Five tips for easier mealtimes

How to Make Mealtimes Easier

By Daisy Woods, Certified Positive Discipline/Gentle Parenting Coach  

Mealtimes can be stressful for many parents, especially if their children are picky eaters. Life with little ones is never going to be smooth-sailing but Daisy Woods, aka Muddle Through Mummy, mum of two and parenting coach, is all about simplifying things to make parenthood that little bit easier. 

Here are her top 5 tips for making mealtimes a more enjoyable experience for everyone:

Routine

Children need predictable patterns so the first step is to establish a routine where they eat at the same times every day. Positive mealtime rituals like putting activities away, setting the table and washing hands in particular order is also helpful as it lets them know what to expect.

Limited Options

Daisy says “I like to remind myself, I choose what food I serve but my children should have the freedom to choose what and how much they eat.” Using limited choices is empowering for children but too much choice is overwhelming for young minds so you can ask “would you like peas or carrots with your meal?”

No Thank You Plate

To avoid food being thrown on the floor, a ‘no thank you’ plate is a simple tool which puts children in control of what is on their plate.

Remove Distractions

Making sure the food is the focus at mealtimes is important. If your child is used to watching their favourite tv show during mealtimes, instead try some music, the radio or even a screen-free Bing bunny audiobook.

Keep It Short

It’s hard for preschoolers to sit still at the table for long periods of time so try to keep meals to 30 minutes or under. A visual timer is a fantastic tool to set an eating ‘window’ for kids who can’t yet tell the time as they can see how long they’ve got left.

About the contributor

Daisy, is a mum of two little boys and Certified Positive Discipline/gentle parenting coach She shares helpful, positive parenting content. Daisy started TikTok during lockdown as a way to connect with other like-minded mums. It soon turned into much more than that as she started sharing her day-to-day life, simple tricks to help those around her!