I have had enough of another shitty dinner not eaten, so tonight I cooked pasta and sauce to go with his hash brown (yes, let me work on my Mother of the Year acceptance speech) and just added it to the mix.
It went down just as good as you would expect.
He didn’t eat his dinner.
BUT!
In my desperation to get Ari (3) to take on a few more foods I mentioned the Hulk!
Ari has been wanting a Hulk costume for a very long time. Often he is unable to hold onto my hand, door or willy to pee because he has Hulk hands (fists for those unaccustomed to the physical traits of members of the Avengers). He wants the whole Hulk costume including huge green fists and I just happen to have said costume up in the cupboard for Christmas.
In my fed-up state I through my Hulky hat into the ring.
“We will get a sticker chart and every time you try a new food, even just a bite, you can put a sticker on it. Once it is full you can have a surprise!”
“Where is the sticker chart?”
“I have to make it”
“What surprise?”
“A Hulk costume!”
“Where is the Hulk costume?”
“I have to buy it.”
“Where is the sticker chart?”
“I need to make it! Come eat some pasta”
It didn’t work tonight but I went in unprepared for my bribery attempt so I can’t really squash the whole idea.
Now I have dangled a big green Hulky carrot in front of him I know he is thinking about it. I don’t care how long it takes to fill the reward chart just as long as it helps to get Ari at least trying new foods.
I know he will be dreaming of a Hulk costume tonight.
Dr. Sash at From The Left Field gave me some extra pointers on introducing a reward chart (or in the biz it is called “positive reinforcement” she says) and trying new foods;
- Introduce a tasting plate with new and old foods on it so he can select a little from column a and a little from column b.
- Try online-stopwatch.com to make a bit of a game out of dinner time and to help not draw the whole episode out.
- Offer a fave food as an instant reward for taking a bite of a new food and then build up from there (so after 2 bites he gets a fave food… then 3 bites etc).
- Have a lucky dip on the table so it’s visible and he can see an instantaneous reward ready to go for the first couple of dinners.
Tonight I have been creating a reward chart so we can start the day fresh tomorrow and to help you out in any sudden bribery or other “positive reinforcement” requirements, I made THREE!
We had great success with charts in our toilet training days. We actually went through 2 of them and halfway through a third. I wasn’t stopping him until he was ready to. It was working!
I hope these help you as much as they will help me!
See what I am doing there. Massive positive vibes!
Each of the reward charts is for 14 days. The truck is actually for 15. All you need is to buy a packet of circle stickers or stars. Whatever floats your child’s sticky boat.
On each chart you will see a circle with ‘The Reward’ in it. This is where you can pop a picture of the end prize. So with our chart I have just cut out a pic of a child in a Hulk costume but it could be anything like a picture of the beach for a day out there or a zoo etc. You get my drift.
Download your reward chart on each below;
Let me know how you go and I will fill you in as we progress with ours.
Stay with me, it could be a long process.
Do you bribe use positive reinforcement with your kids?
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Oh man I am ALL FOR bribery ahem I mean rewards. I do reward my kids.. with pocket money. It would be much cheaper to use a chart haha xx
Stickers rock! I will use and abuse them for as long as I can. x
Love love this! We used one for toilet training and staying in bed all night and they really do work. Going to download yours and use for ‘staying at the table’ and ‘eating all your dinner’. Thanks chick!! Xx
We are two nights in and two stickers in. Reward charts really do work! 🙂
When I was teaching, I used to use sticker/stamp charts all the time. A little bit of encouragement and positive reinforcement goes a long way! Soon you’ll be a winner at dinner, just you wait and see!
Two nights and two stickers Sammie. 😀 It is going a treat.
These are great Karin. I’m going to check out that stop watch app too as Miss 6 takes forever to eat dinner, if she eats it at all! Bribery all the way! Good luck with Ari
Thanks. The bomb timer might get them going. 😀 x
Bribery is in all likelihood the only way I will manage to toilet train Mr Untrainable. Love the charts!
Toilet training we went through 2 and a half charts. The half chart was just a poster in his toy room he “made” into chart off his own bat. 😀
Rewards are good!
The best.