do you force feed your child?

What is your goal - to get your kids to eat their vegetables, or to get your kids *to want* to eat their vegetables? I offer a healthy enough range of foods during the week that it's not terribly important to me that they *always* eat everything that is served. Heck, I love veggies and some days even I'm just not in the mood for them! I want my kids to enjoy food, to want to eat well. So I don't force feed them because it would be counterproductive to my personal goal.

maybe it's the way veggies are presented that put kids off..i made so many veggies in different styles and patterns and my son and other kids loved it..this is always a problem with kids..they see stodge..although it tastes fantastic ..they run a mile..i used to get the kids involved in cooking with me and making shapes out of different food elements..that way they grew to love food with veg..try it and see what happens..you might be pleasantly surprised..

It happens the same with mines. My girl is big now, but i used to force her , it was the only way. With my boy and the soup, i have to tell him the the dynossaures will be crossed with him if he doesnt it the soup, at the end i have to open the door to show the empty bowl saying to "the dynossaures" he ate everything. Sometimes it has to be like that if you want to keep him healthier with good food, not just with junk food.

We have a rule in our house. My children get dessert after their meals, however ONLY if they eat everything that is on their plates. If I know it's something they really don't like, I'll only give them a small amount. But my thinking has always been if they don't have room for their supper, they certainly don't have room for dessert. If they finish their meal and want seconds, I never make them finish eating what's on that second plate. If they decide they've had enough (and their on seconds) they can still have dessert. I have found this to be quite an effective method of getting them to eat, even when it's something they don't particularily care for.

I used to when they were younger, but they wont let me any more. So I let them leave their dinner and make them eat it for their supper if they are still hungry. I also try giving them a reward for eating all their food which tends to work with my 5 year old but not my 2 year old.

Yes but i still never get to feed them because im afraid they could choke. Coaxing my eldest and sometimes bribing her with longer playtime does the trick and sometimes it doesn't. As for my 2 yr old, it could never force her to eat anything she doesn't want.