Wasting Food...I'm curious, WWYD

[ServantofGod]

This is not a problem I'm having with my kids, but it came up with a neice, so it made me wonder. The neice will often take food, take one bite and then declare she doesn't want it. (She is four.) It bothered me particularly this past weekend because I had chocolate covered strawberries which are a pretty expensive treat, and she did this with a strawberry. This isn't isolated; she does this with food often, it was just the first time it particularly offended me. It made me wonder what I would do if this was my child. Frankly, I think it's rude to take food at someone's house and then waste it. (I don't think it's much better wasting food in your own house, but at least it doesn't have that social decorum aspect to it.)

What would you do if this was your child?

[Katherine]

If she just takes one bite of something and then leaves it, I don't think that a big deal. She is, after all, only 4 years old. Choc. covered strawberries look pretty and maybe it just didn't taste like she expected it to. I probably would have cut off the section she'd bitten, and then eaten the rest myself! :D Expecting her to either KNOW what she does/doesn't like and choose accordingly, or suffer the consequence of having to finish eating something she doesn't like is a bit much to expect at her age IMO, although I can sympathize with the frustration over wasted food. You just have to keep it in perspective.. it's one bite. KWIM?

If she was taking one bite out of each strawberry and then moving on to a new one, that's different.

[MidnightCafe]

I'd eat it! :P ...couldn't let a perfectly good strawberry go to waste. ;)

As far as other food is concerned, I try to give her very small portions if I am not sure she'll eat it or I share with her off my plate. If it's an item that comes all in one piece (like the strawberry), I would probably split it with her. But, the truth is, sometimes it just happens that food gets wasted. I'm not going to force her to eat. I won't allow her to take more of something if she didn't eat the first piece, but I can't make her finish it. I think this is very typical behavior for little kids. They don't know what they want or how much. Sometimes they want to try something because everybody else has it, but they aren't really hungry.

I would really try to just prevent this problem by doing the things I already mentioned....because I'm not sure there's a lot you can do after the fact. I'm sensitive to creating eating/food issues with DD & wouldn't want to make an issue of it.

[ServantofGod]

I probably would have cut off the section she'd bitten, and then eaten the rest myself!

I wish her mother had done this; I would have felt better about it if anyone would have eaten it.

[Marsha]

I would have eaten it. I'm not germophobic at all, and I love chocolate covered strawberries. I guess my own daughter does it so much that I'm used to just eating the rest of it. I hate to keep her from trying new things, even if I think she won't like them, kwim?i

[iplsmama]

I have kids that could tend toward food wasting, esp my 3 yo. She is always hungry but just doesn't eat much at a time SO I usually try to fix small portions. I also stress the importance of finishing food, even saving unfinished food to finish later a lot of the time. I don't want to set up food issues, we never expect clean plates etc. but I usually make them eat 2 more bites of whatever they have left until they have eaten an acceptable amount. Oh I would've finished the strawberry for her, unfortunately I do that too much in my house that's why I'm heavy :yum :yum ;)

[schoolofmom]

Well, IMO, it is rude if you're an adult, but if you're four, it's just being four. TBH, I'd be gratified that she was even trying one bite before declaring she didn't want it. Maybe her mom has a "no thank you bite" rule like we do, and she's just operating according to her house rules? And, you know, that's the price of having company, right? If you're worried about wasting money then maybe you should break out the popsicles while they're there and save the treats for family alone time.

Oh, ETA that you asked if this were my child, what I'd do--I'd make sure they knew that it was something they didn't like before they tasted it (not by saying "you don't like those" but "you know those are strawberries, right?") and direct them towards something they do like, whether it be another food item or maybe a toy in the next room. If my kids don't eat at home I just save it for later and they usually come back to it.

[Mother of Sons]

nt

[Allison]

My oldest is a food waster. I used to tell him that if he asked for it he had to eat it, but I felt bad about it and rarely enforced it so it was pointless and just left me frustrated. So now, because I know that he is very apt to take one bite and say that he doesn't like it if he asks for something that isn't one of the few foods he will chow down on I have him take a bite "just to see I like it" as he says. I would say that 90% of the time he wrinkles his nose and says that he doesn't like it. But because my expectations are that he will only take one bite, I'm not frustrated and the food isn't wasted. There are times that I won't even allow him one bite, though, if the whole item might be wasted if only one bite is taken. Apples are an example. If I'm eating one or don't mind eating one and he asks for one, I'll offer it in slices first and usually he'll be adament that he wants the whole apple to hold. I'll tell him to take one bite and see if he really wants it and then I'll finish it when he inevitably doesn't want it.

[kklibrarian]

Our daughter has food issues that come from aspects of her life prior to our adoption. Consequently, she will often exhibit the kind of behavior that you describe. If she sees someone eating, she feels she MUST eat and then discovers that the food that she desperately wanted isn't to her liking. Lately at her regular meal times she's been eating a bite or two and then saying she's finished....even when it's foods that she loves. I think it's a combination of the fact that she's realizing that there will always be food here for her and she can take it or leave it as she sees fit. As I'm not really able to serve her dinner six times while she takes two bites, scampers off to play, and then returns requesting something different to eat, we do have a rule that you have to eat at least half of your portion to get a dessert. If it was my daughter in this situation, I'd of eaten the remainder of the strawberry..... :yum.

Blessings,
Kelly

[LauraK]

this thread is making me crave chocolate covered strawberries. :O