Refusing Food

[Annasmum]

DD refuses to eat in her high chair. If I take her out she will eat standing up. I don't want to start catering to her as she will get the idea she can get away with it. I thought it might be because she was full from BF in the morning as breakfast is 30 minutes after, but she does it of a night as well when her BF is after the solids. It is very frustrating. I know she has to eat and it is starting to distress me.

[drewid]

Hi there

My little one goes through phases every so often of not liking the high chair. Sometimes I change up the routine a bit....sometimes we have a picnic on the floor in the lounge room and feed him there....other times I give him an array of finger foods that interest him in sitting in the chair - even if he doesn't it it, he likes to smush it around etc so has a bit of fun. He also loves having his straw cup there to sip from at leisure, or throw on the ground (fun fun fun!). Also, just something innocuous to play with, like tupperware or plastic utensils can also make it interesting.

I don't think you need to worry about her 'getting her own way' by not feeding her in the chair ALL the time...I don't they are really that manipulative that young!

Maybe just change it up a bit, try to make it fun and more appealing :)

[Chickadee]

I catered to my dd, lol. she stopped liking her high chair for awhile, when she hit around 14 months I think, so we bought a little picnic table that fit in the kitchen and she would sit there. If she wanted to eat she had to be at the table, but we would still have picnics outside or on a sheet on the living room floor. Like Nicole said, a change of scenery is useful.

We've since moved and bought her a booster seat instead which she loves and we have no more troubles. She's 2 now. It was a phase which passed and giving into her temporarily has caused no long term troubles. But even when giving in I did set rules - like being at her table even if not sitting, or if in the living room she had to sit on the picnic table.