Thanks for all of your advice on the teething tablets. I shall be running to the store directly after nap time.
In our house we have a rule. If you throw your food you are done with the meal. No exceptions. This is even if you haven’t touched the food except to wing it at my head. I am a nazi in this respect. We all eat the same thing. I don’t make special meals, and you also aren’t required to eat everything on your plate. I simply ask that you tell me all done when you are finished. The other rule is everyone stays at the table until everyone is done eating. Call me a hard ass if you will, but to me meal times are just as important as manners.
Last December the boy went 3 days without eating. I think in that time he maybe had 1/2 a cup of milk, a banana and 2 bites of Mac and Cheese. He was hungry. Everything we kept reading told us not to give in. As difficult as it was I didn’t budge. If he threw the food he was done. After 3 days I started feeding him. That lasted 3 weeks.
This time the boy’s teeth hurt so he won’t eat. Again with the food throwing. However, this time I wasn’t giving in. I was damned determined to not feed him. If he wanted to eat he could sit at the table and feed himself. I know he can do it. The kid is two and we give him a sharp fork. Not one of those sissy safety forks. Still with the food throwing.
As of lunch time he had a banana, 1/4 of a cooked carrot, two bites of rice and a strawberry pediasure since 8:00 yesterday morning. He refused to eat breakfast. He didn’t eat his morning snack. So at lunch time he was a might hungry. I asked what he wanted for lunch and he said Mac and Cheese. I happily made the lunch. I placed the lunch in front of him. Lo and behold… he ate it. By himself. Then he drank his entire cup of milk. He told me “no thank you” to the grapes I offered. He then ate a wheat cracker and 1/2 a banana. Ha Ha! I win.
You make the 2-year molars sound so fun! NOT! I’m glad the boy is eating again! It’s hard to not give in when they’re not eating, but worth the lesson in the end!
It’s been a while since I’ve read the blog, but I do need to comment on your traveling tips. They’re all great except for the flying times, that depends on your child. We were advised to fly at night or during a nap, and chose a red-eye to Chicago. That’s about a 6 hour flight. Quin is an experienced flyer, and we decided to go cheap and not purchase a ticket for him (at that time I didn’t know that many airlines will let you purchase a ticket at 1/2 price for kids under 2). In past flights where we were lucky enough to get an extra seat, Quin sat in our laps for the entire flight and fussed if put in his car seat. Anyways, back to the 6 hour flight from hell. It caused my husband to swear to NEVER fly with a toddler again. To never fly with kids until they were over 8. (For the record, I flew with Quin by myself last Thanksgiving – E joined us later). Quin spent the ENTIRE 6 hour flight NOT sleeping. But he did fuss, cry, scream, and “no!” Then there was Thanksgiving, this time I flew during nap time, thinking a missed nap couldn’t compare to a missed night’s sleep. It wasn’t as bad, but the flight attendants ran out of ear plugs. Oh, and I think the people in front of us were ready to shoot us due to 45 minutes (I am not exaggerating) of “London Bridges” – it was that or screaming!
I was very happy there was a flight marshal on that flight.
You know there are times, I wish I could throw my food.
w00t!
Same rules in our house. Eat it or don’t but I am not making a bunch of different meals for one sitting, on the other hand I am not mean about it and fixing liver and brussel sprouts twice a week! My MIL did the many meals for one sitting thing and her sons (DH included) are some of the pickiest eaters I’ve ever met, it drives me nuts. My girls so far will try almost anything and have a list of things they don’t like in the single digits…nice 🙂
Doesn’t it feel good to win a food battle!
Teething tablets rock. They were our saving grace.
Yay for victory! I can SO relate.
Same rules here and once you win everything is so much easier in the end. Everyone always is amazed by the kinds of food my kids will eat. Don’t get me wrong, they like the typical kid foods too, but they love a wide variety of food. When my girls got old enough to fix a sandwich for themselves, our meal rules changed to ‘eat what I fix or fix yourself a peanut butter sandwich’. I can only remember a few sandwiches being made.
Woot! Score 1 for Team Mommy!
Congrats for sticking to your guns 🙂
I feel like I am often having a battle of wills with Pineapple. Sometimes I feel like she needs to be broken- tamed. Does that sound terrible? Somehow she needs to learn that she is not in charge or in control. We are. At least that is what we keep telling ourselves. Yea for you guys for winning a battle!