A common question I’m asked is “I know we should be eating with our children but most of the time it’s just not possible for us. What should we do?”.

Yes, eating meals with your children is incredibly important since it’s an opportunity for you to role modelling eating a wide variety of foods, to demonstrate how delicious the food is and that it is safe to eat leading to them eating better and more. It’s also a chance to connect as a family and allow them to learn about the social aspects of eating. 

But, work and other commitments mean it isn’t possible to eat dinner together every day. It’s nothing to feel guilty about. Consider, though, what is possible and what can work for your family. 

Perhaps breakfast is your family mealtime or maybe you make a concerted effort to eat every meal at the weekend together and don’t stress at all about the weekdays. Or, is there an opportunity for your child to eat with another role model during the week on a regular basis – grandparents, a friend’s parents or a nanny, for example?

If you’re home with your children but can’t eat together, for whatever reason, simply sitting with them whilst they eat is helpful. They will have someone to talk to and the dinner table is more likely to be a place they want to stay if they aren’t eating alone. If you can have a snack on some of their vegetables, for example, even better since you’re still making the most of that opportunity to role model.