Make meal time a social time for your children.

Creating fun meal times helps children learn a lot from parents, they learn socializing skills, language, healthy eating habits, self-help skills and develop a positive attitude towards food.  It can be a relaxed experience for both children and parents. Parents should not make children eat separately, let them participate in the family and observe how others eat. Interact with them and educate them about the physical characteristics and nutritious value of the food you are eating etc.

It is very important to feed your kids healthy food, most parents struggle in the process. Start by smartly creating interests for food among them and educate them about what they eat. The three points below will help.

  1. Ask them what they know about the particular food, explain them if they don’t know.
  2. Educate them about the growing process of the common vegetables and fruits one by one.
  3. Explain the nutritious value of fruits and vegetables and their health benefits.

You are your child’s role model until their teenage; every parent should understand this and act responsibly. Stop dieting and eating junk food, your children will grow thinking that such eating habits are healthy for them. Be careful about the kinds of food habits you are passing on to your children. Just behave your best and make good gestures especially while sitting together, children will watch and learn.

Follow the tips below to make the meal experience positive for children in your home:

  • Do not ignore your child at mealtime and get busy in talking with other family members.
  • Avoid watching TV at mealtime, it can create a lifetime habit and is famously associated with the reasons of obesity.
  • Do not attend phone calls while eating; make your child feel that mealtimes are the most important time of the day’s routine.
  • Set some simple rules for health and hygiene at mealtimes. E.g. washing hands before touching the food.
  • Practice sharing the food while eating together.
  • If family members such as grandparents are not present at the table, tell your children that they are missing them.
  • Soft music at mealtime can give a good feeling while eating.
  • Make your child aware of the fact that many people in the world are not fortunate enough to eat a proper meal, and they should not waste food.

By carefully practicing the above tips, parents can make mealtimes a valuable part of the daily child care experience !