To think if a child is hungry, they will eat?

[KoyKarp]

DD is at infant school and DS1 at pre-school, they are both often pressured to finish their food and children are routinely given stickers as a reward for finishing everything on their plate.

AIBU to think that (medical conditions & illness aside) if a child is hungry they will eat, and that making them eat more than they feel comfortable eating is a strange and unkind thing to do?

at DNs school they make sure the kids have eaten something doesn't have to be every bit this seems to work well.

And incidentally I don't overfeed my kids. I put out reasonable sized portions that I know they will normally eat. I figure if they're hungry they'll finish and have pus. If they're not hungry they won't finish it (which is fine) but they then won't need pudding.
All this faffing about and giving snacks after food has been left I think is wasteful and teaches bad habits.

Pud not pus!!

Totally agree house on corner.

Totally disagree with forcing children to eat if they are not hungry.

My dc get a plate of food, if they eat it all and want something else then they can have a yoghurt, fruit etc. If they haven't finished their meal then I assume they are not hungry any more and don't offer anything else.

No need for bribing and cajoling, if they are hungry then they eat, if they're not then they don't.

I agree baabaa-
But would you then offer snacks an hour after an unfinished meal-that's the thing that winds me up!!

YANBU. Encouragement is one thing, pressure another.

Cakes - no I don't, they have snacks mid way between each meal. I don't think it's good for them to be grazing all day.

no need for rewards for eating.
I can see both sides really. It's a tricky one.

No, you'd be surprised at how much self control a child can have (self imposed, of course!).
I went without lunch for almost all my time at school- various reasons- and I had hunger headaches/pains at lunchtime, lost my appetite ages ago, and now I don't feel hungry in the middle of the day, I guess I trained myself in a way.

There should be different rules for children and adults. If you give them a reasonable portion, they should eat it, and if it gets to a ridiculous time they should have a mild punishment, whatever. You have the right to choose, they don't. You won't make them have "food issues" ffs. They'll get the idea that forcing yourself to do stuff is a) useful and b) really not that bad.