food refusal

[Sarah and JT]

HIya,

I couldn't decide whether to put this in this post or in the discipline one - bear with me! - I was wondering what other folk would have done in the following situation...?

JT is 14 months old - I was heating up his dinner (butternut squash risotto - usually a firm favourite) - he saw the cupboard door open and he helped himself to a packet of raisins.  I took them off him and told him his dinner was ready and that he could have his raisins after dinner.  He a bit of a meltdown - I thought I should stay firm and I calmed him down a bit and put him in his high chair.  He point blank refused his food. 

Should I respect this choice and try him with some other food or just put him to bed with the thought that if he was hungry he would eat it?

I did try and give him some mashed banana on toast which he pushed his fingers into and then cried.  I then gave him a few raisins - probably shouldnt as I was giving in? - but he only ate a few.  HE also had hardly any milk.  He was very upset and desperate to go to bed at this stage - very tired.  SO, he has gone to bed after eating 3 raisins and about 1 oz of milk.  He was tired but that doesn't usually stop him eating his dinner - maybe he tired himself out with the initial meltdown when I took away the raisins.  I'm not sure & don't think I handled it very well....

any suggestions?

Sarah

[Mum to cool dude]

Oh, the evil raisins    I had many an argument with DH about the effect on teeth so I now hide them from DH and DS !   

I don't know what I would have done. I do try to stick to my principles but I have been known to bent the rules according to the circumstances.

In this case, I would say try not to feel bad, especially as JT was having a tantrum and that is always testing on all concerned. Your LO must have been very tired and that would have accounted for the meltdown. Personally, I would have put my concerns about food aside and rushed him to bed and crossed my fingers that he would not wake up hungry at night.