Dinner refusal is common. It’s also FRUSTRATING. You’re both exhausted from the day. And now you’re worried too.
Worried that they’ve gone another day without vegetables. Worried that they are going to bed hungry. Worried that they’ll wake all night because they ate one pea and a piece of pasta for dinner.
As a Mumma, I HEAR YOU. That worry and frustration you feel is because you care so much.
This is why at HNK we advocate for WHOLE DAY THINKING. Instead of focusing on each meal (and our brains will naturally focus in on the meals that go to poo), we encourage you to think of the day of eating as a whole.
Many kids have a pretty predictably daily eating rhythm. It might need adjusting with time or activities or illness, but for the most part, it’s pretty predictable.
Some kids wake up ravenous and will eat 4 serves of breakfast. These same kids might also reject most of their dinner most nights.
Some kids might take a while to warm up to food and then eat 3 serves of dinner every night.
Some kids might enjoy food at every meal. A big appetite is a great thing too.
If you’ve got a child who consistently rejects a particular meal, try this…
ADD NUTRIENTS TO THE MORE SUCCESSFUL MEALS.
This strategy doesn’t ‘fix’ meal rejection (we’ve got plenty of tools for you too).
But it does ease your worry and frustration at meal times when you know your child has eaten *most* of the nutrients they might need in a day.
Not sure how to work out your child’s daily food rhythm? Download my FREE ‘first steps to meal time success (while maintaining your sanity)’ guide.
