How strict are you when it comes to meal time?

If it were me I would cut out the snacks. He probably is not eating supper because he knows you will give him snacks later. My daughter is 3 and she tries that. She will not eat her supper then try to get me to give her snacks later. If you cut out the snacks he'll probably start eating his meals more. If he's snacking all day long then he probably would eat his meals once you cut it out. I would get him on a schedule of eating when you guys eat your meals. True he is a few years from starting school, but the longer he is allowed to go how he is now, the harder it will be to change it later.

I'm not a parent but I do take care of children so hopefully I can be of some help. I would suggest really limiting the snacks...and then he will eat more at dinner time and other meals. But don't let him carry around food while he plays. If he starts crying for snack I know it's hard but you need to stay tough, and in the end it will pay off.

Maybe your son won't eat breakfast because his stomach is still full from the snack he had before bed time. The stomach really doesn't work very much when your laying down and sleeping. If you feel he should have a snack before bed it should be fruit because it is easier to digest. Kids develop their eating habit at a very young age. If it were me I would have have him setting at the table to snack and if he doesn't want to set there to eat then you know he's not really hungry. I also wouldn't allow him to play at the table while eating. Kids learn the good and bad habits that they will learn in the first 5 years of their lives.

I think since he is so young you do need to be flexible. Kids go through the growth spurts and then the not eating. Tessa is 19 months old and is also not a picky eater but she has gone thru the not wanting to eat at certain times she does sit with us for breakfast, lunch and supper. If she doesnt eat well thou I give healthy snacks too ( she loves breakfast bars). I have found with all 8 that they go thru these stages. Good luck!

Here's my opinion, snacks should only be allowed when regular meals are being eaten. Participation at regular meals should be mandatory, eating however should not. But if you don't eat there will be nothing later on. If you do eat, healthy snacks will be available later on. You'll want to make sure that the regular meals are not only healthy, but delicious. Don't be afraid to offer what you know your child likes more often than other things, the key is nutrition. As a child I was a very finicky eater, but my mother held to the above guidelines, and eventually my hunger won out and I started eating foods that previously I didn't like knowing that if I didn't eat there would be no food later on. Going to sleep on an empty stomach is no fun, but thankfully, I learned quick and adapted my eating habits. My mother tells me by the time I was ready for school. I would eat nearly any food offered except raw onions and nuts. The bottom line, you're the parent you get to make the decisions. It really doesn't matter what anybody else thinks as long as your child is safe and healthy.

when i was young it was you eat what was made for you or else you didnt get anything else for the rest of the day you had to eat was on you plate or else. you would get a spanking. and thats how i make it for my kids you eat what you get and that final

we are pretty strict with meal times but during the summer, not as much. my daughters get up when they get up and eat, but we still have lunch around 12:30 (they have it earlier when they are in school) but supper is usually about 5:30 school or not.

My son had an appetite like your son too when he was that age. Some days he ate al lot and other days he hibbled. I wasn't strict on what and when he ate his food. I mean I would make breakfast for him and he might nibble on one or two things and then drink his milk or juice and be off. I would do the same at lunchtime and dinnertime. If he wasn't hungry then I wouldn't force it. He snacked a lot on fruits throughout the day though. He never went to preschool so that never was an issue for us. He was fine when he started school though as all the kids snacked and ate at the same time and he had no problem with that. He is 6 now.

My children are like your son, too. What I did is slowly putting everything in order. I no longer allowed them to play while eating. Not even watch tv. Or other destructive activities they are used of doing while eating. I am slowly teaching them to focus on their meals. And a sort of reward, after eating they can do what they want.

My two year old does the same thing and I let him snack most of the day. He eats good meals most of the time, but if he is hungry then he should eat. I also make him sit at the table with us. I don't know that it's that bad. As they get older it will be easier for their food intake to be controlled. However, at that age they are into play, easily distracted, and they have small stomachs. Of course, we are going to homeschool him so I don't have to worry about him fitting into a school schedule.

I'm fairly strict about it, without being too unreasonable. My kids have to come to the table at around the same time each evening. If they finish early and want to leave, that's ok, as long as they don't ask for more food a little while later. They used to not eat, or eat very little because they knew that they would have a bed-time snack, which they would choose, and they always chose something less healthy than the meal we had. So, now , if they don't finish they dinner, they are told..."that's it for food for the night". This isn't as strict as it sounds, since they go to bed not too long after we have dinner. So, if they are very hungry before bed, its because they are skiping dinner, or eating less than they should. After a few months, it started to work. They now eat a reasonable dinner, and if they want a small snack before bed, we allow that. We also don't insist that they "finish everything on their plate'. Just a reasonable amount.

