Help-Child Waking Up Hungry During Nap!

[Country Kids]

OK, one of my non-eaters didn't eat breakfast today and ate 4 bites of lunch.

Now in the middle of nap they are waking up saying they want to eat and crying. Well we have a ways till naps over!

My own kids can't believe these kids don't eat.

Also, this isn't a small crier-one that screams when they cry!

[daycare]

OK, one of my non-eaters didn't eat breakfast today and ate 4 bites of lunch.

Now in the middle of nap they are waking up saying they want to eat and crying. Well we have a ways till naps over!

My own kids can't believe these kids don't eat.

Also, this isn't a small crier-one that screams when they cry!

i know this sounds mean, but at my house you learn to eat when food is served. If you chose not to eat, then you learn to wait until the next meal.

I would remind the child that meal time comes after nap. Go lay down...

[Country Kids]

I pretty much quit serving afternoon snack because no one ate it, they would cry through it because they are still tired, no one wants to get up for it.

Do I start serving it again because now this child is hungry?

[countrymom]

nope, you serve, if they don't eat, then don't worry about it anymore. One day it will click and they will eat. I have kids who don't eat either, and my kids can't believe it either. I just tell them, oh well, its a long time before you get food again. I've also come to the conclusion that most of these kids are catered too.

[daycare]

I pretty much quit serving afternoon snack because no one ate it, they would cry through it because they are still tired, no one wants to get up for it.

Do I start serving it again because now this child is hungry?

no...set a routine and stick to it so that the kids know to expect.

I have a lot of non-eaters. I make food time a non-issue. Or at least I try. I started setting a timer for our meals. When the timer goes off, if you chose not to eat, then you wait until the next meal.

Also, my rule, you must try one bite of everything. I also serve my food in rounds. Veggies are usually first or the protein, then the grain and last always the fruit. Milk is served when you get your fruit.

[Country Kids]

I don't get the one bite rule! I have kids the literally lock their lips together when I ask them to try one bite and sit shaking their head. How do you get them to try it if they don't want to.

Two of mine absolutely won't try it even when asked. They don't care if they have to sit there the entire time, they just won't try.

[youretooloud]

I pretty much quit serving afternoon snack because no one ate it, they would cry through it because they are still tired, no one wants to get up for it.

Do I start serving it again because now this child is hungry?

Yes. You can serve crackers if they'll eat it.

Or, you can serve a very small healthy choice (bananas, yogurt, carrots, raisins) and if they don't eat what they have, then too bad, they weren't really hungry.

Many years ago, I worked for a small daycare center over the summer. ( The lady that owned the center was also the cook) She served taco salad EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Day after day, year after year... because she said it met all the requirements. It had pinto beans, cheese, lettuce tomatoes, manderine oranges, and tortilla chips. That was the ONLY thing these kids were served for any meal, ever. The kids would eat parts of it, but never finish it. Then, for snack, she served graham crackers and milk, or dry cheerios and raisins. ONLY... never anything else. To this day, I hate raisins.

Anyway, the kids basically went hungry, and i've always wondered how they felt now as adults. If I ever tracked them down and said "What did you hate about daycare?" I bet it would be that they were hungry.

So, I've always tried to feed these kids a LOT of food, and make it as kid friendly as possible, and always a treat with the lunch. Even if they only eat the treat, I don't care, because I did my part. I serve it, they eat it. If they don't eat it, they weren't hungry. It's not like i'm making fish stew and expecting kids to eat it. The super picky kids had better fill up at home, because i'm not standing in my pantry asking what they want.

[Country Kids]

Today I tried:

Hot Dogs
Tator Tots
Grapes
1/4 of a hot dog bun
milk

This child ate maybe 4 bites of the hot dog and nothing else. Didn't eat breakfast either and now wants to disrupt everything and want to eat.

This is also the child who is having some heavy behavioral problems also.

[daycare]

I don't get the one bite rule! I have kids the literally lock their lips together when I ask them to try one bite and sit shaking their head. How do you get them to try it if they don't want to.

Two of mine absolutely won't try it even when asked. They don't care if they have to sit there the entire time, they just won't try.

honestly, I don't know how I get them to do the one bite rule.....

When a kid starts with me, I already know that eating time is going to be the hardest part of the day. I tell them the rule, usually they try to test me and refuse to eat. They then see all of the kids go off to play and I then take a chair next to the new kid and say:
Wow johnny wouldn't you like to go play with your new friends? I so wish you could go play with them, but until you try your food, you can't. So let's eat so that you can go and play. It usually always works. For those that are strong minded and stubborn, they get to sit at the table and watch the rest of us move on to have some fun. I set a limit of how long they sit there and if still no food is eaten, then I just have them throw it in the trash. I also make a huge deal out of those kids that are eating and showing good table manners.....I'll say, wow you guys, look at the way kathy is eating all of her food, it must be so yummy. Kathy will usually agree with me and the kids try it.

I really don'rt have to many eating issues anymore.

[daycare]

Today I tried:

Hot Dogs
Tator Tots
Grapes
1/4 of a hot dog bun
milk

This child ate maybe 4 bites of the hot dog and nothing else. Didn't eat breakfast either and now wants to disrupt everything and want to eat.

This is also the child who is having some heavy behavioral problems also.

do you think the behavioral issues are from not having enough to eat, leading to low blood sugar?

[Country Kids]

do you think the behavioral issues are from not having enough to eat, leading to low blood sugar?

Possibly! I have another one that went through a terrible time of not eating and was a bear to everyone.

[daycare]

Possibly! I have another one that went through a terrible time of not eating and was a bear to everyone.

my own child will have bad behavior if he does not eat. So when he not being very good, I will think, what did he eat this morning.......and normally that is the culprit.

So now, I make him eat. He can not get up from his chair until he has eaten at least more than half of his food.

Breakfst is the most important meal of the day for these kids. it is the foundation of their day and I think that if they start off without food, their moods are going to be unstable for the rest of the day until the next meal time or they just may never get their mood leveled out.

how old are the kids??

[youretooloud]

Didn't eat breakfast either and now wants to disrupt everything and want to eat.

This is also the child who is having some heavy behavioral problems also.

I absolutely would NOT get the child up to eat now. If he or she can't wait til you make snack for everyone in the entire group, then, he or she better think of that tomorrow.

I still would find a way to force the food. Not literally force it... But, maybe demand, and not let this kid up until he's eaten something and drank the milk. Some kids are happy to starve to death rather than eat what is served. I had this kid two years ago, and never won the war. She won it. But, still i'd try. If I had any ideas on HOW you should fight this, I would tell you, but I don't.

AND WHY for the love of Pete are this kid's parents not feeding him in the morning? If he'll eat chocolate milk and pop tarts, they should fill him full of the crap food so he's not hungry all day long. Get up earlier and make sure he eats something? There is no excuse for sending a picky eater to daycare on an empty stomach.

[Country Kids]

The parents bring the breakfast food here and I make it. That way I know what they are eating.

Its not junk food either-well its better then nothing.

Oatmeal
Waffles
Deviled Eggs
Yogurt
Bagels
Fruit with something

Things like that

[youretooloud]

I've never even met a kid who wouldn't eat bagels.

The parents bring the breakfast food here and I make it. That way I know what they are eating.

Its not junk food either-well its better then nothing.

Oatmeal
Waffles
Deviled Eggs
Yogurt
Bagels
Fruit with something

Things like that