dinnertime bloody awful with DD nearly 3

[krisskross]

i have to be quick but please give me some advice!
DD is 3 in July, always been a fussy eater. I dont think i run around giving in to her every whim to get her to eat, but i do make things i know she will eat and encourage her to try new things (doesnt work often!).

anyway tonight, not for the first time, her behaviour pretty much escalated into her screaming and sobbing in her chair because she did not want to eat and i would not let her sit on my lap or something similar. its driving me bloody mental, its exhausting at the end of the day,, and if she doesnt eat much she sleeps terribly which is prob the main cause of my concern, as she has not slept through more than 5 nights in a row since dec. (and thats only been twice).

sorry for stream of consciousness! Please advise on how to improve eating/ behaviour/ sleeping!

I dont need much do i?

How much milk does she drink in the day?

prob about 8 oz to 10 oz in 2 cups and her cereal. I have thought about that and dont think thats the prob, also monitored the snacks etc to make sure they are enough but not too much....

I think you should seperate the sleep problems from eating issues. You are worrying that she wont sleep at night if she doesnt eat enough. At her age sleep is not dependant on food. she is waking out of habit,how does she go to sleep in the evening? Is she dependant on help to go to sleep? If she is then when she has periods of light sleep during the night then she will rely on same aid to go back to sleep.

Meal times sound like a battle between you and her. You need to present the meal that you are having. Let her eat it without any help from you. If she chooses not to eat then she doesnt eat till the next meal. She needs to learn that there are not alternatives. Hope it works out for you.

Make dinner - the same as you and DP.
She eats it / she doesn't eat it - either is fine, but there is nothing else.
If pudding is part of the meal, that's fine pudding isn't dependent on eating main course.
Tak all the stress out of it by not caring / seeming to care whether she eats or not.
She won't starve herself and will soon get the message.