What one piece of advice can you give me to help turn mealtimes around now?

 

The feeling that pretty much every one of my clients is experiencing is stress. I get it, mealtimes can feel like they’re taking up the whole day with the headspace needed to plan for them, the prep time to make them and then the time at the table…up to three meals a day (plus snacks) every day.

 

And if your child isn’t eating that adds to the stress – all the time you’re worrying about why they won’t eat vegetables, why you can’t just make a really easy meal for the family and everyone be happy, that they’re not getting enough vitamins, minerals or protein, that they need to put on weight, that they’re going to grow up eating a bad diet. 

 

But, if you can come to the table calm and stay calm, the situation very quickly changes:

 

If you’re calm, your child will be calmer.

 

If you’re calm, you don’t feel like you need to control the situation and your child will feel more in control and able to explore foods without any pressure.

 

If you’re calm, mealtimes can be more fun and your child will find the table a much happier place to be.

 

If you’re calm, you can enjoy conversation at the table and your child will learn that there’s more to food than eating; mealtimes are sociable, family time.

 

If you’re calm, you can enjoy your food and your child will be able to see that food is delicious. 

 

Forget about the fact that they haven’t eaten any broccoli today. Forget that’ve only eaten blueberries today. Forget that today the only thing they ate was a bowl of Weetabix at 6am. 

 

Take away the stress and you open the doors to happier mealtimes. Enter a child who is happier to explore food.