What is your fall-back meal when your toddler won't eat what you've served?

My son is not a picky eater, but if I cook something which he is finding too challenging, I'll make some toast and serve the same meal in a smaller quantity on toast. Normally he'll eat it or enough of it to not go hungry.

EDIT: It's kind of sad that so many parents take a rigid, 'eat what I put there or starve' approach, since the basic assumption behind that approach is that the food is developmentally appropriate (at the moment the food is offered, so for example, a tired toddler will receive that food differently to a non-tired one) and that the parent has done a wide range of teaching and encouraging.

You need to slowly encourage your daughter to eat properly. The 'eat it or starve' definitely does not work with her and you don't want a food related power struggle. You have been given many good ideas by Mom of 3 under 8. Use transition items such as sauces and things that she does like.

I don't make special meals but I do serve her healthy alternatives that she likes if she doesn't eat the dinner. I give dinner to her, if she doesn't eat it I wait an hour and try again. If she still doesn't eat it then I give the alternatives. I don;t give her junkie food though. She has started to come around a number of different foods. I am not interested in a power struggle nor do I want to give her junk food so that this is all that she will eat. This is why I almost never give her junk food. She doesn't even know much of it exists. I figure this will start her eating habits out right.

Children's taste buds are a lot more sensitive than ours. I recall a number of foods I wouldn't eat as a child that I love now.

Of course she's becoming a picky eater! She knows that if she refuses the meal, she gets to eat hot dogs and chicken nuggets. Remember that it's your job to provide a variety of healthy foods throughout the day. It's your daughter's job to eat (or not). She won't let herself starve. Remember, too, that toddler tummies are small, so don't expect her to eat large portions. Several bites may be plenty for her at any given time.

We have never made separate meals for our kids. I figure that if they're truly hungry, they'll eat. I do tend to serve several sides with meals -- a veggie or two, a fruit/applesauce, maybe bread/rice/pasta, etc. That way, there's usually something they like well enough. I also require at least 2-3 bites of everything.

There are lots of ways to make meals fun and encourage eating...

-- Serve food with "dip" --- ketchup, applesauce, yogurt, salad dressing, etc.

-- Let the child eat with toothpicks.

-- Set the veggie out as an "appetizer." (My kids used to eat almost anything if you called it an appetizer.)

-- Make the food into a smiley face on the plate.

-- Talk about how the different foods help us -- meat gives you strong muscles, milk gives you strong bones and helps you get tall, fruits/veggies keep us from getting sick, etc.

You can encourage, but don't bribe or punish. Be as matter-of-fact as possible. You may need to just set out everyone's food and start eating while talking about other things. If she doesn't eat and is hungry later, she can either have the same food from dinner, or you could let her choose a piece of fruit or an equally healthy snack.

My kids are 5, 7, and 9 now, and they're all pretty good eaters. There are certainly foods that they don't like, but they have a huge range of foods that they'll happily eat. They're also usually fine with trying new foods.

EDIT: I was thinking about this and wanted to add that when my middle child was 1-2 years old, she often wasn't hungry at the exact times we were. We'd try to get her to eat a couple bites of dinner, but then we'd let her go play. Most nights, she'd come back right as we were finishing up or clearing the table and then clean her plate. Or she'd hop into big sister's seat and clean up whatever was left on her plate. It was as if she thought sister had better food than we'd given her! That being said, you may have some luck with getting your daughter to try new foods if you offer bites directly from your plate.

Also, my kids are more likely to eat anything if they play really hard right before dinner. So on swim days or gymnastics days, I make new foods or things they don't like as well, and they eat it up and say that it's good because they're really that hungry. :-)

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I understand that you are thinking that you want her to eat something. I have to say though that if my son decides he doesn't want to eat what we are eating then he goes hungry until breakfast. He always eats well during the day and if he decides he doesn't want dinner that is his choice. Not catering to his demands is mine.

Now, I do try and make sure that there is something that he will eat with the meal. So maybe he doesn't like the main dish but loves the sides I chose. Then I know he at least is eating something.

A child will not starve themselves. If she gets hungry enough she will eat.

Good Luck,

Kim

My son is really picky too - I think hes a vegetarian by choice! Anything involving meat - he turns his nose up.

I serve dinner. When he starts playing with his food, I take it away.

I never give him an alternative straight away - I don't want him to think if he 'rejects' my dinners - he will get an alternative (so I wait about an hour)

Sometimes I reserve the original dinner - with the theory 'if hes hungry, he will eat'. If that fails I give toast, cheese on toast, scrambled eggs - anything warm but not snack foods (like chips and biscuits)

That's great that you're looking for a solution for this situation! I would recommend presenting the food you serve her in a fun fashion so that she would be intrigued enough to eat the food! Instead of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you could try a turkey and cheese sandwich just to switch things up. Eggs in any form are a great, nutritious, and easy food to make.

Since you're a parent, I would also recommend downloading the free application Recalls Plus. It allows parents to create a customized list of foods and children's products to monitor and be alerted about if recalled! This could come in handy when you're providing food for your daughter's sophisticated palette!

Recalls Plus

Nothing you keep giving her the same food on same plate till she eats it...after doing this a few times she will learn that when she doesn't eat dinner she wont get jbandj

Most likely its not that she doesn't like it she just likes the junk food better and you have taught her or she has just learned to get what she wants

If a kid genuinely doesn't like something they will not chew

Nothing. He eats what he gets given or goes hungry. 8 hours isn't that long either. Give it a couple of days and she will eat. She is old enough to introduce this rule.

However my son loves raw carrots, bananas and sausages. :)

NEVER NEVER EVER give your toddler other foods than what you are eating at a meal!!!

Place a plate of food before her, allow her to eat as much as she can, what ever is left, remove the plate, cover the plate and place in the fridge. Next meal, remove the covered plate, heat the food up and place in front of her again (do NOT add anything more to it).....continue this until she finally eats everything on the plate. In between meals - give her water only. By doing this, you are sending her a message that she must eat what's put in front of her or she gets nothing and that YOU are the boss - NOT her.

My son had to do this with his 3 girls.....now they eat everything and anything.