My kids will eat about 2 bites and say their not hungry. It's makes me so mad!! I spend all that time preparing food for them and they never eat it. We make most our stuff from scratch, so it takes effort (for me) to make the meals.

I go between 1) making them finish it or 2) letting them be finished but not be able to eat anything for the rest of the night (if it's dinner) or until the next meal (if it's breakfast or lunch).

What do you do? I need to become consistant with my rule, I hate going back and forth, and it's not good for kids either.

I am watching this thread too. We have done a million things with my son and i go back and forth on what to do to. At the moment we are just telling him this is what we are having for dinner, you can eat it if you want but if you choose not to you will be hungry. He has made himself sick plenty of times not eating so this has been workng pretty well but I am worried this is the wrong thing to do. Well, I just wanted to say I feel your pain!

i do the same as you. really trying to limit snacks so they DO eat at dinner. they are pretty good though, it is usually dd (3) who is "done" after 2 bites..lol, but she sure finds room for dessert quickly ;)

care to share any of your from scratch meals? :)

Dinner is usually the only meal Jake will refuse. So, if he doesn't eat what's on the table he doesn't get dinner. No snacks (healthy or treats) before bed though. If it's breakfast or lunch then he only gets healthy snacks (no treats) until the next meal. It's frustrating, but at least then I'm sure he's fed.

lol, nikki i've got a jake (10/11/99) that's finicky too...some meals he pitches a huge fit...if he doesn't like what is fixed (usually there's at least one thing he likes), then he does without till the next meal. i'm tired of being a short order cook and dealing with him only eating chicken nuggets and peanut butter...well, he eats more than that but yk...anyways, he's not starving w/o snacks btwn meals and he's learning to eat better finally...some days are still a real struggle though

I put it in the fridge and they eat it later. No food until they eat it. No desserts if they don't at least make an effort to eat supper.

I just let them graze all day long on healthy snacks, and once in a while a treat like a brownie or a fig newton. My kids dont always like what dh and I have for dinner and so I will make them thier own little meal. They wont eat tacos or chili or chinese stuff, so when we have that I'll make them an easy meal of spaghetti, and make enough for dh to take to work as leftovers, or a grilled cheese, eggs and toast, cereal, whatever.. Id rather see them fed and know they're getting something in thier bellys than make them eat something they dont like or not eat at all kwim? Sure it takes a few extra minutes to prepare but I dont mind. I dont like eating food that I dont like, why should they kwim?

This is not a popular choice…but how we do it. We keep healthy food, I make healthy food, but we eat when we are hungry. We have always been that way. We will sit down and eat together, but only as much as we want. I know (personally) I can not stomach a “whole “ meal at once, so I do not expect my kids to. When I asked our Dr about this, she actually told me the way we do it is better, healthier, not only does it keep your blood sugar from rising and falling, it helps prevent obesity ( I am not sure why).
I do enjoy cooking, but most things will keep or can be reheated. We usually all sit together at the table when daddy gets home to talk…some of us eat, some do not.
As far as not eating because they do not like it…well, they have to TRY it, but if they don’t like it (in my opinion) like if to short to HAVE to eat it…I don’t eat green beans, and I am relatively healthy…but every family is different, there is no right or wrong, that is just how we do it.

Originally posted by Shoshoni
I put it in the fridge and they eat it later. No food until they eat it. No desserts if they don't at least make an effort to eat supper.

My mom used to do this and I am still bitter about it 20 plus years later! LOL

Anyhow, because I remember being forced to eat foods I truly did not like (ie. lasagne I HATED as a kid but love now) I don't like forcing my daughter to eat things. I make a family dinner and she usually eats it. If she doesn't I ask her to try and take one bite of everything. DD LOVES veggies and such though, so usually she has raw veggies and a few things like that on her plate every night. On the occcasion she doesn't want to eat anything she doesn't. I honestly think she just isn't hungry sometimes.

Emily

Everyone at our house gets served the same thing, unless it's one of those rare occasions that DH and I plan to eat a nice dinner after the kids are in bed...in that case they get spaghetti and meatballs or grilled cheese or something kid friendly and easy. Otherwise, we all sit down and eat what we want from what's available on the table. If Justin chooses to only put mashed potatoes on his plate, that's fine. If he chooses only to drink milk and not eat, that's fine too. I serve Rebecca a bit of everything, and usually she asks for seconds of something.

