Question
I have just read your article on dealing with a picky eater by not giving them choices at mealtimes and have a few additional questions.
I am sure we (parents) have caused this issue, but our now 2-1/2 year old eats maybe a dozen different foods. He is healthy, and is still gaining weight, but most meal times are fights, even the things he does like to eat he will often refuse and say he wants something else. Interestingly enough, his behavior outside of meal time seems very good most days.
We are more than ready for a change and are looking to use the method in your article. Here are some additional questions about the process we have.
Is 1 tablespoon still an appropriate serving size (per item) for a 2-1/2 year old that weighs around 28lbs? (our assumption is that for the first few weeks he might only end up eating 3 tablespoons of food per day)
The article mentions no snacks between meals - does this include liquids? We sense that our child is filling up on milk or highly diluted apple juice.
What is the appropriate response when he wakes in the middle of the night crying / mildly screaming for food/milk etc? (which he is already doing 1 or 2 nights per week - our response has been to give him water only and remind him he chose not to eat his dinner)
He normally eats his meals at the kitchen table, but separate from us. Should we supervise(sit with) him during meal time? (sometimes he will just sit there and refuse to eat, other times he will take the food he doesn't like and make a mess out of it)
When a meal is given to him, is there any kind of a time limit we should put on it? Should we make him sit at the table for a certain length of time, or allow him to simply climb down from the chair when he wants?
thank you,
