Am I a terrible nanny?

[kt_bug]

The 5 year old I nanny for (who has mild autism but can still clearly communicate and understand everything) has a habit of asking me for a certain food and then, after it's already made, deciding he doesn't want what he asked me for so he'll refuse to eat it and ask for something else. Not only is this incredibly wasteful, it's just plain annoying, so I generally just put the food he asked for in the fridge and that's what he can have to eat if he's hungry. I'm happy to make him the other thing he want after but he has to eat what he originally asked me for first.

I feel kinda bad about it when he winds up not eating for awhile (a few hours nothing major) but at the same time I feel like most parents I know would do this. I probably only feel weird about it because it's not my kid. I'm not being overly "mean" or stubborn about it, am I?

[AshleyO]

That sound reasonable to me, but I'm not a parent. Maybe you can ask the parents how they deal with it or if they'd prefer you to handle it another way?

[Medic2Doula]

You are doing great. My two older kids (5&3) do this, they are "run of the mill" kids. I would appreciate it if you enforced this kind of thing with my kids, we have an occasional sitter who allows the kids all the crap to eat they ask for.... but since it's less than once a month, meh.

[caljmw649]

One of the little boys I watch does that. I'll simply say eat what I made you and if youre still hungry then you can have something else. That works because he knows he won't get anything else from me until he eats what I made. His mother loves that I'm a "take no crap babysitter" You're not terrible for doing that. But if it makes you uneasy, ask the parents what they do or what they would like you to do when he does that.

[missinghim]

I would ask the parents their thoughts, but no at five I would handle it the way you are.

[Matchbox]

I'd have no problem if you did that with my kids.

[Pink2HisCamo]

Does he eventually eat what you made for him? My son is autistic and does something similar to this, only he will not eat. I've had multiple days, in a row, of me trying to figure out what it is he is wanting to eat. He will refuse to eat anything, until I figure it out. As a parent with a child on the spectrum, I would say, "As long as he is eating, you are doing okay. If he isn't eating at all, then I would change how you do things."

[germy]

Does he eventually eat what you made for him? My son is autistic and does something similar to this, only he will not eat. I've had multiple days, in a row, of me trying to figure out what it is he is wanting to eat. He will refuse to eat anything, until I figure it out. As a parent with a child on the spectrum, I would say, "As long as he is eating, you are doing okay. If he isn't eating at all, then I would change how you do things."

This and I would definitely talk to the parents and do whatever it is they prefer you to do.