We typically eat dinner late-ish, like 6:30 or so, and bedtime is 7:30, so we (well, the kids) rarely have anything to eat between dinner and bedtime. If they choose not to eat dinner, then they next opportunity for eating is in the morning. If all of us as a family have a special treat dessert like ice cream or something, they can still have that. It's rare enough that they are only doing it once a month or something, and I don't consider that a hazard to their health.

Most nights Rebecca (2 next month) eats most of what I put on her plate, or at least most or all of at least one item. Justin (4) tends to pick at his food, but he's a healthy weight and I'm not concerned about it.

Rebecca still night nurses, so whether she eats dinner or not, she still gets "nonnies" before bed. ;) Either of them are free to have another glass of milk or water before bed, but once teeth are brushed right before stories, it's only water for Justin, water or breastmilk for Rebecca.

As far as snacks go during the day, if they're hungry, I offer them a healthy snack. SOmetimes they get the choice between two items. If they don't want either item, then they're not hungry enough for a snack. (Sometimes Justin is not hungry enough for an apple, but is hungry enough for some girl scout cookies, that doesn't fly if it was not an option, which it usually isn't!)

You can't really get all bent out of shape if your kids don't eat your made from scratch meals. Well, I mean, you can, but it's not going to solve anything. Food can become a control issue. It's your child's body, not yours. All you can do is offer the healthy food, it's their job to eat it or not eat it.

Michelle

Like a few others here, my kids are served the same meal at mealtime that we eat. This is not a restaurant so they do not have the option of ordering off a menu. If they don't like what's for dinner, they are not forced to eat it. I will still put a small amount of everything we are having on their plate though. If they leave the dinner table hungry, that is their right. However, they will not have a snack before bedtime just because they chose not to eat and are hungry now.

Personally, this method has worked extremely well for us. My kids are generally very good eaters. From the time they were old enough for table food, they ate what we ate. Thus, I can serve artichokes, brussel sprouts, beets, calamari, and pretty much everything that the neighbor kids think is gross and my kids will at least try it if not eat the whole serving (because they discover it's actually good). I do insist that they try one bite of a new item, but it's not like I have to tie them to their chairs and pry their mouths open. I just say, "you need to try one bite." They know that they don't have to down the whole serving if they find they don't like it.

I guess I'm lucky that my kids eat anything, or pretty much. They both eat well and a lot. If they choose not to eat, they are sick. :) No seriously, I cook for our family, not for one person. The kids have grown up eating our food. And actually, since having kids, we eat more veggies now than ever.

I, too, was forced to eat as a child. I will never do that. I still have a deep weird relationship with foodto this day. If they aren't hungry, they aren't hungry. There are times when I don't want to eat, even if I spent time making it.

Anyway, I don't make food an issue. You need to eat to live, not live to eat.

Originally posted by .:Becca:.


I go between 1) making them finish it or 2) letting them be finished but not be able to eat anything for the rest of the night (if it's dinner) or until the next meal (if it's breakfast or lunch).

My oldest has to finish (she's 9) my 3 year old does option #2.

Put it in the fridge (but available if wanted) until the next mealtime at which point it is thrown away (or eaten by someone else) and the new meal is offered.

i have seen so much pain from eating disorders and obesity in my family that i really hate making food something to struggle over.......but i am not a making 5 meals!!!!!! i try to offer several healthy choices at each meal and they can pic from those.

my 14yo is a well balanced eater and i see no point in forcing him to eat zuccihni when he hates it. I LOVE IT!! so i serve it often and when i do i throw in some broccilli for him. they will try new items pretty easily..............but my 3yo can go 5-7 days refusing to eat anything but 1 or 2 items. (rice cakes and tortillas PLAIN :confused: )


if i'm making a dish i know one of them might not eat i serve up a bowl of fresh raw veggies and some raw nuts and they can eat that it they don't like my chillequilles!!!! not a lot of work and healthy.

luna

My kids are 6 and 9...so much different.

We eat together and they get served what we eat. I serve a variety of foods and don't serve unusual things.

They eat what they get or they go hungry....

Cutting down on (healthy) snacks has helped a lot.

I don't force them to eat...I tell them to eat until their tummies tell them that they are full!!

