I am sitting home with Sydney feeling like a bad parent while John is taking my little sister and Connor out for ice cream. We have had a huge problem with Sydney and food ever since... oh, since she was born! She is just so stubborn sometimes and I don't know what to do! I say I have tried everything, but I really hope I haven't because there has got to be something I can do. Here is the problem: she won't eat!
It doesn't matter what I give her to eat, whether she likes it or not, whether she has eaten before or not, she won't eat more that a bite or two, if even that. I don't let her eat any snacks after 4 and we don't eat dinner until 6. She should be hungry!
We have tried to just let her get down when she says she is done and she doesn't get anything else to eat. I don't like doing that because, well, you've seen how skinny she is, I don't want her wasting away. When we do do that, she is hungry 10 minutes later and is cranky because she really is hungry.
We have also tried making her sit up there until she is done. The first time we did that, she was in her high chair for 4 hours, and we just wanted her to take one bit then. Yesterday it was 2 hours for a small bowl of macaroni! It usually is that long and that just can't happen any more because she is in school and we have things to do!
Then we tried setting the timer. If she wasn't done when it went off, she could get down, but nothing else to eat or if it was done, she got a treat of some kind.
We have also tried the positive approach of giving her any treat, snack, or whatever she wants if she eats all her food. Doesn't matter. She still won't eat! That is why I am sitting home with her today. We told the kids if they eat all their dinner, we will take them out for ice cream (Sydney loves the tiny ice cream cones at Arctic Circle). We gave Sydney 45 minutes and she didn't eat it all (and I only gave her maybe 1/3 of a cup of noodles, that was it!) so John took the other two. Sydney is very sad, of course, and crying like I beat her. I feel bad, but what do we do? I have gotten a few parenting books, but I think my child is the only child that won't eat! I haven't had much luck, in other words. So, ideas would be greatly appreciated!
It doesn't matter what I give her to eat, whether she likes it or not, whether she has eaten before or not, she won't eat more that a bite or two, if even that. I don't let her eat any snacks after 4 and we don't eat dinner until 6. She should be hungry!
We have tried to just let her get down when she says she is done and she doesn't get anything else to eat. I don't like doing that because, well, you've seen how skinny she is, I don't want her wasting away. When we do do that, she is hungry 10 minutes later and is cranky because she really is hungry.
We have also tried making her sit up there until she is done. The first time we did that, she was in her high chair for 4 hours, and we just wanted her to take one bit then. Yesterday it was 2 hours for a small bowl of macaroni! It usually is that long and that just can't happen any more because she is in school and we have things to do!
Then we tried setting the timer. If she wasn't done when it went off, she could get down, but nothing else to eat or if it was done, she got a treat of some kind.
We have also tried the positive approach of giving her any treat, snack, or whatever she wants if she eats all her food. Doesn't matter. She still won't eat! That is why I am sitting home with her today. We told the kids if they eat all their dinner, we will take them out for ice cream (Sydney loves the tiny ice cream cones at Arctic Circle). We gave Sydney 45 minutes and she didn't eat it all (and I only gave her maybe 1/3 of a cup of noodles, that was it!) so John took the other two. Sydney is very sad, of course, and crying like I beat her. I feel bad, but what do we do? I have gotten a few parenting books, but I think my child is the only child that won't eat! I haven't had much luck, in other words. So, ideas would be greatly appreciated!
4 comments:
I think you guys have tried all the things I would have suggested! Maybe she inherited skinniness times TWO and just can't get over it! Have you tried reading any books? My only suggestion with that would be read two or three (skimming) so that you can get several ideas. Or just let her eat ice cream. Good luck!
I agree with your other friend that you have probably tried everything I would have.
Other than that I would cut out the snacks completely. She might be holding out for them...even if she is starving between times. That way she will eat right? Maybe?
When we have dinner everything in the house is off (like movies). We sit down together and eat. When they get up, like lunch they are really busy busy busy playing, if they haven't eaten it all I'll keep it out there for an hour. They can come back to it sometimes. I'd stop bribing completely. She might not understand the concept all the way that her behavior equals cookie after dinner or no cookie and that might be confusing to her. Other than that, I have no idea! My kids have been excellent eaters for the most part!
I agree with what Mindy said. We get emails from babycenter.com (which is fun during pregnancy to see the rapid updates) but they can continue thru childhood as well. Usually they're talkig about things that are right on point with my kids, but I remember one about eating that I didn't agree with as it related to my kids. However, in your case it may be what you need to do. I would still go with what Mindy said and skip snacks, but as to eating meals I think the article said not to push it, don't make a big fanfare about it and let them come back to their food later. It also said not to stress about lack of food intake and think about what they've eaten over the course of a week rather than a day. As long as they're still growing along the curve they've been at and don't have any big changes, they're fine. It said sometimes kids go thru a stage like this and I think it said it can last for some until around age 5!?
Who knows... GOOD LUCK!
You know I really have no advice since I have the same problem with Tommy, and you have tried everything I have tried. But, I like what was said about skipping the snacks and then not making a battle over the meals. And remember, both you and John are tall and skinny.
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