How do you get out the door with multiple kids?
How do you get your kids to eat all their supper?
How do you get a good meal on the table before everyone eats too many snacks?
How do you keep your house clean?
The list could go forever!
These are some things that work in our house. My kids are 1 & 3. These things may have worked today and won't work tomorrow. I'm telling you my secrets in hopes that you will share your secrets!
1. I've given up on eating a healthy breakfast
The kids usually eat a breakfast bar, cereal or yogurt while the news/weather (Today Show) is on TV.
2. I shower, dry hair & quiet time before the kids get up. If they wake up in the process, they have to sit quietly on the bathroom floor. I put on my makeup in my foyer near the playroom while the kids eat. You don't need a picture.
3. I aim to have dinner ready at 6:00 p.m. We eat at home every night. The kids get a snack about 3:00 p.m. They play outside until its time to eat.
4. During the spring & summer we eat outside and let the dog eat our crumbs. I'm looking for a cheap highchair or booster seat so we don't have to drag the highchair out every night. I keep a tray on my kitchen counter to transport (fixed) plates outside.
4. Both kids take their shirts off to eat dinner. As soon as dinner is over Wes baths the kids while I clean.
5. We haven't figured out the solution on getting Colt to eat dinner. Our current tactic is instead of begging/threatening, we put Colt's plate in the refrigerator if he won't eat. When he asks for a snack later in the evening, we bring out his plate with cold food. We've found that this allows him to eat whenever he wants to so its not working!
I would love to hear your secrets! By the way, Sheparding a Childs Heart by Ted Tripp is an excellent book!
2 comments:
Well, I only have one child, and she doesn't like to eat. SO, the Dr told us to give her what we want her to eat, give her a certain amount of time to eat it, and if she doesn't eat it, she doesn't eat. Usually she will eat a big breakfast if she doesn't eat dinner. But he said she will learn to eat what is given to her when she is supposed to. I'm not always really great at sticking to this. I often bribe her with cookies. :) Oh, and he also said not to withhold dessert, but to make it proportional. Like, if she eats a lot, she gets a lot of dessert, if she eats a little, she gets a little dessert.
Hey Tipi! Love seeing your little people! So glad you said hi!
Okay, my tips:
1 - I'm with you, Mama must have a shower in the morning. My boys are old enough to fix breakfast for themselves and most of the others, but before they were, they just had to wait to eat until I deemed myself presentable. I figured I wasn't eating until I was clean either, so it wasn't TOO selfish of me. :-)
2- Just a hint, three year olds don't eat. The sooner we parents accept that, the better off we'll be. Mine start the hunger strike around 2 1/2 and stop it sometime before they turn 4. Our rule has changed and evolved over the years, but mostly I simply tell them "you eat what's on your plate." If they eat some but not all, I make them take X number of bites (we base it off of how old they are - like a 2 year old has to take 2 more bites) and if they are compliant, then it's not a defiance issue and we let them be excused. They don't get snacks or dessert or anything, but we explain that before hand.
If the child won't eat any of their food or refuses to eat their X number of bites, it becomes a defiance issue. At our house, you get sent to bed if you refuse to eat with a defiant spirit. Yes, they're usually pretty hungry the next morning, but I control portions at breakfast and lunch. They don't get any extras (beyond normal meals) until they eat their dinner with a sweet spirit.
Determining if the issue was pickyness or defiance was a big help in easing my frustration.
That's just what has worked for us. Your babies are precious!!!
Post a Comment