WELL i am not going to point fingers at you because my son is four and you know what i do the same thing, My daughter she was a good eater she would always sit at the table and eat dinner, But him i worry he is starving so i give him the snacks. I know what i am doing is wrong, very wrong , and i wish i could tell you it is a easy habit to break, but it's not i am trying really hard to break it now. He is so use to me giveing him the snacks , that he waits for me to give in and give it to him , so he don't eat . My doctor said , put you worries a side , stop the mentallity of thinking he is starving, some of it is in the parents head. Put him on a scheduled eating times {thats what i am doing now} I can only give him two snacks a day . One in the afternoon and one after dinner. Only if he eats some of his food at dinner. I guess the snacks do not give a child the ballanced nutriton they need. Also when they are eating all those snacks during the day , that is why they are not eating as much during nutritonal meals. SO i have cut down on the snacks. I do like the way my doctor put it thow , Would you pick reagular meals , or the snacks that taste better. Well for me i am not a big snack lover so i would pick the meals, but for kids it is usally diffrent. SO if he is snacking alot during the day that is why he does not eat alot at meals. I hope this helped you out , i am just passing on the info that i was told.

As long as you make him sit at the dinner table wether he eats or not is a good idea, I don't think you'll have a problem. Kids eat when they are hungry so I wouldn't worry too much about his eating habit. What I would worry about is a toddler walking around with food while playing, they could easily choke. The doc gave me that info when I told him my child was doing this.

It is natural for your son's age to behave like that, it may give you a problem when he enters in preschool but kids adapts good to his environment.. It is good that he eats a lot just be sure that the food you are giving is nutritious..Kids is still exploring his capabilities, let him do his craft by your guidance..

We are strict with our boys, everything that is put in front of them they have to eat but we do monitor their snacks they eat through the day as we know they will fill up on rubbish if we let them like chips and lollies. We try to give them fruit, but in the end they must eat their dinner and all meals!

I bet that it will cause a problem once he gets in school if he continually snacks. I run a daycare, and I can tell you the kids whose parents let them snack all day and give them treats even if they dont eat their full lunch or dinner. It is very annoying when watching someone and they are constantly asking for snacks!! I have a schedule for my kids and it works out great because they are hungry at dinnertime. If they don't eat dinner, they dont' get the nighttime snack. It also allows me to make sure they are eating healthy foods and not just snacking all day long.

Well, I seem to agree with bits and pieces of the other responders. I have a three-year-old son, and a two year old daughter who have both gone throught their times of sporatic eating. If he doesn't want breakfast when he first gets up then give him a little while and then offer it to him at the table. I offer my children snacks either at the table or at the coffee table downstairs. (This is because it makes for an easier to clean house, and I don't need to worry about them choking.) My doctor doesn't agree with giving kids snacks if they don't eat their meals and I agree. If they do eat their meal then I'll give them a snack if they ask for one after a decent interval. Getting the kids to eat at the table is pretty easy in our house, because when it's time for a meal, everyone that is home eats the same thing, at the same time, at the same table. P.S. All transitions are easiest when done at the youngest age - before habits become ingrained.

am very strict...i prefer to follow certain timings pertaining to meal time...it should be followed very strictly...we won't get much energy if we take our to our own desired timings..at morning times,it's good to eat within two hours from the time you have woke up and eat as much as you can eat..lunch should be taken at around five hours from breakfast...you can eat a reliable meal...during dinner eat less when compared to oyher two meals of the day as it would help you make feel better while you sleep

i was raised with parents who is really strict about finishing meals on the table even when i go out. so i'm used to eat my meals til the plate is clean even tho i'm not that hungry. it works for some people, others.. not so much. just go with what you know of your kid. maybe make meals that he likes?

Its never to early to start making him eat and sit at the dinner table. You are definitely right, that will make the transition to preschool even easier. Make sure that he is rewarded when he displays good eating habits so that the behavior will be reinforced. Also, I agree with the previous comments. Lessen the in between meals intake and make sure that he doesnt get anything after meal times. (i know its hard, it breaks my heart knowing one kid get hungry).Cant think of any other natural consquence for not eating enough on time. Snacks can also be scheduled. This is gonna be easy since you already established the desired behavior during dinner time.Good luck!