What do you say to get your baby/toddler to eat

[spacemum13]

Hi,

Could you please share what you say to get your children to open their mouth and eat? Like.. here comes the plane.. open your mouth kind of thing. I'm falling short of what to say!

Thanx

[notso]

I don't say anything!
They get the food and it's up to them if they eat it or not.
Have been down the coaxing route with PFB DD and it lead to horrendous mealtimes, feelings of failure etc, not a time I wished to repeat with my other three DC.

[Celesse]

DS has fed himself from the start so he chooses when to open his mouth and feed himself. If LO doesn't like being fed why not let them feed themselves?

[SupermansBigRedPants]

If my dc don't want to eat I won't make them, df and I aren't strict 3 meals a day types ourselves so why would we make our dc? As long as healthy, filling snacks are around for them I don't mind. When ds is eating and getting bored/ distracted I might try saying yum yum yum because he repeats it and chews his food - sometimes it works others it doesn't, as I say it's not a huge deal in our house.

My sister wouldn't let my nephew leave the table until he'd ate all his food - imagine a 2 year old being practically force fed an 8 year olds portion it was horrendous. Poor boy still has issues and he's 5 or 6 now :(

[spacemum13]

Anyone with an actual saying or rhyme would be helpful...

[TheBigSistersGuidetoParenting]

Ok, really I agree with the 'don't go there' crowd. But since you're asking, my babysitter loads up a fork then tells my toddler "Don't eat that, it's for me." Then she looks away. Guess what - the food disappears into my toddler's mouth with a naughty giggle. They have been known to play this game over an entire bowl of pasta. (You think it's teaching my daughter that crime pays?)