Picky Eater

[mom-in-alberta]

Side note: MMmmmmm, Nutella. Too bad I have two children with nut allergies (one of whom is my own). No peanut butter or Nutella in our house. *sniffle* lol
My meal time policy is; I make it, I serve it, the child chooses whether or not to eat. I will very often encourage a child, especially to try something that they are turning up their noses at upon first sight. So I will say "at least one bite" or "give me 3 good bites".That said, a child does not receive seconds of anything until they have completed their first plate. I learned that very early on... few kids will dig into veggies if I let them have unlimited french fries or noodles!
I have a pair of siblings who are veeeery picky (funny how mom said they would eat "everything"! haha). It stresses me out sometimes, but I am learning to let it go. Primarily; they learn their eating habits at home. Mom and dad are in charge of 2 meals a day, plus the entire weekend and days off, too. I will do what I can.... but that is all I can do.
I also keep an eye on milk/juice/etc intake. Some kids will fill up on that if you aren't serving what they like. We have a cup of milk at snacktime in the A.M, a cup at lunch (sometimes juice), and a cup at snacktime in the P.M. In between, it's water if you are thirsty.
When playfelt initially suggested above "not to let her leave the table", my first reaction was "no, I wouldn't do that". But having thought about it, I wonder if that is a pretty good idea after all. Perhaps if I put a minimum time in place for sitting at the table and eating, we may have better luck. Say for example "we sit at the table for (15? 20?) minutes. If you would like, you can keep eating. Or if you are done, I will let you know when you are excused to clean up your plate."
Hmmmm..... food for thought. (Pun intended, lol)