TV supper?

[Tissy]

Recently I've been having struggles with my 18 mo toddler over food. She eats well at nursery (they tell me) but eats very little at home. The only thing she will reliably eat -and demands- is CUGGY CUGGY CUGGY! - (custard!). My Mum suggested that I have a picnic with her on the floor, and stupidly, when she asked for the tv to be turned on, I agreed for a quiet life. She munched her way through a slice of bread, a pork pie and a huge pile of sweetcorn and peas, the little so-and-so!

Now, I've probably made a rod for my own back, but should I continue with the tv picnic in order to get her to eat, or should I ban tv and make her sit at the table with us? Needless to say my mother NEVER let us eat in front of the TV, so of course I'm rather predjudiced against the habit!!

Errr.. dont ask me, my 3.5 is glued to the Little Mermaid while she eats her lunch...

Seriously, I think its fine to get you through a bad patch. We have always occasionally done it but dd1 is also more than happy to eat with us at the table, she just doesnt like to eat on her own in silence and I am desperately trying to finish some work so can't sit with her (we normally eat lunch together).

I think do it for a week or so and then start phasing it out. Make sure that she's really hungry, no snacks and NO JUICE, we cut juice completely from dd1's diet when she went through a picky stage and the difference was amazing.

I have to confess to having double standards, dd and ds tend to eat breakfast and lunch at a little table in the lounge and I sit with them, invariably the tv is on one Disney or another! Dinner time is always at the table with dh (lunch as well if dh is home) they eat both ways, I just like them to have table and chairs their size and the tv is in that room. Hope that helps.

Also she is only 18 months, I personally think that you can start to worry / negotiate when they are a bit older, dd is 3.5 and is starting to respond to reason.