Child Cries At Meal Time....????

[Guest]

I have a daycare boy that's 2 years and 2 months old. Every time I say "snack time" or "lunch time" he has a complete melt down and starts crying uncontrollably. He doesn't do this at any other time during the entire day...just meal times. The kids all sit at the table and eat together. He will only takes a few bites (crying most of the way through the bites) then just sits at the table and cries or screams. His mothers says he cries at meal times at home also, but she "threatens him with time-out and he usually stops". I'm not going to put him in time-out for not eating...I offer him the food but I can't MAKE him eat. Anyone dealt with this before???

[NeedaVaca]

My first thought was has he been checked for reflux?? Since he only cries at mealtimes and also does it at home I think it could be a sign, maybe it hurts after he eats and that's why he's crying? It can't hurt for them to do a swallow study, either he's fine & you have peace of mind or he gets help.

[SilverSabre25]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that she does more than threaten a time out at home. I bet that eating has become such a power struggle that there's been a lot of punishment, yelling, threatening, etc at home or other places. Mealtime has clearly become a source of anxiety for him, and unfortunately IME there's not much you can do to change that.

[Megan's Daycare]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that she does more than threaten a time out at home. I bet that eating has become such a power struggle that there's been a lot of punishment, yelling, threatening, etc at home or other places. Mealtime has clearly become a source of anxiety for him, and unfortunately IME there's not much you can do to change that.

That's kind of what I have been thinking......

[butterfly]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that she does more than threaten a time out at home. I bet that eating has become such a power struggle that there's been a lot of punishment, yelling, threatening, etc at home or other places. Mealtime has clearly become a source of anxiety for him, and unfortunately IME there's not much you can do to change that.

This. Or could be reflux or allergy of some sort that causes physical pain when or after he eats.

I have a dck with a severe milk allergy and until we figured that out, this child would scream cry during and after meals.