Parenting about Healthy Eating

drshona

We actually ask our kids to finish their dinner if they want dessert. Because if they are full, they don't have room for dessert anyway. We give them small servings though (really, the size of their fists). Frankly it's the only thing that's worked to get them to try new things. They eat everything at dinner now because of it... but we don't make them finish if they're really not hungry. And sometimes they'll actually ask for seconds.

I was against it at first because I didn't want them to expect dessert all the time, but I have to admit that it's worked really well to make them try new things. If they really don't like it, we just ask them to have a bite. And they don't get dessert on days when they had too many sweets anyway.

My problem with that, is that I suspect my eldest, at least, would eat the pudding even if he was full, and what I really don't want to do is teach them to eat when they're not hungry - because that's what I do.

Yeah I've found it it's not an issue at all though. We give them a tiny dessert and often they just stop eating when they're full anyway.

Well, so long as it isn't a problem, it isn't a problem. How old are they though? I think it's something that becomes more of a problem over 5 - although my nearly 6 year old would stop eating cake when full.