SFP 49: SPECIAL EPISODE: Exactly How I Feed My Kids [Your Questions Answered]

I recently explained exactly how I feed my kids [read the post here]. I loved the enthusiastic response that I received from readers and members of the Simple Families community. Because of the overwhelming response, I decided to do a special podcast episode to answer all of your feeding questions. Without further ado, here are the questions–and tune in for my answers.
LINKS MENTIONED:

* Exactly How I Feed My Kids
* Visual Timer (affiliate link)
* Getting Started with Baby-led Weaning

THE QUESTIONS

* What do you do when a child refuses to come to the table for a meal? Patina
* Can you please explain the theory behind why no talking about food at the table? Gina
* What kind of foods do you serve at lunch, including any packed lunches? We homeschool, with 2 days at basically a co-op, so we do both. At lunch they get to pick their lunch (within limits), but dinner I cook more for me and my husband (and his allergies!). I try not to cook for lunches much, though – more work than I want to do most days! Kate
* How long does mealtime last for you? Do you set a timer? If my daughter doesn’t eat, when is it time to take her plate away? She could literally sit at the table for two hours! Thank you Denaye! Nicole 
* Loved this! Denaye, when did this system become solidified for your family? I have a 13 month old that’s a fabulous eater. We exposed him to a variety of foods early and haven’t ever felt the need to force him to eat. However, snack times can be tricky: he will sometimes only nibble on a snack and seem done but an hour later be ravenously hungry. Maybe I’m not timing snacks right? Erryn
* What about kids with sensory issues that affect palate and smell? Heather
* Help me understand how to keep my son at the table and engaged long enough to eat. He’ll be up after he’s eaten enough to take the edge off hunger, and expect to come back to the same plate when he feels hunger again an hour or two later. We started this way, no refined sugar. Honey and maple syrup in very limited quantities. No candy. No desserts at home. Fruit as our sweet. Once he was out of the high chair though, all bets were off, and I became the parent that begged my child to eat. Not the parent I want to be. Kristen
* Would love your tips for preparing greens/veggies for tiny tots who only have a few teeth. I’m in a rut. Kaitlin
* Sometimes we’ll put each side dish out on the table for dinner so they can take as much as they want to eat. How do you deal with kids who take too much and then decide they are not hungry for it which then gets wasted? Mandy
* My son is very busy, how do you deal with kids that like to get up and down from the table during dinner time? I want him to understand that it’s family time, and say, if we’re at a restaurant, that it’s not time to run around, but sit and spend time with us as a family even if he’s not hungry. He’s only 2. Mandy
* May I ask how you deal with children who only will pick only one kind of all the dishes (e.g. bread) you put on the table? Will you stop her/him from doing that? Trine
* Our hardest meal is dinner time. When I pick my daughter up from daycare she is ravenous! I pick her up between 5:15-5:30 pm , we try to have dinner by 6:30 (sooner if my husband gets home early and can ...