So this is dinner in the kitty household - I honestly feel like scareming come and help me!

[sweetkitty]

Dinner tonight, I made mashed potatoes, carrots and chicken for the DDs (DD1 3.5yo, DD2 23 months).

DD1 eats about 5 bits of chicken and that's it decides she has a sore tummy and doesn't want anymore so I say she can get down from the table and isn't having anything else.

DD2 has about 2/3'rds of the mashed potato, nearly all the carrots no chicken.

Both of them play around with their dinner, DD2's latest game is to put some on the table and then freak out until I clean it up (I have to or she will just mush it in even more).

DD2 gets a Ambrosia custard pot which she then messes about with puring bits out and freaking so I take it off her.

Dinner time is driving me mad, DD2 used to be a really good eater but has gone the way of DD1.

DD1 has had the following to eat today:
cup of milk
refused to eat Weetabix
had snack at nursery (would have been toast and fruit)
1/4 ham sandwich plus extra half slice of ham
6 crisps
raisins
chocolate buttons (only because friend was visiting)

DD2 cup of milk, full weetabix, about 6 quavers, banana, yoghurt, choc buttons and thats it?

It's just seems so little usually they don't get anything but a bit of fruit between lunch and dinner so I know they must be hungry but they will not eat anything. DD2 refuses all meat now apart from fish fingers, DD1 eats chicken and fish but not much else.

It's really starting to get to me.

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don't give them the crisps/chocs/pudding if they won't eat the proper food

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Is it just today or is this becming a pattern?

Kids and food can be a real pain and it's something that gets you really worried. Surely it's not that difficult for them to just eat - ds has always been nightmare with food.

Firstly remember how small their stomachs are - what they have eaten is plenty enough to keep them going for the day if that is all they will eat.

Secondly - leave them to their food and don't let them see you're frustration/annoyance. If they don't want it then stick it in the bin.

Keep presenting them with the food and then take it away at the end if they haven't finished. Don't comment unless they eat it.

My aim with ds has always been if he eats something every day then that is good enough - that is enough to keep him healthy. SOmeone said on here once that small children only need to eat the equivilant of 1 boiled egg a day to keep them going. Your girls have prob eaten more than that so they will be fine.

Ds does my head in with his eating - I just don't let him know. And we are making (very slow) progress just keeping it stressfree. There was a time when I thought getting him to eat something every day would never happen, but it did

Give the dinner and if not eaten, no pudding... no fuss no bother, no rants or raves - just the way it is.

They will not starve themselves.

I would rather barf than eat a custard pot

id say make the dinner, give it to them, walk away.

if they mush it in so be it it can be cleaned. and no treats if they dont try!

with my 2 they dont have to clear their plates (rmemeber that as a child and still hate that idea) but they have to try some of ech thing and eat all ofthe things that i know they like.

kids of this age are fussy, if they are hungry they'll eat. if not the dont need treats (crisps, choc, etc)

jesus if dd doesnt want her dinenr she doesnt get a yoghurt

im a mean mummY!

oh yick at barfed fishginers

I have occasional struggles like this with DS.

If he has nothing but what we give him for dinner ie no crisps/snack type food - he will eventually eat some. He will never starve himself (for more than a day). If he is playing up, we ignore him. We dont insist he eat - just that he either sit at hte table nicely or get down. If he gets down, his dinner goes. He gets no yoghurt or fruit after if he doesnt eat dinner.

He has entirely different tastes to DD - she'll eat mostly meat and bread/rice type foods. He wont eat most meats, egg or potato. He will eat fruit and raw veg, yoghurts and milk all day if he could though.

Give them their food. If they mess about with it, give them a warning and then take it away. If they don't eat it then fair enough, take it away without commenting. Nothing else until a scheduled snack or the next meal. I used to tear my hair out about DDs eating and this really helped.

I say "we", DH has a tendency to shove a spoon in DS's face to get him to eat

SUCH a non-starter.

Thanks

cod - no wine as am pregnant!

Today is not their usual lunch time food only because a friend was round and bought chocolate buttons. Both were BLW DD1 has always been fussy but DD2 following suit. DD2 only got her custard as she had eaten most of her potatoes and carrots TBH she probably ate about 2/3rds of her dinner and in my book thats a good enough attempt to warrant a sweet (usually yoghurt but Tesco's hadn't been yet hence custard) DD1 asked for her custard and got told she wasn't getting any as she hadn't eaten any of her dinner.

I don't expect them to clear their plates (I had to as a child and hated it) just try most things on the plate and make a good enough attempt.

I am fed up making healthy, good dinners for them to be ignored or mashed into the table.

Tomorrow is another (chocolate and crisp free day).

2/3rds of dinner is fine isn't it? Can't see the problem..

Oh and nothing wrong with any of the food you were giving (I am not a judgemental food snob when it comes to others' children) I just have a personal aversion to pot custard or anything made by A*

Yes I suppose DD2 wasn't too bad at it's just hard when you are on your own and trying to eat your own dinner (I always try and eat with them good example and all that) and DD2 is mashing food into the table then screaming as theres a drop of mashed potato on her hand and DD1 is doing her usual messing about.

Sometimes when you have spent £s on an organic chicken, organic carrots, good potatoes etc and it all goes in the bin you think why bother, might as well buy chips and chicken nuggets (not that I would but you knwo what I mean?)

No fair enough comment about the pot of custard, it's my emergency cupboard pots for when I run out of yoghurt.

I used to work in the food industry and still scruntinise labels so know more than most what goes into food unfortunately.