Question
Hello I would like some advice on meal times. Our almost 4 year old just recently has become very dilly dally through meals. She eats breakfast and lunch on her own and dinner with us. When eating on her own the meal times have become very dragged out. SHE IS SO CONCERNED/NOSEY with what other people are doing in the room even if its just me thats home. I purposely will go out of the way to be somewhere where I'm not a distraction to her but she still sits there and tries to sneakily look over her shoulder every other second to see what I'm doing. I cannot be in her view or she just stares, if she makes eye contact with me she quickly looks back at her food and starts eating like its a game that she doesn't want to be caught looking (and like she knows thats what she should be doing instead). If asked if she is full and wants to be done she says NO but then will continue at the same pace. She also has a drink available to her during the meal time but she chooses to save it till after she has cleared her plate however at times if she finishes her food she then tells me that she is all done without drinking her drink so after I clean it all up she then gets upset that she didn't have the drink after she has told me she is all finished. She has no problem eating the amount she has as she has always had a good appetite she's just taking an exceptionally long time to eat a small amount of food like 40 minutes to eat half a pb&j sandwich and when asked if she is full she says NO and finishes the rest of it it just took over an hour to do that though. Or when she doesn't like a particular meal she will keep saying NO when asked if she wants to be done but she will choose to finish it and it just takes a very long time. It's driving me crazy. Any advice on how to have her realize at meal times its her job to eat or not eat and drink if she wants it but within a decent time limit?
