DS won't finish his dinner

[BertieBotts]

He has eaten about two bites. He always seems to eat enough to take the edge off his hunger, then gets bored and decides he's finished, and refuses to eat any more. Then he wakes up in the night saying he's hungry, I used to let him get up and have some toast and fruit, just because he ate so little that I was desperate to get any food into him, but recently I've said if he is really hungry he can have some bread and butter, and he can't come downstairs, he has to have it in his bedroom, and he refuses. So he can't be that hungry - I think he was just wanting to come downstairs.

He is 2.9 and I just want the stupid food battles to be over now.

[Galena]

Oh, I forgot to say - we eat about 5:15 and then at 6:30 she goes up for bath, books, bed (light out about 7:30)

[BertieBotts]

Thanks all - have spoken to DP and we have decided to keep it early, also tidy toys up before dinner so less distractions (we were tidying before bed or sometimes after he had gone to bed) and I'm going to try to keep portion size under control as well, and work towards clearing some space in the kitchen so we can get a table. I had a table before and it just accumulated so much STUFF that I ended up getting rid of it, but now there are two adults in the house and DS is old enough to join in with conversation at mealtimes I want to give it another go.

[BertieBotts]

After all that, he slept through! Perhaps he really just wasn't hungry after all.

[TimeWasting]

Sometimes they just aren't hungry. Having your DP move in will have a big effect on his behaviour, esp if DP has a different attitude to food to you.
Sounds like you've got a plan now though.

I don't withold pudding. Pudding is just another part of the meal and I don't want DS to be a plate-clearing sweet-toother like I was brought up.

When they're this little we have to manage their behaviour. Punishing them because we mis-judged things (whether to bring the buggy, promising them something which we can't then keep to, or serving dinner too late for instance) is unfair and won't help.

DS (3.2) is terrible at dinner time, but I leave it too late. It's my fault.

What I'm aiming for is to have tea at 4ish, then a big supper just before bath at 6. Also going to try doing our big cooked meal at lunch when he tends to eat more.

[ppeatfruit]

Yes you're right Bertie it's wrong to push anyone past their 'FULL" signal. Maybe he'd wake up anyway for reassurance due to the changes in all your lives; you could try camomile tea to help him relax.

[BertieBotts]

He doesn't usually sleep right through anyway hence my surprise! He usually wakes up at 5ish, sometimes earlier, comes into bed with me and goes back to sleep with a very quick breastfeed, doesn't disturb me at all.