Do Your Kids have to finish their food?

[Adelicious]

I don't make my son eat everything on his plate.

At lunch DH was telling our 2-year-old he had to finish his lunch. I told him, "I don't have a problem with you doing it your way, but I just want you to know I don't make him finish his food."

My rule is that he cannot have anything else until he eats what I've served him. I serve him a little of something I know he really likes along with something he may not be very excited about. When he asks for more of that item, I tell him, "You're welcome to have more as soon as you've finished the other food on your plate."

It usually works very well, but if he decides to eat just a few bites and leave the rest, he doesn't get to come back and eat something else half an hour later. Depending on what it is, I might save it for him when he gets hungry. Otherwise he has to wait a couple hours at least. 

DH is all about leaning over him scolding him into eating. I'm not into that, especially as long as I'm the one who dished up his plate. He has to learn to make good choices.

[tntmomof2]

Nope. They eat until they're full. Forcing kids to finish their food leads to food issues in the future.

[Adelicious]

I think so, too! Like I said, he should be able to choose how much he's going to eat!

Quoting tntmomof2:

Nope. They eat until they're full. Forcing kids to finish their food leads to food issues in the future.

[LovingSAHMommy]

Nope. When he's full, he's full. Teaching them to push past the full feeling can lead to obesity. That's a big problem with (some) Americans. Instead of eating until theyre not hungry, they eat until they're stuffed.

[epoh]

I'm fairly lenient with food. My kids have to try it and give it a fair shot.

My DD has her moments where she won't want the main course so I'll give her raw fruits and veggies instead. We both win that way. :)

[IAMmomtotrips]

Nope, we eat until full here too. I read a great book called How to get you kids to eat, but not too much. It stresses this and we follow it!

[amysezsmile]

I don't over serve so my kids have to eat everything on their plates before they get something else. If there is dessert and they don't want to finish dinner but then ask for dessert they won't get it. If they are hungry enough for dessert they are hungry enough to finish dinner.  I have a saying "you can't have the fun stuff till after the good stuff".  I don't want them to eat more than they can handle but they are not allowed to skip the healthy foods in favour of the sweets. the must eat what I serve as I am not a short order cook and never will be. They also must wait 2 hours between a meal and a snack; no grazing allowed.

[paulswifey11]

They are told if they are too full to eat whats served they are too full for snack. Also I refuse to make my house into a restruant. They eat what I make or go hungry

[Mama2MonkeyBoys]

They don't have to eat everything, and since I'm the one dishing it up I can never be sure if it's too much to expect them to eat. However, they have to make a good faith effort if they want dessert.

[Paperfishies]

Nope

[mackQuin]

I don't make them eat. But I'm also not a short order cook. If they don't finish it now there is No snack later. My kids are pretty good about taking what they think they can eat.