Tips for stress free family meal times

Do you enjoy family meals with your kids? Or do you find family mealtimes frustrating, or stressful? Or perhaps you have decided it’s best for the kids to eat at a different time to you, or with different food, or perhaps in front of a screen?  

We have put together some ideas that could alleviate your stress and bring enjoyment back to family mealtimes. 

Take a moment to consider what are the possible causes of stress at your family mealtimes. Is it food refusal or do you feel concerned your child is not eating enough? Is your child overtired, because dinner is too late? Are there too many distractions so they don’t want to come to or stay at the table? Is there a power struggle between you and your child and the broccoli on the plate? 

Once you have identified the possible causes of stress at mealtimes, it’s time to come up with a plan! 

• Plan the mealtime to suit your family’s schedule and your child’s age. Perhaps bring the mealtime slightly earlier if you suspect tiredness is contributing to your child’s food refusal.  
• Plan a meal that you enjoy, but also one that has a ‘safe’ food that you are confident your child will eat and enjoy.  
• Plan your response if your child doesn’t finish their meal, or if they refuse to try certain foods. How would you feel if you can consider your job ‘done’ once you have set the food on the table? As parents, our job is to provide the food, and to decide when and where to eat. The child’s role is to come to the table, and to decide what, and how much of the foods offered they are going to eat. So instead of asking them to have ‘one more bite’ or praising them if they do finish all the food on the plate, try to remain neutral and avoid making comments. 
• Plan a mealtime routine to help your child transition to mealtime. It could involve turning off screens, washing hands, setting the table, and putting on some background music. Is there a special job your child can be in charge of each night to help with before or after dinner? 
• Plan some fun conversation. If mealtimes are stressful because your child would rather eat while watching a screen or they are used to spending the mealtime complaining about the food, it’s time to bring something new to the table! How about asking your child for a joke they can share with you? Or share a funny story from your day with them? Or look up some ‘Would you rather’ questions to ask your child to get the conversation flowing? (e.g. Would you rather be able to talk with animals or with plants?) 

Planning the time of the meal, your response to power struggles, the mealtime routine and some fun conversations could all help to create a mealtime not only be stress free, but the start of cherished memories as a family.