New Years Resolution: Family Meal Time
December 31, 2024
The Importance of Family Meal Time
Most of of have heard that family meal times are important, but do you know why? Below are just some of the reasons why experts recommend us try try to have family meal times whenever possible!
- With more selective eaters, children are more likely to try new foods
- Children can see parents modeling appropriate meal time behaviors
- Gives children and parents time to talk and connect
- Studies have shown an increase in vocabulary and academic performance
- Children learn table manners
- Better mental health
- Higher self-esteem
- Lower incidence of obesity, overweight, and eating disorders
- Lower stress
- Create positive relationship with food and with family
- Create healthy eating habits
Ways to incorporate family meal time:
- Make 1x/ week your first goal. Slowly build up to at least 3x/week.
- If sports practices make for a late evening, try enjoy dashboard diner in the car
- If one parent works late, have the other parent eat with the child(ren)
- Plan meals in advance (crock pot, grilling, casseroles, etc) to accommodate your family’s schedule
- Keep it simple- sandwiches, pasta, soups, etc.
- It doesn’t have to be dinner, it could be breakfast or lunch or an afterschool snack. It’s the time together that matters.
- Involve your children in planning, shopping, and/or preparation
- Ask suggestions for meal ideas; perhaps have fun with theme nights!
Tips for family meal fun:
- Play a family friendly version of “Would you Rather…”
- Utilize Table Topics (order on Amazon or create your own)
- Avoid distractions (focus on conversation and the people sitting at the table)
- Ask your family about their day or the craziest dream they have ever had
- Change up the scene: have a picnic in your backyard or build a blanket tent in a bedroom and eat in there
- Have your child create a menu for the evening
- Use story stones
References:
Eating Family Meals Together at Home | Media and Youth | JAMA Pediatrics
Benefits of Family Meals: Eat Together, Thrive Together - HealthyChildren.org
Why the Family Meal Is Important - Stanford Medicine Children's Health
Eating Together at Family Meals: Benefits and Tips
Exposing children to food through various activities like cooking, coloring and sensory play/projects enhances their understanding of food, leading to healthier eating habits. Try a sensory project, like making snacklaces!
A Fun Way to Introduce Your Child to Food!
Our Registered Dietitian (RD) has some practical tips to incorporate into mealtime for a more successful, enjoyable child-food relationship. The goals of these interaction are to create a positive relationship with food, enjoy happy meal times, reduce anxiety, reduce battles surrounding food, and fitting all types of food into a healthy lifestyle.
Apraxia is a motor speech disorder. Childhood apraxia of speech is a rare, but lifelong disorder that makes it difficult for individuals to move their mouth muscles in order to speak. The important thing to note about Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is that the child knows what they want to say, but may struggle with connecting the brain to the muscles that must accompany speech.
If you have a child who is a selective eater, learn about some time-tested eating tips including: nutrition guidelines, tips for parents during meal times, and types of food children tend to enjoy. Try a combination of these tricks and find what will work best for your family.
In a world often filled with uncertainty, Liam, a courageous six-year-old boy, has proven that faith, resilience, and the unwavering support of family can overcome even the most daunting challenges. His journey began on December 11th, 2023 when Liam fell down the stairs. What was thought to have been a seemingly innocent incident, quickly spiraled into a life-altering spinal stroke. Within moments, Liam went from a lively child full of energy to being paralyzed from the neck down, which left his family in shock, grappling with fear and confusion as they navigated the unknown.
