For those who are on the food program. Do you weigh...lets say lunch meat to make sure the 1 -2 yr old is getting 2 oz or do you estimate? Do you do anything special to measure when making a casserole?

After dck has drank all the milk recommended for the meal do you give more milk or do you give water or another alternative?

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I usually just guesstimate... When I make a casserole I make sure there is enough meat in there per serving per kid... Then I stock it full of veggies, again, per serving, per kid. I often add a little shredded cheese on top of each one's plate as I serve it (to guarantee the protein). I also serve a little extra fruit on the side to ensure enough fruit/veggie amounts.

Depends on the day and how much milk I have left in the fridge. It also depends on which meal (which children are present). I guess usually I offer water afterward.

I have one particular girl that ALWAYS asks for more of EVERYTHING. She is the child that will take another sip of her second serving of drink or two bites of her second serving of food and decide she is full.

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I serve water unless their plate is empty. My 2yos are infamous for not eating but filling up on milk instead. At home they are allowed, but not here. I'm supposed to give them their whole meal at once but I often hold back milk cups for a minute or two until they start eating.

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I estimate. I make sure there is plenty avail in the casserole or whatever I am serving though. For things like fish where I can determine how many fish sticks I would need to serve to meet the guideline then I calculate and serve that. I only make 1/2-1 serving extra as none of my kids really ever want extra.

Does anyone say they must finish all of what is offered (including non favorite foods) before getting any seconds? I have contemplated it but don't have any picky eaters really so I guess I don't know that I need to.

And for milk I determine if they have eaten enough of their other food- or base it on the particular kids eating habits and then decide. 2 servings, 1 food program amount and 1 small extra is far and away plenty for my kids.

And like someone else mentioned, if I am uncertain I add cheese! = )

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Our food program gave us nifty little serving spoons and cups that are pre-measured so that I know I am giving the correct portion size. For meats, you just get really good at knowing what 2 oz (or whatever the serving size for that meat is) looks like.

After the kids have drank their serving of milk , they only get water. If they drink all their milk before the meal is over, they do not get the water though until they are done with the meal or they would just fill up on liquids and not ever eat.

In the case of the child who always asks for seconds that a previous posted talked about, I would allow seconds for a couple days but if she was wasting the seconds, then I would either give a tiny amount for seconds or say no because she is just asking and then wasting it.

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I tend to estimate amounts of food per serving and err on the high side.

If I'm making a casserole I add enough protein to make it two servings per child, that way I feel comfortable that they've gotten plenty.

If they ask for seconds on milk I will usually give it, depending upon whether they've eaten any food. I have had kids that would guzzle the whole cup of milk and ask for seconds before eating anything, and in that case I will caution them not to drink so fast, and to eat something before giving a second glass of milk.

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I serve family style...I help them put the food on their plate, they decide how much we're putting on there. They can always have more and that way there is far less food being thrown away. The food has to be available, it doesn't have to be on their plate.

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Oh, you must watch my DD ! She started doing this a month or so ago and it led to me declaring that there will be no seconds of anything if you're not hungry enough to eat everything. Nipped that problem in the bud (most of the time...there are days that girl eats like a teenaged boy!).

I give water as seconds...partly because I just don't agree with the American emphasis on cow's milk as a primary source of nutrition (yep, I'm American, just not a very mainstream one) and partly because I REALLY REALLY think that Americans as a whole need to drink a LOT more water on a daily basis. I do not with-hold seconds on drink either.

Interestingly, before I started offering milk as a drink with meals, my kiddos ate a lot more and a lot better. Now that I'm making a token effort at it...they don't eat nearly as much. It bothers me.

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I serve family style as well except I am the one who decides the amount that goes on their plate. I have a kid who gets two green bean and two kernels of corn and STILL won't eat it

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I make everything in advance so what I do is make enough of my stews for eight kids. I double the serving size for the oldest kid and make eight servings of that. This way I know I have enough for every age group.

We draw up what they normally eat and then have the rest sitting in wait for seconds. They eat it all every day.

Some of my younger kids are REALLY big eaters so they get about four times the serving size they have to have in meat, veggies, and fruit. They are all pretty lean so they can have as much as they want. They go out nearly every day too so they have a lot of exercise which requires more calories.

I pour them the milk and then they can have seconds if they want. I don't have kids that just chug milk and then don't eat. If I did I would not offer a second of milk until they made a good dent into their foods.

I measure everything out when I cook it so I know what's in the crock pot or dutch oven. I know how many servings I can get to meet all the components. I freeze eight double servings in each container and that's what I start out with at the top of the meal.

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You can't force a kid to eat, and I refuse to stress myself out about it...although I used to. Don't eat, fine...snack is 3.5 hours from now...

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I do this. If they are truely hungry they will eat it. I don't give anything gross that would be hard for them to eat like green beans, brussel sprouts etc.

Also, the food program just says you need to OFFER it. That doesn't mean it has to be on the plate but if they would like more and they didn't get the required amount it should be available.

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