Mealtimes with your children might sometimes be stressful, especially when they don’t want to eat what you have prepared for them. And getting your children to come to dinner might be difficult too, especially if they are fixated on their phones or gaming devices.
So, if you are relating to this, here are some useful tips for improving mealtimes in your household.
#1: Reduce snacks between meals
If your children are hungry, they are more likely to heed your call to dinner when mealtime rolls around, even if they are busy elsewhere. They will be more likely to eat what you have served up too, as they won’t have filled themselves up beforehand with snacky foods that could spoil their appetite. So, go easy on the snacks in between mealtimes, and make sure your children eat very little during the hour or so before mealtime begins.
#2: Get your children involved in the cooking
If your children have had a hand in the meal before eating, they might be more inclined to eat what is before them, even if those dreaded veggies are involved. Research has shown that their involvement can influence their attitude towards food, so find ways to involve them in the kitchen, and be age-appropriate when handing out jobs for them to do.
#3: Find ways to prepare healthy foods in fun and interesting ways
If your children are resistant to those foods that you know are good for them, try to be creative with your meal prep. So, rather than serve your children a plate of vegetables, you might want to make your own homemade pizzas and use some of these vegetables as toppings. If your children are hesitant about eating fruits and vegetables, you could turn these into a smoothie to compliment the foods they do prefer eating at mealtime. These are just a couple of ideas, but for more inspiration, check out these kid-friendly recipes and experiment with your cooking.
#4: Sit around the table at mealtime
If you have a dinner table at home, use it! Eating together is just one of the things your family should do regularly, as you will have the opportunity to talk to one another about each other’s days, and you will be able to monitor what your children are eating. So, no matter how old your kids are, get together with them. Have a no-phone rule too, as this way there will be fewer distractions when you’re trying to bring about a sense of family unity.
#5: Treat your children
Healthy eating is important, but that doesn’t mean you can’t treat your children at mealtimes. The promise of a bowl of ice cream or something as scrumptious as a vanilla mug cake from BakedByAnIntrovert.com can do much to encourage your children to polish off their main meals before dessert time comes around, especially if you lay down the rule that they need to eat what’s on their plate first. Of course, you can still find healthy twists on traditional dessert recipes, so look online for a few ideas.
Mealtimes should be fun, not stressful, so use our suggestions if you have related to this article, and see what kind of a difference they can make to your household.
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