I am a big fan of serving meals family-style. It’s how I serve meals 99% of the time, even using this approach when one of my children is eating on their own because of the timing of clubs or other reasons. 

Here are some of the reasons why I encourage my clients to adopt this approach to family mealtimes: 

• You don’t always have to make your child’s favourite foods for them to eat well 
• You can make one meal that everyone can eat  
• You get to enjoy foods you like to eat and can role model what this looks like  
• It provides exposure to a variety of foods for your child to learn to like  
• There is less pressure on your child to eat and so it diffuses mealtime battles  
• Your child has control over their mealtime, feels empowered and independent  
• Your child isn’t overwhelmed by the amount of food on their plate or new/disliked foods on the plate  
• Your child is more likely to explore new foods and generally eat more   

I hope you’ll give this approach a try and see the benefits for your whole family. Let me know how you get on!