| How can I get my child to eat faster? |
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| posted Nov 7, 2007 6:44:59 PM | To All |
| I have a 6 year old son and when I make something for dinner that he doesn't want it takes him 3 or more hours to eat and usually doesn't finish it all. I know that he doesn't have a problem swallowing, because he can eat chicken nuggets and pizza just fine. But, when I make a real dinner he will take one piece of something and hold it in his mouth for an hour, no joke, even if it is mashed potatoes. I don't know how to get him to swallow it or even cut dinner time in half. Please help, I am running out of ideas and I'm really frustrated. |
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| How can I get my child to eat faster? |
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| posted Nov 8, 2007 3:17:38 PM | To All |
Are you forcing him to put the food in his mouth? Nothing, absolutely nothing, will taste good if you are being forced or coerced into putting it in your mouth when you do not want to.
It looks like what you really need are tips on how to get a picky kid to eat, not how to get a slow eater to eat faster. Here are a few things you can try (they worked for me):
1. Balance the plate to offer a little of something you know he will eat besides a portion of something he may not. Then let him eat as he chooses, without forcing the undesirable food on him. Sometimes you need to present a new food 10 or more times before a picky eater will willingly taste it--because it takes that much exposure for an odd food to become familiar. Don't force him to clean the plate, but do praise him when he tries the new or "undesirable" food.
2. Put a time limit on dinner. He gets 20 minutes to eat, no more. After the time is up, take the food away. Don't starve him, but it's okay to let him experience hunger a few times. If he says he's still hungry, the only food you should offer him is a reheat of whatever was on his plate. This is pretty extreme, but it still gives him the power of choosing to eat or not, which honors his sense of self. It just denies him the choice of what to eat. And it frees you from getting into a power struggle with a child (which an adult can never "win") by keeping you in control at all times--provided you are willing to give up control to him of how much he eats.
3. Enlist help. Have someone he admires join you for meals, and ask that someone to gush over the meal, especially the parts your little man refuses to eat. My kids both eat broccoli and guacamole like they're candy because my father always loudly proclaimed his love for the stuff in front of them. It helps tremendously if that special guest is genuine in their enthusiasm for healthy food, because kids can easily sense when someone is being disingenuous. Likewise, if there is someone in his life who is being a picky foody in front of your son, ask that someone to knock it off, as your son may be immitating them.
4. Pride of ownership is a powerful motivator for little ones, so have your son help with the food. Help him plan one meal a week (you can live with home cooked chicken nuggets and apple sauce once a week, right?). Bring him grocery shopping, and have him help choose things. Use it as a chance to teach him about nutrition as you shop. Invite him to help with the cooking. You can go even more extreme, and help him plant a garden to grow his own veggies, or join a CSA so he can visit the farm that grows his food. All these thing invest him emotionally in the food, and increase the chance that he'll happily eat it.
Hope that helps.
alli
Edited by: SuburbanTomboy on Nov 8, 2007 3:21:45 PM |
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| How can I get my child to eat faster? |
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| posted Nov 8, 2007 4:21:28 PM | To All |
Dear Frustrated Mommy,
Your post cracked me up! See, I did this with peas one time when I was 3. It's one of my family's favorite stories ever. In fact, my mother swears that when I got out of bed the next morning, the evil peas were still in my mouth! Seems unimaginable to me, but nonetheless this is how the story goes.
I'm afraid my story isn't much help with your challenge; apparently the Pea Incident was a one-time thing. I DID sit at the table for HOURS without eating much many nights one particular summer, my grandma reported. But alas, I don't remember what she did to "cure" me — just a vivid memory of sitting, imprisoned, in front of a plate of liver and onions for what seemed an eternity.
I don't require my kids to clean their plates. I just ask them to try what's served and I serve them one thing I KNOW they like; then if they want more of that, they know they have to eat a few bities of the veggies or other "gross" stuff. |
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| How can I get my child to eat faster? |
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| posted Feb 19, 2008 8:34:31 AM | To All |
by all means, don't make mealtime a tense time. I always went for the "two bite " rule.
Take two bites and then if you don't like it-so be it!
tension at meals only sets up eating disorders |
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| How can I get my child to eat faster? |
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| posted Mar 12, 2008 11:37:13 AM | To All |
| The one time I wouldn't eat my mom's homemade Pasta Fagioli soup, she let me make that decision. But I did go to bed hungry, and it never happened again. I'm not a mom so I don't know what works but looks like others have given great advice. Good luck! |
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