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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The biggest advice I have is don't give in.  Hold firm to the you eat what we eat (barring legitimate special needs) and ride out the next 4 years.  I agree that the less attention you draw to the issue, the better.  As your child gets into three/four it can often be an issue of exerting control and the last thing you want is a battle of wills over eating.  When they're a bit older, give them lots of ways to make choices around the meal - which napkins we use, where people sit at the table, what music to listen to, etc.

We require our kids to take a "no thank you bite" so that they are exposed to more flavors and textures over time, but other than that they decide how much they want to eat.  We also don't offer anything else until breakfast (assuming we're talking about dinner).

One thing I've noticed is that both of our kids have had a harder time with dinner than with other meals - and I think a lot of it is because they are tired and just done with the day.  If you have some flexibility , try introducing new foods at lunch.[/quote]

The 'no thank you' bite seems so coercive. We never did that and our kids (now 10 and 12) both eat everything -- and they'll even order weird stuff at new restaurants like chicken feet. Never force a kid to eat anything, that's how you get into exactly the battle of wills you're trying to avoid. [/quote]

I grew up with the X number of bite rules, and while I don't do it with my kid, I don't think it's a huge deal.

But forcing your kid to do something and then telling that's saying "no" is incredibly confusing.  Call it anything else, I don't care.  Or just say "you need to take a bite of peas before you decide you don't like them" and don't use a cute name at all.  But the term "no thank you bite" is bizarre.  [/quote]

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