How to get her to eat at mealtime

miami85

Mon, Aug 20 2018, 10:27 pm

My 3 year old isn't the pickiest of eaters, but somehow whenever supper is served 6-7pm, she'll eat like a bird, I'll even "bribe her" but she'll say she's full or she claims that she doesn't like the supper that her older siblings chose, and then (she's a night owl) she'll say she's hungry around 10-11pm and WILL NOT go to sleep without eating. Often by then supper has been put away and cold or is gone. I tell her to go find something in the fridge/cabinet to eat. She's not chubby--she's solid, but does not look "Fat", and she'll even eat something somewhat healthful like a cheese stick, fruit or pretzels but I don't like this habit.

emunahmother

Tue, Aug 21 2018, 1:52 am

I would also try serving dinner earlier if possible. My kids eat at 5 and they are starving by then. I can push them off if I give a snack but then they won’t eat as well. I decided I’d rather serve dinner earlier and give a snack later after I know they ate well. At that age (and the next few years at least) their appetite I find is greatest between 4:30-6 depending on what they ate that day. Then again, your schedule might not allow it.

pesek zman

Tue, Aug 21 2018, 7:25 am

I think it seems like you keep 'rewarding' this behavior and this reinforcing the habit. At dinner (6:30pm) I tell my 3 year old 'this is dinner. There is no other dinner' over and over again. If she doesn't like the dinner she knows she can always ask (and get) a yogurt or a cheese stick BUT only during the meal: not hours later. If before bed (which is 8pm) she tells me she's hungry I remind her that she'll eat breakfast when she wakes up. Tough love but I don't run a restaurant.

miami85

Tue, Aug 21 2018, 10:36 pm

No she's AWAKE until 10-11pm, that's a battle I've long given up on. She doesn't even act tired and she wakes up on her own (I've tried waking her up earlier, doesn't help), no daily nap, and if by some chance she falls asleep at 7:30pm--99% chance she'll wake up at 11 and be up until at least midnight. She just seems to run on less sleep. She's generally a smart, happy, pleasant and obedient kid--she has a mind of her own and stubborn, but overall I can't complain. Her body clock seems to be on Pacific time. I think if she COULD eat even a little bit earlier she'd go to sleep earlier, b/c it often around 10pm that she starts with the "I'm hungry" bit.

I've tried that "this is dinner and no more " speech every night, but I have no way to enforce it. She knows how to get food from the fridge--again its not like she even takes junk. Tonight it was an orange so I'd rather her just take the food that she will eat.

myname1

Wed, Aug 22 2018, 4:27 am

miami85 wrote:

In that case, it sounds reasonable for her to be hungry again 4 hours later. When did she eat before that supper? Maybe take a look at her snack/meal schedule and try to even it out a bit. If she's just hungry for an orange 4 hours after supper, without food in between, it actually sounds like she's eating fine.

pesek zman

Wed, Aug 22 2018, 6:24 am

Honestly? If she chooses to stay up so late, that's her prerogative. But she she needs to stay in her bed. Singing, talking, playing with stuffed animals. But not wandering around the house and not going into the kitchen for snacks. This is how I would enforce it. But I may be stricter than you're comfortable being