I need help getting my kids to eat.I have a 6yr old girl and 4yr old boy. They take so long to eat. It doesn’t matter if it’s dinner I make or food they love like corn dogs and chicken nuggets. It takes them almost an hour to eat and the entire time I have to say “take a bite” probably every 5 minutes because they just won’t. I’ve tried keeping them separate so they don’t play, I’ve sat them at the table and told them they can’t get up til they eat, I’ve even sent them to bed without finishing their food because it takes them so long. I hate doing that and worry about them not eating enough. I make food that they like, I try to give them dessert after if they eat in enough time. I know the pediatrician said that they’ll eat when they’re hungry, but they would literally starve the whole day then ask for fruit snacks and apple sauce. It’s getting exhausting going over it 3 times a day every single day.
Are they watching a screen? That could distract them. Set a timer that dings every few minutes to remind them to take a bite. Make sure they take vitamins and try hard to get them to eat the protein first. Maybe buy fun plates with pictures so they see a fun picture when their food is gone. Cut it in fun shapes. Offer small amounts of many different foods. Honestly, my daughter is going through a phase of being super picky and I’m just happy to see her eat something. My son went through a phase of being super picky and now eats great. I wish you luck! Wasting food is no fun
The pediatrician probably has the best advice but…from a parent , your kiddo won’t starve, they really don’t eat a whole lot at one time at that age. It’s kinda pick and choose. Offer foods and varieties of… if you have concerns talk to the dr.
Everyone eating meals at the table should make things better. With no distractions. Cut the TV completely off during meal times at the table. When they see you finish and get up they are not gonna want to sit there alone. Just as if you were in a sit down restaurant. Everyone leaves at the same time. Offer the better of a dessert to whoever finishes first and if the other one finishes to, give them the option between the better of the dessert also. They need to know that meal times do not include play time. They won’t starve but I can understand your concern. We want to see our children get in a good meal.
We do DoR (division of reaponsibility) this removes a lot of the pressure around food times! It’s worth googling and reading about!
I used to struggle the same way until my doctor told me that we shouldn’t pressure our kids to eat. They will eat when they are hungry. Forcing them to eat it will make them have a bad relationship with food and see meal time as a chore more than something to enjoy. I let it go and eventually my son started to ask me for food when he was hungry. He would eat everything I put on the plate. At his time, not mine. Now he is almost 6 and he eats with us in the table. Sometimes he doesn’t eat everything, and that’s okay. It’s important as a parents to create a healthy relationship with food for our kids.
I’ve stopped causing conflict over food.
My son will eat only when he wants to.
He eats well now that I have stopped stressing over it.
On not so good days I set out a tray with food on it and he’s passing by he grabs something.
I wont let food become a trigger point for him. If he’s hungry he will eat.
Do people not sit down at the dinner table anymore? Try eating together see how that works
I use to make little snack boards for my kids when they were younger and didn’t have an interest in sitting down to eat. I’d leave it out most of the day with different options kinda like a charcuterie board but with kid foods. I found they ate when they wanted when it was easily available and they just didn’t like sitting to eat. They grew out of it so maybe give it a go!
I’d remove what ever distracts them. We sit at the table to eat not play. Are you sitting with them? If not, take the time to do so. If you do have to let them go without then do so but don’t give in later with apple sauce or fruit snacks, let them go to bed hungry for a night it’s not going to do any harm.
This sounds like something you should be talking to their doc about.
Give them fruit snack applesauce, and bottle water.