Originally posted by *~Disney_Jen~*
I just let them graze all day long on healthy snacks, and once in a while a treat like a brownie or a fig newton. My kids dont always like what dh and I have for dinner and so I will make them thier own little meal. They wont eat tacos or chili or chinese stuff, so when we have that I'll make them an easy meal of spaghetti, and make enough for dh to take to work as leftovers, or a grilled cheese, eggs and toast, cereal, whatever.. Id rather see them fed and know they're getting something in thier bellys than make them eat something they dont like or not eat at all kwim? Sure it takes a few extra minutes to prepare but I dont mind. I dont like eating food that I dont like, why should they kwim?

Originally posted by infinite
This is not a popular choice…but how we do it. We keep healthy food, I make healthy food, but we eat when we are hungry. We have always been that way. We will sit down and eat together, but only as much as we want. I know (personally) I can not stomach a “whole “ meal at once, so I do not expect my kids to. When I asked our Dr about this, she actually told me the way we do it is better, healthier, not only does it keep your blood sugar from rising and falling, it helps prevent obesity ( I am not sure why).

This is how we do things too.

I guess I should add that I don't make my kids eat foods they don't like.

I just thought the thread was about what do you do in that situation, not what do you make them eat.

but for the most part we all eat whatever whenever. I cook a good meal from scratch every night. Sometimes, I don't even eat it that night, but I might eat some of it the next day or something. We frequently sit down to dinner together and someone is just there to talk or something. I don't keep a lot of junk around and they are pretty much allowed to eat whatever they want, whenever they want. No weight problems, no pickiness, no struggles over what they will or will not eat. If they don't eat dinner and want an apple later, I don't have a problem with that.

It actually has worked well for us. They both pretty much eat everything except Alicia isn't crazy about cheese or spinach and Jac doesn't really like rice. They'll eat everything else when they are hungry, though. Also, since there's no limitations or pressure, I've noticed they don't pig out on ice cream and other junk food when it's available. They'll just eat the amount they want, usually not even the whole bowl and leave it alone.

I have never cooked a separate meal for my children.

I just make whatever we are eating. I do make it a point of making at least one thing that I know they like in our meal. My almost 3 year old eats pretty much anything, but my 5.5 year old I have to ask her to try one bite if she says she doesn't like it but never had it before. If she doesn't like it that's fine. I don't expect them to like everything since I know I don't. And sometimes you're just not hungry. I just save them a plate. But I will not make 5 different meals.

When Beth was little, she figured out that if she did not want or like something, she could say she was full and come back in an hour or so and I would give her a snack. It got to where she was not eating supper at all. So, we instituted the rule "No food after you are excused from supper, period." Both girls know that they get nothing til breakfast after they are excused from supper. Also, I make sure at each meal, there is something they like. I do this so that I know they are getting something to eat, even if it is not well-balanced. They also have to taste (two full bites) of everything on their plate, everytime, no matter how many times they have hated it in the past. I have a few exceptions. Beth hates chili. So, I make her something else that night. I do make her taste the chili a few times a year. Children's tastes change. I have found this helps greatly with pickiness. And, they often discover that a food "grows" on them.

ETA: I have one exception to the no snacks after supper. If they ate a full supper and do get hungry, I let them eat. Sam is the most frequent one this happens with. I swear that child eats more than a teen boy. She will out eat me, five times a day.

I also try to teach the kids to eat when they are hungry. some days it will only be a few times a day and other days its ever 1/2 hr it seems. LOL

if they say they are full it goes in to the fridge untill they are hungry again. ds is good at eating the leftovers but dd somtimes has a few diffrent meals left in there...drives me nuts but then ds sometimes eats those too. lol

I grew up a member of the clean plate club (parents made us sit there untill the plate was clean) and I feel guilty when I try and finish the food when I am already full because that is how I was taught to eat growing up.

around here if you don't eat your dinner it's no dessert/ treats. If you get hungry a pb sandwich is available.

Willow goes back and forth. Last night she chowed on chicken stew but the last 2 days it's been a lot of string cheese and pb sandwiches. :confused: Sometimes lasagna is a hit, some days it's a flop.

Gavin will eat almost anything put in front of him and somethings he'll steal off others' plates.lol

Skye's pretty good, she'll eat most anything even if she doesn't care for it. She takes enough to be polite and will make a pb later.

I make one meal. If someone doesn't like it well, they're SOL.lol I'm not a short order cook.

