Do your children eat whatever's on their plates?
Dinnertime conflict is nothing new! My parents told me that when THEY were children, if they didn't eat it for dinner, it was breakfast the next morning. Times have changed, parenting styles have come in and out of trend, yet we as parents are able to set our own standards for what we would like from our kids. Let us know, what does dinnertime look like with your little ones?
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I definitely don't force my kids to finish what's on their plate if they don't want to; I believe it interferes with natural regulation of hunger and my oldest would sooner skip dinner every night then eat something he doesn't like. I make sure about 2/3 of dinner are foods they genuinely like and sometimes require a bite of anything less appealing. Honestly though, I don't find the one bite to be at all effective in encouraging true picky/sensory eaters to eat, so I don't even always require that!
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I agree on the fact that pushing our kids to finish their plates can affect their eating habits, the " Baby Led-weaning" book by author Gill Rapley address it too. Dinner for us is always a family time so kids can help, if they want, washing veggies (playing with the water mainly) and pass ingredients and we can talk about their different colors and textures! But of course some dinners nights are more successful then other.
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I like the guideline of parents deciding what to eat and when, and the child deciding if they eat it and how much. Works well for us so far! Sometimes my little guy just isn't interested in eating....other days, he's a bottomless pit! But I don't want meals to be a power struggle -- I'd much rather create a positive family experience around the table.
