Anyone else have mealtime battles? We've had some issues with our youngest (she just turned 3) daughter. She eats well for breakfast & lunch, but sometimes getting her to eat dinner is a battle! If it's not something she likes, she won't even try it. If it's not something she eats, she will refuse to eat it. We've tried punishing her, negotiating with her, etc. Nothing works all the time.

I don't prepare a special meal for my kids; I cook one meal and we all eat it. However, I do add fruit to their meal (apples, bananas, applesauce, grapes, etc), especially if I'm not sure if they will like the meal. I want to be sure there is something they will eat. My 7 yr old has learned to try different foods. She's a good eater; I don't remember having dinner wars with her when she was little. She was always persuaded to eat her dinner with rewards of dessert, playing outside a little longer, etc. My 3 yr old is non-negotiable! We finally started telling her that if she wasn't going to eat her dinner then she would get a bath and go to bed. I hate that, though because I want to be sure she is getting enough to eat. Even that doesn't always work. Recently, she wasn't eating her dinner. We tried to persuade her to eat by telling her after dinner we would have time to play outside. After awhile of playing with her food, she looked at me and said that she just wanted to get a bath and go to bed! So, that's what happened. Of course, she woke up the next morning hungry.

I just don't know the best way to handle our dinner wars. Nothing seems to work all the time. Thankfully, it's not an every night issue. She does eat her dinner some, but we have these battles probably 3 times a week. I'm hoping that it's just part of the "terrible 2's" and she'll grow out of it soon. Any suggestions?

My 5 almost 6year old does this to us. We will make her sit there- Before she can leave the table she has to try at least 2 bits of whatever it is that she is claiming not to like. Sometimes we have to spoon feed it to her to make her try it. Usually after we spoon feed it to her to make her try it she will end up liking it and eat most of it.
I know it sounds mean- but how will she know if she likes it or not if she don't try it. Now there are things that if I don't really care for them I won't force her to eat them- Or we try to add ketchup, Parmesan cheese, or sometimes we let her add a very little bit of salt- (we don't use salt when cooking)
Hope you can find something that works- Our 3 year old and 22 month old eat just about anything. Last week we found the first thing out 22 month old does not like- Salisbury steaks-

The rule at our house (we have a 3 year old daughter and a newborn son) is that you have to try everything on your plate. I also only prepare one meal that everyone eats. I do make sure that one dish is something I know she will eat. Before she can be excused, she has to take the same number of bites as she is old. So, 3 bites for 3 years old. It was major going from 2 to 3 bites in March.

She doesn't make me take as many bites as I am old. She can't count that high yet! :-)

i also have this problem with my 2 1/2 yr old. some nights she eats like theres no tomorrow and some nights she refuses. so i started telling her she can't go outside after dinner or play with her friends or watch her fav tv show before bed, if she doesn't eat at least some. the first time she refused we followed thru with the threat and now most of the time she will eat. but there still is the occasional refusal, that ends with a night in the house. the thing she really hates is every night after dinner i go outside to water my veg garden or fruit trees and when she doesn't eat she doesn't get to help.
this works for me but every child is diffrent.

These were great tips ladies, thanks for sharing them! I will file them away for future if and when I need them, hopefully I won't.

Some of my tactics may sound a little harsh, but it works for us....
The rule is ou MUST try it at least once. If you don't like it, then you don't have to eat it. I only make one meal at dinner. If they refuse to eat, then that's it. No substitutes. They can go to bed hungry. My husband and I try to explain that there are people all over the world that have nothing at dinner time...they are lucky that we live in a society that is plentiful... These rules go to my husband and I both. I also let my family decide if it will be made again. I try to add something new to our menu at least once a month. And I come up with some wierd stuff sometimes. But the whole family has to try it, and them we vote! LOL!!

I have an 8 year old son who is non-negotiable also. He will not try anything new. I have offered him everything under the sun and nothing works. He is very stubborn. I even offered to take him to Toys R Us when he was about 5 years old and let him pick out anything he wanted no price limit and he said no. I was totally shocked I would have jumped at that idea as a 5 year old. I have asked him to just try a bite and if he doesn't like it he doesn't have to eat it but at least he tried it. He refuses and I have tried to spoon feed him and he makes himself sick.

I have talked to our pediatrician and to a therapist about it and they both said not to fix a different meal, which I have been guilty of in the past, however I have since stopped, but my mom keeps doing it which does not help matters. They told me let him go to bed hungry and he will eventually eat what I put in front of him. It still has not worked. I think he gets enough to hold him over at breakfast and lunch. I am at my wits end because this has been going on for 6 years now.