My 5 yr old does this often at dinner. He is not picky, just doesn't seem to be as hungry in the evening. I keep his plate, and tell him if he gets hungry later he can have it, and no dessert if he doesn't eat more.

My 11 yr old is picky, and I request he eat a portion of it in order to have more of what he DOES like in the meal, and/or dessert.

I use these methods unless someone really does not like an item consistently. I remember being forced to sit at the table for hours to finish a raw spinach salad. It was awful. So if they really hate it, and especially after trying the dish twice, I alter the dish or make something else for that person. It's really not worth fighting about.

If its a new food and they don't like it, I'll make them something else.

If its something they like then they can eat it or they forfeit "special" snacks. I'm not big on forcing children to eat. My kids eat very healthy. We've never had much of a food problem here.

They may just not want to sit at the table too.

Mine were doing the same thing and then, one day, I realized that they were playing all around us as we were trying to eat. :rolleyes: So, we started a new rule of everyone sits during mealtime until we are all finished. Dh and I are pretty fast eaters. They ate a bit more because they had to sit there. We tried to engage them in conversation etc...

It took them a week or so to get used to the new rule. My 4 yr old doesn't necessarily eat more, but he has the opportunity to.

I didnt read all of the previous responses...but what has worked for us is to tell the kids ok, if you arent hungry now just sit here at the table with us until we are all done......maybe taking a break will make you hungry again. If they still arent hungry (and really havent eaten) I will wrap up the dinner and they can eat that when the other kids have their night time snack (a bad habit I know lol). I dont force them to eat b/c I had to clean my plate growing up and still find myself doing that and not listening to my body......but I do tell them that they HAVE to finish all their veggies on their plate lol

I am an extremely picky eater and I remember the horrible feeling I would have when I smelled something cooking that I hated. I would suffer sever anxiety attacks thinking that very soon I owuld have to eat that.So when my child says she doesn't like what we are having, I make her something else. If I had a vegetarian friend come over Iwould fix her an alternate meal, I think my daughter deserves the same respect.

I don't cook her an entirely new meal, but a PBJ, Annie's Mac and CHeese, or leftovers are not difficult to fix. Plus she usually likes at least one of our side dishes.

I also curb hunger by giving her a healthy snack as I am cooking. If she has an apple then and doesn't feel like eating dinner it makes me feel a bit better knowing she has something in her belly.

She is only a little over two, so it may be different with older kids, but I don't want her to be hungry ever! If she didn't eat her dinner, she gets a peice of fruit, a grille dcheese, whatever. I dont' think it is a good idea to make her eat when she isn't hungry or to force her to eat when she isn't.

maybe if m mother had done the same for me I wouldn't have such a problem deciphering when I am hungry or just eating out of boredom, or just eating because there is still food on the plate.

I'm not a short order cook so my kids eat what we're eating. And food, in general, is getting expensive to be having to wonder "will my kids eat this and if not, what else can I have on hand to make them?" We don't eat really spicy things but those spices are made available if you choose to use them. There is always at least one thing being offered that I know my kids will eat. My kids are not allowed to sit at the table and eat a biscuit then claim they are full because they are well known to "be hungry" an hour later but only want ice cream or another snack. They don't get a drink until a good 3/4th's of the way through the meal because they'll drink it all at the beginning, take a bit to eat then claim they're full. My oldest has tried to pull stunts like sticking her tongue out at the plate when I put something on it, going "blech, I HATE that!" when she knows full well she either A) likes it, B) has never had it. , pushing her plate away. Now my three year old does it. So if they play games like that, the food goes in the fridge and they go to bed. Then they have to eat it for breakfast. We do require them to at least try everything.

Sounds like I'm an orge... but my girls eat healthy snacks throughout the day, I allow them to "graze" their way from breakfast to lunch, then from lunch to dinner they can have all the milk or water they want along with one piece of fruit. But come dinner time... they'll eat or go to bed hungry. My kitchen is my kitchen... I don't want them going through it thinking they can help themselves to whatever then later, deny dinner.

:) Theresa

my kids usually eat what my dh and I eat, if they really don't like it I will subsitute soemthing. I too beleive that taste's change, so they have to try everything ( one small bite) and in doing this we have kids that didn't like taco's last year eating more taco's than my dh and I.

we eat between 6:00 and 7:00 depending on when dh gets home so I stop snacks about 4:30. up until then they can eat when they want. They can choose what they want througout the day ,it's not uncommon for my ds to eat a sandwich for breakfast. I keep healthy snacks and lunches that I know they like.

