Mealtime Happiness

Mealtime Happiness

At Parent411 we believe that mealtime, particularly dinner time should be a time of celebration and reconnection for the family after a day of work, daycare/school, etc.  Achieving a sense of celebration at  the evening meal is elusive for many families.

Mealtime happiness can be achieved for parents of small children.  Children can be trained or retrained to eat without a lot of drama at the table.  It helps to remember that mealtime is really about nourishment.  The following steps should simplify your mealtime routine.

Step 1 – Tell the child your expectation for mealtime.  “I expect us all to sit and the table and enjoy a good meal together.”  (You may give more detail, i.e., “We will sit together for 15 minutes.  There will be no use of technology during dinner.”)

Step 2 – Put healthy food on the table. (You decide the menu based on time, food availability, likes, dislikes and allergies.  It’s okay to serve the same foods over and over.)

Step 3 - Forget about it.  Enjoy the meal with conversation sometimes and quiet time at other times.

Step 4 – Thank you to the cook.

Step 5 - Clearing the table – everyone helps.

Sometimes we worry

• That our child isn’t eating enough. Don’t worry; your young child won’t starve him or herself.  If a child has a sudden loss of appetite, it could be that they are getting sick, so check for that.  It’s also important to make sure children stay hydrated, so establishing a policy of no soda, very limited juice and plentiful water is important.
• That our child doesn’t eat enough variety.  While some children hate trying new things or fixate on one food for periods of time, other children appreciate variety and like veggies.  There are a number of cookbooks* out on the market that show how to serve veggies in ways children will like, including hiding them in food they do like.

Mealtimes are a great time for conversation, checking in with each other, and connecting as a family.  You can share jokes, something funny that happened during the day, something you learned during the day, etc.  As children get older, you may even want to have a once-a-week silent meal with only music playing in the background.

Mealtimes are important family times.  Mealtime happiness, yes indeed it can be achieved.

Candelaria Silva-Collins

Related reading:

*Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food by Jessica Seinfeld