When your kids won't eat what you make.

[Calluna]

Our rule is "you dont have to eat it all, you dont have to like it, but you do have to try it." 90% of the time once he has tried it ge finds he likes it.
And he has to have 1 bite of everything.

[MrsFabuloso]

Just tonight, my children proved to me how futile any of my efforts are. I made them a simple meal- sausages, oven baked chips and salad sticks. A meal most kids would eat, right?? I told them if they ate all of their dinner, I would make them a special surprise ( homemade custard, or ice cream, they could have chosen). I gave them a time limit of 45 min ("If you eat all your dinner by 6.30, I will give you a special dessert")DD (who is my best eater and will try anything) ate it all.

DD (7) is my best eater and will try and eat most meals I cook. Both DS's (6, and 3 1/2) are terrible at eating dinner meals, and even trying new foods. I never give them much, tonight it was about 3/4 of a sausage each, 5 rounds of carrot, about 1/3 of a leaf of lettuce, 2 rounds of cucumber and two long slices of capsicum, and 5 oven chips (DD gets more, because she will eat more, so got the extra sausage, more salad and chips.

So, DD got her choice of ice cream with chocolate topping and sprinkles. I am still dealing with the fallout of both DS's saying they want dessert, even though they didn't eat their dinner. DS2 didn't even eat half of his food. DS1, *might* have eaten half, DD 'helped' him eat his chips. The bosy both had tantrums at different times tonight, even though I spelled it out VERY clearly what was required of them, and by what time they had to eat it, with regular count downs and positive encouragement.

I have tried everything too. And now I give up. Every now and then I have the crazy idea they might eat a meal, and try with the bribery card again (like tonight) but I'm usually proved stupid, and don't try again for a long time. They get what I cook and if they don't eat it (and the boys most usually do not eat anything for dinner), they go to bed hungry. I stop snacks after school at 4 pm, and dinner is between 5.30 and 6 pm. If they eat they eat, if not, then boohoo for them.

[OceanPrincess]

I went to a parenting class a while ago and one of the few things that stuck was the idea that there is a clear division of responsibility at dinner time. It is the parent's responsibility to provide a healthy, appropriate meal at the appropriate time and it is the child's responsibility to eat it.

I liked that idea. Most kids will come round. Most kids won't let themselves starve. I've been lucky - my kids are pretty good with food. But I do get the "yuk, I don't like that" before they've even tried it. That gets me. So we've started the "don't say you don't like it unless you've tried it" and like some of the other posters, I now find they will try it and generally say they like it.