rolling for bites

Do your children eat their vegetables at dinner?  Or just eat well for the most part?  Isla is our picky eater.  Some meals she barely eats anything and  minutes later she is asking for a snack.  We usually keep her unfinished plate on the counter for later but unless she is super hungry she won't touch it.  Then her options are fruit, milk or nothing.  It's hard to not give into snacks, especially before bedtime.  I don't want them to go to bed hungry but snacking all day is tiring.  And if not given the proper snacks, it can be unhealthy.  I try to put an assortment of different items on a plate for them so they have options.  It usually looks like a piece of fruit or vegetable, nuts, crackers/muffin, cheese and a piece of turkey.  But dinner time can be a real challenge with Isla so we have tried using the 'dice game'.  She gets to roll the dice to determine how many more bites she has left to eat.  This way she is involved and it doesn't become a negative experience.  I don't believe in forcing food items on a child but they do need to get proper nutrition.  And eat what I lovingly prepared for them!

My doctor said to me once "you decide what your child eats and they will determine how much."  I will heed his advice and not stress about the little amount my child eats knowing they have healthy options whenever they want.