| They do have their own plates, we don't make them share like this. |
In these instances, they really seem to enjoy putting the food in their mouths, chewing it up, and then spitting it back out. Often, this includes raking it out of their mouths with their fingers.
If they aren't listening to my verbal instructions, I have to act.
Step 1 - Prevent the food from escaping by holding my hand over their mouths.
Results - Not good: choking; gagging; biting of Papa's fingers; and, ultimately, the food comes back out.
Step 2 - Pile the semi-chewed food up on their tray and see if they will go back for it.
Results - Brynne has never touched her food using this method. Hadley will consume it about half the time.
Step 3 - Modify the spit covered glob of food. This can be accomplished by: hiding it in another bite of something; removing it from the plate, putting it back on a fork, and hoping they don't notice; or smothering it in BBQ sauce.
Results - The odds of Hadley eating it stays at 50%, but jumps to 75% when BBQ sauce is utilized. The only way Brynne will go for it is if BBQ sauce is involved. Even then, she will still spit it out half the time. Once she realizes what I've done, she won't touch anything with BBQ sauce for the rest of the meal.
Smart kid.
Step 4 (aka the last hope) - Show them how yummy the meal is by eating it myself.
Results - This never works. I will continue to try, though. It might work at some point in the future.
I'm kidding myself. I know it will never work, but I continue to clean up after them as Julia is a wonderful cook and I hate to see the food go to waste. The leftovers that used to end up as my lunches later in the week have now become the girls' meals.
I'm ok with that. I'm also not grossed out by anything.
If this is the only way I can get my leftovers, then so be it. Better me than the dogs.
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2 comments:
I to understand your position when cleaning up after our girls as well. Though on occasion if they simply don't touch it we just put it back and give it to them later.
What we found works sometimes is having her sister eat her food. If it is something they like, but have been playing with, they are very quick to gobble it up once they have the threat of sister eating it. (or dad or mom)
Way to be a team player!!
We struggle here, too. I do the excited "gobble. gobble." where I grab some of their food and make it look so yummy they can't resist. Success rate= 10%
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