Tag Info

My five kids range from "ultra picky" to "eat only healthy foods" to "surprise, I've changed my likes and dislikes". Keep healthy foods around, so their choices are all generally healthy. Keep reintroducing new foods that they wouldn't eat within a reasonably close timeframe. Sometimes it takes 7-8 tries. Try different ways of preparing the same foods. Try ...

If things are escalating to the point of physical altercation, you've already waited too long to intervene. Model good behavior. Avoid using harsh words with your family, even in jest. Make house rules explicit. Write them down and post them where all can see. Include not just the "big" stuff, but also the precursors (which shouldn't be happening ...

Most parents don't believe this, but kids will not starve themselves to death for the sake of being persistently stubborn. The solution is simple. As long as they give you trouble: Don't have the foods "they like" around for them to snack on (e.g. not come hungry to the dinner table) What you want them to eat is "what we've got. We don't have anything ...

I have three children, the eldest daughter is the picky one. We have always had a rule that you are not forced to eat anything, but you have to taste - we made this rule explicitly to "one spoonful per one year of age" - so now that she's turned five, she will taste 5 spoonfuls of each dish. Sometimes she even ends up liking what she was suspicious about at ...

We cook one healthy meal at home and put an appropriate amount of food on everyone's plate. You are not forced to eat anything. However, that's what's for dinner, we aren't cooking seperate meals for everyone. If you don't eat everything on your plate you don't get dessert. Also, I've found that getting the kids involved in planning and, especially, ...

I am a strong believer in not forcing a child to eat any food. Some kids are just picky, and others are responding to their body's warnings -- about allergies, chemical sensitivities, and other hazards. I was a picky eater. We found out in my late teens that most of the foods I wouldn't eat as a child were things that could cause me serious health ...

We used to have big fights at home over food. We just let it go. Everyone is happy now. Basically, sometimes my child eats only meat, sometimes only carbon hydrates, sometimes only fruit. I trust my child to know what is currently missing in their body. I certainly don't. Obviously we don't serve candy and cakes instead of real food, but I'm more than ...

If I'm introducing a new food, I try to not make it the whole meal - it'll overwhelm my son. Kiwi fruit, as an example; he wouldn't eat it sliced & plain. So I started slicing it finely and adding it to his yoghurt in the morning, and into a fruit salad for the evening dessert, slowly making the pieces bigger. Now he loves them and I just have to peel ...

Picky eaters usually require a closer look to determine what is the root of their food habits. Causes for picky eating can be related to oral sensory responses, normal developmental patterns, taste/flavor preferences, and behavior ploys to name a few. Does your child have a history of gagging/choking on a bottle or food as an infant? Some are born with ...

I remember reading Touchpoints, where he says that at a certain age, children don't actually NEED to eat that much, and they are far more interested in exploring and moving than in eating, so he recommends just putting little bits of everything on their plates, and letting them come back to it. Our experience with the oldest is that she would eat pretty ...

My sister and I used to have a big rivalry going on, but once we got old enough she quit annoying me so bad and I enjoyed having her around a lot more. The rivalry is likely to work itself out, which is best, but that doesn't mean you just sit back and watch. Like others said, harmful behavior should be stopped immediately, and things such as name calling ...

On some level, there will always be a rivalry between children that are relatively close (< 3 or 4 years) in age, and it will take a while for your children to get old enough to get some perspective on their relationship. If the rivalry is clearly one-sided, as in one sibling is usually the instigator of any kind of altercation, you can work on improving ...

Don't pick sides, but don't deny when one of them is picking on the other in order to appear impartial. Accept that some of the time, you'll just have to accept that they're not talking to each other. Watch out for goading. Note that while physical violence is obviously wrong, if you make a stand on that, then the game will become to make the other sibling ...

What has worked well for us is: A: Dole out small portions to begin with (and I might make a serving with less spice or something if I'm making a meal that is not so kid friendly). I regularly use salad plates as our dinner plates. Seconds are welcome when everything on the first plate was finished. B: If she does not eat a proportionate amount of ...

From what you've said, it looks like they're simply struggling with sharing and co-operating. Sometimes it really is is simple as making sure they both get equal time and equal stuff. If one child's constantly getting hand-me-downs, they'll inevitably become bitter and have little or no respect for the other's belongings, because they know they'll get them ...

Sibling rivalry is one of those things (like gas in newborns) that's going to happen anyway, and the only way to really "cure" it is to let the time pass for them to grow out of it. It also varies with the gender of the children. Per this question, it sounds like two boys. Some basics for handling the inevitable rivalry: No fighting. If they fight, they ...

Summary: explain to each the situation separately, then create an environment where they have to work together. Take the older child aside and explain that he/she is older and therefor has more responsibility to show the younger one (by action, not words) how to behave. Also explain that he/she is better at things because of his/her age and that can make ...

No, I think you need to intervene to show them that their behavior is unacceptable. I would suggest equal "punishments" as well so they don't think you are playing favorites. Have them apologize to each other and hug after serving their "time". They will eventually be friends, it's just a phase they go through having to share their space while trying to ...