We are a 3 bite family. You have to take at least 3 bites of everything on your plate. Yes, even things you know you don't like. We do this so they learn manners when at someone else's home. I can't stand hearing kids complain over what someone else has fixed them. My kids politely eat a little of the things they don't like and finish what they do like. With this they also develop a taste for things. My kids eat fish, asparagus, broccoli, spinach, salads, whatever is there, and they like it all! There are very few things that my kids don't like.

I think as a socitety we have gotten too into food being something we should always enjoy and like instead of something our bodies need. Hence, the tendency for people to eat lots of junk all day with little nutrition other than vitamines that have had to be added to their food. Yuck! This really takes the "treat" out of having a treat YK?

I don't usually fix alternate meals for them though we always have lots of variety. We always have fruit to snack on through the day and other healthy things. Then, we splurge and about 3 times a week get icecream for a before bed snack.

My dd is the pickiest eater on teh planet....you think i'm joking....come to dinner one night, its usually around 6:30PM:Smirk:
my son will eat everyhtign and anything Thankfully, I just dont;t hink i coudl handle another picky eater :rolleyes:

For my dd i have found the ONLY thing that works is not pushing it, if I try to force something on her she refuses 10 times worse. I offer her only healthy choises, but she does have a limited diet....i always say if you are only gonna eat 20 bites of food in a day..you better make tehm healthy ones!

slowly over time she is trying new things, she is a self decided vegetarian (probably the only one you ever meet who hates veggies:lol:)

but i really need to let her choose what she wants, forcing her only makes her rebell agains food completely and sets us back months

I noticed that your kids are a bit older, I have two younger ones, and we do prefer they eat everything. However, they are not required to. If they complain about the food put in front of them though, they are simply excused from the table. My two don't like this seperation from the family, and it seems to work well. They are taught to be thankful for the food they are given, since so many others dont get homecooked meals, and some not at all. We focus more on being thankful than finishing, but it seems to go hand in hand. Most of the time too, they think they dont like something, but they do after a couple of bites. If they really dont like it, we thank them for trying it, and they eat what they do like on their plate

But....at least once or twice a week they get to choose the dinner. They choose what everyone will eat and we have to eat it too. It gives them something to look forward to, and gives them a sense of control too.



good luck!

This is tough, obviously for a lot of people! Mealtimes serve more purpose than just eating also. For our family, mealtime is about eating, it is about the one time of day we get to sit together as a family with daddy, it is about teaching my children table manners and to be gracious to the person who has worked hard to prepare something for them. It is extremely rare that I cook something my children don't like. When I do I include an alternative at the table. We do limit snacks before dinner and require a no thank you bite.

My middle girl is the one who refuses to eat. She would rather go hungry. We have learned the hard way that she will skip a meal, even two. I have discovered very recently that she needs to sit next to me she wants to feel connected to me when we eat. I have been consciously trying to sit down with her at each meal. I am concerned about her growth and weight, so this has taken on a lot of importance to me. I was so confused because she would refuse food even though it was food she liked. My oldest would just get distracted talking, so, we started a 5 minutes of no talking when we sit down at the table to get her to eat but it didn't help the middle one. So we have moved her to sit next to me and daddy has the baby now. So far so good. Sometimes I just throw up my hands and say "Kids are so weird!" (lovingly of course)

So I guess my advice is consider your goals and values concerning mealtimes, consider what might be interfering with those goals beyond just the food you are offering. Good luck!

so, Daniel gets what we get.

having said that, I have to say that meals are pretty simple around here. nothing overly fancy or non-kid-friendly. sometimes he balks at something anyway and I tell him that there's fruit or granola or cheese instead. I don't want him to have any kind of food problems like me (I am an emotional eater, eat for the wrong reasons, don't eat when I'm hungry - just eat whenever I want to, etc.).

if there is something new or different at the table, we tell him to take 6 bites to see if he'll like it (1 bite per year) and so he learns to like new stuff. or not LOL

Growing up my mom made us at least try something. I don't remember being forced to eat the whole thing if I didn't like it. I was a "vocal" child and she probably would have rather not have fought with me (LOL) Both our kids are great eaters, so we don't usually have trouble. My son doesn't like peas so on nights that I serve that I always have raw veggies out also. I can't remember them not eating a meal. My son doesn't like chicken casserole so when I make that I make sure I have green beans, his favorite, and another veggie so he's good. I have to say we've been fortunate b/c we haven't had some of the eating troubles. Good luck

I guess I run a restaurant. I don't force my children to eat anything. They eat what they want of what I fix. If they do not eat an adequate amount, they don't get anything until the next meal. There are plenty of other things in the world to fight with them about...this isn't one of them.

