From Chaos to Calm: De-Stress Meal Times With Children

Mealtimes with kids can be stressful as some kids tend to be fussy eaters. Parents consider it more challenging when children decide they don't want to eat a particular food served on the table or food they know kids used to enjoy, per Safe Splash.

Many parents argue and resort to promising rewards to get their children to have a few bites of healthy food without having any meltdowns or tantrums. Parents do everything they can and make it their mission to make mealtime more calm and efficient, as it usually appears chaotic and loud.

Kids who regularly enjoy family meals are 35 percent less likely to have eating disorders while 24 percent are more likely to eat healthier foods, and only 12 percent less likely to be overweight, per the 2011 study, "Family Meals Can Reduce the Risk of Eating Disorders," published by Cornell University.

Despite being a draining activity, family meals are considered an important routine that brings enormous benefits to everyone's well-being.

Read Also: Eating Habits: Feeding a Child With Autism Spectrum

Activity that involves kids getting ready to eat

To avoid having a difficult mealtime with kids, give them an allotted time, approximately five minutes, to prepare and wrap up their current activities so they won't cry for being made to eat a meal immediately. This way, parents can feed their toddler or younger child without making the experience difficult.

Parents are highly encouraged to establish an activity or routine that would remind their kids that they're about to eat meals. For instance, you can ask them to wash their hands before they sit down and explain the essence of good and proper hygiene. If kids are old enough, you can also treat the pre-meal time as an opportunity to introduce them to household tasks such as setting up the table and laying out napkins.

Additionally, parents need to make a routine or fixed mealtime routine so kids would know if they're getting their main meals or just snacks. It also gives parents more chances to relax without keeping kids hungry and waiting for food, which usually leads to tantrums. Set a time for meal time, Baby Bum Shower says.

Creating a positive relationship with food

For kids to avoid having tantrums during mealtime, parents should know how they can make their children fall in love with food so they can enjoy it without actually forcing them to eat. If kids have a positive relationship with the food, you don't have to constantly call their names and repeatedly remind them that they should wrap up before the food gets cold.

When kids are stressed at the table, their stress hormone cortisol rises, which reduces the kid's appetite making them less likely to eat. Thus, it is important to make them love food so they can stay calm at mealtimes. On the other hand, parents should also practice staying calm as negative energy can be transferred to the young one.

Dr. Jennifer Cohen suggests parents give their kids a calm environment and choose the food they're certain their kids would like to have.

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