Hello--
I have a 3 year old daughter that cries at lunch time and tries to spit out her food or make herself throw up at daycare. She goes to preschool M-W-F so comes home for lunch those days and 2 days a week at daycare needing to have lunch. This past week we have talked about it everyday that we have to eat lunch without crying at daycare. This morning I really talked about it when we were driving there and today she sat down at lunch & proceeded to cry. She's had her tonsils out, she has had acid reflux as a baby and is lactose intolerant but don't this any of these issues come into play here. I'm guessing this is behavioral but looking for other insight. Any suggestions on how to overcome this? Thanks!!
She does not want to eat, OK, but why does she cry? Is she being forced to eat? Does she not like something about the daycare? There must be something that bothers her. I would try to find that out.
Also if you insist on something too much, sometimes it makes things worse. I would leave her alone, and she eats if she wants, she doesn't if she doesn't want to.
C.,
Maybe you could try sending a lunch from home. You know, a special made by Mommy with love lunch. Just especially for her!! A little extra work for you but it just may work if you really play it up for her. Maybe put a special little note from you in it. Might be worth a try.
Good luck,
V.
I believe in never "force feeding", at any age. She will not starve. In this case, I agree with the other responders who said I would investigate what else might be wrong at daycare, with lunch or food, or the people and their behaviors or rules. How are the daycare teachers handling this? I would tell all to relax and leave her alone before and during lunch. Even at age 3, she might tell you what's wrong if it becomes a less emotionally charged issue.
Don't force her to eat. If she misses luch a couple days a week she will not starve to death. It's better than traumatizing her at daycare with food. Maybe there is a deeper issue here and it's not lunch but the daycare itself?
What about a sticker chart? For every day she eats lunch at daycare, she gets to put a sticker on her chart when she gets home and for each sticker she earns something small, like an extra book at bedtime, pick a special snack, etc. and then when she's earned 4 stickers, she gets something bigger, like going somewhere special for dinner, a tea party, etc.
Maybe you can see if there's something about lunch time that's causing the problem, too. Is she upset about where she's sitting, the food, etc. Does she do snack ok at daycare? I hope things get easier for her soon!
Quit blaming the day care.I make fresh organic food,nutritionally balanced.Kids who eat processed food at home and McDonald's won't touch it!Children who are given too many choices at home become very picky.Day cares do not have time to play "restaurant"!
Maybe she just doesn't like the food. What are they feeding her? What kind of meals do you make at home? I always made fresh homemade food -- no canned stuff -- very little pre-made frozen food in my house. If my kids had to go to daycare, or eat hot lunch at school quite often they wouldn't eat the food because if didn't taste good. You might want to stop in and see what they are feeding her.