My 2 y/o does this, but we are such grazers that I usually just eat what's left and not worry about it. I usually don't spend that much time preparing food since its just once course snacks, and I don't mind eating extra. I don't like the idea of making them finish, because I think that could create the habit of always finishing what's on your plate - which could be a problem with obesity and portion sizes these days.

If the food won't go bad fast, sometimes I'll just leave it out and he will often times come back to it and finish it a little later.

Or, sometimes, he will get sidetracked, get up and I'll let him come sit on my lap and then he'll finish the food if I feed it to him.

I don't know if any of this will work for you, this is just what we do...

My son really likes to-go boxes at restaurants, so i just started asking him if he'd "like a box for that" for anything he won't eat right then. Then if he wants a snack in the evening I like for him to eat the dinner before he has a bedtime snack. If he wants a certain snack bad enough, the dinner suddenly isn't so bad after all. There are certain things I know he's not going to eat, so I don't worry about those too much. We try to encourage him to try things. I don't worry too much about being consistent. I just know my overall goal is to get him to eat a good dinner without turning it into a battle of wills and without making him eat something he truely doesn't like.

My only picky one now is my 6 yr old. I always makes sure to include something she likes and then i only put two bites of whatever on her plate, or she puts two bites of whatever. I do encourage her to eat one bite of dark veggies and dark lettuce.

i make sure not to cook for others, but to cook for myself. I mean, i cook what thye like, but i cook because i enjoy cooking, not because i expect a 6 yr old to appreciate anything. One bite of chicken, two baby carrots, a small tear of lettuce (not iceberg) and two black beans is a meal to her. it is what it is and i don;t bother worrying. She's small, but healthy. She's not more than 44-45 lbs at nearly 7, but I can't remember the last time (knock wood) she was ill. She plays soccer like a little demon, too. Her energy is fab. Kids just don' t need that much food.

If it were just dh, she and I , I'd do the same. I'd not go to a lot of trouble just for her. I'd cook because i enjoyed it. I could easily grill a tiny chicken breast and heat a sweet potato and she'd not know the difference, kwim? No sense spending a lot of time cooking only to resent it. Anyway--a bite or two of chicken (or whatever) a couple of baby carrots or two tiny broc florets, and i would consdier it a full meal. With strawberries & yogurt for breakfast, and almond butter, bread and 1/2 a small apple at lunch, she's getting more nutrition than most kids in the world. Kids don't need to eat much.

All that said, i also don't buy cookies or ice cream etc. I never have ever served dessert. We do get little treats occas. But not daily. (Let's not count halloween, shall we? :monkeydan )

Kids feel comfort eating what is familiar. Just keep oferring all the different foods you enjoy cooking. try to simplify the cooking so you don't feel resentful. Finally, I would limit the buying and serving of unhealthy foods that might take away their appetites for food you beleive is better for them.

At any rate, don't sweat it. Ime, the pciky small child who likes the familiar will often become the gastronomical adventurer when older.

Aks me how I know. :monkeydan

My DS is 2 1/2

I find if I put a plate down and pretend like I dont even know what it is he eats the most. If I mention it or ask him to eat or even look at him while he eats its over and not another bite will be considered as if I served him a plate of fire ants and maggots.

My other trick is to not serve him a plate and just make something for myself... then he picks off my plate. He has to ask first and say please and thank you but then I can negotiate "you can have a grape if you eat some trees first"

with the ignore method he may eat all the starch and not touch the veggies

he is also obsessed with apples so those are in the fridge next to the juice boxes so he can get them by himself without having to ask for help. he eats an apple every other day or so... yeah gotta keep an eye on him with the skins (he will barf rather than choke and clean up is a pain) but he will eat all of it. If I could figure out a way to store cheese where he could open it and it could stay fresh in the fridge I might add that to my fridge selection