I’ve seen many kids eat their meals in front of television or parents running after kids to feed them. What are some good ways of disciplining children so they can sit at the table and eat their food in peace and concentration (if theres such a thing) and make mealtime more manageable.
My kids still like to watch a favorite show and eat better while doing that. I do want them to get rid of that habit now and sit at the dining table.
Is that necessary? Discuss please.
Re: Mealtime discipline
Simple, you just turn the TV off. We always sat at the dinner table to eat all of our meals and my mum would HATE the T.V on. I used to live with some relatives a few years back and they always leave the TV on, none of the kids would eat properly and then their food would get too cold to eat, its unhygienic to reheat in the Microwave more than once. If I were ever babysitting I wouldnt put the TV on, the kids complained but I ignored it. If they didnt eat I used to threaten to make them sleep in the shed! It worked for me!
We usually used to discuss happenings of the day and stuff. But when I was younger my mother used to say it was rude to talk whilst eating so we used to eat in absolute silence. Even a giggle would get us into trouble!
Re: Mealtime discipline
Milly, we hardly watch TV and my kids usually only watch during their lunch/dinner! We don't have TV on other times as kids are busy with other stuff and I have totally no interest! But I guess I just have to put my foot down during their meals and have them sit at the table instead. really, it's high time. The only reason I was doing it up until now is that that the girls usually finished their meals while watching Noddy but dilly dallied at the table, played around and all. But I think they are ready now. :D
Re: Mealtime discipline
Yeh it depends on the kids obviously. I just noticed that my aunties kids were not eating at all when the tv was on. But I do know what some kids do need the TV on for the eat their meals. Tell them they'l have to eat their dinner in the shed. It really does work. I mean we didnt have a shed, but the kids didnt know what! :D
Re: Mealtime discipline
yeah 2 year old also watches tv whils she is eating i know bad habit and she will be more into watching a programme whilst eating so sometimes takes forever eating, a couple of times i have switched it off and told her when she has finished her dinner i would switch the tv back on it worked she ate all her dinner.
Re: Mealtime discipline
Mealtime in our house is the most stressful point of the day for me. My eldest with his eating issues...it just makes me break out in hives thinking about what we've been thru. He was/is eating "averse"...far beyond the fussy eater, he is one who would rather starve than eat. Middle son is fussy. Dont let the veggies touch the meat. Dont let the meat have any sauce or wet appearance. Youngest, joy of joys, eats everything I give him.
I cannot eat with the boys. Just too stressful. So we sit at the table, I read to them. And intermittently encourage or yell as the situation warrants. When it gets to be too much, I leave the room and go into the kitchen (still can see them and am only a couple feet away).
Interestingly, we do manage to have a lovely time when we go to restaurants. They behave like little gentlemen and they all actually eat. How I wish our we could eat out every night lol!
Re: Mealtime discipline
Niksik, we've always sat on the sofa and my daughter at the coffee table whilst eating and watching tv.. some people say its really bad but as long as the kid eats, i dont think its such a bad thing.
Now that we're in a bigger house, we've got her own little table and chair and so one of us sits on the midget chair (her fav parent for the day) and she sits there and eats. And Mashallah she really eats well cus she has her own little table. Sometimes though, she'll get off and eat with her daddy.. for some reason she reckons her daddy's food tastes better than the one on her plate.
She's at daycare all day and doesnt watch any tv, so we dont mind her coming home and sitting down infront of the telly to have dinner..
Growing up, we always ate on the dining table but had the tv on at the same time...