{"id":1425,"date":"2012-12-04T19:00:18","date_gmt":"2012-12-05T00:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.carouselandrockinghorses.com\/blog\/?p=1425"},"modified":"2021-10-04T18:13:19","modified_gmt":"2021-10-04T22:13:19","slug":"how-to-have-drama-free-dinnertime-with-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carouselandrockinghorses.com\/blog\/how-to-have-drama-free-dinnertime-with-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Have Drama-Free Dinnertime with Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"For your entertainment tonight, we are featuring![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.carouselandrockinghorses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/drama-free-dinner-time-kids-300x200.jpg\" "\\"drama-free-dinner-time-kids\\"")
a new show called, \u201cMom, He Kicked My Leg Under the Table,\u201d followed by a re-showing of the classic, \u201cThis Food Stinks!\u201d\u00a0 Enjoy, and watch out for flying food, spilled drinks, and whining children.\u00a0 Family dinners are wonderful ways to gather together, share details about your day, and relax. In theory. In practice, they are often chaotic, stressful, and loud.\u00a0 How can you have a drama-free dinner with children at the table?\u00a0 We\u2019ll help you turn those theoretical dinners into everyday events!<\/p>\n
Start young<\/strong>.\u00a0 Begin having family meals as soon as your child can eat.\u00a0 He can have his rice cereal and pureed carrots while you have your dinner.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter what you eat, but that you have a regular routine that he can get used to.\u00a0 It will be an expected part of the day, and hopefully one that is looked forward to by all.<\/p>\nTry it, you might like it.\u00a0 <\/strong>You can also start modeling good behaviors when your child is still in his high chair.\u00a0 Pleases and thank yous are always nice, but you can also institute a \u201ctry two bites\u201d rule. \u00a0A lot of dinner table drama comes with the food selection; if you dare serve green veggies, your children may object. The two bites rule requires everyone at the table to take at least two bites of each food (you could make it a one-, three-, or four-bite rule). Practice this rule consistently and make it an ingrained habit. As children get older, you may have to prompt them, but you will have fewer full-out battles on your hands.\u00a0 They will also be used to eating their spinach!<\/p>\nEnlist your helpers. <\/strong>Children can take ownership of dinner by helping.\u00a0 If they are old enough, have them help you gather the ingredients for the salad or get out the silverware and put forks on the table (and plates if you trust them \u2013 or they\u2019re plastic).\u00a0 If you have more than one child, give each a job. You can change this every night or rotate each week. It can be as formal, or not, as you like.<\/p>\nHave regular snack and dinner times.\u00a0 <\/strong>Children are much more likely to misbehave when they are tired or hungry.\u00a0 When they are both, they can be impossible!\u00a0 Make snacks part of the routine; perhaps children could have a snack when they get home from school.\u00a0 It is also helpful if dinner is usually around the same time. Life doesn\u2019t always cooperate, but if you can get into a regular routine, it helps keep the drama down.<\/p>\nEat until sated.\u00a0 <\/strong>Don\u2019t push your child to eat more than he needs. Children usually have a pretty good food o\u2019meter internally, and they stop eating when they\u2019re full.\u00a0 Other times, they stop eating because they\u2019re not hungry for the veggies and chicken you made but the brownies in the cupboard. In this case, you can do a few things: skip dessert altogether so he has no options, serve a healthy dessert like fruit that offers nutrients, or push dessert until later. If he\u2019s hungry in the meantime, he will eat his dinner.<\/p>\nTalk.\u00a0 <\/strong>Kids tend to get a little antsy if they are not engaged, so engage away.\u00a0 Use this time to talk about your day and ask your kids questions about theirs.\u00a0 See who they played with at recess or what they did in math class. Ask about their friends or their homework. It doesn\u2019t really matter; just keep the conversation going. Besides being a good bonding technique, it can keep your children calm until dinner is over.\u00a0 You could do your part by asking questions and bringing one silly knock-knock joke to the table each day.<\/p>\nYou do not have to have a full sit-down dinner every night; some families just do not operate on that schedule.\u00a0 But do try to schedule a few family dinners per week; it benefits the whole family.<\/p>\n
Jan Kremer is an event planning consultant with over 10 years of experience.\u00a0 As a blog contributor at www.baby-gifts-gift-baskets.com<\/a>, she shares her parenting tips, ideas for homemade gift baskets for kids<\/a>, and baby shower planning advice.<\/em><\/p>\nphoto credit: Pink Sherbet Photography<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n