LoveMaGirl

It's been said a lot that children will only eat what they need to eat unless there is an actual problem. The obesity problem we are now seeing in our children is because we are either not offering appropriate things or else are not listening to their cues.

Asking a child to clear his plate before he leaves the table is the worst thing we could possibly do.

alexis

Agreed. I came from the household that at the dinner table it was clear the plate, or sit there until you do. Don't ask how many times I sat there til 11pm, not eating my peas (they taste funny to me OK?). Anyways, I don't want to do that with my children, and I have been researching new ways to keep the foods interesting and healthy. I wish less parents would rely on fast food, once in a while can be okay, but I know some that eat out 4 of the 7 days a week - something is seriously wrong there.

Unkie

I wasn't really in a clear your plate family, we always had a dog. However we learned that in order to get a small piece of desert, we had to eat a small serving of veggies.

The Alpha One

I'm unsure on how much I had to eat before I received dessert - if any dessert was available for me at the time and / or age. But wouldn't the child have to eat some amount of food nonetheless? I'm not saying force the child to eat 10 lbs. of roast beef, but at least a small serving of something?

rose

I think I had to eat about 1/2 of everything that was on my plate and the desert would be smaller depending on how much of the good food I did pack away. We had dogs too, but with two girls my mother got smart and moved the dog outside during food time.

hummingbird42256

When I was growing up we could not afford the precooked prepared convenience food that we rely on today. So we were were all skinny as kids .We also spent lots of our time outside .I am guilty of all that with my kids now.If you work, how many feel like preparing meals from scratch?

stuffabunny

I was expected to try three bites of anything my mom made. Depending on what was for dinner (she is a very creative cook) it could be easy or hard. We seldom had dessert so that wasn't an issue. She did feel that three was reasonable and most parenting books at the time would have agreed.

hummingbird42256

The only problem with not finishing their plate, is that later they start to whine that they are hungry. I heard somewhere that you give a child a tablespoon serving for each year of age. Anyone else familiar with that?

LoveMaGirl

No, I haven't heard that. And whining later that they are hungry when they are little is normal. They have tiny tummies, and should eat little and often. Yes, that can mean that it seems that your kid is eating every hour and only having three bites and then telling you they are done. But that is the single best way there is for them to eat! Forcing them to eat more than they can handle can result in them losing the ability to tell when they are done. If the only way they have to know that they are finished is an empty plate-can't you see the problems that can cause?

If nothing else, it means that having a plate too large means they take in too many calories. Let them be, and if feeding them again in an hour is the result so be it-let the inconvenience be yours as the parent and do not instead make the health problems be theirs. That's what parenting is all about.

babyboomer

I totally agree with you Lovemagirl. This very odd habit among families can lead to the child getting to hate the food you insist on them to eat. They will soon grow old and detest the same food because of this bad practice.