid closed or if he spills milk he wants it wiped up.
Thanks ladies xx
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Replies
I don't want to create anxiety at mealtimes, he does have phases where he eats less but it's usually if he's poorly or teething so I've always given him whatever he fancies (within reason ) and he's always gone back to eating well. This week seems different though- it's more of a battle of wills x
Someone once told me that you are supposed to evaluate a child's diet over the course of week, rather than a day, so if he is eating a balanced diet in general, one or two meals refused won't make too much difference. I would say just ignoring the behaviour is spot-on. I'm not sure I would have offered Peter bread and butter as I always think that if he gets his milk he won't be going to bed on an empty stomach, even if he hasn't eaten dinner, and his milk is something he gets regularly so can't be construed as a reward. But that is just me and I think it is one of those small variations of parenting style that is down to knowing your own child best.
As for the particularity, Peter has started picking bits of dirt off the floor and handing them to us to throw out. One of his friends hates having dirty hands and runs to his mother to have them wiped every time he touches something new. I think it is just the age and they will grow out of it eventually. I find it really quite cute at the moment but I imagine it may grow old reasonably fast!
Oh, and we had our first lying-face-down-on-the-floor temper tantrum the other day. It lasted all of two kicks before he got bored - I have never had such a hard time keeping a straight face and ignoring him!
As for the feeding im not very strict yet but like history girl if she refuses her main meal then i offer fruit afterwards instead of a yoghurt for example xx
He'll get over it eventually, just dont cave in and offer bad things instead x
This morning he only ate half his brekfast so he's clearly not going to bed hungry. If he does it again this evening then i'll just give him milk before bed x
Nx
This evening he ate all his tea plus toast and milk for supper and he'd eaten everything put infront if him at nursery too! I'll never understand how his mind works !
I'm fast learning how to coax him into doing things and avoid a tantrum. It takes so much patience though ! We went for a walk before tea and it started to rain, he was really enjoying himself and I just knew if I rushed him inside we'd have a hulaballoo so I pretended we were looking for the cat and we eventually got in. I did the same at teatime, coaxed him into his chair by turning it into a game. I think sometimes, when I'm tired at the end of a busy day I try to rush him and that's when he reacts. Anyway, I'm rambling now!xx