To refuse DS more food?

[Frasersmum123]

When he doesnt eat his dinner?

DS is 8 and never finishes his dinner, but an hour later he is starving. Last night I did Bangers and Mash, with Broccoli, Sweetcorn and Peas. He ate his sausage and broccoli, and half his mash but left all the rest, then an hour later he was starving. I said he wasnt allowed anymore food as he hadnt finised his dinner, but DH said I was being mean and made him a sandwich.

Now my reasons for refusing are two fold. 1) He wont eat his food if he gets something on offer and 2) Money is tight and so I cant really afford wastage and them him eating extra food - I wouldnt mind if he ate his dinner and was still hungry.

So AIBU?

Sidge? errr because thats the point, he didn't eat the healthy main meal. Left at least half of it, so don't complain later of being hungry.

Actually a portion for a child per thing is the size of their fist i.e. handful of peas,brocolli, carrots, potato,meat and yes technically the stomach is generally the size of a fist but is designed to stretch slightly and the stretch receptors send signals to the brain to stop eating, that the stomach is satiated.

if he didn't finish his main meal i think you are in the right.

oh and dont forget number 3 op

3. dh undermined you

Dilly I wasn't referring to children that don't eat their dinner, if you read my post I said "if a child is genuinely hungry an hour after finishing a healthy main meal".

Sidge

No one has said if thier child 'genuinely hungry an hour after finishing a healthy main meal' that they wouldn't give more food.

They are saying that if their dc didn't eat their dinner then saying their hungry then there is no food given.

OP no yanbu my dd1 does this and she gets her milk before bed then thats it till breakfast.

Mind you she has taken to asking if "kitchen closed" before saying she's not hungry .

Lizziemun - two posters have said that they would only offer fruit even if a child had eaten all their dinner and was still hungry - I said I don't understand that, as to me if a child is still hungry I would offer something more substantial than fruit.

Sidge - that's the point. He isn't finishing his meal. He's only eating enough to get by on until he can have something he'd rather have than a proper dinner!

OP you are NBU and all of our posts say pretty much the same thing with minor variations! [ie I would allow things other than just fruit if they are hungry later, occasionally junk food, but mostly proper food - but ONLY if their dinner had been eaten]. Stick to your guns!! Oh and by the by... tell your DH if he wants to keep his goolies intact then he needs to back you up on things, he can discuss it with you later if he thinks you are being a bit unfair but he is not to undermine you!

Girlandaboy - is your DS underweight? If not I wouldn't worry about him going to bed hungry especially as he isn't worried about it!

Chipping I know, I responded to the OP differently in my first post! There are two different aspects to this thread now, and I'm getting confused!

To summarise - if a child hasn't finished a meal then a, if they are holding out for something nicer then no don't give more food; b, if they are genuinely full but then are hungry an hour later then offer more food; c, if they eat all their dinner but are still hungry then give more food.

I think that sums it up!

YANBU.

In my house "I am hungry" said in a really pathetic voice is actually code for "I want chocolate" and the response is "you can have a cheese sandwich/a banana" and they either take it if actually peckish or they slope off.

Yep, keep left over dinner and reheat when he is hungry. Do not offer alternative - chat with DH re united fronts etc in order ??

YANBU. If he had finished the meal I would offer something else but if he is in the habit of not finishing it then I would put it on one side and microwave it when he is hungry an hour later.